Showbiz Newswrap
Showbiz: ‘A collapsing world where truth is indistinguishable from simulation’
Penelope Teeth casts her views over recent showbiz and telly stories…
ITV and Jet2holidays get set for The Great Escapers
Ever wished you could go on holiday with the regulars of Coronation Street, I’m A Celebrity…, The Chase or Loose Women? Well now you can, sort of… The Great Escapers is a brand-new prime time series, which will take some of the nation’s best-known ITV faces and send them off on their very first holiday together. We know they’ve worked alongside each other for many years, but can they now holiday together? Let’s see as they pack their bags, jet off to the sunshine and check in to their hotel.
This four-part travelogue series will see famous faces travel to some of Europe’s premiere holiday destinations such as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Malta. The Great Escapers will show the celebrities as we’ve never seen them before.
In each episode, three stars will compete to give their colleagues the best holiday experience they can. But will one star’s dream day out prove to be another’s worst nightmare? Jet2holidays will have a friendly overseas customer helper on hand throughout the experience to help guide each celebrity with their activity choices. Will the celeb choose what they personally like or try to guess what their travel companions would prefer?
At the end of the trip, the three celebrities will vote for who put together the most memorable day and one of them will be crowned The Greatest Escaper. Coming to ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player later this year.
I’ve gone off my Smeds and now have the Smoos
There’s only six weeks to go until Tall Stories’ Olivier Award-nominated adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s classic picture book The Smeds and The Smoos will be soaring into the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue. The show runs from 18 July – 7 September.
The full cast includes Abbey Norman as Grandmother Smoo, Patrick Bridgman as Grandfather Smed, Felicia Akin-Tayo as Janet, Antony Lam as Bill and Lolly Platt as Understudy.
On a far-off planet, Smeds and Smoos can’t be friends. So when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back? Music, laughs and interplanetary adventures for everyone aged 3 and up, from Tall Stories – the company who brought you The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom live on stage. Tickets on sale now from: www.tallstories.org.uk/the-smeds-and-the-smoos
Just in the Nick of time
John Altman, best known for his long-running role as “Nasty” Nick Cotton in EastEnders, has received a Best Performance nomination at the Raindance Film Festival for his lead role in the new sci-fi art-horror feature, The Last Grail Hunter.
The film, written and directed by Mark Christopher Lee, blends post-apocalyptic sci-fi, conspiracy thriller, and psychological horror into a haunting meditation on faith, identity, and digital reality. Lee, widely recognized for his work on UFO documentaries and musical ventures, brings his signature visionary style to this ambitious narrative debut.
Altman delivers a career-defining performance as Johnny Calvi a washed-up, alcoholic Grail hunter chasing redemption on one final quest. Haunted by visions and hunted by mysterious forces, Mason must navigate a collapsing world where truth is indistinguishable from simulation. The film also introduces newcomer Johnny Raven as the young version of Johnny, bringing a compelling contrast to Altman’s gritty portrayal.
Set in a bleak, dystopian future, The Last Grail Hunter takes place in a world where society has crumbled, and human lives are manipulated by a powerful secret organisation – the Priory of Sion – through a hyper-realistic virtual game. As the line between reality and illusion blurs, one man must confront the truth behind the game, his past, and humanity’s survival. The movie will premiere on June 19th, 2025, at Vue Piccadilly in London, as part of Raindance’s Official UK Feature Selection.
John Altman:
“I’m extremely happy to have been nominated for Best Performance. I’ve known Mark through music for years, and one day he rang me up with this wild idea for a film. I love working on projects that are offbeat and push the boundaries. We shot the entire thing over four intense days in London and St Albans – it was a whirlwind but a great experience.”
John Altman, best known for his long-running role as “Nasty” Nick Cotton in EastEnders, has received a Best Performance nomination at the Raindance Film Festival for his lead role in the new sci-fi art-horror feature, The Last Grail Hunter.
A telly world without Willoughby
Bear Hunt has been axed after just one series, The Sun this week revealed. This leaves one time darling of ITV Holly Willoughby without a regular show anywhere on UK television. It was confirmed this week she’ll be back on You Bet! when it returns, but as one of the panel of celeb guests rather than co-host as Stephen Mulhern goes solo.
