Not sure about this track from Valentina Monetta, Facebook uh oh oh. Is it even genuine? Supposedly it’s San Marino’s Eurovision Song Contest entry to rival our very own entry from Englebert Humperdinck.
And while it’s sure to get 12 points from neighbours Italy, will anybody else get the joke about Facebook, social networking etc. Anyway it’s already doing well on YouTube with over 300,000 hits so who needs Eurovision?
To me it sounds like one of those joke songs that comedians put in the middle of their programmes to break up the sketches, but it is kind of catchy I suppose.
As challenges go it’s not exactly up there with swimming The Channel/ The Thames or running 43 marathons in 51 days but for Frank Skinner swimming a length of a pool for Sport Relief is a very big deal indeed. “I had swimming lessons when I was at school,” the comedian told The Radio Times.
“Well, I say “lessons”. What actually happened was I stood with five other kids in the shallow end and we messed about with battered polystyrene floats. Meanwhile, the rest of the class swam confidently up and down, smiling and having fun.”
Since then he hasn’t been able to face getting back in the water and learning to swim. Even in his 40s when he decided to give it another go with one-to-one lessons, he ended up taking the cowards way out and quitting. But towards the end of last year after speaking to a friend who works for Sport Relief, he decided he finally had to face his demons. “They (Walliams and Izzard) are truly amazing, but no one’s likely to emulate them,” reckons Skinner.
“You should get someone to take on their own personal little mountain, the sort of mountain that lots of people might climb if they could be inspired to do so.” Tonight Frank Skinner faces his mountain – in the form of a swimming pool deep end – when he attempts to swim an entire length for Sport Relief. Make donations to Sport Relief with a credit or debit card by phone via 03457 910910 or online at sportrelief.com
Tonight’s (23/3/12) Sport Relief line up in full
BBC1
3:05pm The Big Sport Relief Warm-Up CBBC offers bite-size reminders of challenges past, including David Walliams’s Big Swim (3:10pm), Helen’s Polar Challenge for Sport Relief (3:45pm) and Million Pound Bike Ride (4:20pm).
5:15 Sport Relief Does Glee Club The three remaining acts vie for the viewers’ vote in the grand final of the competition.
7:00 Sport Relief 2012 Celebrities including John Bishop, James Corden, Gary Lineker and Claudia Winkleman take it in turns to host the evening, which kicks off with Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard and fiancée Christine Bleakley guest-starring in a special episode of Outnumbered. Strictly Come Dancing finalists Harry Judd and Chelsee Healey leave the dancefloor behind for an incredible underwater challenge.
7:30 Boxer Amir Khan and footballer Jermain Defoe boost their knowledge with a little help from Stephen Fry and the Horrible Histories cast, and the Strictly Come Dancing challenge continues.
8:00 Comic Frank Skinner faces his fear and attempts to swim a length of the pool at Langley Swimming Centre, while Miranda Hart ropes in some sports stars for a sketch at the Royal Albert Hall. Plus David Walliams, who undertook an epic swim down the Thames, is in the studio.
9:00 What horrors await Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Ant and Dec as Benidorm meets Britain’s Got Talent? Snow Patrol perform in the studio.
9:30 Members of the England football team don aprons and join chef James Martin in the kitchen. JLS perform the Sport Relief single, Proud.
BBC2
10pm The cast of Twenty Twelve welcome some VIPs in the shape of Zara Phillips and Sir Steve Redgrave. There’s a special instalment of QI and Jake Humphrey hosts Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Plus Helen Skelton, who made a record-breaking expedition to the Antarctic, is in the studio.
BBC1
10:35pm Fashionistas Kate Moss and Stella McCartney, along with sportsmen Colin Jackson and Linford Christie, join Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley for what promises to be a fun-packed Ab Fab sketch. Plus a chance to see A Question of Sport host Sue Barker as you’ve never seen her before!
11:00Freddie Flintoff continues his attempt to break multiple world records live in the studio, Emeli Sande performs live, and there are special editions of Celebrity Juice and Eight out of Ten Cats.
