After joining Gogglebox in 2015, Mary Killen and Giles Wood immediately became firm favourites with fans. 

I was one of them – this stiff-lipped, upper-class ‘hippy’ couple has a clear disdain for pretty much all television they’re forced to endure and are unlike anyone else on Gogglebox. They’re so out-of-place that they somehow feel so perfect for it.

They wince at pretty much everything they’re shown, including their hilarious horror at Naked Attraction.

For years, I was convinced they were liberal lefty academics, with a flair for dancing in fields and championing peace and love. 

I was sold on their fractious relationship, driven by the sort of bickering that can only come with couples who have lived together and been in love for decades.

And then it became clear that I – and so many other Gogglebox fans – had them wrong.

In my defence, they admitted to previously pretending to be lefties (like me) back in the 1990s. During an episode in 2024, Gogglebox stars reacted to two by-election defeats for the Tories to Labour.

Watching the results in their respective battered armchairs, Giles said: ‘Oh God, do you remember that? Labour victory, with all those Labour people crowing about their victory.’

Mary sighed: ‘But this is going to be even worse.’

Giles then candidly admitted: ‘And we pretended that we voted Labour… We thought we were going to be lynched.’ (Mary then proclaimed, ‘you pretended!’)

Considering their comments came during the peak hell of the previous Conservative government, which admittedly doesn’t feel much worse than the mess we’re in under this Labour one, Gogglebox fans were alarmed.

Then last month, Mary and Giles stunned fans again when the latter appeared to back Donald Trump after his row with Volodymyr Zelensky over the Ukrainian President’s suit (or lack of).

Giles also defended Vice President JD Vance from accusations he was raising his voice in the argument.

‘I don’t think he was speaking loudly,’ he told Mary, who teased: ‘We can see which side you’re on. You’re on the side of the wrong’uns!’

The final straw for viewers came last Friday though, when they mocked man-of-the-moment and national treasure-in-waiting Stephen Graham while discussing Adolescence, the Netflix series widely hailed as the most important television in years.

Mary dubbed him the ‘actor who always plays short northerners’.

Graham is one of the finest actors Britain has produced, his IMDB ranges from Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire to a violent boxer in A Thousand Blows, and even Matilda’s dad Mr Wormwood in the Netflix musical adaption of the Ronald Dahl classic.

If anyone has range, it’s Graham.

Mary’s comment came as Sir Keir Starmer announced Adolescence is going to be shown in schools across the UK to tackle misogyny and the increasing popularity of incel culture among young boys.

Created by Graham and Jack Thorne, it’s a rare moment when a televised drama really feels as though it could change the course of history.

Given the timing, there are few things that could have gone down worse with Gogglebox viewers, including backing Trump.

As a result of Mary’s poor jibe, fans of the show in droves have called to ‘get rid’ of the couple. And as someone who spends life determined to be surrounded by my echo chamber of friends, I sympathise.

I, too, can go from zero to 100 when someone shows a glimmer of support for a Tory or Trump because sitting on the fence is no longer an option. 

The world feels like it’s on the brink of collapse, life has never been bleaker, and I stand by blaming everything wrong with the world on right-wing politicians and their reckless greed.

It is unfathomable to me that anyone could have lived through the last 14 years of Conservative rule and have an ounce of sympathy for the Tory Party.

I get the disappointment in Mary and Giles because I felt it too. But unfortunately, Gogglebox would be pointless without them.

Gogglebox reflects the mood of the nation. It’s a celebration of multicultural Britain and its multitude of values and takes on the week’s television.

I categorically disagree with every political statement I’ve heard from Mary and Giles but that’s exactly the point of Gogglebox. Yes, it’s a lol-a-minute but it’s also the best reflection of how Britain has been gripped by the weekly news.

Mary and Giles also raise a different self-confronting issue: can I like someone who doesn’t align with me politically? As long as they’re disguised as a Labour voter, it turns out I can.

Before I knew anything about their political leanings, I’d go as far as to say Mary and Giles were possibly my favourite Gogglebox couple – or at least up there with the greats like Sophie and Pete Sandiford, The Moffatt Family and Warner sisters.

Should I no longer find their dry humour quirky ramblings spoken with the enthusiasm of John Major because they may have voted for him?

The thing is, I just do. They’re wonderfully strange creatures I’d miss if they left Gogglebox.

Gogglebox has always included right-wing views. Boozers Steph and Dom had a ball wining and dining with Nigel Farage for a TV special in 2014, while Andrew Michael stood as a UKIP candidate before he died in 2021, but neither seemed to be met with the same vitriol by Gogglebox fans.

Perhaps it feels more disappointing to have a couple less clearly Conservative turn out to seemingly be sympathetic to Trump, but still, it feels essential to have them there alongside the liberal lefties. 

There are no villains in Gogglebox, that’s part of its charm.

Everyone is brilliant in their own way – whether they voted for Boris Johnson or they worship at the altar of ‘wokeism’, they’re extraordinary ordinary folk who all bring something so unique and special to what on paper is a woefully boring concept.

They give a show that follows everyday people watching TV its life, the eclectic mix of characters keeping it just as popular now as when it began 12 years ago.

Gogglebox airs Fridays at 9pm on Channel 4.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

Stephen Graham has dropped the biggest clue yet that Adolescence season 2 could happen after accumulating more than 66 million viewers.

The Netflix crime drama has managed to capture attention of audiences across the globe in a manner that’s extremely rare in the world of TV.

The blistering series follows Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who is accused of murdering his schoolmate Katie.

Episode one begins with a police raid on his home and his arrest, with each instalment of the four-parter filmed in real-time and in one shot featuring incredible performances from the likes of Stephen, Erin Doherty, and Ashley Walter.

Newcomer Owen, 15, is already predicted to sweep up at awards season despite having no acting experience before his audition.

Adolescence has been hailed as a limited series, its four episodes telling a complete story of Jamie’s arrest and the 13 months that follow.

Still though, fans are desperate for more and begging for another series – and Stephen, who also co-wrote the drama with Jack Thorne – has dropped a mega hint that it could happen.

When asked about the potential for a second season to be made, the A Thousand Blows actor told Variety: ‘Possibly, let’s see how the figures are. But yeah, there’s the possibility of developing another story.’

His wife Hannah Walters, who also stars in Adolescence, added: ‘It’s been overwhelming

‘Somebody sent us an email saying that he’d been [in] the business for 38 years and had never known anything to have had an impact like that.

‘We’re number one in 80 countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, Australia … it’s just incredible. I didn’t think the subject matter would resonate with the world, but it really has.’

Stephen acknowledged that those who made the series ‘had no idea that it would impact socially the way it has’.

Surely, with Adolescence being streamed over 66 million times in two weeks, there must be more episodes to follow, right?

Appearing on Lorraine, Christine Tremarco – who stars as Jamie’s mother Manada – previously appeared to quash any suggestion of a season 2 after Lorraine asked about the potential for the story to continue.

‘You’re not alone, a couple of people have said that! But maybe that’s a good thing because it leaves you thinking about what would happen afterward. But, I think this is a one-off. I think it ends with episode four,’ she said.

Writer Jack has stressed he felt the limited series has answered every question it intended to and his co-creator Graham told Tudum: ‘We knew that we wanted to end it in [Jamie’s] room. We wanted the journey to finish where it began.’

Why there needs to be a season 2 

Jamie’s story might be wrapped up but there are so many stories about the draw of the ‘manosphere’ to young men and the increasingly concerning rise of incel culture popularised by the likes of Andrew Tate.

Adolescence captures so much in its four episodes, but there is so much more to explore.

Metro recently spoke to a teacher who told us Adolescence just scratches the surface when it comes to the reality of what’s happening among young boys and their concerning behaviour toward girls.

‘I think it misses the scale of misogynistic abuse and violence that happens in our schools every day,’ *Emma said.

‘Young women are reporting it and not enough is being done to prevent girls at school being harassed and abused by their classmates.

‘Also it misses the scale of violence in our society, not even just against women, but young men committing acts of violence because of their these belief systems and because they are feeling so angry at the world.’

How likely is a season 2?

Initially, there didn’t seem to be much hope for a second series of Adolescence but according to sources Netflix is keen to replicate the success with a new story.

‘Execs are thrilled by the results and acclaim for Adolescence,’ a source told The Sun.

‘It’s seen as a format that can run and run, at least to a second series if not further, as it could take in a different teen issue each series.

‘The topic has resonated with viewers because it taps into parents’ biggest fear and there’s plenty of scope for more in the same vein.

‘Stylistically, the one-take creative approach could become the hallmark of the series. It’s one of the aspects which has got everyone talking.’

Is Adolescence based on a true story?

Adolescence wasn’t based on a specific case, despite the misinformation being spread by Elon Musk, but a sequence of crushing news stories about young boys attacking or killing young girls.

Sadly, the escalation of knife crime means the potential for Adolescence to return as an anthology series isn’t just inevitable to build on its success, it feels essential.

There are so many different angles to knife crime that need to be heard, from the teachers like Emma who easily identify boys influenced by incel culture.

They are quiet, they are distrustful of women, they’re angry,’ she told us.

‘They’re incredibly hard to reach, incredibly hard to create connections with, and especially in teaching English a lot of our work is discussion-based, so that’s normally how you form connections with students by giving them a space to have their opinions.

‘But quite often those kinds of boys keep their opinions themselves or share quite extreme opinions about society and about women so they get shut down by their classmates which makes them not want to share again because they get labelled as weird.’

An earlier version of this article was originally published on March 24.

Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix now.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

For Lorraine Kelly, there was no question she’d grow up as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.

‘I found my tribe very early on,’ she flippantly tells Metro as if that was the norm growing up in 1970s Glasgow.

‘When I was a teenager, my best friend Ray was gay, then his friends became my friends, and your circle becomes wider.’

But it was during the HIV and Aids crisis, watching a community being demonised while fearing–or worse, losing – their lives, she sensed a change was coming and she knew she had to pick a side.

‘I felt it was my duty to stand up and say, “No, this isn’t right”.’

We’re talking the day before she’s about to welcome Gavin and Luke Avaient-Sheppard to her chat show, a year after she officiated their wedding on daytime television.

It was a landmark day, 10 years since the first gay wedding in Britain and what could be more extra than having national treasure Lorraine Kelly conduct your service with Alfie Boe singing Foreigner as you say your vows to thousands of viewers?

Granted, it’s not throwing the first brick at Stonewall, but it’s one of several moments Lorraine has used her chat show to platform the LGBTQ+ community to an audience of vastly diverse opinions and prejudices.

Decades after realising her duty, she is still standing up for the LGBTQ+ community.

‘We’re breaking down barriers in a gentle way,’ she says. ‘But I think it’s actually more effective than perhaps a big documentary.’

Lorraine regularly platforms trans stories, creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to be interviewed on daytime television without feeling interrogated for simply existing.

Perhaps that doesn’t sound particularly ground-breaking, but over the last decade or so, it’s become increasingly rare for trans people to appear on television and not be asked: ‘What is a woman?’ or have Piers Morgan declare he’s identifying as a ‘penguin’.

That’s if they make it onto television at all. Trans people have been debated so intensely daily, but rarely actually given the platform to speak up.

‘People in the gay and trans communities have trusted me with their stories, they really have,’ she says with pride.

‘I don’t like when trans people have to come on and try and justify their experience because no one else has to. It’s really about showing the person behind the label – we’re all far more complex than labels.

‘People look at statistics and they don’t see human beings so that’s my job. The trans community has the odds stacked against them anyway, trying to navigate a new world that’s gone backwards. When I grew up, people in the 70s and 80s and people were more tolerant about trans than they are now.’

In 2024, Lorraine released her feel-good debut novel, The Island Swimmer about a lonely woman who returns to her family home when her father falls ill. Despite vowing never to return, she befriends a group of cold-water swimmers led by her oldest friend, Freya.

‘Freya just so happens to be trans, but honestly that’s the least interesting thing about her,’ she says, giggling: ’There’s a little bit of me in her, but she’s essentially a human being getting on with her life.

‘I know that anyone who is frightened or scared of trans people could sit down with Freya, if she were real, they’d change their mind.’

In 2019, Lorraine was reluctantly reunited with former GMTV colleague Esther McVey on Good Morning Britain. She went viral for brashly snubbing McVey on live television in a somewhat humiliating exchange for the Conservative MP.

Lorraine later clarified she was responding to some of the ‘appalling’ things McVey has said about the LGBTQ+ community.

I ask if she’s had to stand up to others at work or in her personal life when they’ve shared similarly homophobic values.

‘Much less than you would imagine,’ she says. ‘We obviously have gay people working with us on my show, but I don’t think anyone would say anything like that to me.’

Lorraine might be a show that celebrates inclusivity, but Kelly remains firm that all sides of a debate are heard on her show, that all voices get their say, and ultimately it’s the viewer that makes up their mind.

In 2021, she welcomed academic Katheleen Stock, who at the time was on a promotional tour of her departure as a philosophy lecturer from the University of Sussex after being accused of transphobia.

People in the gay and trans communities have trusted me with their stories

‘It was a feverish time, wasn’t it?’ Lorraine asks.

Since then, Stock has become a prolific figure in the so-called ‘gender critical’ movement, which has become somewhat obsessive in its quest to demolish trans rights.

‘I think it was important to talk to her and for people to hear where she was coming from, even if I fundamentally disagree with her,’ says Lorraine.

‘I said to her, “I believe trans women are women,” and she doesn’t, but we don’t have to end up screaming at each other.’

In fact, Lorraine repeatedly stresses she is against censorship of any kind. But arguably it’s trans people and their supporters who are being censored.

Trans people are more often than not snubbed from the conversation about their existence, while trans allies are scared to speak out over fears of the abuse they receive for simply saying they ‘believe in trans women’.

‘It’s very sad,’ says Lorraine. ‘We have to remember we’re talking about a very small part of the community who just needs understanding and our help.