On the demise of the Nexflix Bear Hunt series an ‘insider’ told the tabloid newspaper, ‘Everyone involved with Bear Hunt is absolutely gutted – they loved the format, and it actually hit its targets from the streaming side. But the overall cost of travel, insurance and, of course, securing big name talent proved too dear – it was completely untenable even after they looked at filming closer to home, and making more of a budget show. It is no slight on Holly or Bear either and execs are now trying to find another formula for them to showcase their talents.’
The insider also noted that Holly has a couple of other exciting projects lined up.
Bobby Dazzler
EastEnders regular Bobby Brazier won’t be a regular on Albert Square much longer, he’s quit the four-times-a-week saga to pursue new projects. The Sun reported this week that ‘the actor and model, 22, has received a wave of work offers since being a runner up on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023.’ In the show he plays Freddie Slater.
An ‘Enders spokesperson told the tabloid, “We can confirm that Bobby Brazier will be leaving EastEnders, and we wish him all the best for the future.”
There have been sweeping changes across the Walford set serial as new boss Ben Wadey has overseen some characters saying goodbye while others are returning. Returnees include Michelle Ryan as Zoe Slater, Jake Wood as Max Branning and Max Bowden as Ben Mitchell.
‘Ender-way: Bobby’s off from the Beeb
Eurovision for Broadway
Following the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, producer Lia Vollack has this week announced the development of a new musical based on the Netflix motion picture, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. The production will feature a script by Will Ferrell, Harper Steele and Anthony King, music by Savan Kotecha, and will be directed by Alex Timbers.
“We are more than excited to bring Eurovision to Broadway,” stated Ferrell. “The stage musical is a perfect place to continue our celebration of all the things we love about this amazing and unifying song competition.“
The 2020 film starred Ferrell alongside Rachel McAdams and tells the story of aspiring Icelandic musicians Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir as they are given the chance to represent their country at the world’s most famous song competition. The film’s original song “Husavik (My Hometown),” written by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Göransson, was nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Original Song” in 2020.
Bets on Blind Date
It was originally hosted by Cilla Black, who for nearly two decades dominated dating telly with the ITV series. Later her pal Paul O’Grady took over hosting duties when it returned to screens via Channel 5. Now it is reported that Disney+ want to give the format another airing.
With the news BetIdeas.com have taken a look at the names mooted to see who could be the next host. It looks like Holly Willoughby is the most likely candidate to become the host for the new Blind Date revival, having previously stepped into Cilla’s high heels on Surprise Surprise. Bookies are placing her right at the top of the market with a 52% chance of being the host.
Next is Davina McCall. She has been a staple of British television for a number of years now and is most known for her work presenting Big Brother from 2000 to 2010. Davina has a 20% chance of landing the role. Love Island presenter Maya Jama is also in the running for the dating host role.
| Holly Willoughby 10/11 | Cat Deeley 12/1 |
| Davina McCall 4/1 | Emma Willis 12/1 |
| Claudia Winkleman 5/1 | Josie Gibson 16/1 |
| Rylan Clark 7/1 | Alex Scott 20/1 |
| Maya Jama 8/1 |
Blind Date: Originally hosted by Cilla Black on ITV (1985-2003) and then Paul O’Grady on channel 5 (2017-2019).
Emmerdale Boomerang
She’s come and gone more times than Kat Slater has dropped her knickers – Bernice Blackstock is returning (again) to the Yorkshire Dales. Actress Samantha Giles is making another come back to Emmerdale having quit two years ago.
Unlike previous returns for the character Bernice this time is noted as making just a brief return as part of the wedding storyline of Gabby and Vinny. ITV Yorkshire is due to begin filming the scenes in a couple of weeks.
Samantha first began on Emmerdale in November 1998 and has been in and out several times since.
We’ve recently said farewell to more famous faces including actor Roland Curram who appeared in many stage and television programmes over the years, however, may be best remembered for his year in Spain as Freddie Martin in BBC One thrice weekly saga Eldorado. Roland died late last month aged 93.
Yvette Lumley (née Dotrice), passed away on the 23rd of May 2025 aged 65. Yvette, part of the ‘Dotrice theatrical family’ with father Roy, sisters Karen and Michele and mother Kay all treading the boards as performers. It was with her mother that she appeared in ATV saga Crossroads in the late seventies, where they played on-screen mother and daughter Deborah and Wendy Crisp.
Remembering L-R, Roland Curram (BBC 1981), Yvette Dotrice (ATV 1978) and Prentis Hancock (ITC 1970).
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.