12 midnight JLS invite a chorus of rugby internationals to join them for a singsong. Misery Bear and Mo Farah race against each other and there’s a special Mock the Week.
When the BBC announced that they were dropping Sunday food/ chat/ clip show Something For The Weekend most viewers were either relieved or indifferent. It had pretty much had its day and the prospect of a Sunday without Louise Redknapp’s woeful interview technique, Simon Rimmer’s half-hearted recipes and Tim Lovejoy’s hackneyed chumminess seemed very attractive.
Sadly Channel 4 have bought the programme (most of it, anyway) and a renamed version launches this Sunday at 10AM. Sunday Brunch – as it’s artlessly dubbed – still features Lovejoy and Rimmer but Redkapp has mercifully been jettisoned and it remains to be seen how many (if any) of the other regular contributors survive the jump.
Apparently the programme will still feature cooking, interviews and clips but presumably it will now also require ad breaks, which means it goes from being dull to being dull with added dull bits. Maybe the channel hop will rejuvenate the show and bring a bit more zip and zing to proceedings but, more likely, the law of diminishing returns will exact itself and the show will peter out again fairly soon.
With the BBC due to make an announcement about who will replace the outgoing assistants on Doctor Who, we ask ‘who should replace them?’
Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, who play Amy and Rory, are both known to be leaving the series so who do we think could be whizzing off in the Tardis next and what are the odds it will happen?
Cheryl Fergisun
Who? Until very recently she played Heather in Eastenders but with her character’s killing she is now available and would not only provide the Doctor with his first (ahem) ‘larger’ companion but her casting would mean that Harry Hill would be able to continue to take the mick out of her on TV Burp.
Chances? Doubtful, but we’d like it – 80/1
Dappy
Who? N-Dubz leisurewear shouter who it would seem is now unemployed. He would bring street cred and his own distinctive speaking style to the Tardis.
Chances? After apparently being responsible for leaking the ‘Tulisa tapes’ it’s unlikely the band will be getting back together so he’ll desperately need another gig – 40/1
Dennis Waterman
Who? Suddenly-controversial ex-Minder star who may well now be very grateful of the work.
Chances? Long shot 200/1
Engelbert Humperdinck
Who? Septuagenarian Vegas-style crooner who is this year’s surprise choice as Britain’s Eurovision entry.
Chances? The BBC seem to like him – 30/1
Jenna-Louise Coleman
Who? Former Emmerdale lesbian who has today been named as the new assistant by The Sun.
Chances? Depends if you believe The Sun or not, but she seems a likely choice – 12/1 on.
Film maker Holly Cocker interviewed five children all born on September 11th, 2001
In New Jersey, Anish tells the remarkable story of how his unexpected early birth saved his Uncle’s life because, rather than going to work in the Twin Towers in New York, his Uncle decided to visit his new nephew in hospital.
While over in Montana, Johnny has been given the daunting task of writing a poem to read at a memorial in his hometown.
We talk to Holly Cocker, Director of My Birthday Shook The World, which follows five US children who were all born on 9/11. It airs tomorrow (March 21st) on BBC1, 4.30pm.
How did you get the idea for the documentary?
I heard about the Arizona shootings (in which Gabrielle Giffords, Member of Congress was shot) and the tragic death of Christina Taylor-Green. She was born on September 11th, 2001 so it got me thinking about what the other kids who were born on that day were up to.
Did the kids have anything in common?
They all feel a weight of responsibility being born on that day. Their parents saw it as such as an awful event and their births on such a tragic day are viewed as a blessing.
How do they celebrate their birthdays? None of the children celebrate on their actual birthdays. It’s not that it’s frowned upon, it’s just that they choose not to. Instead they take part in memorial events – for example one boy reads some poetry and one girl rings a fireman’s bell for every victim of the tragedy.
Do you think the same kind of memorial would take part in the UK?
No I think it is entirely different here. I think it’s because Americans are so much more patriotic that the tragic events are marked in this way. It was a bit like delving into another world.
Did you have a big film crew around you when you were filming the children? No, it was just me which was great because it meant I could really bond with the children, playing with them and being their friend. I went out there last May and then back out in September visiting their homes in New Jersey, Kansas, North Carolina and Montana.