‘We’re supposed to be more progressive, we’re supposed to be more understanding, but we’re going backwards in many ways.’

But the return of Gavin and Luke to Lorraine, marking their one year anniversary, is a glimmer of hope.

‘We’ve still come so far, now we have gay couples getting married and no one turns a hair, you know? I always said to one of my mates about gay marriage, “it’ll be a big deal when it’s not a big deal.”;

For now, Lorraine’s allyship remains a big deal, whether she feels it or not.

But perhaps the next time Lorraine welcomes Gavin and Luke back on their show for a special anniversary, gay marriage or even being LGBTQ+ won’t even need to be a topic of conversation.

Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

After six episodes of ‘will they won’t they?’ between brothers Lochlan and Saxon, The White Lotus has gone there.

It takes a lot to shock someone who writes about television for a living but The White Lotus is trying its very best with… incest.

From the get-go of the third season of Mike White’s ludicrously camp whodunnit, the sexual tension has been palpable – between brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola).

Saxon is a hypersexual, hyper-masculine ‘finance bro’ determined to rid his sheepish younger brother of his virginity during their family trip to Thailand, specifically with some girls they’ve spotted at their resort, The White Lotus.

During their first night sharing a room, Saxon is horny. He can’t stop talking about how horny he is. In fact he’s so unbearable horny that, mid-conversation with his brother, he has to masturbate immediately.

He dashes to the bathroom, leaving the door suspiciously ajar to jerk off in front of Lochlan who is transfixed, staring at his brother’s penis for much longer than could possibly be an accident.

The latest episode, on the way back from Thailand’s infamous Full Moon Party, the brothers got drunk and took part in a threesome with a girl called Chloe on her boyfriend’s luxury yacht.

The next morning, battling the worst hangovers, hazy memories of the night began to break through the cobwebs.

It happened. Lochlan had given his older brother a hand job while making out with Chloe.

Since the episode’s release, viewers have threatened to boycott and said the storyline has gone ‘too far’.

The White Lotus has never been a wallflower – and I don’t really have an issue with tackling incest. But does it have to be done with gay undertones?

Incest is having its moment. Jaime and Cersei Lannister set the trend in Game of Thrones and just last year Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: Eric and Lyle Menendez showed the titular homoerotic killer brothers showering together.

For better or worse, television is there to cover taboo issues – and to be clear, I am thoroughly enjoying The White Lotus season 3. It’s debaucherously mischievous and if it’s the most fun we’ll have on television this year then great – I’ll go into 2026 toasting another satisfying year of TV.

But according to The White Lotus, gay men have two things in common – we’re either perverts or we want to kill Jennifer Coolidge, or both. In reality, I like to think most of us have more depth and would quite literally die for Jennifer Coolidge.

And of the many couples who have checked into The White Lotus for a romantic getaway, not one of them has been LGBTQ+ – at least, not openly.

The first time The White Lotus showed gay sex, it was punchy, unapologetic and genuinely felt ground-breaking with hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) aggressively rimming staff member Dillon (Lukas Gage). It was great work all around to see that level of gay sex on a television series not specifically categorised as LGBTQ+.

Then season two came – where, once again, there was a gay sex scene clearly intended to rock the boat when Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) caught Jack (Leo Woodall) hooking up with the man believed to be his uncle, Quentin (Tom Holland).

It transpired that Jack and Quentin had been lying to lure Tanya on to a luxury yacht and dump her body in the sea. The storyline was a work of art and produced one of the most meme-able moments in living memory with the killer line: ‘These gays, they’re trying to murder me.’

But, while it was unmissable television, there was a slight discomfort that gays were reduced to being horny killers without any conscience – and that, once again, sex between two men was clearly used for shock value.

Then just a couple of weeks ago, the sun rose on The White Lotus again and alluded that, if there is more gay sex this series, it’s going to be between two brothers.

The White Lotus is the brainchild of openly bisexual former reality star-turned TV guru Mike White. I’m sure his intentions are good, that more gay representation is a wonderful thing – and that’s true, of course.

Granted, no one comes off great in The White Lotus with the exception of hotel manager Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell). Everyone is deeply troubled and their greed, trauma and absurdity is what makes The White Lotus so irresistible.

But there’s a distinct trend around the wrongness of its gay characters, which always boils down to sex – in a way that it doesn’t with straight guests and staff of various The White Lotus resorts around the world.

This season, could The White Lotus have confronted incest with a brother and sister? Easily.

Not to mention, there are so many fascinating dynamics this season alone that don’t revolve around sex. The three best friends who can’t resist bitching about one another as soon as one of them is out of the room; the blossoming romance between a security guard and another hotel staff member; the couple with an age-gap.

None of these relationships are driven by sex – or at least it’s not the sex that makes them interesting – but all of them could have been storylines revolving around LGBTQ+ characters.

White could easily throw us a bone and not a boner, but every single time it’s the latter.

After three seasons of The White Lotus now, it’s a trend which isn’t just becoming a bit tedious – there is also significant potential to cause so much more harm than good to our community, which is already being demonised as perverts and paedophiles without any rhyme or reason by the loud and increasingly powerful right-wing.

Right now, is a gay incest storyline particularly helpful? No. It’s not even particularly entertaining.

Of all the things to love about this series of The White Lotus – which is essentially every single woman in it – the potential for gay incest is right at the bottom of the list.

I really do love The White Lotus; but if White could write gay men and give them the same respect he does to women, it would be the perfect TV show.

Perhaps in season four, we’ll get there – because if not, reluctantly, I might have to check out of The White Lotus.

The White Lotus is available to stream on NOW.

A version of this article was originally published February 27, 2025

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

Netflix’s Adolescence has managed to capture attention like few other drams before it with just four episodes.

The blistering drama follows Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who is accused of murdering his schoolmate Katie.

The series begins with a police raid on his home and his arrest, with each episode filmed in real-time and in one shot featuring incredible performances from the likes of Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and Ahsley Walter.

Newcomer Owen Cooper is already predicted to sweep up at awards season despite having no acting experience before his audition.

Adolescence has been hailed as a limited series, its four episodes telling a complete story of Jamie’s arrest and the 13 months that follow.

Still though, fans are desperate for more and begging for another series.

Surely, with Adolescence being streamed over 24 million times in four days, there must be more episodes to follow, right?

Appearing on today’s Lorraine, Christine Tremarco – who stars as Jamie’s mother Manada – appeared to quash any suggestion of a season 2 after Lorraine asked about the potential for the story to continue.

‘You’re not alone, a couple of people have said that! But maybe that’s a good thing because it leaves you thinking about what would happen afterward. But, I think this is a one-off. I think it ends with episode four,’ she said.

Writer Jack Thorne has stressed he felt the limited series has answered every question it intended to and his co-creator Graham told Tudum: ‘We knew that we wanted to end it in [Jamie’s] room. We wanted the journey to finish where it began.’

Why there needs to be a season 2 

Jamie’s story might be wrapped up but there are so many stories about the draw of the ‘manosphere’ to young men and the increasingly concerning rise of incel culture popularised by the likes of Andrew Tate.

Adolescence captures so much in its four episodes, but there is so much more to explore.

Metro recently spoke to a teacher who told us Adolescence just scratches the surface when it comes to the reality of what’s happening among young boys and their concerning behaviour toward girls.

‘I think it misses the scale of misogynistic abuse and violence that happens in our schools every day,’ *Emma said.

‘Young women are reporting it and not enough is being done to prevent girls at school being harassed and abused by their classmates.

‘Also it misses the scale of violence in our society, not even just against women, but young men committing acts of violence because of their these belief systems and because they are feeling so angry at the world.’

How likely is a season 2?

Initially, there didn’t seem to be much hope for a second series of Adolescence but according to sources Netflix is keen to replicate the success with a new story.

‘Execs are thrilled by the results and acclaim for Adolescence,’ a source told The Sun.

‘It’s seen as a format that can run and run, at least to a second series if not further, as it could take in a different teen issue each series.

‘The topic has resonated with viewers because it taps into parents’ biggest fear and there’s plenty of scope for more in the same vein.

‘Stylistically, the one-take creative approach could become the hallmark of the series. It’s one of the aspects which has got everyone talking.’

Is Adolescence based on a true story?

Adolescence wasn’t based on a specific case, despite the misinformation being spread by Elon Musk, but a sequence of crushing news stories about young boys attacking or killing young girls.

Sadly, the escalation of knife crime means the potential for Adolescence to return as an anthology series isn’t just inevitable to build on its success, it feels essential.

There are so many different angles to knife crime that need to be heard, from the teachers like Emma who easily identify boys influenced by incel culture.

 They are quiet, they are distrustful of women, they’re angry,’ she told us.

‘They’re incredibly hard to reach, incredibly hard to create connections with, and especially in teaching English a lot of our work is discussion-based, so that’s normally how you form connections with students by giving them a space to have their opinions.

‘But quite often those kinds of boys keep their opinions themselves or share quite extreme opinions about society and about women so they get shut down by their classmates which makes them not want to share again because they get labelled as weird.’

Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix now.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Anyone who spends £600 on cheesy chips surely deserves to be banished to galaxy far, far, away – but there’s a reality television series where contestants think they’ve found a bargain.

Tempting Fortune is two episodes into its second series, two years after flying relatively under the radar when it first launched in 2023.

Hosted by Paddy McGuinnes, 12 strangers are thrown together for a gruelling 18-day hike in the sweltering Malaysian jungle.

They begin their trip with £300,000 and keeping the entire prize fund sounds simple: Don’t spend £200 on a can of Fanta.

During the trek, each individual is confronted with the same temptation at checkpoints, which they can either accept or reject. But accepting comes at a financial cost to everyone.

As someone who refuses to accept the 20% price hike of a Mayo Chicken in McDonald’s, I have never been more certain about something: I would be strong enough to resist splashing out £700 on a Dairy Milk.

Or would I be?

After spending days hiking in unbearable 40-degree heat, being attacked by leeches and sleeping on the floor, wouldn’t I deserve a treat?

That’s the inner turmoil faced by each and everyone of the 12 strangers.

Well, some find it easier than others – and that’s what makes Tempting Fortune the stroke of genius that should be held in the same esteem as reality television greats, The Traitors, Big Brother and my personal favourite, The Circle.

Their level of will-power ranges from the restaurant owner whose business just collapsed and won’t even look in the direction of a chocolate bar, to a millionaire entrepreneur who will happily gobble down on a tiny hamper of sugary snacks for £750.

It is genuinely the most fascinating social experiment since Nasty Nick introduced game-playing to reality television.

It doesn’t take long before players have established who is out for themselves and who has any grasp of the concept of teamwork. Within hours of meeting, there are rows, the level of which haven’t been aired on television since the heyday of explosive reality TV such as Wife Swap, Supernanny and the criminally underrated Mob Wives.

It’s packed with bolshy personalities determined to start a war from the get-go.

In this series, in one corner you have fashion blogger Imani who believes life is about experiences, no matter the price tag. She relishes in spending a grand on a few minutes of air conditioning and is weirdly delighted when others follow her indulgent lead.

In the other corner you have Sam, who treats anyone who even hints at falling for temptation like they’ve kicked a puppy and is determined to make it to the end with the prize pot completely intact.  

The cast is dynamite.

Torn between Sam and Imani is 37-year-old vicar David, who’s entire life has revolved around resisting temptation, but can’t wait to throw away the dog collar for three weeks and splurge like he’s never splurged before.

Among the 12 contestants there are heroes like Henry, a deaf amateur footballer, determined to prove is more capable than he’s given credit for; Welsh retired prison officer Ted, who bravely embarks on one of the biggest physical challenges of his life; and 59-year-old paramedic Trish, who wants to show age is just a number and anything men can do, women can do better.

The pack start off united but gradually they’re divided between natural-born emperors of the game Imani and Sam.

The gluttonous players tuck into extraordinarily overpriced beige food, initially with guilt and trepidation, before ordering £400 pints of Guinness like it’s a badge of honour.

It’s as primal as reality television gets in 2025.

It exposes the divide between rich and poor, left and right, strong and the weak more than anything else I’ve ever seen.

The Traitors is clearly the biggest water-cooler television since The X Factor at its peak, and thank god for it, too.

For the first three weeks of January my main personality is Traitors.

I think about nothing else between each episode and feel constantly on edge knowing there’s shock coming my way at 9pm every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

I never feel more alive than when the entire nation is completely gripped by cliff-hanger and we’re collectively in agony waiting for its resolution.

The star of The Traitors is always the game, the cast is almost secondary. This year we saw Minah Shannon carry the first two-thirds of the series entirely on her shoulders; the only cast member likeable enough to be deemed a worthy winner.

‘Weirdly even though we were out before Traitors, I find some of the stuff on Traitors similar to what we are doing,’ says Paddy.

I’m not sure I see the resemblance myself, other than both take staggering turns out of nowhere, but I agree they’re both equally as fun.

But Tempting Fortune is a fascinating anthropological experiment with a cast so extreme it’s hard to believe they were put on this planet to serve any purpose other than striking gold for Channel 4.

Imani is up there with the most iconic reality TV villains like Christine Quinn, Janice Dickinson and Kim Woodburn, living in a one-woman world, which is unbearable to be around but a godsend to watch.

A true firestarter who gives zero attention to anyone else’s cares or concerns.

If more people were switched on to Tempting Fortune it would be another landmark moment in reality television and it deserves to be a massive talker.

Its second series launched to just 700,000 viewers, which is less than a tenth of those who tuned into The Traitors.

That means there’s at least 10,000,000 reality TV fans longing for something to fill The Traitors void and they’re missing out on the one reality TV series we have that deserves to be championed just as hard, if not harder.

It’s not even acknowledged for NTAs, a Bafta – even the TV Choice Awards gave Tempting Fortune the cold shoulder. It might be a pipedream to beat the likes of Strictly or Traitors but at the very least it deserves the nomination.

The dizzy heights of a new format like The Traitors is unheard of, it’s enormous viewing figures are somewhat of a miracle in the last dying breaths of linear TV.  

