Karen Dunbar: ‘Personal struggles are always funny'
Born in Glasgow and brought up in Ayr, Karen Dunbar is an actress, DJ, comedian and writer, best known for Chewin' the Fat. She's about to start an 80-date solo tour.
The first half is all new material based on what I've been up to in the last year — I've just written stuff on winning the Bafta — and some of the issues I've had. Personal struggles are always funny. The second half is about my time on Chewin' the Fat and The Karen Dunbar Show, so the audience can expect to see some of the well-loved characters from these shows.
We only ever had one destination: Blackpool. Every year we got the bus from Ayr down the west coast and, oh
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Martin Freeman, 53, shops for rings at a London jewellers amid romance with French actress girlfriend Rachel Benaissa, 30
has been spotted shopping for rings at a high-end London jewellers, as his romance with girlfriend Rachel Benaissa heats up. The Sherlock star, 53, has been dating the French actress, 30, since 2020, and on Saturday, was seen perusing the pieces on offer at a Dinny Hall store in north London. According to onlookers, Martin splashed out £4,500 on an aquamarine and diamond ring, with The Hobbit attempting to keep a low profile in a baseball cap. A source told The Sun: 'Martin looked intent on a particular show-stopping ring in the front and centre of the window display. 'He even fetched the shop assistant so he could point out which one wanted to look at. He was wearing a cap so he could go incognito.' In April, Martin offered insight into his relationship with Rachel during an appearance on Jessie and Lennie Ware's Table Manners podcas t, sharing that they love cooking together in their spare time. The Sherlock star has been dating the French actress since 2020, and they recently made a loved-up appearance together at the BAFTA Television Awards Lennie asked: 'She's French. Is she [Rachel] Cordon Bleu?' Martin replied: 'She's not a Cordon Bleu… she's a massive cheese and wine w****. 'That's what she would say about herself. 'She says that about herself, "I'm a cheese and wine w****". It's not all she is, but no, she loves all that stuff. We like cooking.' Earlier this year, Martin made rare comments about his family life during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show. The actor shares two teenage children Joe, 18, and Grace, 16, with his ex-partner Amanda Abbington, 51. During his chat with host Jonathan, Martin touched on going to a Sherlock-themed escape room, based on the series in which he plays John Watson. Martin revealed that he and his family did not escape in good time: 'It did take us a while. 'He even fetched the shop assistant so he could point out which one wanted to look at. He was wearing a cap so he could go incognito,' the source added 'I went with my other half and my two kids… it wasn't even a Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes, it was [the BBC one]. I'm aware it did feel a little bit maybe t***ish to go to my own thing… but my kids said it was going to be fun. It is a really good one…' After Romesh Ranganathan questioned why Martin went to this, Martin laughingly added: 'My voice is in it… I hadn't seen or heard myself enough in that week, so I thought… and I wasn't stuck, I just wanted to stay in there longer.' The pair have been in a relationship for around five years, following his split from his ex-partner of 16 years, Amanda, who admits she was a 'mess' following their breakup in 2016, which came about after they 'just couldn't live with each other anymore'. While it's unclear when Martin found love again with Rachel, the couple were first spotted together in 2020 and she appears to have formed a strong bond with his children Joe and Grace. Martin went public with his romance with the Toulouse-born actress in 2021 but the pair are fiercely private about their relationship and she recently deleted her Instagram which gave fans a handful of glimpses into the couple's relationship. However, Rachel is happy to play the supportive partner and she's often by Martin's side on the red carpet to promote his film and TV projects. But a video shared to TikTok by Martin's daughter Grace shows that Rachel is firmly part of the family, dancing along to She's The Brightest Star from Martin's festive hit film Nativity with Joe and the family dachshunds. 'Merry christmas from Mr Maddens,' she captioned the clip, referring to her father's character in the hit film. Rachel had a small role as an unnamed teaching assistant in BBC hit Normal People, alongside stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones . The actress has also starred in Lindsay Lohan 's Netflix film Irish Wish, and Aisling Bea's sitcom This Way Up, as well as roles in commercials for Heineken, Santander and Dublin Airport. Her connection to Ireland has most likely arisen from her days training at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, where Colin Farrell, Aidan Turner and Olivia Wilde all honed their craft. In addition to acting, Rachel also writes screenplays and once came runner-up in Outstanding Screenplay's TV pilot competition. Her writing is said to 'blend drama with dark humour' and she's currently working on the script for a dark comedy-horror TV series called SELF CARE GIRLIE. They made their first appearance as a couple when they graced the red carpet at the Raindance Film Festival Opening Night gala screening of Best Sellers at The Dorchester. As for Martin's ex partner Amanda, she has insisted that they are on good terms and remain friends. However, sources have suggested that it wasn't easy for her to see him moving on with a much younger woman, while his career has also gone from strength to strength. In March 2023, Amanda candidly revealed that she considered suicide after their difficult split left her 'hating herself'. In an interview with the Full Disclosure podcast, Amanda told how suicide was a 'genuine option' during the dark period of her life, telling how she recently had a similar thought after a row with her daughter. She explained: 'It was breaking up with Martin and then realising I needed to sort myself out because I was a bit of a mess. I hated myself. 'It was funny because the other day, and I've never told anyone, not even my therapist, I'd had a row with Grace [her daughter] because she couldn't find her uniform and was late for school. The pair have been in a relationship for around five years, following his split from his ex-partner of 16 years, Amanda, who admits she was a 'mess' following their breakup in 2016 'So in the end I had to drive her to school instead of the bus and I was sitting in the car and I was having a go at her and I was getting nothing back from her because she's a 15-year-old and she's going through all this stuff. 'She's a girl, I'm a mother — rage, anxiety. And I was sat there as I was driving, in my head, and I haven't said this since I started therapy six years ago, 'you could always kill yourself'' 'And that was what my mantra used to be. If you've let people down and upset somebody or if you're not being the best you can or you're a bad mother, or you're not stepping up with your acting, you can always kill yourself.' Amanda went on to say that the idea of taking her life used to be an 'option' for her in the past, but that she last had the same thought six years ago - around the time of her separation from Martin. She continued: 'That was a genuine option for me, quite a few times in my life. Then I don't have to be this bad person because I don't have to be here any more. 'And I thought about that and I thought, "Oh my God I haven't thought about that in six years".'