So what’s next? I had a kidney transplant a few years ago and I’m actually sailing around America from San Francisco to New York for a few months to raise awareness for organ donation.
My Birthday Shook The World, BBC1, March 21st, 4.30pm
A ballad called Love Will Set You Free is the UK’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Sung by veteran crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, it premiered on the the BBC’s Eurovision website on Monday.
The 75-year-old singer, best known for 1967 hit Release Me, is hoping to reverse the UK’s fortunes at the show, which is being held in Azerbaijan.
Last year, reformed boy band Blue came 11th, while Josh Dubovie took last place in 2010.
This year’s song has been written by Grammy award-winning producer Martin Terefe and Ivor Novello winner Sacha Skarbek, who co-wrote James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful and Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die.
Love Will Set You Free is a tale of heartbreak with a simple, sparse arrangement of plucked Spanish guitar and melancholy strings.
“The more you listen to it, the stronger it gets,” said Humperdinck. “It’s not a one-time listen.”
“It’s a really good song,” added Lee Sheriden, who won the Eurovision in 1976 with the group Brotherhood of Man.
Here we go again, another 12 weeks of egos, back-stabbing, idiocy, sweating and running round London trying to sell dodgy-tasting food – The Apprentice is back!
The show returns on March 21 at 9PM on BBC1. As usual there will be Lord ‘don’t call me Suralan’ Sugar, Nick ‘Countdown’ Hewer’, Karren ‘not as good as Margaret’ Brady and 16 utterly deluded, highly-punchable business-types. Here is a quick rundown of the soon-to-be-fired candidates:
Michael Copp: Born on the Shetland Islands, Micheal has lived in a house boat on the River Nidd for the past decade. He sells bags of bread to tourists wanting to feed the ducks and has never had a proper job. Has webbed toes.
Azhar Siddique: Known in his hometown of Chichester as ‘that bloke who sells phones’ as he sells phones from the back of a van. Rumoured to be the most flatulent candidate.
Nick Hozherr: A distant cousin of Britney Spears, Nick made a living for a while as a Britney impersonator. He built up a fairly large following on the drag circuit until he accidentally killed a prop snake and was banned from performing by the RSPCA.
Tom Gearing: Tom used to hold the world record for non-stop hopping. He hopped between the ages or 9 and 17, only stopping when he developed shin splints.
Duane Bryan: Duane has an incredibly bland speaking voice. He once worked for a sleep research facility sending insomniacs to sleep by reading the phone book.
Adam Corbally: Adam claims to have invented cricket. He is also a rubbish liar.
Ricky Martin: Yes, THAT Ricky Martin. Honest.
Stephen Brady: Karren Brady’s husband, nepotism will guarantee Stephen a place in the final.
Laura Hogg: The only ex-mermaid to have ever entered The Apprentice, Laura still has to fully immerse herself in water every 3 hours, which may prove a disadvantage on some tasks.
Maria O’Connor: The second ex-mermaid to ever enter The Apprentice, expected to clash with Laura, especially when it comes to bath time.
Jenna Whittingham: Jenna has no qualifications, cannot drive and refuses to eat anything that isn’t pink. Used to work at a call centre but was sacked when everyone had had enough of her whinging.
Jane McEvoy: Jane pretends to be an Eskimo by dressing in oil skins and rubbing noses instead of shaking hands. Should be a favourite when it comes to the ‘igloo building’ challenge week.
Bilyana Apostolova: Born Susan Bland, Bilyana changed her name to something more interesting after watching every single James Bond film back to back. She also spends her spare time trying to throw a hat at a coat stand to impress Moneypenny.
Gabrielle Omar: 27, from Kendal, boring.
Katie Wright: Katie made and lost a fortune in the dotcom boom when she started a website selling M&S clothing. When M&S found out they sued.
Jade Nash: Jade was chosen for The Apprentice after attending the audition process in the nude. Nick Hewer was apparently particularly adamant that she should be selected.