Tempting Fortune is unlikely to ever be as successful, but it absolutely should be before it’s discarded as another forgotten reality TV show that deserved more.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

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In just four days Adolescence has done more to highlight the endemic of misogyny seeping out of teenage boys than anything else has achieved in years.

The four-part drama stars Owen Cooper in his first-ever role as Jamie, who has been accused of murdering a teenage girl, Katie.

It begins with the moment he was arrested and each episode intensely follows the subsequent moments through four one-shot episodes told in real-time.

Also starring Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty and Ashley Walters, Adolescence is an alarming insight into incel culture and the rise in popularity of the so-called ‘manosphere’.

Misogyny isn’t a new concept, but it’s evolved – particularly among young men like Jamie.

‘There been a shift in the behaviour of young boys since the explosion of Andrew Tate and the manosphere,’ *Emma, a high school English teacher tells Metro.co.uk.  

‘In the past two to three years there’s been quite an explosion with how famous Andrew Tate got, the media attention and pressure he was getting, I think that’s when it started to reach more and more young men.

‘There’s always been a base level of immature misogyny in schools like “girls are gross and scary creatures who I don’t understand.” But in terms of how women and girls are treated, one of the changes that we’ve noticed in school settings is girls talking about acts of sexual harassment or sexual assault at school – they’re more likely to tell you how misogynistic the boys are.’

The focus of Adolescence is less on who killed Katie, but on why.

Jamie seems like your average teenager. He doesn’t scream killer, but Emma warns she can easily spot boys like Jamie.

‘They are quiet, they are distrustful of women, they’re angry,’ she says.

‘They’re incredibly hard to reach, incredibly hard to create connections with, and especially in teaching English a lot of our work is discussion-based, so that’s normally how you form connections with students by giving them a space to have their opinions.

‘But quite often those kinds of boys keep their opinions themselves or share quite extreme opinions about society and about women so they get shut down by their classmates which makes them not want to share again because they get labelled as weird.’

In Adolescence, Jamie’s parents Eddie (Stephen Graham) and Manda Miller (Christine Tremarco) are determined to prove his innocence. Their boy seems harmless, scared and so far from a violent teenager capable of stabbing a girl seven times.

But boys like Jamie are terrifyingly common. Perhaps not every classroom has a potential killer, but the incel community is much more widespread than parents or even adults are aware.

And while Emma can spot the signs in their behaviour, there is no typical incel. The manosphere doesn’t discriminate as long as you are male.

While Adolescence is undeniably brilliant, powerful, and perhaps the most important piece of television in decades, it only scratches the surface.

‘I think it misses the scale of misogynistic abuse and violence that happens in our schools every day,’ says Emma.

‘Young women are reporting it and not enough is being done to prevent girls at school being harassed and abused by their classmates.

‘Also it misses the scale of violence in our society, not even just against women, but young men committing acts of violence because of their these belief systems and because they are feeling so angry at the world.’

Gareth Southgate railed against ‘callous toxic influencers’ taking the place of father figures in his rousing Richard Dimbleby Lecture this week while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he’s been watching Adolescence with his two children, 14 and 16, and acknowledged: ‘This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem.

‘It’s abhorrent, and we have to tackle it.’

Emma says we need more masculine voices addressing the ‘manosphere’ in the public sphere because ‘that’s the only way that things are going to change’.

But ultimately, this is a problem that needs to be solved by all – it’s not just the responsibility of parents.

‘As a society, we need to address our online safety laws,’ Emma urges.

‘We need to address in the home, in you know, we need to get teenagers out of their bedrooms and off their phones. And how you do that is where the difficulty lies, but there needs to be a cultural shift.’

*Names have been changed for this article.

Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix now.

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The title of David Blaine’s new show Do Not Attempt is a disclaimer for a reason.  

 ‘I woke up in the middle of the night at 3am out of a nightmare thinking, “Oh my god, what if somebody tries to copy something?”,’ he tells Metro and other press in the basement of a swanky London hotel.

It’s an understandable panic even if few people watching at home will have access to a king cobra they can even attempt to kiss or be tempted to set themselves on fire and jump off a bridge in the name of magic. 

Throughout Blaine’s career, the 51-year-old has performed the most unthinkable stunts to mixed success in front of the whole world on the edge of its seat. 

In 2000, he suffered his first public defeat when he was prematurely removed from a block of ice after being encased for 63 hours – nine hours less than his target. He then spent 44 days without food sealed in a glass box on London’s Southbank while being pelted with McDonald’s and eggs (which wasn’t part of the plan) and he’s spent a week underwater. 

Needless to say, all of these stunts came with serious repercussions to his health.

His latest six-part series with National Geographic shows a slightly more reserved side to Blaine, even if he still has that unbelievable ambition.

Do Not Attempt is part a beautifully shot travelogue that takes him to India, the Arctic, the Amazon, and Africa, and part his own personal endurance test, attempting tricks perfected by some of the most devoted magicians around the world. 

It is extraordinary. He’s more vulnerable and personable than he’s ever been on television, happily giving himself over to masters of the craft he turned into a multi-million dollar brand, with various TV series, tours, books, and a Las Vegas residency. 

‘In this show, you see me running around screaming, shrieking,’ he says. ‘Basically, I’ve become the person I try to capture on camera, showing the reactions – that’s me.’ 

He’s refreshingly awe-struck watching others perform tricks he’s never even imagined, but still, when he’s so far removed from his comfort zone (whatever that might be) he remains determined to give everything a go.

Animals feature heavily in these stunts, which is unlike anything we’ve seen from Blaine before, adding a completely different level of tension. Most notably, he comes up and personal with some of the deadliest snakes on the planet, including one cobra that killed its previous owner. One wrong move could be catastrophic.

‘Normally my stunts are worked out for a few years, but this was all a crash course,’ he says.

‘I met the best in the world, and they let me into their world, and of course, I trusted them wholeheartedly with everything by watching them and knowing how brilliant they are at what they do, but at the same time, you don’t know what that king cobra is going to do from one second to the next, and that has enough venom in it to kill a full grown elephant, right?

‘There’s an unpredictable element that you’re surrounded by, which makes it that much more exciting.’

At one point, Blaine shares a phobia he’s kept hidden his whole life: things that crawl.

‘People who knew me would laugh because if I saw a bug I’d scream,’ he tells us with a grin. Quite staggering from a man who gleefully stares death in the face for a hit of adrenaline.

Still, he faces his fears and lies in a bed of scorpions, clambering over him like tourists getting lunch at Borough Market. 

Across the four episodes I was lucky enough to watch before our interview, there was only one moment when fear – or common sense – prevailed.

He’s impressed by one performer who body-slams into broken glass and smashes bottles on his head without flinching.

Blaine never looks more scared than when he’s clinging onto the neck of a bottle he’s about to shatter into his skull until he gets a call from his 14-year-old daughter Dessa, and delays the stunt, to the relief of his visibly anxious camera crew.

‘Since becoming a father, everything has changed. As you noticed, I haven’t really been doing so many stunts and then with this series, I would talk to her about anything that was dangerous.

‘I’d really understand what the risk was, work diligently on it, give her a sense of confidence by showing her proof of concept.

‘Even the bottle, I didn’t do it and then I came back to India months later to do it. I didn’t want to do anything that would be traumatic for her.’

Blaine has been perfecting the art of magic since he was six years old and he was given a deck of cards. While other kids around him were playing with Spider-man dolls, he was performing tricks to his mum and she’d ‘freak out’.

He’s essentially spent his whole life absorbing all the tricks of the trade and becoming the most prolific magician of a generation.

But even at this point in his career, his travels around the world for Don’t Try This, he says, has ‘changed the way I think’.

‘It’s inspired me to push and keep going, but respecting the limitations.

‘I’m at the point now where I’m a father, I’m not 27 and standing on a block of ice! So [I ask myself] can I learn from somebody, can I constantly be a student, and can I still grow with things that I’ve only looked at, never imagined doing? And the answer was, yes.

‘You keep surrounding yourself with people who inspire you, which is what this series is, and you can keep growing. I probably will never kiss a king cobra again, but it changed the way I feel about everything that I do.’

David Blaine Do Not Attempt premieres Monday 24th March on Disney+ and is on National Geographic Channel every Thursday at 9pm from 27th March.

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In November 2026, Wade Robson and James Safechuck are finally due to get their day in court more than 10 years after first coming forward to accuse Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as children.

It’s been an uphill battle to bring their joint suit against MJJ Productions and MJJ Venture (owned by the Jackson estate) to face a jury, accusing the company of failing to protect them from Jackson, even making sure the singer could get them on their own.

For any victim of sexual assault, coming forward is an act of bravery few can ever understand unless they’ve been through it themselves.

For Robson and Safechuck though, they knew full well they would be opening themselves up to levels of abuse typically reserved for serial killers when they spoke in graphic detail about their respective experiences with biggest-selling artist of all time in the two-part documentary, Leaving Neverland.

Because the sad truth is, Michael Jackson’s fans will never believe he is responsible for these crimes, even if they had all the ‘proof’ in the world. 

In 2019’s Leaving Neverland, Safechuck described their relationship as being like a ‘married couple’, recalling Jackson hosting a fake wedding ceremony and even producing an engagement ring. He was around 11 years old at the time.

‘He was one of the kindest, most loving, caring people I knew. And he also sexually abused me,’ said Robson.

Robson claims he gave oral sex to Jackson when he was just seven years old after first meeting two years before at a dance competition.

Robson’s family claim they were convinced by Jackson to leave Robson alone in his care, which is when he says the abuse began.

Despite Leaving Neverland’s critical acclaim, Jackson fans took to the streets in protest, with the singer’s family calling it a one-sided ‘tabloid character assassination’, despite turning down repeated attempts to give their side.

The dilemma with most sexual assault cases, particularly ones as historic as this dating back to 1988, is that the evidence is very much one person’s account’s versus another.

Six years after the release of Leaving Neverland, a sequel is about to air on Channel 4 and YouTube, revisiting Robson and Safechuck, who have continued to fight the Jackson estate for justice, capturing the ‘ongoing legal battle, the resulting personal toll and the backlash they faced from Jackson’s global fan base’.

It largely explores the tactics used by MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures to prevent their case from going to trial.

The Leaving Neverland sequel doesn’t necessarily move the story along; there are no new survivors coming forward with similar accusations and Robson and Safechuck pretty much said it all five years ago.

But Leaving Neverland 2 does explore the reluctance of Jackson fans to engage with the documentary at all.

The reception to Leaving Neverland was as polarising as it gets.

One side condemned Jackson as a monster, vowing never to listen to his music again.

Oprah Winfrey invited Robson and Safechuck to her show. Like Robson and Safechuck, Winfrey recalled her own ‘lightbulb moment’ when she was 42 that she had been abused. 

The other side, however, became even more fired up to fight his corner and Jackson’s music soared in sales.

The release of Leaving Neverland confirmed both Robson and Safechuck’s biggest fear.

‘Michael said your life would be over if people knew,’ says Safechuck.

He was right – the wrath of millions upon millions of Jackson fans clearly isn’t worth all the money in the world, yet both men continue to fight.

At one point in Leaving Neverland 2, Andy Signore, host of Popcorned Planet, is determined to disprove the men. He questions why they waited so long and why more children haven’t come forward when so many stayed at Jackson’s Neverland mansion, as if anyone’s suggested all children under Jackson’s watch were abused.

Neither of those reasons even remotely discredit Robson or Safechuck, but actually the timing of their coming forward falls pretty consistently with many adults who later realise they were abused as children years and years later.

Watching Leaving Neverland, it’s hard not to be convinced by their case, which could be in part why so many of Jackson’s supporters refuse to watch it.

It’s not just inconceivable to Jackson fans, it’s impossible. Their idol isn’t just one of the most important musicians of all time, he is a god-like figure of an unhealthy degree bound to warp the judgment of anyone who feels changed by his music.

The world quite literally wouldn’t be the same without Jackson – that’s indisputable. His impact on music, pop culture, and Black history is unprecedented but it shouldn’t make him immune to being held accountable for some of the most disturbing accusations imaginable.

But whatever the outcome of the trial in November 2026, will Jackson’s legacy change? I don’t even see how it will even be remotely impacted.

Right now, if you walk through London’s Old Compton Street, you’ll find an enormous queue that goes around the block of fans heading inside to watch the carefully santisied MJ: The Musical, with complete disregard of allegations levelled at a man accused of paedophilia.

His estate is still worth over $2billion and counting, his music still sells in bucket loads and a biopic starring his nephew as the King of Pop is expected to be one of the biggest box office success stories of 2025.

I personally struggle to separate the art from the artist. I find it deeply uncomfortable listening to R Kelly singing sexualised lyrics knowing he preyed on young and vulnerable women and I don’t want to listen to Kanye West rapping about Jesus knowing he calls himself a ‘proud antisemite’.

Likewise, after hearing grown men accusing Michael Jackson of giving them oral sex while they slept makes me less enthusiastic about dancing to Billie Jean.

Granted, with Jackson, under the court of law he’s yet to be found guilty. He was arrested on child molestation charges in 2003 but later acquitted in 2005 and his estate continues to deny all allegations of child abuse since his death in 2009. 

But before he died, he did pay millions to prevent a case from going to trial and his behaviour with children that played out in front of our very eyes is at the very least enough for me to find him a deeply unsettling figure.

There is as much evidence to support Robson and Safechuck as there is to dismiss them.

I can respect that others may have their doubts, but to flat out refuse to engage with their statements or rule them out before actually watching Leaving Neverland speaks more about idolising Michael Jackson than it does the integrity of Robson and Safechuck’s allegations.

We know Jackson’s well-documented history of hosting sleepovers with children, refusing to allow their parents access to these said sleepovers, and that he settled a lawsuit with Jordan Chandler in 1994 for a reported $23million.

Leaving Neverland 2 won’t do anything to sway opinion, and actually, unlike the first, it’s not even trying to.