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Yorkshire teens win in BAFTA Young Game Designer Competition
Two teenagers from Yorkshire have scooped prizes at a national competition for young video game designers.13-year-old Thiago, from Sheffield, and 14-year-old Tanisi, from Leeds, were crowned winners in the BAFTA Young Game Designer were selected from 52 finalists aged between 10 and 18, who each created a game or a game work will be showcased at the Power Up video game exhibition in London, Manchester, and Bradford, as well as at a BAFTA showcase event. Thiago won in the age 10-14 Game Making Award created a game called Sir Floofington, where the player controls a knight who wields a broom whilst hunting for the Golden said he had been inspired by other dungeon crawlers where the player fights enemies and hunts for treasure, but had wanted to put his own spin on added he had also been inspired by his dad, who is a game producer."I've always wanted to get the ideas that I have in my head out into code, that way other people can enjoy them as much as I do," he said."I might see a game on YouTube and think it's great, then have a long train of thought about how I can make it better and different."He said it feels "really, really wonderful" to have won."I've seen everyone else's games and they're really good, so I feel really humbled." Tanisi won in the age 10-14 Game Concept Award category, for her idea for a psychological horror The Undead, the game which would let the player control a character trying to find their missing family in a post-apocalyptic world filled with said she "loves storytelling", but had not written a story for a video game before said she was "so grateful" that someone else had seen the vision she had been trying to convey in her proposal."I didn't know if it was going to be seen in the way I saw it," she said. Inel Tomlinson, host of the competition's online prize ceremony, said: "It's refreshing to see such real, thought provoking, human ideas from these young game designers, and I'm truly excited to see what they'll create in the future."Judge and game producer Dan Ayoub said: "As someone who's been making games for many years, this experience left me deeply inspired—and incredibly optimistic about the future of our industry.""It was an absolute honour to serve on the judging panel, and beyond the joy of working alongside brilliant developers, I was genuinely humbled by the level of talent, creativity, and ambition these young creators brought." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
The King and Idris Elba team up for new Netflix documentary film
The film will explore The King's Trust – a youth charity set up by Charles when he was the Prince of Wales, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary – to highlight how the charity has helped young people around the world, documenting 'the power of believing in young people'. The Luther star, who was a beneficiary of a grant from the trust, will accompany the King as he shares insights into his support for the charity. Elba said: 'The King's Trust gave me an opportunity that changed my life. 'At a time when I didn't have the resources to pursue my ambitions, they offered real, practical support — including financial help — that helped me take those first steps to advance my career. 'Around the world, millions are still waiting for that one door to open. This documentary is about shining a light on what's possible when it does — and why the work of The King's Trust remains so important.' Formerly known as The Prince's Trust, the charity was set up by Charles to help disadvantaged young people overcome challenging circumstances, get into employment or launch their own businesses. It has since become one of the UK's leading youth organisations and has helped more than 1.3 million young people to date with celebrity ambassadors including former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate and presenters Ant and Dec. Jonathan Townsend, UK chief executive of The King's Trust, said: 'At its heart, this is a documentary about the power of believing in young people. It's about an idea, driven by a young Prince who was determined to make a positive difference, that when young people are supported to succeed, we all succeed. 'Almost 50 years on, the momentum behind this idea has seen more than 1.3 million young people supported in over 20 countries around the world, including more than a million in the UK alone, through the work of The King's Trust. 'Nobody understands the impact of this work better than those who have experienced the support we offer first hand. As a long-term supporter and former beneficiary of The Trust himself, Idris will undoubtedly bring a unique perspective to this groundbreaking documentary as he peels back the layers of our story and shows how our life-changing work is as relevant today as it has ever been.' The film will be directed by Bafta-winning filmmaker Ashley Francis-Roy, with young people supported by the Trust helping the production team to build experience in film and television. The documentary is produced by 22 Summers, the production company co-founded by Elba, and due to be released in autumn 2026.