By now you will probably have heard that the BBC (who are responsible for such things) have decided to call upon the services of 60’s pop star Engelbert Humperdinck for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Rather than holding a competition to select unknown stars (as in previous years) Engelbert has been specifically invited to represent the UK, singing a song composed by ‘an established pair of songwriters’.
Many of you will perhaps be wondering ‘why?’, but even more of you will quite be reasonably by asking ‘who?’ After all, the singer known on his birth certificate as Arnold Dorsey hasn’t had a significant hit since the 1970’s and has slipped well out of the spotlight in the UK in the past couple of decades.
So here is your handy cut-out-and-keep* guide to Engelbert Humperdinck (*TV Scoop accepts no responsibility for any damage caused to your equipment should you try and cut out this article)
Arnold Dorsey was born in 1936 (so he’s 75!) in a Madras. Sorry, in Madras, India. He moved to Leicester when he was 10, where he learned the saxophone and, at the age of 17, started singing on the local pub circuit. After national service (we haven’t got time to explain what that it, you’ll have to look it up) he returned to singing and after several unsuccessful years finally hit the big time in Belgium, of all places.
In 1967 he released a song called ‘Release Me’ about some one wanting to be released and it was a stonking big hit. So big, in fact, was it that (top EH factoid here) it became the first single to keep the Beatles off number 1 in 4 years when it held the Strawberry Fields/ Penny Lane single off the top spot.
He then turned into a kind of substitute Tom Jones and released a looooong succession of diminishingly successful singles and albums while topping up his tan and breeding.
That brings us pretty much up to date. Eurovision is on 26th May in Azerbaijan but it’s hard to see that this attempt to field the closest the UK has to a ringer will make any difference on the outcome. Nul point, we reckon.
Oh, we forgot to mention that he changed his name to Engelbert Humperdinck as part of the same drunken bet that saw Paul McCartney release the Frog Chorus as a single. (We made that bit up)
EastEnders won the annual Christmas ratings battle, with 9.9 million viewers.
The BBC soap’s festive edition – which featured downtrodden wife Zainab Khan finally standing up to her husband, Yusuf, and the revelation Phil Mitchell is being stalked by his own son, Ben – beat competition from Coronation Street and period drama Downton Abbey to claim the top ratings on Christmas day (25.12.11).
ITV’s Coronation Street had an average viewing figure of 9.3 million to take second place, followed by the Doctor Who Christmas special which claimed 8.9 million viewers.
Downton Abbey – widely expected to be the top rated programme on December 25 – slipped into fourth with 8.9 million viewers.
EastEnders’ ratings grabbing festive scheduling is not over and viewers will see another storyline climax over New Year when matriarch Pat Evans – played by Pam St. Clement – bows out of the show after 25 years as her character.
While Pat has been seen bedridden on the show, it is a closely guarded secret how she will finally exit the soap.
Speaking about her exit, Pam has said: “Leaving the EastEnders’ family will be akin to a bereavement.
“But I’m looking forward to the other work and life opportunities I will now have the time to pursue.”
Top 10 shows on Christmas Day, based on average audience
1. EastEnders, BBC One (9.9 million)
2. Coronation Street, ITV1 (9.0 million)
3. Doctor Who, BBC One (8.9 million)
4. Downton Abbey, ITV1 (8.1 million)
5. Strictly Come Dancing, BBC One (7.5 million)
6. Absolutely Fabulous, BBC One (7.4 million)
7. The Gruffalo’s Child, BBC One (6.5 million)
8. Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Comedy Roadshow, BBC One (6.4 million)
EastEnders’ Pat Butcher will be confronted by her gangster nephew Derek Branning on her deathbed.
The Albert Square legend, played by Pam St. Clement, will bow out of the show at Christmas, but while the cause of her death – rumoured to be either in a fire, a heart attack or cancer – is unknown as of yet, during her final few minutes she will have one last blazing row with the Walford bad boy.
Ashen-faced Pat will be lying in bed as Derek (Jamie Foreman) confronts her, with the argument then spilling over as the hardman has another slanging match with Pat’s son, David (Michael French).