No doubt the case will be revisited for Leaving Neverland 3 once Robson and Safechuck’s trial against MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures has taken place.

‘Whatever’s the final outcome, I don’t see how I lose,’ Robson says. ‘If I get the opportunity to get back in there and get on the stand, and tell the truth like I wasn’t able to for decades, that’s a win.’

What will come out in that trial we’ll wait and see but while a judge may rule in Robson and Safechuck’s favour, I can’t see any way they’ll be able to convince the jury of public opinion when Jackson’s fan base isn’t even willing to even listen.

Leaving Neverland airs March 18 on Channel 4.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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Dancing on Ice has been axed after 19 years and finally, Holly Willoughby could be about to enter her best era yet.

For the last 16 years, Holly has been ITV’s darling, becoming one-half of the most popular double act since Ant and Dec alongside the now disgraced Phillip Schofield on This Morning.

Their visibly tight bond was unmissable television. Beneath clips of them curling up into fits of laughter, there would be endless comments from fans tagging their friends, writing ‘this is us’.

In turn, Holly quite rightly became TV’s ‘golden girl’, she couldn’t put a single foot wrong.

We got to see her naughty side on Keith Lemon’s debaucherous Celebrity Juice (where she was a captain for 22 series) but she held her own in tough interviews (unless they were with then Prime Minister Boris Johnson) and was pitch-perfect as the best friend a closeted gay man needed when Schofield came out on national television.

But two years ago, the gleam of Holly Willoughby began to fade – albeit due to circumstances out of her control.

Signs that her friendship with Schofield was waning became glaringly obvious on This Morning.

In his abysmal TV comeback on Channel 5’s Cast Away, Schofield claimed he was sacked from the show because his brother was jailed for child sex abuse and not because of his affair with a much younger ITV colleague.

For Holly though, navigating her ‘TV husband’ being at the centre of such a colossal scandal was always going to be her Everest.

The public lost trust in This Morning and, through no fault of her own, they’d also lost trust in her.

Then, just weeks later, police confirmed a security guard from Essex, Gavin Plumb, plotted to abduct, rape and kidnap Holly.

Naturally, she stepped down with immediate effect soon after and cut herself off from the public glare.

With both her life and career in danger, 2023 was the year from hell for Holly.

Already, 2025 is looking so much brighter. Holly’s biggest solo job to date, Celebrity Bear Hunt, was a resounding triumph when it launched on Netflix this year, shooting straight to the top of the streamer’s chart just hours after its release.

Critics and fans loved it. The last thing anyone thought we needed was another jungle show but watching celebs including Mel B, Boris Becker and Laurence Lleweylyn Bowen genuinely risk their lives to be chased around by Bear Grylls was surprisingly fun and will be back for another series – a rare feat under the notoriously ruthless Netflix that loves swinging its axe on series before they’ve been given a chance to grow.

Many thought Holly wouldn’t recover from her This Morning exit, but a number one show on Netflix in 2025 is beyond anything she could achieve on ITV.

On Sunday, it was confirmed she’s quit a reboot of the game show You Bet! alongside Stephen Mulhern after one series and Dancing on Ice is said to be on the chopping block – which could be exactly the news she needs.

Since splitting from Schofe, Holly seems lost on ITV.

Dancing on Ice was always insignificant compared to its nearest rival, Strictly, and there’s something quite sad about watching her present tired game show reboots no one asked for.

Netflix, however, saw her worth and gave her the perfect new direction. Celebrity Bear Hunt was high-stakes, the celebrities were often in peril and Holly got to swoop in as their maternal guardian angel and finally take charge of a big-budget blockbuster reality TV series without a male co-host.

According to The Sun, her rebrand is only just beginning. While the best ITV could offer her was You Bet! the BBC is reportedly lining her up for a long overdue reboot of Blind Date – and she is the perfect match.

She’s warm, much funnier than she’s given credit for and I would happily let her set me up on a blind date if I didn’t already have a boyfriend to cook and clean up after.

For millennials like me and Holly, Blind Date was by far Cilla’s most memorable show. It came when primetime Saturday night was at its best, with Baywatch followed by Gladiators followed by Cilla and our Graham.

It was trash TV but with a weirdly classy touch and the first time I saw real love actually unfold before my eyes.

Holly is a romantic, she has an empathy few other presenters manage to convey with genuine sincerity and will make Blind Date her own for generations who are just experiencing Gladiators for the first time with the BBC’s massively successful reboot.

After his car-crash TV comeback, Schofield’s career seems to now be limited to being pictured taking the bins out, but Holly’s dignified response to his cutting remarks has been to bounce back with silence and huge success on her own two feet.

But ITV simply hasn’t had the space or scope to make the most of Holly. Its Saturday night schedule is booked up with Ant and Dec and hasn’t had a successful new entertainment show since The Masked Singer, which is now in its fifth year.

Just two years after many wrote Holly off, she’s conquered streaming and with Saturday night television on its knees, she could be the one to save it on the BBC.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

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Among the influx of pop nostalgia acts clenching the thirst of millennials desperate for another taste of the 90s, Five always seemed the least likely boyband from the Smash Hits era to reform.

But lo-and-behold, Abz Love, Jason ‘J’ Brown, Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon are performing on stage together for the first time in 21 years on a nationwide arena tour this autumn.

‘Never in a million years did we think this would happen,’ Ritchie tells Metro, sat beside his four band mates.

‘Not like this,’ says J, the one member who has been absent from the band the longest.

After achieving 11 top 10 singles across three albums, Five first split in 2001. As documented in the recent Louis Theroux-produced three-part series Boybands Forever, which aired on the BBC this year, tensions between members and their management – which included a pre-Pop Idol Simon Cowell – became far too explosive to continue.

In one episode, Cowell said he ‘came close to punching’ Scott when he had what sounds like a manic episode.

Just over a decade later, they reformed as part of ITV2 reality series The Big Reunion, alongside fellow pop giants Atomic Kitten, B*Witched, 9-1-1, Liberty X, and The Honeyz, but without J.

Instead, he watched on from home, shocked by accusations of ‘bullying’ which he categorically denied and it seemed any hopes of getting all five equally boisterous men back in the same room ever again were dashed.

Then around 18 months ago, Scott booked an Air BnB for the band to bury the hatchet once and for all, each of them arriving with their own baggage and trauma.

‘But instantaneously the door opened and we just hugged,’ he says.

J explains: ‘Even wives, girlfriends, and family members will never, regardless of how much we try to explain to them, be able to feel what we all went through together and that’s part of our bond.’

The energy, they say, came back immediately.

A week after announcing they were hitting the road again, they come to Metro offices and it’s so abundantly clear that bond is as palpable now as it’s ever been. So much so it’s inconceivable to think 20 years has gone by with wounds left open and little contact between them.

Time is a healer, and they’ve worked harder and longer than most bands would to rebuild that friendship before announcing a lucrative comeback really worth rooting for.

Sean says: ‘We’re all at the same place, at the same time, for the first time.’

But even they were confused when J finally felt ready to fully commit to Five again.

‘After we got all the stuff out of the way and we were just really getting easy with each other’s company, Rich just looked at me and went, “Brown, why do you want to do this then?” But I just knew.  

‘I’ve been so far removed from it all I’ve never felt ready to do it, and he just had this real perplexed look on his face when he asked me that question.’

Richie responds: ‘He was adamant that he’d never do it again.’

‘Now I’m the one who’s going to be embarrassing myself,’ J laughs.

After talking about the future, we look through footage of their past.

Just months after auditioning for Spice Girls managers Bob and Chris Herbert who were looking to form a boyband with ‘attitude and edge’, Five had their first top 10 single with Slam Dunk Da Funk.

‘Not the – da,’ they remind me.

It was the perfect introduction to Five, with super-slick production traditionally reserved for pop acts on the other side of the Atlantic with a punchy opener. ‘Five bad boys with the power to rock you.’

J says: ‘I used to actually be quite embarrassed by that line for many years. I was like, “seriously?”’  

Their next single, When The Lights Go Out, performed even better in the UK, reaching number four and cracking into the top 10 of the US Billboard charts.

For the next three years their lives moved at an unhealthily rapid pace with little to no to time to reach the surface for air.

Between 1998 and 2001 they released three albums, all reaching the top five. But life as a popstar in the 90s meant relentless promotion in working conditions that quite rightly few singers would ever be willing to endure today.

We were utterly deflated when we played Top Of The Pops

Seldom do current artists actually get to perform their music during the promo tour. They’re on social media, their strategy is more focused on blowing up on TikTok, not making it onto Top of the Pops – the pinnacle of any popstar’s career two decades ago.

‘When we all walked into the studio for the first time, we were utterly deflated,’ says J.

‘You’d grown up watching it, especially if you wanted to make music, like “I’m on Top of the Pops!” but it was just this little stage in this small studio.’

Deflation didn’t slow their energy down though, which perhaps would have been helpful.

‘There was a lot of miscommunication,’ says Sean. ‘We were a ball of madness. We were stressed and we were struggling so we were misinterpreted. People would feel intimidated or unsure of us and that’s unfortunate.’

‘There would be a bad vibe coming of us because we were actually having drama,’ says Ritchie.  

Abz admits: ‘We weren’t looking for trouble but if we were tired enough and you crossed our path…’

Another TV show just as obligatory as Top of The Pops for any boyband was SM:TV, the anarchic Saturday morning kids show presented by Ant and Dec with Cat Deeley.

It was more rebellious than any live television you’d get now – pre or post watershed – both on and off-camera, British popstars rubbing shoulders with visibly bewildered US megastars while Ant, Dec and Cat appeared to make up their lines up on the spot.

Watching back Chums – a parody of Friends – titled ‘Ant Aid’, which saw the band crash the studio with Mel C, Victoria Beckham, Louise, Billie, Martine McCutcheon and Atomic Kitten to name a few, Scott says: ‘I don’t remember that at all.’

Granted, it was more than 20 years ago but Richie seems to remember the day more clearly.

‘He’d gone back home and he’d partied and not stopped and he wasn’t just hungover he was still completely out of it.’

Scott concedes: ‘It all makes sense now.’

Abz suggests that was a fairly common occurrence for the band.

‘I remember CD: UK we’d been out the night before and I remember sitting on this wooden box that they’d set up for us. I felt sick as a pig and the close ups while you’re trying to sing a ballad but you’re about to throw up- it was so hard.’

Their career turned a corner in October 2000 with the release of Keep On Movin’.

It debuted at number one, their first chart-topper, and to this date has shifted more than 1.4million units in the UK alone.

It’s partly the reason they’ll comfortably sell out the 02 this November and generations who weren’t fortunate enough to grow up with Top of The Pops still discover their music today.  

Sean shrugs: ‘I wasn’t that keen on it, I wasn’t that bothered. I thought it was a decent tune but I never ever thought it was still going to be played on the radio 25 years later.’

‘I’m not comparing us to The Cure,’ Ritchie says cautiously. ‘But it reminds me of Friday I’m in Love. It was a bit different and we were a bit different.’

That same year, Five were finally recognised for being one of the most successful acts in the UK at the Brit Awards.

They won the trophy for Pop Act (which Abz sold for some extra cash) when the genre had never seen so much stiff competition and they performed We Will Rock You with surviving Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor.

‘I’ve never watched it,’ says Sean. When I ask why not, he takes a moment. ‘I don’t want to bring the mood down.’

While the others watch with pride, asking ‘How do you top that?’, Sean instead says: ‘I find it overwhelming… because I might like myself.’

The end of Five, however, was just around the corner. The following year they released Kingsize, their third and final album before the cracks in the band became impossible to hide.

Sean took a break from the band and Five told fans he’d been struck down with glandular fever. He later revealed he was having a nervous breakdown due to tensions among the group.

Still, they ploughed on with the release of the lead single Let’s Dance – the label couldn’t wait.

When it came to the video, they had to find a way to include their missing member. The solution: just use a cardboard cut-out.

Watching the video back, the mood in the room shifts.

‘We didn’t know if he was going come back or not, so it was almost like we were holding the fort,’ explains Richie.

‘That shouldn’t have been allowed to happen,’ says Scott.

Sean found out when the video premiered on TV. ‘Nobody called me – nothing,’ he says, before breaking the tension.

‘If anyone’s got it though, we’d like it back,’ he jokes, turning to the others. ‘If I can’t make Manchester, you can just put it on, can’t you?’

Scott, Ritchie and Sean have continued touring as a three and in 2022 released their fourth album, the aptly named Time.

Finally though, Five, with its original line-up, back on the arena stage where they belong to round out 2025.

Days after they made the announcement they were on the Brit Awards, being gently roasted by a visibly excited Jack Whitehall.

But it wasn’t just a moment to affirm their place back in the music industry, it was their first time altogether in the most prestigious music venue in the UK, London’s 02 arena.

It’s the biggest venue on their 16 date tour, and a dream few could ever have imagined would have come true before that spontaneous meeting in an AirBnb 18 months ago.

For now, there’s little they can tease other than ‘we do know we’re having it‘ and ‘we will play Keep On Movin’. You heard it hear first’.

Five tickets will be available on Live Nation from March 7.

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Five have thrown their hat in the ring for Glastonbury 2025.

Scott Robinson, Sean Conlon, Ritchie Neville, Abz Love, and Jason ‘J’ Brown are back together for the first time in 25 years and about to embark on a nationwide arena tour later this year.

A lot has changed in music over the last quarter of a century – CDs have become relics, boybands have grown into manbands and Glastonbury has finally embraced pop music.

Emily Eavis finally announced the first batch of acts heading to Worthy Farm today, with Olivia Rodrigo, The 1975 and Neil Young confirmed as Glastonbury 2025 headliners, while Charli XCX, Jade, and Scissor Sisters will be flying the flag for pop royalty.

Sugababes have shut down the West Holts and Avalon stages with their last two Glastonbury appearances, while the likes of McFly and Will Young have drawn in huge crowds.

