2018 Entertainment News

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Latest post of the previous page:

It was sad to read that the actor Bill Maynard has died in hospital, aged 89, following a fall from a Mobility scooter in which he broke his hip.

One thing I didn't know before reading the report below was that he came second in the British heat of the Eurovision Song Contest in the first year the UK participated - 1957.

I think I'll remember him for the smile he always seemed to have on his face.

Report and Obituary


Image: Press Association

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TV Presenter Dale Winton has died aged 62.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43818226

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Abba announce first new music since 1982

Pop group Abba have returned to the studio to record their first new music since the 1980s.
The Swedish quartet said the new material was an "unexpected consequence" of their recent decision to put together a "virtual reality" tour.
"We all four felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the studio," the band said on Instagram.
"And it was like time stood still."
No release date has been set for the new songs - but one of them, titled I Still Have Faith In You, will be performed in December on a TV special broadcast by the BBC and NBC.
Abba's spokesperson Gorel Hanser described the new songs, saying: "The sound will be familiar, but also modern."
The studio sessions were "like old times", she told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
"Easy as anything. It didn't feel weird that they hadn't been in the studio together for 35 years."
But Hanser said the group would not perform live, other than as holograms in the forthcoming Abba Avatar tour.
"No, you can not expect them to join forces on stage again," she said. "They will not do that."
The band have resisted pressure to reform since they stopped recording together in 1982, despite a reported $1bn (£689m) offer for to tour in 2000.
In an interview with the BBC in 2013, Agnetha Faltskog said she preferred to leave the band in the past.
"It was such a long time ago, and we are getting older, and we have our different lives," she explained.
News of the new material comes in a bumper year for Abba fans. An immersive exhibition based on the band's career is running on London's South Bank, while Chess, the musical Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson wrote with Sir Tim Rice, is being revived in the West End.

Full Story

Strangely enough I was, and still am, listening to some of their music (some songs I've not heard before) on 'Spotify' when I came across this news item. I shall look forward to the release.

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Burt Reynolds: Hollywood star dies, 82

Burt Reynolds, the wisecracking 1970s movie heartthrob and Oscar nominee, has died at the age of 82.
According to Us Weekly, he passed away in a Florida hospital of a heart attack, attended by his family.
The moustachioed actor had undergone heart bypass surgery in 2010. Reynolds is survived by his son, Quinton.
He shot to fame in 1972's Deliverance, and also starred in Smokey and the Bandit, Boogie Nights and The Cannonball Run.

Obituary

Full report

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Heartbeat and Blackadder actor Peter Benson dies

Heartbeat actor Peter Benson, who played Bernie Scripps in the popular ITV series for 18 years, has died, his manager said.
Benson died aged 75 on Thursday after a short illness.
In the police drama set in the 1960s, he played a funeral director who got into disastrous money-making schemes. He appeared in all 18 series from 1992.
Benson also played Henry VII in BBC comedy Blackadder, and appeared more recently in hospital drama, Casualty.
As well as his TV work, he was also a skilled singer, dancer and theatre actor who portrayed the title role in Shakespeare's Henry VI in a BBC television adaption of the play in 1983.
Former Heartbeat co-star Steven Blakeley, who played PC Geoff Younger in the show, was among those to pay tribute.
There would "never be another like you - talented, kind and gentle in equal measure", said Blakeley.

BBC News

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Denis Norden: TV host and comedy writer dies aged 96

TV host and comedy writer Denis Norden has died aged 96, his family has said.
The It'll Be Alright on the Night host died on Wednesday after spending "many weeks" at the Royal Free Hospital in London, a statement said.
Norden wrote his first script for the BBC - Let's Go to the Holborn - at the age of 19.
He teamed up with comic Frank Muir between 1947 and the early 1960s, writing comedies including BBC radio's Take It From Here.
In 1977, Norden became the host of the ITV show It'll Be Alright On The Night, and he presented it until his retirement aged 84 in 2006.
Norden's children Nick and Maggie said they wanted to thank "all the dedicated staff and doctors who have looked after him - with much devotion".
The statement added: "A wonderful dad, a loving grandfather and great great-grandfather - he gave his laughter-mongering to so many."
"He will be in our hearts forever."

BBC News

Obituary - Denis Norden

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Former X Factor contestant Chico suffers stroke

Former X Factor contestant Chico Slimani has suffered a stroke.
The 47-year-old, who was a popular star on the second series of the show, fell ill on the way back from performing a gig at the weekend.
A statement from his publicist said he was undergoing further tests and asked for privacy for his family.
He reached the quarter-finals of the 2005 series and had a number one in 2006 with It's Chico Time. He also took part in Dancing on Ice in 2012.
He appeared in the Christmas special of Ricky Gervais's BBC One sitcom Extras in 2007, and also released a fitness DVD.
His publicist Kym Rowlingson said: "This has been a great shock to Chico, his wife and their two children, also his close friends and family.
"We thank you in advance for giving Chico and the family some privacy at this time."
Speaking in 2013 to mark 10 years of the X Factor Chico told the BBC: "Being on the show meant absolutely everything to me. It changed my life and my family's".
He said he had made a good career and living out of "being a novelty act".