In other scenes previewed from the festive episodes, Pat’s granddaughter Bianca (Patsy Palmer) and David are seen searching through her belongings for her funeral details, while a huge fire will sweep through Walford’s Bed and Breakfast.
The dramatic storylines are part of the traditional battle for ratings between the BBC One soap and its ITV1 rival, Coronation Street, although they this year face more competition in the form of the Downton Abbey Christmas special.
An insider told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “The whole Christmas schedule is packed full of high-octane drama in Albert Square. Pam St Clement’s decision to leave has been common knowledge, but nobody will be prepared for the drama about to unfold.
“There are dozens of twists and surprises, and fans will be glued to their seats.”
The BBC was fully aware that hacking into people’s answerphone messages was a widespread journalistic practice as long ago as 1997.
If proof is needed, just watch this clip from the pilot episode of Jonathan Creek called ‘The Wrestler’s Tomb’ – produced by the BBC’s own in-house entertainment department, and aired on 10th May 1997.
In the episode, Caroline Quentin plays the role of a freelance investigative journalist called Maddie Magellan. In one scene she taps into the answerphone of a character she is investigating, by entering combinations of the possible message retrieval code until she gets the right one.
For activities such as this to make it to a drama series, it has to have been pretty widespread and well-known. Hacking into phone messages (albeit mobile ones) is at the heart of the current furore. Which makes all the denials we are hearing during the Leveson Inquiry seem like complete hypocrisy. It seems to me that it’s time for the BBC – and David Renwick (who conceived and wrote the series) – to explain where they got the idea from and how widespread the practice was. After all, we’re talking 14 years ago.
I wonder how many of the 9.31 million* people viewing the episode thought they were watching something that was wrong, let alone that it would lead to the demise of The News of the World.
(*and that’s just the first airing of this episode, which has also been aired on several PBS stations in the U.S. and on BBC America, as well as countless repeats on Watch in the UK. Which begs the question as to whether there isn’t a touch of hypocrisy in the public’s surprise and outrage at such practices.)
EastEnders’ Pat Evans rekindles her romance with Patrick Trueman before she dies.
The Walford matriarch – played by Pam St. Clement – shares a kiss with her friend after he helps her out of financial difficulties, but the shopkeeper is left devastated when she suffers a massive heart attack and dies alone over the festive period.
A source told The Sun newspaper: “Pat and Patrick become close over the festivities but before anything can really happen between them it is too late.”
Pat and Patrick (Rudolph Walker) previously had an affair in 2006 but it ended when his wife Yolande found out after being alerted by Stacey Slater.
Pam revealed earlier this year she was leaving the soap after 25 years playing Pat.
Speaking about her exit, she said: “Leaving the ‘EastEnders’ family will be akin to a bereavement.
“But I’m looking forward to the other work and life opportunities I will now have the time to pursue.”
Pat’s funeral scenes have already been filmed and saw the return of actor Michael French, who played her son David Wicks from 1993 to 1996.
Show chiefs have promised a tear-jerking send-off for the iconic character.
Matt Smith’s Doctor Who costume has sold for £50,000.
Final bidding on the outfit – which included a tweed jacket, shirt, black jeans, black boots, braces, bow-tie and a watch worn in the episode The Doctor’s Wife – and a script signed by the actor closed at the staggering sum on Monday (22.11.11), with proceeds going to Children In Need.
Of the auction, Matt said: “I’d say the tweed jacket or the bow tie are the most iconic – although the boots are my personal favourite. I hope people donate generously for BBC Children in Need because it’s a wonderful cause.”
In the episode in which he wore the attire, the Doctor’s TARDIS was transported into the body of a woman, portrayed by Suranne Jones.
The auction of the Doctor’s clothes, and a copy of the script written by showrunner Stephen Moffat were part of BBC Children in Need’s Once in a Lifetime online auction being held at www.bbc.co.uk/Pudsey.
Russell Grant was given his marching orders from Strictly Come Dancing last night (20.11.11).