Pop nostalgia has never been cooler and Five are about to ride that wave and then some. If anything, they make perfect sense to play Glastonbury 2025.

Ritchie told Metro: ‘If the stars aligned, yes [we’d love to play].’

J – who has returned to the band for the first time in 21 years – insisted: ‘We’d rock the living blah blah out of that.’

‘We’d absolutely kill it,’ said Scott. ‘They just need to catch up.’

Five famously performed with rock god Queen at the 2000 Brit Awards, joined on stage by Brian May and Roger Taylor to sing their cover of We Will Rock You.

Sean quipped: ‘Let’s get Brian involved as well.’

Emily Eavis, we’re looking at you…

Regardless, Five will be embarking on their 12-date nationwide tour around the UK this November, playing back-to-back bangers and all of their 11 top 10 singles.

As it stands, they can’t reveal too much other than ‘we are having it’ and ‘we’ll be singing Keep on Moving – you heard it hear first’.   

And, it sounds as though Jack Whitehall will get his wish after pleading with the band during Saturday night’s Brit Awards not to release any new music.

‘We have no big plans [for new music],’ says Ritchie. But he does have an idea.

‘If Calvin Harris picked up and said, “do you want to make a summer banger?” I’d love that.’

Five tickets will be available on Live Nation from March 7.

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‘She’d hate any misery or anyone being upset.’

That was Michael Marouli talking to Kloss in preparation for a special tribute at the Metro Pride Awards to The Vivienne, the first-ever winner of Drag Race who paved the way for so many queens who followed in their extraordinary footsteps.

The trailblazer, who was also the recipient of Metro’s first Icon Award, died aged 32 at the beginning of 2025 with the LGBTQ+ community in mourning ever since.

Michael was joined by fellow Drag Race UK alumni Baga Chipz, Danny Beard, Cheryl The Queen and Tia Kofi, where they performed a floor-thumping routine to one of Viv’s favourite songs, You Spin Me Right Round, by Dead or Alive – its singer Pete Burns a clear inspiration for The Viv’s razor-sharp humour and unbeatable wit.

Immediately, the entire room at London’s Connaught Rooms – made up of celebrities, influencers, and LGBTQ+ pioneers – were on their feet, dancing on chairs and celebrating one of the showbiz’s greatest wonders, Viv.

It was flawless, the perfect way to honour such a formidable icon whose star was on the rise.

Kloss – real name Alec Maxwell – captured the magic of bringing such a sensational moment to life, from the moment the queens first rehearsed their performance on stage to bringing the house down in front of stars such as Rylan Clark, Anastacia, and GK Barry.

Maxwell, said: ‘The idea to document the tribute to The Vivienne at Metro Pride Awards emerged while Danny Beard was filming another project for the channel.

‘With the tribute already in development under the leadership of The Vivienne’s manager, Simon Jones, ensuring the heartfelt celebration of The Vivienne’s legacy was beautifully captured as a lasting tribute.

‘The episode shows the love and sisterhood between the queens and how the rally together to “keep The Vivienne’s spirit alive on the stage”.’

The inaugural Metro Pride Awards also saw The Vivienne honoured with the very first Icon Award,  which was accepted by their manager Simon Jones, their father Lee and their sister Chanel. 

In an emotional speech that he struggled to get through at times, Lee said: ‘James loved being a part of the entertainment world and I know he would have been happy. I know he would have absolutely loved tonight’s events.

‘When he was nominated for the Metro award for rising star last year, he was honoured and made up to be here.

‘While it is extremely bittersweet to be here tonight without him, being under this roof meant the world to him. Thank you to everyone for your huge love and support.’

Chanel told Metro: ‘He’d be over the moon with what’s happening here tonight, and the fact that we’re here as well, I think he’d have a bit of a laugh about that, that we’ve managed to get out tonight.

‘It’s a bit bittersweet because he should be here, but it’s a celebration of him and we’re really grateful to be a part of that.’

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After the long overdue resignation of Gregg Wallace on MasterChef there was clearly only one person who could save one of the BBC’s longest-running series from going up in flames – Grace Dent.

Wallace, 60, confirmed he was stepping away from MasterChef in November last year after the BBC received allegations of making inappropriate sexual remarks.

Several former contestants then came forward to share their uncomfortable experiences of working with Wallace and Sir Rod Stewart accused him of ‘bullying’ his wife Penny Lancaster when she competed on the celebrity series in 2021.

Wallace has denied the allegations but really pulled the plug on his career when he blamed ‘middle class women of a certain age’ for carrying the pitchforks and pushing the allegations into the spotlight.

Dent, 51, was then announced as host for Celebrity MasterChef, the obvious choice after building a devoted fanbase of all ages with her podcast, Comfort Eating, and a triumphant appearance on I’m A Celebrity.

Now it’s emerged Dent could be overlooked for MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals by Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt, 51, a decent bloke and safe bet who would bring exactly the same energy as John Torode, keeping the show’s tradition of a bromantic duo at the helm.

And that’s a problem.

Dent is refreshingly engaged with the future of culinary broadcasting, regularly popping up on various TikToks, helping to platform aspiring new foodies with a voice.

She rates Michelin star meals with the same esteem as a really bang on fry-up at a local café and she’s got razor-sharp wit, which would be the perfect antidote for Wallace’s wince-inducing jokes that did make it to air – let alone the alleged ones so inappropriate they didn’t.

Dent began filming Celebrity MasterChef in January. Her future on the MasterChef franchise felt like a sure-fire deal and the perfect two fingers up at Wallace, who blamed ‘women of a certain age’ for his fall from (no pun intended) grace.

But, according to The Sun, Tebbutt is in advanced talks to take over Wallace on MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.

There could be many reasons why Dent isn’t committing to all three editions of MasterChef but if I was the BBC and Banijay Entertainment – the production company that makes MasterChef – I would bend over backwards to have Dent as the face of MasterChef, even above Torode.

MasterChef isn’t just damaged by the Wallace allegations, it’s on life support. It needs an intensive rebrand and as much as Tebbutt is perfectly lovely to watch on Saturday Kitchen, having another middle-aged man presenting alongside its existing middle-aged male host is so obviously a bad idea.

Not to say Tebbutt isn’t reliable, but Wallace’s allegations aside, MasterChef has needed a strong female energy for years.

Monica Galletti presented MasterChef: The Professionals with Wallace from 2009 to 2021. She was briefly replaced by Anna Haugh for one series only before she returned as a judge for one more stint in 2023.

Galetti is one of the best chefs in the country but never really became the face of MasterChef, the brand still very much belonged to Wallace and Torode.

Dent became a MasterChef favourite by being comically scathing as a guest judge when contestants had to face a notoriously tough panel of restaurant critics renowned for being difficult to impress.

She was by far the most intimidating critic – unbearably stern and brutally honest. It was her job to terrify but over the years Dent has become better known for her humour, warmth and sharp intellect.

Her podcast celebrates everyday food with celebrity guests who often by their own admission are more Kendall Jenner than Nigella Lawson in the kitchen.

She’s making food more and more accessible, shattering the stigma that posh food is for posh people and that anyone with an educated palate should steer clear of a Pot Noodle.

That is exactly what MasterChef should be about.

Granted, Tebbutt managed to save Saturday Kitchen in the wake of James Martin’s exit, which is no mean feat.

Saturday Kitchen could have easily flopped after Martin launched his rival show on ITV in exactly the same time slot but instead he’s taken it from strength-to-strength.

Tebbutt is exactly where he needs to be.  

Dent, however, is on the rise and proving that even women of ‘a certain age’ can enter their 50s and thrive more than ever. MasterChef would be unbelievably foolish skip the chance to be the platform that makes her the star she’s bound to become one way or another, with or without its help.

Obviously, there is still a place for middle-aged men on television. I don’t want to sound like I believe Wallace is reflective of middle-aged men and we need to take them all off TV.

But MasterChef, particularly, needs a strong female leader. It needs to prove the days of Wallace are long-gone, that it’s returning with a completely new slate and it’s listened to the many women who came forward and made complaints, which date back years.

Is another middle-aged man the way to do this? God no.

But optics aside, Dent is so clearly the best direction for MasterChef and at this point, I really think the show needs her more than she needs it.

So much so there is an eerie chance it’s her decision not to present MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, but if that’s the case, someone needs to pull out all the stops to convince her otherwise.

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The stars of Gogglebox were hiding behind their hands and screaming after being forced to watch a controversial performance from Britain’s Got Talent.

Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli were back last week for a new series of the variety show but one act did not go down well with the Goggleboxers.

Auzzy Blood – real name Austin Puntin – sparked complaints from viewers, dressed as a gothic clown, shoving a hook through his nose and climbing to the ceiling of the Winter Gardens, Blackpool.

The entire auditorium was filled with gasps, Alesha pushed her red button.

Goggleboxers Mary and Giles Young were left wincing, with Mary covering her eyes and groaning: ‘Oh no, that’s too disgusting.’

Later, she called the act ‘the worst thing I’ve seen’.

Then the act put another hook through his mouth and started twirling the hooks around, grinning at the judges.

Grabbing a cushion, Ronnie and Annie screamed and she complained: F**king hell, no I can’t watch that.’

Referring to the Britain’s Got Talent prize which includes a performance at the Royal Variety, Sophie Sandiford joked: ‘The King’s not going to like this. Camillia, maybe.’

Earlier this week Ofcom confirmed it received almost 700 complaints about the act.

A spokeswoman for Ofcom told Metro: ‘The vast majority of complaints were about Auzzy Blood’s routine. Around 90 of the complainants also complained about nudity in Akira Ohashi’s routine.’

Regardless, Simon loved Auzzy Blood – who looks unrecognisabe in real life – and we’ll likely be enduring him again during the Britain’s Got Talent live semi-finals.

The daredevil already boasts a following of more than 130,000 on Instagram and performed on America’s and Spain’s Got Talent.

Gogglebox airs Fridays at 9pm on Channel 4.

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Amazon Prime Video viewers have been taken aback by a new sci-fi series that’s flying under the radar despite its incredible cast.

Secret Level is an adult animated anthology series from the creators of Netflix’s dark Love, Sex + Robots featuring stories set in the worlds of some of the most beloved video games.

From Pac-Man to Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer, each of the 15 episodes is a total blast.

The cast includes some of the world’s best talent including Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his son Patrick Schwarzenegger – currently grabbing everyone’s attention in The White Lotus season 3.

Comedian Kevin Hart, Barbie star Ariana Greenblatt and American Gods actor Ricky Whittle also star.

After bingeing all 15 episodes, viewers said they were blown away, some admitting they were more impressed than they thought they would be.

On Google reviews of the series, Filipe Albanes wrote: ‘The series is absolutely fantastic and refreshing. Even episodes I initially thought I wouldn’t enjoy, like Pac Man, turned out to be surprisingly good.

‘The Warhammer 40k episode, however, was on an entirely different level—it moved me to tears. It was executed perfectly, with Metaurus’ voice actor delivering a deep, melancholic explanation of how Space Marines are created; it truly captured the tragic and brutal essence of the lore.’

Casey S said: ‘I so badly want more of this. Every episode has offered something so engaging and the writing and voice acting and just the art style of each one is slightly different.

‘But just absolutely amazing. This is peak work and short films and writing and animation and voice acting and motion capture.’

Google reviews is flooded with more five-star reviews, including Dash Jhan who praised the ‘hidden gem’.

They said: ‘The story is captivating from the first scene, taking viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions. The graphics and cinematography are absolutely stunning, elevating the entire viewing experience.

‘Every detail, from the visuals to the sound design, feels intentional and immersive.’

Secret Level is currently in the top 10 on the Amazon Prime charts, just behind a new police drama that’s also getting rave reviews from fans called Cross.

And there are plenty of new shows on the horizon too to keep us glued to screens coming in March.

Secret Level is available to stream on Amazon Prime now.

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Ever watched Pointless and thought, ‘I could do that.’ Well, it’s harder than it looks – thanks to Alexander Armstrong.

Pointless has become one of the most popular teatime game shows since it launched in 2009, originally hosted by Alexander, 54, and Richard Osman, 51.

Richard has now left Pointless to write his record-breaking best-selling books, make and present more television and host one of the leading podcasts, The Rest Is Entertainment.

Rosie Mullender, 47, appeared on Pointless in 2019 with her mother, Janet, 71, where they actually won their episode and took home £1,000.

‘It’s a long day,’ Rosie said, speaking on behalf of Fruityslots.com.

‘I think we got there at 8am but they filmed three to four episodes back to back and we were on the final one, so we weren’t called to start filming until 4:30pm.’

Ahead of filming, Rosie and Janet were given a list of clothing items they were banned from wearing too.

Rosie continued: ‘Stripes don’t work on screens, the colour red clashes with the background and they don’t think black wears well on camera. You also can’t wear logos. They also do your hair and make-up which is a nice treat. It only took about an hour to film a whole episode and we were done for the day.’

The player said Alexander and Richard couldn’t have been lovelier but she had one gripe.

She said: ‘Alexander actually stands in front of the questions on the board, so you can’t see them! He stands in a position where they’re visible on camera but not for contestants.

‘It’s hard as you have to memorise them or try and peer around him to see.’

But the friendship between Alexander and Richard wasn’t just for the cameras. Their banter doesn’t stop between takes and ‘you can see they get on well’, said Rosie.

Richard announced his exit from Pointless in 2022 after 13 years, 30 series and more than 1,300 episodes.

There’s since been a rotation of celebrities taking his place including Vick Hope, Sally Phillips and Gok Wan.

Pointless airs weekdays at 5.15pm on BBC One.

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Jack Whitehall has confirmed he’ll be up to his old tricks at the Brit Awards tonight.

The British comedian, 35, is returning to host the Brits for a fifth time, after Clara Amfo, Roman Kemp, and Maya Jama took over in 2024.

Jack caused some of the most iconic Brits moments by poking fun at the guests at their table, from getting tipsy with Lizzo to bringing up Jesy Nelson’s Jamaican accent – to her face.