BBC News

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Chas from Chas and Dave dies

Chas Hodges - one half of the musical duo Chas and Dave - has died at the age of 74.
The duo's Twitter account said he recently received treatment for oesophageal cancer but died peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of this morning.
Chas and Dave enjoyed the height of their fame in the 1970s and 1980s with hits such as Rabbit and Snooker Loopy.
They also performed four FA Cup final songs with Tottenham Hotspur FC.
The statement on Chas and Dave's Twitter page read: "It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of our very own Chas Hodges."
Born in north London in 1943, Hodges' career began as a session musician in the 1960s.
He went on to team up with Dave Peacock in the 1970s and Chas and Dave's debut album One Fing 'n' Anuvver was released in 1975.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45613563

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David Attenborough says BBC should prioritise arts

Sir David Attenborough has criticised the BBC, accusing it of failing to make enough arts and culture programmes.
The naturalist and broadcaster said the corporation does not prioritise these shows because they do not attract a big enough audience.
"If you're a public service broadcaster, people of all kinds should be catered for," he said.
Sir David was speaking in an interview celebrating the 95th year of Radio Times.
He said that, as a public broadcaster, the BBC has a responsibility to show programmes on a range of topics.
"I don't think the BBC does enough [arts and culture]," he told the magazine. "It's not enough simply to say: 'Well, it doesn't get a big enough audience.'
"If you're a public service broadcaster, what you should be saying is: 'We will show the broad spectrum of human interest.'"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45631267

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Two deaths in the entertainment world announced today.

Charles Aznavour, the French singing star, has died aged 94, and Geoffrey Hayes - just known as Geoffrey in the 1970's and onwards children's TV show Rainbow has died aged 76.

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Ray Galton: Steptoe and Son writer dies aged 88

Ray Galton OBE, one half of the comedy writing team behind sitcoms such as Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son, has died aged 88.
Working with writing partner Alan Simpson, Mr Galton devised and wrote some of the most seminal sitcoms of the 50s, 60s and 70s.
In 2016 he and Mr Simpson were awarded Bafta's highest honour, the Fellowship.
The scriptwriter died on Friday night after a "long and heartbreaking battle with dementia", his family said.

BBC News

RIP Ray Galton. Steptoe and Son was one of the best sitcoms ever.

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Only Fools and Horses musical heads for West End.

Lovely jubbly! The heroes of Only Fools and Horses are making a comeback - in a musical version of the classic sitcom.Co-written by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan, son of the sitcom's creator John, it will open at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London in February.
Whitehouse, of The Fast Show fame, will play Grandad opposite Tom Bennett's Del Boy and Ryan Hutton's Rodney. The late Chas Hodges, of Chas and Dave fame, helped compose the show's 20 new tunes.

BBC News

[Dave]

Michael Buble set to "retire" after new album release.

Michael Bublé has officially retired from music following his son Noah's cancer battle.

The singer, 43, explained that the heartache he endured following son's cancer diagnosis at just three years old has changed his 'perception of life' and he is now done with fame.

Noah, now five, is currently in remission following his battle with liver cancer, but the ordeal has been life-changing for Bublé, who has since questioned his career in showbusiness.

MailOnline

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Babs Beverley, one of the twins in the Beverley Sisters, has died aged 91.

Her death, along with that of her older sister Joy in 2015, leaves Teddie Beverley as the sole surviving member of the vocal harmony trio.
Born Babette Chinery in 1927, Babs was brought up with her siblings in Bethnal Green, east London.
The group were one of the most popular acts of the 1950s and '60s, enjoying chart success with such records as I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.
Their other hits included Little Drummer Boy, Bye Bye Love and the Irving Berlin standard Sisters.
They had their own BBC TV show in the 1950s and were made MBEs in 2006.

Full Article

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Former Showaddywaddy bassist Al James dies aged 72

One of the original members of the pop group Showaddywaddy has died at the age of 72.
Bassist Al James, whose real name was Geoffrey Betts, died in hospital on Friday, three weeks after suffering a fall at his Market Harborough home.
Ex-Showaddywaddy frontman Dave Bartram told the BBC that James was "a great mate and I loved the guy to bits".
The band, which formed in Leicester in 1973, specialised in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and 1960s.
James was with the group for 35 years and retired in 2008.
Bartram said: "He just had that little bit of something different to offer.
"His sense of mischief and fun - that's the unforgettable.
"He lived life to the full. He loved the rock and roll lifestyle... he was a good bloke."
The lead singer said he spoke to the retired bassist in hospital before he died.
"He's not one to show emotion, but he grabbed a hold of my hand and there was a little tear in his eye and he said to me 'would you say a few words at my funeral?'," Bartram said.
"It will be difficult, but it's something I intend to honour."

BBC News

How sad!

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Dame June Whitfield, star of Absolutely Fabulous, dies aged 93

Dame June Whitfield - celebrated for her comic roles in BBC sitcom Terry and June and cult favourite Absolutely Fabulous - has died aged 93.
The London-born actress was a regular fixture on TV and radio for six decades, starring in Carry On films, Hancock's Half Hour, and even Friends.
At 89, Whitfield appeared in BBC soap EastEnders as Sister Ruth, a nun with a secret. At 92, she was made a dame.
Her agent said she died peacefully on Friday night.

BBC News