The TV astrologer – who lost 10 stone in weight prior to appearing on the BBC One show – and his professional partner Flavia Cacace were voted off the series after landing in the bottom two alongside former ‘Neighbours’ actress Holly Valance and Artem Chingvintsev.
However, the 60-year-old star admitted he owed the competition his “life”.
Speaking after the verdict was announced at London’s Wembley Arena – where a Children In Need special episode was filmed on Saturday night (19.11.11) – Russell said: “Every show I’ve done has been a highlight. It’s been fantastic.
“The public have been great, the audiences have been great. I’ve learnt from the judges, I’ve listened to the judges . but most of all I’ve had the most fantastic partner in Flavia Cacace.’
“‘Strictly’ has saved my life, absolutely. I owe this show so much and I’ve got my life back. I only wish this had happened to me 30 years ago, but there’s a time and a place for everything.”
An emotional Flavia added: “I completely agree with everyone out there who absolutely loves you because you are a true inspiration. It has been an absolute pleasure and joy partnering you.”
The ‘Strictly’ judging panel – Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Alesha Dixon – praised Russell for his hilarious entrance on Saturday night, which saw him fired out of a cannon and earned him a standing ovation from the Wembley audience.
However, Bruno admitted he was lacking in technical ability.
He said: “For total unashamed entertainment, Russell is right there at the top. But technically he is far below some of the others. If he has to go I really will miss him.”
George Michael: angry with EastEnders for gay portrayal
George Michael has launched a twitter rant at EastEnders’ portrayal of gay couple Christian Clarke and Syed Masood’s relationship. Christian (John Partridge) has been falsely accused of molesting sexually-confused teen Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe), and the openly gay singer was disgusted at the BBC One soap’s “pathetic” attempts to represent the homosexual community.
He wrote: “It’s official…..George Michael has had enough of…. Eastenders. ARE THEY F**KING KIDDING!
“Gay people deserve better than the BBC’s pathetic attempts to ‘represent’ us. Message to gay kids in Britain. The East end of London is one of the best places on earth to be a modern gay man or couple.
“The relationship between Sayed and Christian is the most insulting piece of bulls**t on British television right now.
“Insulting to the gay community, insulting to the muslim community, and in the meantime, terrifying every gay child that is struggling… to come to terms with their sexuality , and the prospect of coming out to their family, whatever their religion.
“So far, Christian has been beaten up 3 times that I can remember, and is now accused of child molestation. Sayed has been disowned and… is now mistreating his partner shamelessly, presumably because he is now a confused bisexual after all. Total f**king bulls**t. (sic)”
George explained he is outraged that those battling with their sexuality may be afraid to come out to their families after seeing how difficult it has been for Christian and Muslim Syed (Marc Elliott).
He tweeted: “Life in London is a wonderful thing for so many gay and lesbian people these days, and I know that there are gay people involved in… the writing of the show but they really need to rethink their approach to gay “issues”.
“They are scaring the s**t out of children everywhere For the sake of drama, and it doesn’t seem to have occured to them.
“I think that soaps are HUGELY influential in modern Britain. They should reflect sexuality in just the same terms that they reflect…Race and integration. Positively. And without stereotypes. In this respect, they are failing us all. (sic)”
However, George can see some positives in the plot, adding: “Last thing I want to say is that John Partridge and Marc Elliot have done brilliantly as actors regardless of the storylines.”
EastEnders’ Masood family will see their Christmas end in “tragedy” this year. As Yusef Khan’s reign of terror over Zainab – played by Nina Wadia – comes to a climax, one of the family will lose their life at the hands of the evil doctor.
An insider explained: “Zainab’s starting to see Yusef’s dark side – and it’s a terrifying thing to behold. He’s beginning to get violent now, and the situation Zainab finds herself in is very dangerous.
“She’s handed over power to this man, who we all know was responsible for trying to kill her once. It can only end in tragedy.”
With wicked Yusef (Ace Bhatti) trying to convince Zainab to leave Albert Square to start a new life with him and her toddler son Kamil in Pakistan, the troubled mother will be left in a “desperate” situation as the festive season approaches.