Follow along with Metro’s Brit Award 2025 Live Blog as we bring you all the latest.

He told The Sun: ‘I know Sam Fender and Jade will be up for it.

‘They’re always up for a laugh and don’t take themselves too seriously.

‘Charli XCX is great too, and she’s the big story of the year. I’ll throw in some Brat jokes.’

It’s a long night ahead for Jack but after four successful stints, he knows how to keep his energy up.

Jack added: ‘It’s so long, it’s good to have a shot of tequila halfway through. Tequila is the best shot for the following morning.

‘Although now I have a child, I need to weigh up if it’s worth having a hangover with a toddler the next morning.’

Jade, Teddy Swims, Lola Young and Sabrina Carpenter are just some of the performers taking to the stage tonight, while Charli XCX leads the race for prizes with five nominations.

There will also be a special tribute to Liam Payne, who won seven Brit Awards with One Direction.

Payne died aged 30 in October 2024 after falling off a hotel balcony in Argentina.

A montage featuring some of Payne’s many career highlights, from auditioning for The X Factor to performing in stadiums around the world, will be introduced by Jack.

The Brit Awards airs tonight at 8.15pm on ITV.

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Khalil Fong, a pioneering Hong Kong-based RnB singer, has died aged 41.

A post on the star’s record label’s Facebook page confirmed Fong had died on February 21 after suffering from a ‘relentless illness for five years’.

The label said: ‘The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come.’

Fong released his debut studio album Soulboy in 2005 to huge acclaim and became celebrated for introducing sophisticated Mandarin-speaking RnB and soul music to the Chinese market after being inspired by the likes of Sam Cooke and Stevie Wonder.

He released a further nine studio albums but stepped back from his music career in 2016 after health concerns.

In 2010, he was hospitalised numerous times due to pneumothorax (burst lung) caused by overwork.

His final album, The Dreamer, was released in 2024.

Ahead of its release, he told fans: ‘Hello everyone, long time no see!

‘Thank you for your birthday wishes! I have finally started to recover from my illness.’

Fans have been left devastated by the announcement.

On Reddit, one user who goes by tangjams, wrote: ‘Was hoping he would do some shows with a newer album. Rip….a very talented guy in a sea of manufactured stars.’

Another user called eept, called Fong ;the most talented person’. They added: i listen to all of his songs a million times each, my favorite singer.’

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Disney Plus is about to add one of the most jaw-dropping TV series not for the faint-hearted.

David Blaine, 51, will embark on his most extraordinary journey yet, traveling to the four corners of the earth to meet magicians who have perfected incredible stunts beyond his own imagination.

From kissing snakes in Asia to jumping off a bridge while engulfed in flames in Brazil, Blaine is taking on more death-defying stunts for reasons we’ll never understand.

National Geographic released a trailer for Blaine’s new six-part series, his first TV show in almost a decade.

In it, Blaine says: ‘For years I’ve had this idea in my head of jumping off a bridge on fire.’

Ok, Dave.

He then appears to be doused in a flammable liquid and flicks the lid of a lighter.

he says: ‘I’ve always loved things that look like magic but are actually real so I’m travelling around the world to find the most incredible people that have the most incredible talents that have been passed down for generations.

‘Many of the things I’m seeing I didn’t even know were possible.’

At one point his own crew is urging the magician not to set his head on fire, which is… fair.

‘I’m going to the hidden parts of all these places. I’m learning the history of what they do and they’re giving me a crash course, letting me into their world.’

A sneak-peek shows Blaine staring into the eyes of a king cobra, walking on a tight rope hundreds of meters above ground while also watching other equally fearless performers achieve the unthinkable, body slamming into broken glass, jumping through tiny rings of fire and being drenched in bees.

The magician’s fan base is already seated.   

This Is Us and Paradise star Sterling K. Brown commented on trailer: ‘This dude is UNREAL…I’m In!’

‘This looks INSANE,’ enthused fan mariothemagician.

Evanrosenan wrote: ’Wow this looks absolutely wild! can’t wait’

David Blaine: Do Not Attempt is available to stream on Disney Plus from March 24 and airs on National Geographic every Thursday from March 27.

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It takes a lot to shock someone who writes about television for a living but The White Lotus is trying its very best with… incest.

Just moments into the third season of Mike White’s ludicrously camp whodunnit, the sexual tension is palpable – between brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola).

Saxon is a hypersexual, hyper-masculine ‘finance bro’ determined to rid his sheepish younger brother of his virginity during their family trip to Thailand, specifically with some girls they’ve spotted at their resort, The White Lotus.

During their first night sharing a room, Saxon is horny. He can’t stop talking about how horny he is. In fact he’s so unbearable horny that, mid-conversation with his brother, he has to masturbate immediately.

He dashes to the bathroom, leaving the door suspiciously ajar to jerk off in front of Lochlan who is transfixed, staring at his brother’s penis for much longer than could possibly be an accident.

The White Lotus has never been a wallflower – and I don’t really have an issue with tackling incest. But does it have to be done with gay undertones?

Incest is having its moment. Jaime and Cersei Lannister set the trend in Game of Thrones and just last year Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: Eric and Lyle Menendez showed the titular homoerotic killer brothers showering together.

For better or worse, television is there to cover taboo issues – and to be clear, I am thoroughly enjoying The White Lotus season 3. It’s debaucherously mischievous and if it’s the most fun we’ll have on television this year then great – I’ll go into 2026 toasting another satisfying year of TV.

But according to The White Lotus, gay men have two things in common – we’re either perverts or we want to kill Jennifer Coolidge, or both. In reality, I like to think most of us have more depth and would quite literally die for Jennifer Coolidge.

And of the many couples who have checked into The White Lotus for a romantic getaway, not one of them has been LGBTQ+ – at least, not openly.

The first time The White Lotus showed gay sex, it was punchy, unapologetic and genuinely felt ground-breaking with hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) aggressively rimming staff member Dillon (Lukas Gage). It was great work all around to see that level of gay sex on a television series not specifically categorised as LGBTQ+.

Then season two came – where, once again, there was a gay sex scene clearly intended to rock the boat when Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) caught Jack (Leo Woodall) hooking up with the man believed to be his uncle, Quentin (Tom Holland).

It transpired that Jack and Quentin had been lying to lure Tanya on to a luxury yacht and dump her body in the sea. The storyline was a work of art and produced one of the most meme-able moments in living memory with the killer line: ‘These gays, they’re trying to murder me.’

But, while it was unmissable television, there was a slight discomfort that gays were reduced to being horny killers without any conscience – and that, once again, sex between two men was clearly used for shock value.

Then just a couple of weeks ago, the sun rose on The White Lotus again and alluded that, if there is more gay sex this series, it’s going to be between two brothers.

The White Lotus is the brainchild of openly bisexual former reality star-turned TV guru Mike White. I’m sure his intentions are good, that more gay representation is a wonderful thing – and that’s true, of course.

Granted, no one comes off great in The White Lotus with the exception of hotel manager Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell). Everyone is deeply troubled and their greed, trauma and absurdity is what makes The White Lotus so irresistible.

But there’s a distinct trend around the wrongness of its gay characters, which always boils down to sex – in a way that it doesn’t with straight guests and staff of various The White Lotus resorts around the world.

This season, could The White Lotus have confronted incest with a brother and sister? Easily.

Not to mention, there are so many fascinating dynamics this season alone that don’t revolve around sex. The three best friends who can’t resist bitching about one another as soon as one of them is out of the room; the blossoming romance between a security guard and another hotel staff member; the couple with an age-gap.

None of these relationships are driven by sex – or at least it’s not the sex that makes them interesting – but all of them could have been storylines revolving around LGBTQ+ characters.

White could easily throw us a bone and not a boner, but every single time it’s the latter.

After three seasons of The White Lotus now, it’s a trend which isn’t just becoming a bit tedious – there is also significant potential to cause so much more harm than good to our community, which is already being demonised as perverts and paedophiles without any rhyme or reason by the loud and increasingly powerful right-wing.

Right now, is a gay incest storyline particularly helpful? No. It’s not even particularly entertaining.

Of all the things to love about this series of The White Lotus – which is essentially every single woman in it – the potential for gay incest is right at the bottom of the list.

I really do love The White Lotus; but if White could write gay men and give them the same respect he does to women, it would be the perfect TV show.

Perhaps in season four, we’ll get there – because if not, reluctantly, I might have to check out of The White Lotus.

The White Lotus is available to stream on NOW.

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Amazon Prime Video has just added what could become one of its most-watched shows of all time and has already been hailed ‘exceptional’ hours by early reviewers.

House of David is the first blockbuster series released as part of Amazon Prime’s deal with The Wonder Project, a faith-based production company that ‘develops series and films rooted in spirituality’.

The action-packed epic will be hoping to replicate the success of The Chosen, which is hailed as ‘the most amazing show ever’ by its loyal fanbase and watched by over 200 million people worldwide.

The Chosen is created, directed, and written by Dallas Jenkins, exploring the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

It went on to become the most successful crowdfunded series in television history.

House of David follows the titular David, a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the second of the United Monarchy, perhaps best known as the warrior who defied all odds and defeated Goliath in the Old Testament.

A trailer released earlier this month teased the battle between David and Goliath, showing the hero about to enter battle with the giant.

The trailer comes with a warning: ‘You know the legend. Now experience the journey.’

In the first 24 hours after its release, House of David has received rave review from viewers.

Robert Marquez insisted House of David ‘isn’t just another biblical drama’ and wrote in his five-star review on Google: ‘The production value is exceptional. The cinematography is breathtaking, capturing the beauty and harshness of the ancient world.’

After binge-watching the first three episode, Ariana Vargas said: ‘PHENOMENAL SO FAR!’

Lucia Ascate called the series ‘absolutely awesome’ and begged Amazon prime to release the rest of the episodes soon.

The trailer alone shows the ambitious scale Amazon Prime has invested in the eight-part series with enormous battle sequences and spectacular landscapes which we imagine would have cost a fortune.

Michael Iskander stars as David, after a four-month search to find the perfect fit for the biblical hero.

Ali Suliman also stars as King Saul, Avatar actor Stephen Lang will play Samuel, and Martyn Ford looks absolutely terrifying as the merciless Goliath.

House of David is available to stream on Amazon Prime from February 27.

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It’s 2025 and one of the best catchphrases from the noughties is about to make a huge comeback… ‘HELLO!’

To celebrate 25 years of Trigger Happy TV, Dom Joly is bringing back the disruptive sketch show for a new nationwide UK tour.

Trigger Happy TV was the epitome of Channel 4’s determination to cause as much chaos as possible throughout the noughties.

Essentially, the show followed Joly pulling various pranks on unsuspecting passersby across the streets of the UK.

One minute he was armed with a giant Nokia phone shouting inappropriate remarks in front of appalled onlookers the next he was dressed as a snail crawling across the road as traffic piled up and frustrated drivers helplessly waited for him to get to the other side.

It was a stroke of genius arguably responsible for an onslaught of prank shows that followed.

A spokesperson for Live Nation said: ‘Fans will experience beloved moments from the show, including The Giant Snail, The Traffic Warden, The Morris Dancer, The Scout, A Gang of Squirrels, and THAT Big Mobile Phone.

‘Dom will share behind-the-scenes stories and insights on how these unforgettable moments came to life. 

They continued: ‘And, as it wouldn’t be Trigger Happy TV without a little chaos, audiences are warned to stay on the lookout for pranks, unexpected events, and a chance to find themselves starring in their very own Trigger Happy TV sketch.’

Trigger Happy ended in 2003 after two series and two Christmas specials.

Pre-sale Trigger Happy TV tickets will be available from Wednesday, February 26 for 02 customers.

General sale begins on Friday, 28 February, at 10am GMT at Ticketmaster.

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‘There’s a lot of s**t going on, and my God, if I started running my mouth then I’d never stop,’ Rylan Clark tells me from his kitchen.

We’re speaking over Zoom the week before he’s hosting the first-ever Metro Pride Awards in London. Like most of us in the LGBTQ+ community just trying to drown out the increasingly loud noise of homophobia, he’s fed up and fired up.

Rylan’s sharp wit and ability to charm the pants off even the steeliest of celebrities is the reason he’s one of the most adored personalities on television.

Quickly into our chat though it becomes clear I’m speaking to Ross Richard Clark, the man who plays the ‘character’ Rylan so successfully he’s barely been off screens since becoming a ‘novelty act’ on The X Factor 12 years ago when critics wrongly assumed he’s fade into oblivion.

Ross is impassioned, incredibly intelligent, and has a wisdom perhaps reserved for people he meets off-camera.

It’s what makes him the perfect pairing for the Metro Pride Awards, which will celebrate LGBTQ+ activists, entertainers, and the community’s unwavering resilience against the threat of homophobia and transphobia determined – but failing – to break us.

Ahead of the bash, Rylan says: ‘There’s going to be a lot going on, I’m really excited. There are so many nights out and awards that I’ve had the pleasure of being at or hosting, which is always amazing, but with this being the first Pride Awards ever, it’s going to be a moment.

‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the first person to be standing at the front of a parade with the flag out, but at the same time it’s important to remember what we are, and remember what people are unfortunately having to go through.’

The Metro Pride Awards will be celebrating many LGBTQ+ trailblazers, but one star will be shining brighter than any other on the night.

The Vivienne will be honoured with a posthumous award just two months after she died, aged 32, with Drag Race legends Baga Chipz, Tia Kofi, Danny Beard, Michael Marouli, and Cheryl Hole performing a special tribute to the show’s first-ever British winner.

Rylan first reached out to ‘Viv’ after she won Drag Race, sharing advice as they began to climb the ranks of showbiz.

‘I was a massive fan of their work,’ says Rylan.

‘It’s so sad to know that not only our community but the industry has lost someone that talented and that clever because they were really good at what they did.

‘It’s just, unfortunately, another one of those stories of someone that’s been lost too soon.’

