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News.com.au
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Hollywood star Hugh Laurie's wild insult to his fans leaked by podcast host
A podcast host has leaked a shocking statement from Hugh Laurie that saw the Hollywood star insult his diehard fans. The British actor famously played the belovedly bitter Dr. Gregory House in US TV drama series House from 2004 to 2012. However, it's now emerged that he'd rather do anything other than look back fondly at his time on the smash hit show. During a recent episode of the Doctor Mike podcast, host Dr. Mikhail 'Mike' Varshavski was chatting to The Pitt star Noah Wyle when he revealed he had invited Laurie onto the show for a similar interview. Varshavski told Wyle: 'I love that you're still connected to your characters very much. Most that play a role like John Carter get tired of that association. In fact, we invited Hugh Laurie to our show.' Varshavski continued: 'His staff was like, 'Oh, this is a good fit, we're going to reach out to him and see what he thinks. I'm going to read you quote-unquote what he said: 'He is not interested in opportunities like this, frankly doesn't care about the audience or reliving the show.'' Wyle laughed and said: 'That's so baller.' Varshavski then added: 'It's just such a direct and honest reply. It's not that he doesn't want to do your show, just he doesn't want to be House MD ever again.' In 2013, Laurie opened up about his experience filming the show, telling Radio Times that his experience was 'a bit of a nightmare' overall, despite the hefty pay cheque. He admitted: 'At this distance it all sounds absurd. Ridiculous! After all, what was I doing other than playing about, telling stories with a very nice bunch of people? What could be constricting about that? 'But the repetition of any routine, day after month after year, can turn into a bit of a nightmare. I had some pretty bleak times, dark days when it seemed like there was no escape. And having a very Presbyterian work ethic, I was determined never to be late, not to miss a single day's filming. You wouldn't catch me phoning in to say, 'I think I may be coming down with the flu'.
Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Ben Bolt obituary, director behind Downton Abbey and Doc Martin
When Ben Bolt was sent the script for a television drama about an aristocratic family and their domestic servants in post-Edwardian England, his every instinct told him that it was a winner. As a director whose credits spanned the Atlantic and ranged from The Sweeney and Bergerac to Hill Street Blues and LA Law, he thrived on the challenge of taking a great story from page to screen — and as he read Julian Fellowes's outline for the first series of what was to become Downton Abbey, he almost purred with pleasure. The script had been sent to him by his old friend Gareth Neame, the executive producer on the project and with whom he made the 1998 thriller Getting Hurt as part of the BBC's Obsessions series. Would he be interested in directing a few episodes? At the time he was working on the fifth series of Doc Martin, the ITV comedy drama starring Martin Clunes, but the question was a no-brainer. Bolt went on to direct two of the first three episodes of Downton Abbey, setting up one of the most successful TV dramas of the 21st century. That first series won half a dozen Emmy awards, a Golden Globe and a brace of Baftas and included perhaps the most famous line of all in Downton Abbey's 52 episodes, when Maggie Smith as the dowager countess Violet Crawley demanded to know: 'What is a weekend?' Almost as memorable was her comment that 'No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house' after a Turkish diplomat suffered a heart attack while staying at the Abbey. The great dame, of course, was already famous for her portrayal of another dowager countess, Lady Bracknell, and her delivery of the famous 'handbag' line had entered theatrical legend. 'If there's an old bat to play, it'll be me,' she said when Downton Abbey launched in 2010. Tailor-made as the matriarch of the Crawley family, she perhaps needed little coaching, yet she worked assiduously with Bolt on getting exactly the right nuance of aristocratic battiness into her lines and characterisation. Bolt's dedication to his craft was a watchword and 'going the extra mile' as a director was not optional but mandatory. Whatever the amount of effort required, the only criterion was that the work had to be the best quality and if one more take was needed to get it exactly right, it would be done whatever the clock and the budget said. 'However hairy things got, everyone on set knew Ben would protect the integrity of the work,' one of the actors who worked with him noted. Yet at the same time he was the opposite of a stentorian martinet and coaxed the best out of cast and crew alike with a gentle charm and good humour. 'He always made the job fun, even when we were inevitably running over to get that one last take,' another of his actors recalled. When his wife Jo (née Ross), an actress, predeceased him in 2023, he was bereft without his life partner. He is survived by their daughter, Molly Bolt, a film producer with House Productions. She remembered as a young girl being embarrassed by his terrible singing when he was walking her to school. Before she married, he took singing lessons because he didn't want to embarrass her by singing out of tune in church on her wedding day. It was another example of him 'going the extra mile'. In turn, during the cancer that beset him during his final two years, she accompanied him to every appointment with his doctors and consultant. Devoted to his family, he was thrilled by the arrival of his first grandson, Leo, six months before he died. Away from the film set, he loved messing around on sail boats and was an enthusiastic tennis player. The actor Simon Williams, his long-term opponent and partner on court, recalled that he managed to be 'competitive and comedic at the same time' and when he played a poor shot would let out a frustrated cry of 'Ben-e-diiiict!' The record number of 'Benedicts' in a set was said to be only six, which suggested that his smashes and lobs found their mark more often than they missed. Benedict Lawrence Bolt was born in 1952, the son of Jo (née Roberts), a novelist, and Robert Bolt, in Butleigh, Somerset, where his father, who would go on to write the screenplays for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Man for All Seasons, was teaching at Millfield School. His parents divorced when he was ten and his father married the actress Sarah Miles. It meant he saw less of him than he would have wished but they retained a close relationship. After Robert suffered a stroke, he lived for a time with his son and daughter-in-law and when he died in 1995, he bequeathed the responsibility for protecting his work to him in his will. Educated at Brockenhurst Grammar School, Bolt went on to the Courtauld Institute of Art but left without completing his studies. He continued to draw all his life but he had caught the film bug while accompanying his father on sets as a boy, and keen to launch a career in the industry, he enrolled at the National Film School. In later life he returned to the school as a lecturer and is remembered by former students as a mentor with a bottomless well of encouragement and advice. His breakthrough as a freelance TV director came in the mid-1970s when he took charge of episodes of the ITV dramas Van der Valk and The Sweeney, and Target for the BBC. By the mid-1980s he had been headhunted by the American networks. He had flown to Los Angeles for a meeting out of little more than curiosity but when he was offered Hill Street Blues he stayed for the best part of a decade, setting up home in the Hollywood Hills. On his return to Britain in the 1990s he directed the acclaimed TV mini-series Scarlet and Black starring Ewan McGregor and Rachel Weisz as well as his wife, and Wilderness starring Gemma Jones as a librarian-cum-werewolf. There were also a number of made-for-TV films including a splendid adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw with Colin Firth. One of his greatest successes came with the long-running Doc Martin, shot on location in the Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac, and which he directed from its launch in 2003 over five seasons until 2011, drawing a viewing audience of more than ten million. He also turned his hand to writing scripts for episodes of the comedy drama, something friends and family urged him to do more. The shadow of a screenwriting father with a brace of Oscars to his name perhaps made him more reticent than he need have been. The final project he was involved in was the currently touring version of his father's play A Man for All Seasons, starring Martin Shaw as Thomas More and which is due to arrive in the West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre in August. Bolt acted as a consultant, attending read-throughs and rehearsals and with his daughter attended a performance at the Oxford Playhouse three months before he died. Ben Bolt, director and screenwriter, was born on May 9, 1952. He died of leukaemia on May 10, 2025, aged 73
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Top Drama TV Showrunners on Killing Off Beloved Characters, Mapping Out Multiple Seasons and the Trick to Not Becoming Overwhelmed
No, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann didn't kill Pedro Pascal. That was just one key messaging point delivered during Variety's A Night in the Writers' Room on Thursday night. Although this was the drama panel, many hilarious conversations came out of the discussion moderated by Variety's senior TV features editor Emily Longeretta. In addition to 'The Last of Us' creators, panelists included 'Severance' creator Dan Erickson, 'Paradise' creator Dan Fogelman, 'The Pitt' creator R. Scott Gemmill, 'Doc' creator Barbie Kligman, 'Yellowjackets' co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and 'Cross' creator Ben Watkins. More from Variety Don't Forget 'Severance' Star Tramell Tillman This Emmy Season Why Nicola Coughlan Is the Soul of 'Bridgerton' and Deserves an Emmy Nomination 'Severance' Creator Dan Erickson Discusses the 'Depressing' Lumon Industries - While Touring Lumen, the Actual Name for Variety's Office Building While discussing the pressures of following a stellar first season with a second one — Mazin and Druckmann shed light on the ups and downs. 'There's this thing that happens when you're making the first season of something where you truly are just rolling down a hill on fire. If you stay alive, that's a huge achievement. If a show comes out, that's amazing,' Mazin said. 'The second season comes with so many expectations, and we did learn a lot of lessons. And the problem with learning lessons is then you have to be accountable to those lessons. And you're not allowed to make those mistakes anymore, which is tragic. You do feel pressure to somehow fulfill what people want but also surprise them. You're now a topic of discussion, whereas before you were just new and surprising. I mean, the bar for video game adaptations was pretty low. We had that going for us in Season 1 — now we kind of fucked ourselves.' Druckmann added that it 'can feel very scary' doing a second season, just like it did when creating a second chapter of the video game. 'People had very strong reactions to whatever controversial story decision we made,' he said, referring to the death of Pedro Pascal's Joel Miller in Season 2. 'He did a thing. Everyone lost their shit, and then I had to do that same thing, because he did the thing. I loved doing the thing, I thought it was great,' Mazin says of the death. 'The big complaint that I've gotten is, 'Why did you kill Pedro Pascal?' And I keep explaining, we didn't kill him! He's a man, he's alive. He's fine. And he's in literally everything else. So I don't know what the problem is!' The group also discussed planning ahead when pitching a season and knowing how many seasons their shows will last. Fogelman said he pitched 'Paradise' as a three-season show since he has a three-year plan — and always does that in the room — but the plans could always change. 'I know, generally, how many episodes I want to do, but then once you have those markers, you say, 'that's act one, that's act 2, that's act 3,' he said. 'If you set that, it's a really lucky place to be, but it can be really helpful, even if it's 10 seasons.' One of the bigger themes that the writers dove into was just how difficult it is to launch a successful show, continue a successful show and not become overwhelmed. However, Gemmill, who worked on 'ER' and showran 'NCIS: Los Angeles' before creating 'The Pitt' seemed to have it all figured out — much to the others' chagrin.'I've been doing it a long time, and I also think, at the end of the day, I'm not saving kids' lives. I'm making a fucking TV show. It's 'Gilligan's Island.' If it's still on the air 50 years after I'm dead, wonderful,' said Gemmill. 'I'm just so damn lucky to get paid not to have people shoot at me or run into a burning building.' When Nickerson noted that of Gemmill is right, he also had a follow up question: 'The thing that we need to know is how you hold onto that perspective and frame when the void that lives inside you is threatening to eat everything you ever thought you could be, would be or should be.' Gemmill had the perfect response: 'You've never tried ketamine?' Watch the full panel above. Best of Variety Emmy Predictions: Documentary Programs — Nonfiction Races Spotlight Pee-wee Herman, Simone Biles and YouTube Creators 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
The Sun
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Hollyoaks star confirms exit as he breaks silence on shock goodbye just a year after returning
A HOLLYOAKS star has confirmed his exit as he addressed his character's shock goodbye. This departure comes just a year after the fan favourite made a shock return. 4 4 Charlie Clapham has again bowed out from playing Freddie Roscoe. Taking to Instagram following his final scenes, Charlie posted: "What a ride. "This isn't goodbye @hollyoaksofficial just a see you soon… Or maybe not, who knows!? Thank you for your kindness. Ciao 4 now." A fan commented: "What an absolute joy it's been having you back! Good luck with your next epic adventure Charlie!" Another shared: "Oh no and we'll miss you on our screens." Viewers watched as Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) cornered Freddie while armed with a gun. The gangster wanted revenge after Freddie ensured a letter he'd written to Mercedes (Jennifer Metcalfe) never reached her. Hollyoaks killer to return after three years in shock recast He proceeded to intimidate his love rival into writing a suicide note. Warren also taunted Freddie by saying everyone in his life would be better off without him. Ultimately, Freddie complied and wrote a goodbye letter to "soulmate" Mercedes - who was crushed over his apparent death. The actor originally played Freddie from 2013 until leaving in 2017. From Hollyoaks to Hollywood James Corden played a caretaker in the early days of the soap. The former American TV host doesn't have much positive to say about his time on the soap, claiming it was "hell on earth." Since his short-lived time on the show he has gone on to bigger things including smash hit comedy Gavin and Stacey. Rachel Shenton joined the soap as aspiring glamour model Mitzeee Minniver in 2010. Over two years her character was sent to prison, got pregnant and had a number of romantic affairs. Since leaving Hollyoaks she has won an Oscar for best live action short film, The Silent Child. Rachel has also starred in White Gold and All Creatures Great and Small Emmett J. Scanlan played gangster turned anti-hero Brendan Brady. Emmett played the love interest of Steve Hayes, with their romance delighting fans until it turned violent. Since his departure Emmett has appeared in Peaky Blinders, The Fall, Gangs of London and even appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Emma Rigby joined Hollyoaks when she was 15 as Hannah Ahsworth. Hannah's eating disorder storyline was the first of it's kind on TV while other plots included being caught in a fire, gangland drug dealing and running away. Since leaving the soap in 2010 Emma has gone on to star in ABCs Once Upon a Time in Wonderland as the Red Queen. Other roles include guest appearances in Death In Paradise, Ripper Street and Fresh Meat Nico Mirallegro got his big break with Hollyoaks starring as emo Barry 'Newt' Newton. Nico's main storyline in the soap was developing schizophrenia which culminated in a suicide pact. He left the soap in 2010 and went on to star in My Mad Fat Diary, Our Girl, Rillington Place, The Ark and Common, Penance, as well as the Mike Leigh movie Peterloo and was nominated for a Bafta for his role in period drama The Village. Ricky Whittle used Hollyoaks as a stepping stone to break America. He played one of the soap's resident hunks, Calvin Valentine, from 2006 to 2011 - when he was killed off at his wedding. After leaving the soap Ricky cracked America starring in teen drama The 100 and America Gods. He also appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009. Warren Brown joined Hollyoaks in 2005 for a year as evil Andy Holt. His stint on the show consisted of date rape storylines and a crime spree, before eventually being killed off. After leaving Hollyoaks, Warren became a big hitter in TV playing DS Justin Ripley in Luther, as well as major roles in a number of dramas including Liar, The Responder, Homefront and Good Cop. Wallis Day played Holly Cunningham in the soap for years before leaving. In 2021 Wallis won the role of Batwoman in DC's series, taking over from Ruby Rose. Earlier this year, The Sun revealed Charlie would be exiting the soap again. A source said at the time: 'Charlie has finished his stint filming. 'He's hugely popular and everyone's really sad to see him go but the storyline is great and it was all planned out before his return. 'There's going to be a big send off for Freddie as the soap ramps up for a huge summer leading to the 30th later this year.' 4
The Sun
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Sexy BBC drama star in the frame to play Elizabeth Taylor in blockbuster TV show about movie icon
RISING Brit star Marisa Abela is in the frame to play Elizabeth Taylor in a blockbuster TV drama charting the movie legend's sensational life. The actress won a Bafta for playing sexy financier Yasmin Kara-Hanani in three series of the BBC's bonking-and-banking drama Industry. 4 4 Marisa, 28, also won plaudits for her depiction of the late, hellraising singer Amy Winehouse in the 2024 movie Back to Black opposite Jack O'Connell as her boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil. An insider said: 'Bosses of the adaptation want someone who can capture the essence of the single-minded woman that married seven times and was said to have had a voracious sexual appetite. 'It's very early days for the project but the producers want to assemble formidable British talent with the aim of making this a blockbuster series.' Former EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins is developing the drama — called Elizabeth Taylor Vs The World — with his production company Happy Prince. The scripts are being written by Times columnist Caitlin Moran, a superfan who once said of her idol: 'She ate up life like a sexy glutton.' It is based on the book Erotic Vagrancy, written by Roger Lewis, about Liz's passionate love affair with husband Richard Burton. The London-born star of Cleopatra and Giant, who died in 2011 aged 79, was said to have had sexual needs as famous as her husband's. Legend has it that she once had a threesome with President John F Kennedy and actor Robert Stack. Producers Happy Prince made the racy adaptation of Jilly Cooper's saucy novel Rivals that was shown on Disney+ last year and became one of the streamer's biggest hits. The company is part of ITV Studios, which means the drama could end up airing on ITV. Seven divorces, health drama & a public affair - Elizabeth Taylor's controversial life revealed as doc shares her side But it may end up in a bidding war among streamers with a hunger for quality British drama. 4