However, as Zainab’s estranged husband Masood Ahmed and pal Denise Fox – played by Nitin Ganatra and Diane Parish respectively – try to save her from Yusef’s evil clutches, one of the Masood family will end up paying the price.
The source added to Inside Soap magazine: “There’s a lot of intrigue in the build-up to the climax. This story’s going to go in some very interesting directions. Zainab’s a desperate woman, and her problems are set to embroil other people in the whole sorry situation.
“If Yusef took Zainab and Kamil away, Masood could lose them forever. He really needs to find them. But in yet another twist, someone will pay the ultimate price for Yusef’s wickedness – so who’s going to die?”
Tom Jones is in talks to join the judging panel of BBC One’s The Voice UK. The Welsh singer will reportedly team up with Jessie J and two other as-yet-unconfirmed celebrity coaches for the British version of the US TV singing competition – which sees hopefuls perform for the judges without them seeing their face – and show bosses are hoping he will attract older viewers.
A source told The Sun newspaper: “Tom is close to committing. He has almost 50 years experience in music so he’ll be able to give contestants decent advice.
“Jessie J will attract younger viewers but Tom’s bound to be the housewives’ favourite.”
Reports of Tom’s participation in the show come just weeks after ‘Price Tag’ singer Jessie was announced as the first judge.
She said: “I’m excited to be a coach, inspiration and mentor and I jumped at the opportunity as it’s all about ‘The Voice’.”
Jessie also took to her twitter page, writing: “So its OFFICIAL I am the first coach for the THE VOICE UK! If you are over 16 and love to sing go to http://www.bbc.co.ukthevoiceuk and apply! #teamjessie #thevoiceuk im so excited #boooyyyaa (sic)”
BBC One controller Danny Cohen added: “Jessie J is going to be an amazing coach on ‘The Voice UK’. She’s a massive young star with a strong personality, and her recent MOBO nominations are testament to her musical and creative ability.”
Children from London test out Doctor Who Ride In Daleks, predicted to be a top seller for Christmas this year for 3 to 6 year-old, at the Brand Licensing Europe 2011 event at Olympia Exhibition Centre, London.
The downtrodden cafe worker- pictured right – who left Albert Square when her marriage to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) failed – returns to find close friend Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) has split from wife Zainab and they embark on a romance.
However, Jane’s new man asks her to convert to his religion, and while she agrees to do so, she has problems adjusting at first. A source told the Daily Star newspaper: “She struggles a bit at first, like when she makes him a lamb curry that he can’t eat because it’s not Halal.
“But she’s determined to do whatever it takes to be with him. He cares and respects her more than Ian ever did.
“For the first time, she’s really happy and she doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardise that.
“The only thing she finds really tough is giving up the booze.”
When Jane (Laurie Brett) returns to Albert Square, she is in for a shock as Ian has already moved on and is planning to marry Mandy Salter.
Nicola Stapleton, who plays the mouthy blonde, expects Jane’s return to “spice things up” between the pair.
She said: “I really hope she comes back at the worst possible moment. That would spice things up a bit, wouldn’t it?”
Alesha Dixon is hoping for a romance on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The 32-year-old singer – who is a judge on the BBC One show – thinks there will be a relationship between at least one celebrity and their professional dance partner like in other years because they spend so much time together.
She told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper: “I’m sure there will be a romance because there has been every year. The dancing is so intense and passionate it just happens.
“I don’t know who it will be but I’d bet money that there is some sort of affair. You spend so much time with each other it always seems to happen.
“The thing is, I don’t think anyone is single so that could make an interesting show.”
Last year’s winner Kara Tointon, Ali Bastian, Matt Di Angelo and Joe Calzaghe are just a few of the celebrities to have fallen for their partner in previous series.
However, Alesha doesn’t think Kara – who is still dating Artem Chigvinstev – has anything to worry about even though he is dancing with sexy Holly Valance.
She said: “People are saying Holly and Artem look great together but I don’t think it will be them. Artem is so loved-up with Kara and Holly has her billionaire boyfriend so she won’t be going anywhere.
“But it will still be hard for all the celebs’ partners to watch.”
From:Coronation Street fans apply here