It’s a scary time to be LGBTQ+, but the drag and trans community in particular are bullied relentlessly. Often it feels as though homophobia and transphobia are perfectly acceptable again.

Days before their death, The Vivienne was subjected to unbearable abuse just for appearing on Blankety Blank which was previously hosted by drag star Lily Savage without any complaint.

‘What the f**k is wrong? What’s changed? Drag queens have changed their looks, and they’re perhaps more typically gorgeous – maybe they look a little bit too like women, and people like it? I don’t know, it’s crazy,’ says Rylan.

But LGBTQ people have always had a target on their backs. Rylan says nothing’s changed since he sobbed uncontrollably in the arms of Nicole Scherzinger, and became immortalised as a true star other than 13 years later, ‘I don’t give a f**k and I’m rich.’

‘I’m now in a position where I can do what I want when I want, and if you think I’m going be insulted by you reminding me of the fact that I sleep with men, I’m alright,’ he shrugs.

Gays don’t like gays a lot of the time

‘I’m absolutely fine, but while you’re targeting me on your keyboard, I’m out there meeting blokes, so it really doesn’t bother me in the slightest.’

Building that armour takes strength, of course, but also experience.

‘That’s part and parcel with my job, because over the past 13 years, my skin has just got thicker, with age, life, I’ve been married, I’ve been divorced – I’ve grown up.

‘I don’t really care what Jeff from Dewsbury has got to say on Twitter about my sexuality, because if Jeff’s taking the time out of his day to talk about what I get up to behind closed doors that’s got f**k all to do with Jeff then I’m not the one with the issue.’

After finishing fifth on The X Factor in 2012 (as predicted by his psychic) and before he sealed his long career in showbiz with a triumphant three weeks on Celebrity Big Brother, Rylan was lined up to perform in nightclubs up and down the country like every other X Factor finalist before him.

Often he’d be booked in areas where ‘you don’t want to go clubbing’.

But it wasn’t the straight venues across towns and cities where gay men have to be extra cautious that struck fear in the heart of Rylan – it was the world’s most infamous LGBTQ+ nightclub, G-A-Y.

‘Gays don’t like gays a lot of the time,’ he says.

‘We can be so judgmental and that was honestly the gig that I was really, really worried about.’

Since splitting from his husband Dan Neil in 2021 after six years of marriage, Rylan has been back on the ‘meat market’, as he calls it.

Living up to the expectations of other gay men with internalised homophobia can feel impossible. (After enduring 33 years of it myself, I know).

‘There is this feeling in the community, especially in the single community, unless you’re this six-foot muscle rugby player looking bloke, that you’re not worthy. I think a lot of people feel that in our community, but that’s our own doing and that needs to change.’

With a community gradually coming undone in London though, making those changes is becoming increasingly difficult.

Once a hotspot for LGBTQ culture and nightlife, London venues are closing down at an alarming rate.

Soho’s Old Compton Street was its own world populated with nothing but queer people, sex workers, and anyone who felt they didn’t belong outside of its parameters. Now sex shop Prowler stands strong like a lone wolf among soulless chain restaurants and coffee shops.

Even G-A-Y has been put up for sale by owner Jeremy Joseph.

LGBTQ+ spaces are becoming few and far between but the death of one of the gayest streets in the world is a crushing loss.

‘That London scene has just disappeared, and it’s so sad to see. I don’t care if I’m in a gay bar or a straight pub, none of that bothers me, but that would have been me 10 or 15 years ago, only feeling comfortable going out somewhere like Old Compton Street, heading to G-A-Y bar and ending up G-A-Y late.’

Since 2002, the number of LGBTQ venues has more than halved in London alone, despite Sadiq Khan appointing lesbian broadcaster Amy Lamé as Night Czar to support the capital’s venues in 2016. She stepped down from the role with a £132, 846 annual salary in 2024 but five months later she’s yet to be replaced.

‘I might go for Night Czar,’ Rylan quips, joking but with a glint of sincerity too.

‘Wasn’t Amy Lame the Night Czar? I don’t get it, isn’t she queer?

‘I’m 36 and I’ve got a full-time job so I’m not out every weekend, but Soho was Soho when it was brasses and gays. That’s what it should be and at the minute, it’s nothing.’

The LGBTQ+ community might be fractured but it’s still unbreakable – no matter how much it’s let down by the government, councils, and irresponsible corners of the media.

”All we need to be is together,’ says Rylan. ‘Unfortunately, but amazingly, moments like the Metro Awards bring us all together in one room and that’s when we actually remember, “There’s nothing wrong with this. She’s alright, he’s alright, we’re all alright – we’re fine.”

‘I just hope we get to a point where people stop worrying about everyone else and they just start worrying about themselves.

‘I wish people would be a bit more selfish actually. Babe, worry about your life – don’t worry about us.

‘There’s a lot of voices, especially on social media, at the minute about women’s rights. This isn’t about women’s rights this – I’ve been brought up by women, I’m all for women’s rights. This is about people living their own lives so stop pointing the finger at the trans community all the time.’

The Metro Pride Awards takes place on February 26.

Jack Nicholson made the rarest of TV appearances, celebrating Saturday Night Live’s 50^th anniversary.

Stealing the A-listers from last night’s Baftas, Saturday Night Live pulled in all-time living legends for its 50^th birthday, from Steve Martin to Sir Paul McCartney and the One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest hero.

The 87-year-old has rarely been seen in public in the 15 years since his last film, How Do You Know, released in 2010.

But after almost 70 years in showbiz, he’s still the coolest celebrity in Hollywood.

Hiding behind purple-tinted sunglasses, Jack somehow made a New York Yankees beret look effortlessly suave in a black tux – and delighted those watching on from home with his surprise cameo.

He was accompanied by his 34-year-old daughter Lorraine to introduce Adam Sandler, who sang an original song in tribute to the weekly sketch show that launched some of the greatest comedians of the last five decades.

As the star-studded crowd began to clap, Jack said: ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, Adam Sandler,’ and then gave a whistle to cheer on the Big Daddy actor, 18 years after they starred in the hit comedy Anger Management together.

‘Yeah, baby! Let’s hear it for Jack, baby,’ Adam howled before breaking into song.

‘Jack made it out tonight. Love you, brother.’

Fans were stunned to see Jack back on screens, with Ollie Hodgkinson posting on X: ‘Did not expect Jack Nicholson to look this good!’

X user Manon agreed, writing: ‘Adam Sandler got Jack Nicholson out of his cave and I’m thankful for that.’

@Marcus56667 added: ‘Love seeing Jack, haven’t seen him in a while, they outdid themselves with this show.’

Over on YouTube, Marcus56667 cheered: ‘Love seeing Jack, haven’t seen him in a while, they outdid themselves with this show.’

Ajsmith4181 agreed: ‘Jack introducing Adam made the whole evening. Best segment of the night.’

Codyhiginbotham6616 wrote: ‘Seeing Jack Nicholson was amazing and heartwarming.’

As Batgurrl added: ‘Beautiful moment for Adam Sandler and it such a treat to see the retired Jack Nicholson again.’

But fans didn’t have much time to recover from the rug pull of Jack’s appearance before they were crying buckets over Adam’s performance.

The Happy Gilmore star, a former SNL performer, sang a retrospective about what it’s really like working on the prolific sketch show which brings in a different celebrity to host each week.

He became visibly emotional when he sang: ’50 years of the best night of our lives.’

Commenting on a video of the performance, @Laalaa99stil called it ‘the most heartfelt part of the whole evening’.

@kmsleyang added ‘Him choking up at the end choked me up!!’

The extravaganza also saw Sabrina Carpenter perform with Paul Simon and Robyn team up with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne for a duet of Dancing on My Own.

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*Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Celebrity Bear Hunt final.

Celebrity Bear Hunt winner Big Zuu has revealed what he did with the unconventional prize he received from Bear Grylls.

Over eight episodes hosted by Holly Willoughby, Celebrity Bear Hunt saw 12 celebrities go head-to-head in a game that tested nerve and logic, thrown into the Costa Rican rainforest to escape the claws of survival expert Bear.

It’s basically I’m A Celebrity on steroids.

The celebrity chef came out on top in a nail-biting final, beating the Saturdays singer Una Healy, Ted Lasso star Kola Bokinni, TV presenter Steph McGovern, and model Lottie Moss to receive…  a rope.

He told Metro: ‘Well, the rope smells like Bear Grylls but be warned: that’s an intense flavour. He wore that rope through the entire final so when he gave it to me, I was like, “This smells like BO.”

‘The rope was hung up in my house, and it’s like a weird little mantlepiece.

‘People will say, “Brother, what’s that rope?” But for me it represents strength, knowledge, integrity, and unity but also… why not get a trophy? I want a trophy.’

Zuu says he wanted to prove that no matter what your body type is, you are capable of so much – like ‘winning stuff’.

‘I just wanted to show everyone that it doesn’t matter what you look like, where you come from, what you sound like, you can take part in adventure activities,’ he said.

‘I think the fact that I won was a beautiful thing,’ he continued. ‘But it wasn’t about the winning.

‘At first, when I got in there, all I wanted to do was win, but then I realised it’s about the journey and I felt like the journey definitely changed me as a person, it made me more resilient and made me stronger mentally.

‘Now I want to go camping when before I was like, “urgh the dirt.” Now I’m like, “let’s do it. Let me get let me make a fire and set up a tent!”

Perhaps more importantly than any prize or life lesson, Zuu survived when others – namely Changing Rooms designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen – almost died making the Netflix series.

Zuu said: ‘Laurence’s moment was definitely very scary.  When he came back and we were told he had a near-death experience, and seeing Steph fall during a challenge I was on, you realise that even though it was a very safe production certain elements are out of your control.

‘I thank God everyone came out safe and unharmed but we really did the Bear Grylls thing and put our life on the line for this.

‘I’m thankful I’ve done it because, like I said, it showed me how strong I am.’

Celebrity Bear Hunt is available to stream on Netflix now.

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Few things in life give me more pleasure than watching Jennifer Coolidge say: ‘These gays are trying to kill me.’

The White Lotus season 2 was some of the most fun I’ve ever had watching television, and I say that as someone who defines chapters in their life by pivotal TV moments like David’s Dead or Alison Hammond pushing a topless model into the River Mersey.

Heiress Tanya McQuoid’s death by gays somehow made Coolidge an even bigger gay icon than she already was. Trying to replicate the same fun for another series of TV’s campest murder mystery seemed futile.

I should have always had more faith in Parker Posey who stars as Victoria Ratliff, season three’s new absurd matriarch filling The White Lotus’ gaping Tanya McQuoid hole.

The Ratliff family is one of four batches of new guests at The White Lotus resort in Thailand.

Victoria’s husband Timothy (Jason Isaacs) is on the brink of a nervous breakdown, the eldest of their three children Saxton (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is offensively loud and horny, a complete contrast to his awkward brother Lochlan and the family’s moral compass, their sister Piper, whose studies bring them to Thailand.

At least from the first three episodes, they might be the least compelling family to watch, but they’re saved by Posey being utterly brilliant as a doped-up wealthy housewife with some tortured past bound to unravel.

Three lifelong friends Kate (Leslie Bibb), Laurie (Carrie Coon), and Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) escape their partners for a long-overdue girls trip, celebrating their unbreakable bond.

Without giving too much away, and this is what The White Lotus does best, their dynamic is so perfectly observed, the true nature of so many long-running friendships subtly laced with so much envy and judgment.

Posey might fill the Coolidge void, but Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood is the real star of The White Lotus season 3 as Chelsea, the holistic woo-woo very girlfriend of Rick, a much older man completely disengaged with her, their hotel, and every single part of their romantic getaway.

Unperturbed, Chelsea finds a new friend who says ‘I love your teeth’ and they bond over their miserable ‘old and balding’ boyfriends.

I’ve adored Wood in Sex Education, Living, and her West End debut in Cabaret, but she has never been more special than she is in The White Lotus. No matter the role or whoever she is starring opposite, Wood is always the most compelling performer in everything she’s in even when she’s in the same show as Posey at her peak, and several Golden Globe-worthy performances.

She brings something completely different to every character she plays but they always feel so true to her –  smart, sharp but a bit goofy and with buckets of charm.  

And then Natasha Rothwell returns as Belinda Lindsey after skipping season two, the only thread weaving this series to the past. Clearly there’s a reason, a skeleton in a closet to discover…

Once again, The White Lotus starts with blood spilled without revealing who has been bumped off and by whom. Anyone could be a victim and likewise anyone could be a killer.

But The White Lotus has never relied on being a Whodunnit. The impending doom from knowing that at least one hotel guest is about to meet their demise almost becomes irrelevant when the dysfunctional dynamics are so cleverly constructed by Mike White.

There’s more danger, sexual tension and fear not, social media will once again be sprawling with White Lotus memes until spring.

What was initially intended as a limited series, The White Lotus has just grown in strength and scope which I didn’t imagine possible without relying on Coolidge breaking the gay internet.

Well, almost immediately after watching season 3 I was eating my words.

Television is rarely as mischievous or audacious as The White Lotus, and despite going into its third chapter with slight trepidation, it well could be the most fun we’ll have all year.

The White Lotus is available to stream on NOW from February 17.

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Moments after landing in Sri Lanka after an 11-hour flight, I realised I’d broken the most important promise I ever made.

Seven years ago, I spontaneously booked a flight to India and travelled alone for the first time. It was the most transformative trip of my life.

There, amid colourful streets and a cacophony of sound, I realised that your happiness is dependent on you alone, and it can be found in the most unlikely places, if only you look hard enough. I promised myself that whenever I felt unhappy, if life became flat and hopeless, I would abandon everything and everyone I knew in search of adventure.

Then I returned to working life and that promise went out the window.

But it all came flooding back just minutes into the drive from Colombo airport, as we headed for the central heartlands of Sri Lanka, the first stop of our eight-day tour with Jules Verne.

I’ve always been skeptical about ‘tour’ holidays, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious about being stuck with five strangers for more than a week.

But in Sri Lanka, my eyes were opened; from once-in-a-lifetime sunrises to late-night cocktails and belly laughs, everything was taken care of, and I can honestly report that it was the most fun I’ve had on a trip in years. I’ve never been sadder to leave a country or group of people.

Mighty Sigiriya Rock

Our journey begins at Sigiriya Rock, an ancient stone fortress built on a bed of volcanic rock that dates back to the 5th century.

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that attracts one million tourists each year, our guide Bernard says the ideal time to arrive is 6.30am. But after a long-haul flight the day before, he knows better than to even suggest a pre-dawn alarm clock. Among his many talents, Bernard reads his clients well.

On the drive, we see the 600-foot rocky outcrop rising in the distance and stop for a photo a few miles away. We travel closer, the rock becoming more impressive – then I remember we’ll be climbing it.

Still jaded from jet lag, we begin the pilgrimage to the top. I pathetically start to lose my breath minutes into the journey, and then a French tourist walks past me on her return from the summit. While I gasp for air, she’s barely breaking a sweat and her tour guide proudly boasts: ‘This woman is 96 years old and still plays tennis.’

Thankfully there are two routes to the top: one for the faint-hearted and one for those who like to make life unnecessarily challenging. There are no prizes for guessing which path we take.

It’s busy with tourists but nothing like the crowds who travel to Cambodia’s Angkor Watt at an ungodly hour to watch the sunrise, or other similar tourist traps I’ve been to. This is, for now, a road less travelled.

The slog to the top is worth every gallon of sweat lost along the way. Lush green jungle stretches as far as the eye can see.

If I hadn’t run out of water, I would weep with tears of triumph, but in the humidity, I need to save every bit of water my body has left.

The best poppadoms I’ve ever eaten

It’s hard to find a bad meal in Sri Lanka, but if you want to treat your taste buds, a visit to Priyamali Gedara Farmer Lunch is non-negotiable.

Walking into the restaurant I’m immediately knocked for six from the heat emanating from 32 dishes being cooked at once over burning flames, a tsunami of scents competing for attention.

We take a seat outside overlooking the reservoir, before the promise of a downpour from threatening slate clouds inches nearer. After reluctantly giving up our idyllic lunch spot, we settle inside for an unforgettable culinary experience.

An all-female team of chefs whip up mouthwatering delicacies, from fresh fish to dhals and fragrant curries.

I leave uncomfortably full and devastated that I will probably never taste another mango chutney quite like this one. I’m stuck with a lifetime of anemic British poppadoms instead.

A train ride I’ll never forget

Sri Lanka is so consistently spectacular that travelling around it never feels like a chore. So much so, a train journey was possibly my favourite part of the trip.

Spending an hour at a British train station is a hell I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but here in Kandy, it’s an unexpected delight. As an avid follower of the Accidentally Wes Anderson Instagram account, every corner is a photo opportunity, and the coral-hued station has a calm that doesn’t exist in the UK.

The journey is a photographer’s dream too. I’d say I’m more Brooklyn Beckham than Anne Leibovitz behind the camera, but should you be more skilled than me it’s a very special way to spend the day.

On the four-hour ride from Kandy to Nanuhoia, we feast on vegetable samosas that are worryingly addictive; it takes every bit of strength I have not to buy the entire crate of Sri Lankan snacks there and then.

A conductor comes past a few minutes later, warning everyone to get their cameras out, waterfalls are coming up ahead. A few of us scramble to a space with an open window to dangle out our heads and iPhones, taking photos and listening to the roar of the water thundering through the mountains.

My only regret is not investing in a better camera.

Safari at Udawalawe National Park

After spending many school holidays forcing my parents to sacrifice their windscreen wipers to the monkeys at Longleat Safari Park, experiencing a real safari has always been top of my bucket list.

I’d love to see lions and tigers and the full smorgasbord, but just driving around Udawalawe National Park is magical. Initially, there’s a distinct lack of wildlife, and I resign myself to the probability that this trip will be simply a pleasant drive.

And then we stumble upon a family of four elephants.

The world stands still for a moment, everyone in total silence, the only sound coming from the crunch of the grass torn by a trunk. The excitement is electric as the male slowly walks in front of our vehicle, so close we could touch him if we were stupid enough to try.

Later, still reeling from the luck of seeing the elephants, we watch cranes still on the water, until we spot something behind them: five huge crocodiles patiently waiting for prey.

I’ve repeated that Sri Lanka is the most spectacular place in the world. But the world has never looked so beautiful to me as it does on a safari.

Galle Fort

The drive from the National Park to Galle Fort is unlike any other trip we’ve had so far as finally, we make it to the coast, begging Bernard for several stops for photos along the way.

We drive through Weligama, a popular surfing destination that was devastated in the 2004 tsunami which claimed the lives of over 227,000 people, including over 30,000 in Sri Lanka alone.

Now, 20 years later, it’s back on its feet and boasts one of the most extraordinary shores in the world. In just a few hours, you can go from getting up close and personal with elephants to swimming in the ocean.

We journey along the southwestern coast until we reach Galle Fort, built by the Portuguese before it was taken over by the Dutch, and then by the British.

The fortress wall was strong enough to withstand the tsunami and largely protect the town inside it, which is nothing like I imagined it to be. Galle is by far the most cosmopolitan area we’ve visited in Sri Lanka: coffee shops, sushi restaurants, and wine bars.

It’s a haven for surfers with the charm of a colonial town, and much more of a buzz than I anticipated.

With some free time to explore, I grab a creamy pistachio gelato and wander around the shops, making purchases I know full well won’t fit in my suitcase.

With my haul of trinkets, I rejoin the group for lunch at a seafood restaurant overlooking the Indian Ocean, the crashing waves mercifully drowning out the 80s power ballads playing on a loop.

We’re like savages tucking into two seafood platters, feasting on lobster, calamari, and succulent prawns. Throw in cool pints of the local lager, and there is nowhere else in the world I’d rather be.

A promise remade

Since making that promise to myself seven years ago, life has changed in ways I never imagined.

The hangover of the pandemic refuses to go away, and my community of friendships has been torn apart by unaffordable housing in London, forcing them to raise children in cheaper cities or worse – suburbia.

I’ve spent the last few years riddled with self-doubt because I can’t see the path ahead of me, but after spending eight days in Sri Lanka, I realise what a privilege it is not to have a path at all.

No matter what the future holds, I know I’ll always be able to make my own joy, even if I have to fly 5,500 miles to find it.

Netflix has thrown 12 celebrities into the Costa Rican rain forest with snakes, spiders, crocodiles and sharks for its deadly new show. What could possibly go wrong?

‘I had a moment when I was playing chess with death on the beach,’ Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen nonchalantly tells Metro.

The disaster in question was during Holly Willoughby’s Netflix debut, Celebrity Bear Hunt, where an impressive calibre of stars from Boris Becker to Mel B endure gruelling challenges which go way above and beyond anything you’d see on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! while being chased by unnervingly enthusiastic survival expert Bear Grylls.

The celebs he catches are then sent to the ‘Bear Pit’, a particularly dangerous part of the rainforest where they have to sneakily find tools and an escape route while evading Grylls and various wild beasts.

It’s surprisingly great entertainment, even if taking part almost claimed the lives of its star-studded cast.

At one point, Laurence was hooked up to oxygen and thought ‘this is the end’ after almost drowning during a challenge in shark-infested water.

Almost a year on, Laurence is admirably unruffled about the whole thing as if it compares to a teapot disaster in Changing Rooms.

He jests: ‘I was struck by what a lovely shade my lips had gone, bluey grey. I might bring that out in a wallpaper.’

‘It was a really, really weird thing, because, yes, I could tell that I was quite close to not existing but I didn’t feel panicked about it,’ he says. ‘That’s entirely down to Bear and Team Bear, who are this extraordinary collection of pirates – these sort of ex-SAS guys who’ve all had their teeth done. They’re all in camouflage, you can’t see them, and then there’s this slit of Simon Cowell.

‘I had a dodgy moment with Holly though, because there was a point where I blacked out and I came to and all I could see was this beatific blonde. Ok it’s happened!’

His co-stars, who watched on in horror, were less blasé.

Mel B gasps: ‘He drowned!’

Naturally, the mood shifted among the rest of the cast from there on in.

‘It made us really feel like, “this is for real.” I know that we have medics and people on standby, but anything can go wrong – anything can happen,’ says Mel.

Rugby ace Danny Cipriani explains: ‘We felt safe doing what we were doing but then slowly but surely things began to get a bit skew-whiff. I was walking down because I was doing a different part afterwards and I just saw all these people around Lawrence with a mask on.’

When I ask Holly how it felt helplessly watching on as the cast wailed in pain or trauma, she admits: ‘I hate it. I don’t like it at all – nobody does. But I guess that’s the nature of these types of things, isn’t it?’

‘Holly goes into mum mode which is very helpful in those situations,’ says Bear.

‘But I do say from the start, “this is a dynamic, difficult environment and stuff is going to happen. You will be alive, but I can’t guarantee you’re not going to have a few scrapes and bumps along the way”.’

Laurence isn’t the only star to suffer a few ‘bumps along the way’.

Steph McGovern falls from a great height, landing with an almighty crunch.

‘I was a bit woozy, I thought I was gonna be sick and all that. But you know what was amazing in that moment, the medical team were just so reassuring’ she says.

‘Holly did this really lovely thing where she was kind of out of shot, but she just went to me, “It’s alright if you want to cry.” So then I just went, “Thank you!” and started crying.’

Boris injured his knee just moments into filming, eventually needing surgery.

He says: ‘As a competitor, I have this urge of trying to win the competition so when I slip with my knee, being an athlete, I know my bod and I knew it was not just this little slip but that it something was serious.

‘I was spiking my teeth to stay in there as long as I could. I mean, I’m not going to give it away what has happened after but it was a difficult moment.’

Celebrity Bear Hunt is available to stream on Netflix now.

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Don’t let the juvenile title of Holly Willougby’s new show put you off – Celebrity Bear Hunt is surprisingly one of the best new reality TV series in years.

In a rare departure from ITV, Holly leads 12 celebrities into the Costa Rican jungle where they take part in various bear hunts – as in, they’re hunted by Bear Grylls.  

They must work as a team to escape the claws of the TV adventurer or face being hurled into ‘The Bear Pit’, a particularly gloomy part of the jungle riddled with snakes, spiders, and crocodiles big enough to eat a family of four.

It’s I’m A Celebrity on steroids.

The stars may sleep in luxury compared to I’m A Celeb campmates, but the dangers are real and several stars learn that the hard way.

Boris Becker (yes, that’s the caliber of celebrity) hears his knee crunch and it looks like it could be game, set and match to Bear just minutes into episode one.

A preview shows Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen collapsed and being given oxygen while it’s been reported Steph McGovern was injured so badly it left Holly ‘visibly upset’ and ‘shaken’.

At one point Mel B is on a sinking boat surrounded by crocodiles.

Not even an actual Spice Girl is safe.

It’s unclear why the stars have signed up to something so perilous. Of course, there’s the money but I can’t imagine any of them ever need to worry that a Deliveroo is about to tip them into their overdraft on payday like the rest of us.

There is a real risk of being bitten by a snake, or chomped up by a crocodile and if the likes of Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas and Joe Thomas from The Inbetweeners are ready to put their life on the line for a binge-able Netflix series then so be it.

Celebrity Bear Hunt is packed with highs and lows. I genuinely love watching a team of strangers club together and form bonds you can only make through sharing such an intense, often traumatic, experience together.

Immediately the cast of stars are so open and vulnerable with each other in between running away from an overzealous Grylls.

Lottie Moss, sister of supermodel Kate, breaks down in tears very early on revealing she almost went to rehab instead of flying to the Costa Rican jungle, cradled by supportive celebs who only met her days ago.

Shirley is determined to dispel any myths that a 64-year-old woman isn’t as tough as her younger, fitter co-stars – and does just that. Watching a woman who has been named Latin Champion of the World, worked her way up to become head judge on the biggest show on television visibly taken aback by her own triumph during a particularly hellish challenge here is an incredibly touching watch.

Even Boris, the youngest player to win Wimbledon and one of the most celebrated and decorated sporting stars of all time, is candidly open about his recent jail time and life after time behind bars.

It’s a perfectly constructed cast, each star comes with their own baggage and motivation for pushing themselves to the limits beyond the Netflix pay-cheque.

But Celebrity Bear Hunt has a mountain to climb to really cut through when reality television has become so saturated with celebrities putting themselves in danger for entertainment. It’s becoming increasingly hard to be impressed by anything new.

The Traitors is the only reality television to really capture the public’s imagination in years, and that’s in part to its cast of normal but extremely likable characters playing the game. This cast is likable, sure, but normal they are not.

I’m A Celebrity’s longevity is in part due to being the first of its kind, its popularity was waning until the latest series recognised it needed a fresher cast more appealing to younger audiences if it was going to last.

Celebrity Bear Hunt does feel immediately like the most enthralling new reality television series in a very long time though. It’s a lovable cast with a game that provides enough risk and tension to drive the hunger for more after each episode.

I felt a bit indifferent to hearing about Celebrity Bear Hunt but after watching three episodes (one, two and eight), I’m incredibly invested in watching the rest.

It’s a big win for Holly, her first major show presenting solo since having Phillip Schofield or Stephen Mulhern to lean on for support on This Morning and Dancing on Ice. She’s always felt a cut above both of her biggest ITV shows and Celebrity Bear Hunt is the proof.

Given the career she’s had it’s staggering to think it’s taken this long to have a show she can call her own worthy to be compared to Claudia Winkleman on Traitors, Davina McCall on Big Brother or Caroline Flack on Love Island.

If anything, the only thing missing is more Holly. It’s a great opportunity for her to come into her own away from the safety of her ITV background and become the beating heart of Celebrity Bear Hunt.

Perhaps she does become that as the series progresses – I hope so.

Celebrity Bear Hunt is available to stream on Netflix now.

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