NI actor Dan Gordon: ‘I feel sorry for George Clooney... he's always stuck with being the handsome guy!'
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Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Cold Feet star James Nesbitt left 'gobsmacked' by bill in Liverpool restaurant
The Cold Feet actor and his pals enjoyed a slap-up lunch at Papillon in Hope Street as he spent time in Liverpool to receive an honour at the LIPA graduation ceremony A beloved telly star left diners and workers gobsmacked after making an unexpected appearance at a Liverpool eatery yesterday. Staff at Papillon on Hope Street couldn't believe their eyes when James Nesbitt strolled through the doors. The Irish actor has starred in numerous popular programmes throughout his illustrious career including Cold Feet, Bloodlands and The Missing. He had travelled to Merseyside this week to collect a fellowship from Sir Paul McCartney at a Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) graduation ceremony on Tuesday (July 29) but managed to squeeze in a visit to the restaurant for his lunch the following day. READ MORE: Netflix to remove 'gripping' drama from streaming and Death in Paradise fans will be gutted James happily snapped photos with employees and fellow diners, reports the Liverpool Echo. He and two companions enjoyed a gambas pil pil, buttermilk barbecue chicken tenders and a pepperoni pizza, accompanied by two bottles of Viognier and a bottle of premium Ripasso. The total bill reached approximately £140. Discussing what James was like during his visit, Leigh Elliott, a 33 year old from West Derby who serves as Papillon's social media manager, told the ECHO: "It was fabulous meeting him. He was lovely and super sociable with all the guests. "He kept taking time out of his visit to speak to people who recognised him. He really loved the restaurant and said the food and wine were great. He enjoyed the vibe and commented on how affordable the prices were, even though he was buying premium wine. "He was gobsmacked by the price of the bill in a good way. One of the chefs said he's been here before, so this might have been his second visit. We were definitely surprised to see him as he just came along as a walk-in. This wasn't a pre-booked visit." James lauded the efforts of LIPA students on Tuesday as he received recognition alongside James Bond filmmaker Sir Sam Mendes, performer Adrian Lester and indie group The Wombats, who originated at LIPA. During the event, held at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, James declared: "I'm so honoured to accept this award from LIPA. When I visited a few months ago to speak to a group of students I was immediately struck by just what an extraordinary seat of learning this is, home to inspirational teachers and magnificent facilities out of which clearly pours creativity, innovation, passion, authenticity, collaboration and joy. "After my talk I was lucky enough to see a short scene from a new take on Oklahoma. It was honestly astonishing, breathtaking and, somehow, courageous." Parents of LIPA pupils were also dining at Papillon during James's visit. Leigh continued: "We had two customers whose daughters had just graduated from LIPA. He had spoken to them before and encouraged her to keep going. When he came in, he spoke to them again. He just seemed really nice." Papillon, a well-known establishment on one of Liverpool's most iconic streets, has seen an increase in attention over the past few months. This surge in popularity is due to the restaurant being featured in several scenes of the hit BBC crime drama This City Is Ours, starring James Nelson-Joyce as Michael Kavanagh and Hannah Onslow and Diana Williams. Leigh, the owner of Papillon, expressed his delight: "It's brilliant. Since This City Is Ours was shown, loads have come in asking to sit where Michael and Diana sat. It's on their doorstep but they're coming here for the first time. "We have had a lot of publicity. Pepsi came and did a collaboration with an influencer recently. We've had a lot more orders for burgers because they had one while they were here." Among those honoured by Sir Paul on Tuesday were director Gay Linvill, known for directing episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and Go Live Theatre chief executive and arts accessibility campaigner Sita McIntosh. LIPA, founded by Sir Paul and Mark Featherstone-Witty in 1996, is located on the site of the old Liverpool Institute – the former school of both Sir Paul and Beatles bandmate George Harrison, and the adjacent Liverpool Art College, once attended by John Lennon. This year's graduation ceremony celebrated the achievements of around 420 graduating students from more than 30 countries, including Colombia, Hong Kong and India.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Rising star on landing role in prison breakout play: ‘Everyone in west Belfast knows someone who was in Long Kesh'
West Belfast actor worked with Gillian Anderson and Martin McCann ahead of being cast in production written by former Maze inmate One of the stars of a new production by Oscar-winning playwright Terry George has told how Gillian Anderson and Ciaran Hinds helped him to shine. Oisin Thompson (25), from west Belfast, is appearing alongside Blue Lights actor Martin McCann in the acclaimed The Tunnel, which begins a run at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast on July 31.
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Glasgow Times
The Grinch and Blue Lights most watched film and programme in Northern Ireland
Broadcast TV, such as BBC and UTV, was found to continue to dominate viewing habits in the region, but streamers such as Netflix and video sharing platforms like YouTube are on the rise. Ofcom's latest Media Nations report shows that people in Northern Ireland watched an average of four hours and 48 minutes of video content at home per day in 2024, an 18-minute year-on-year increase. The region once again watched the most live broadcast TV of all the nations (two hours and six minutes) and was the only nation which had an increase in live viewing. Almost three quarters of households (74%) were found to have at least one subscription-video-on-demand (SVoD) service, with Amazon Prime Video the most popular, present in 59% of homes ahead of Netflix. In terms of broadcast TV, the BBC held an 18% share of total video viewing, followed by ITV/UTV with a 15% share. However, in a reflection of changing viewing habits, YouTube comes in next with a 12% share ahead of other TV channels and streamers like Netflix. Individuals in Northern Ireland spent 35 minutes per day on average viewing YouTube across all devices in the home in 2024. Meanwhile the Grinch was the most watched film on TV in 2024, ahead of Blue Lights, which was the most watched programme in 2023. The Grinch was the most-watched title last year, averaging 637,000 viewers on Netflix on TV sets across the whole year. The BBC took the next two spots, with the season two premiere of Blue Lights averaging 556,000 viewers, followed by Christmas Day's Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, averaging 478,000. Entertainment on UTV also made the top 10, with an episode of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and The 1% Club ranking fifth and sixth, averaging 384,000 and 367,000 viewers respectively. The report also found that TV channels BBC One (33%) and UTV (32%) were the most popular sources for news about Northern Ireland. Radio featured much more prominently in Northern Ireland for local news compared to other nations with BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle and Cool FM/Downtown also appearing in the top five most used news sources used for news about Northern Ireland. The region saw strong performance for local radio, with more than six in 10 adults (63.9%) listening to local commercial radio at least once a week – higher than in England, