Showbiz: “Can you please just speak a little bit slowly…”

Penelope Teeth casts her views over recent showbiz and telly stories…

Before we start, I must congratulate Eamonn Holmes on the best bit of television he’s created in many a year; falling on his arse on GB News this week. Sadly, it was on GB News so there was actually no footage of Holmes slipping off his ‘wobbly chair’ to the floor – but the sound of it was most impressive. As Chris McCausland said on Have I Got News For You about this historic television moment, ‘it sounded like a building collapsing’. Maybe Eammon has a new career in sound effects…

Revolving door at Albert Square

The new boss at EastEnders Ben Wadey is making more changes with this week it seems a one in, one out policy adopted. Rather like a busy nightclub, not that EastEnders is anything like a nightclub if you’re Danny Dyer.

Actress Clair Norris – who plays Bernie Taylor in the Beeb saga is to depart later this year in a, as to be expected, dramatic storyline. It makes sense considering all she has become recently is a spare part serving in the caff. With all her family either departed or dead (RIP Keanu) Bernie was just buttering buns.

A surprise return is Ben Mitchell, most recently played by Max Bowden. The Sun reports departing producer ‘Chris Clenshaw gave Max the boot at the end of 2023 during a showdown over his party lifestyle.’ However, it seems for some reason the new boss is giving Bowden a second chance with a ‘guest spot’. If successful, Ben may be back more regularly.

West at Rest

Actor Timothy West passed away peacefully on 12 November, surrounded by his family at a care home, following a fall that led to a significant brain injury. The inquest revealed that West, known for his remarkable career in television and theatre, was receiving palliative care at Wandsworth Common Care Home after spending several months in hospital.

West, who was married to actress Prunella Scales for over 60 years, had a distinguished career, with memorable roles in Brass, Not Going Out, Bleak House, Gentleman Jack, and popular serials such as Coronation Street and EastEnders.

The inquest, held at Westminster Coroner’s Court, confirmed that while the exact cause of the fall could not be determined, there was no evidence of foul play. His condition was such that despite receiving excellent care, he was unable to return home and continued to be cared for at the facility until his passing.

Thomas Holden, general manager of the care home, shared in a statement that on the day of his death, West’s family had stayed by his side, and he passed away peacefully in the evening with them present.

In tribute, West’s children—Juliet, Samuel, and Joseph—expressed their sorrow following his death, stating: “After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep. He was 90 years old. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Prunella Scales, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.”

Timothy West as King Edward VII in ATV’s BAFTA winning Edward the Seventh

Wolverhampton’s Tom Aspaul Drops New Album and Joins Kesha on Tour

Singer/songwriter Tom Aspaul is stepping into his biggest era yet. The Wolverhampton-born artist – who began his career writing tracks for pop icons like Kylie Minogue, Becky Hill, and Celeste – has just released his third studio album Cabin Fever, a kaleidoscopic, psychedelic-pop record inspired by a surreal trip through the Swedish wilderness.

Out now via Downtown Label Services, Cabin Fever marks a bold shift in sound for the critically acclaimed independent artist. The album blends 70s-inspired psychedelia with slick disco, raw emotion, and sharp lyricism – produced by long-time collaborator Gil Lewis, with features from Stefan Storm, Eric Spike, and Grace Medford.

Fresh off the release, Aspaul will join Kesha as main support on her UK tour, including a major date at Manchester’s Albert Hall on May 30. He’ll also perform across the summer’s biggest Pride events and pop festivals, including Mighty Hoopla, and Thessaloniki, before hitting the road for a full international headline tour, Cabin Fever Live.

Aspaul’s previous albums – 2020’s Black Country Disco and 2022’s Life in Plastic – received widespread praise, with The Guardian naming him a “Wolverhampton bop merchant” and Gay Times dubbing his debut the “Queer Disco Album of the Year.” He completed the sold-out Planet Fantastic World Tour in 2024, playing to fans across Europe, North America, South America, and Australia.

With Cabin Fever, the UK’s best-kept pop secret might not be a secret for much longer.

Loose Men and Women come together

It might sound like some late night ‘experimental filth’ from Channel 4 but it’s nothing smutty sweetie, simply Loose Women & Men is back on ITV1 and STV tomorrow.

The special sees Loose ladies Kaye Adams and Judi Love alongside first time panellist Paul C. Brunson and Loose Men’s Martin Kemp.

Announcing the episode in a promo earlier this week, Kaye Adams said, “The award-winning Loose Women & Men are back and the topic of the day is love!” before telling viewers what they can expect from the panel: “For heart-to-hearts, hot topics and some steamy confessions too, you won’t want to miss it.”

I think I’ll probably miss it, I’ve got a photo of Lorraine Kelly that needs shredding. But if you’re up for it join the guys and gals from 12.30pm on Monday 26th May over on STV, ITV1, STV Player and ITVX.

Sport and travel combined is bliss

Not for me, of course, darlings, but apparently more than half (52 percent) of Brits polled say travelling to see sport live is one of life’s greatest pleasures, with 36 percent planning a sport related trip this year.

And new research, from luxury hotel chain, Hyatt has uncovered that the sporting events and venues that fans would most love to experience is the FIFA World Cup final at Wembley (36 percent). Watching England badly attempt to beat the opposition, on home turf at Wembley stadium in a World Cup final, beat off experiences such as attending the Grand Prix in Monaco or attending the celeb studded Super Bowl.

But it’s not just watching sports that the nation loves. Nearly two in five (37 percent) admit they love travelling to take part in a sporting event, with four in ten planning more sporting adventures this year. 2000 sad fuc—s, Brits, were polled for these findings.

Loose leavers?

Dan’s got the inside gossip

Dan Wootton, you either love him or hate him. Now, yes, maybe his showbiz ways of getting stories might have been judged as a little on the dubious side, after all that was the benchmark of success at The News of the World. And recently it seems he has been the centre of allegations of being a little bit pervy when it comes to sexual activities – but he said he’s made mistakes and will learn from them. I’d suggest just sticking to X-Video Dan love.

Anyway, this is neither here nor there, as Dan was for many years part of ITV Daytime and has a lot of tales to talk about from working at the ‘one ITV’ that was formed from most of the regional Independent Television companies being thrust together in 2003.

Speaking in an edition of his Dan Wootton Outspoken on YouTube he revealed what might be behind the ‘Queen of tax Saving’ and ‘Queen of daytime’ Lorraine Kelly’s fall from grace. Last week ITV confirmed the low-rating Lorraine show, which gets less than half of what BBC One pulls in at the same time, is being cut from an hour to a half-an-hour slot and will only air for 30 weeks of the year, rather than continuously as it has done for several years.

Many put the blame on the cutbacks down to last year an X account noting how much – or as it turned out how little – Lorraine Kelly actually hosted her own show with a shite ranking of 59.7 percent of being present for her programme. That equated to just 154 out of 258 show called Lorraine being fronted by Lorraine.

But Dan has another angle on this. Speaking in a video posted on May 20th, Wootton notes:

“A guy called Andrew Dagnell who used to run ITV News and has since joined ITV Daytime now when I was working with Lorraine Kelly all of those years ago and I was friends with both of these characters obviously since my cancellation they didn’t want to bar of me that’s to be expected from people who work at ‘woke ITV’ but I remember a story of something that went down between Lorraine and Andrew Dagnell where he pledged that he would seek revenge on Lorraine Kelly and one day ruin her career. Today he put that into practice.

“[The fallout comes from] when Lorraine was interviewing Amanda Knox, you know the American woman who was falsely accused of the murder of Meredith Kercher, and this was quite a big exclusive at the time and Andrew Dagnell had the cheek, he had the cheek, to say to Lorraine “Can you please just speak a little bit slowly when you’re interviewing Amanda Cox Knox because I’m very worried that she’s not going to understand your broad Scottish accent.”

“Well Lorraine she hit the roof she was absolutely furious and ropable how dare this young producer tell me this veteran who’s been interviewing people for decades with my broad Scottish accent to speak slowly; she was absolutely furious about it and a feud between the pair ensued over many years. Well of course when Andrew Dagnell got this new job at ITV what was the first decision, he made to axe Lorraine Kelly for 22 weeks of the year and to slash her show from 60 minutes to 30 minutes and at the same time get rid of her production team altogether…”

That old saying comes to mind, ‘Be kind to everyone on the way up; you’ll meet the same people on the way down’.

Recently in the celebrity departure lounge TVS and Southern Television presenter and newsreader Peter Clark. Peter had a near 30 year career with ITV in the south hosting regional news shows Day by Day and later Coast to Coast.

George Wendt, the actor best known for playing Norm Peterson on the long-running stateside bar sitcom Cheers raised his last glass aged 76.

Radio broadcasting star John Peters has died. He was 75. The news was announced today by Boom Radio. John was the king of chart shows, hosting their weekly Vintage Charts programme since Boom Radio launched – alongside John’s Jukebox and his Friday evening show. His first foray into radio came in in 1974 at a closed-circuit radio station for the United Biscuits factories, before moving on to be the first voice on Nottingham’s Radio Trent. Other stations John worked on over the years include Saga Radio as well as the BBC.

And today it was announced the telly exec who became famous for axing Eldorado, Alan Yentob, has died aged 78. #And if I had the chance to live my life again, I know for sure I’d do the same.# As the Eldorado lyrics said.

The views expressed are an opinion piece and are only of the author and not ATV Today. Penelope Teeth, Judi Dentures and Joanna Gumley are ATV’s exclusive showbiz drag queens with bite.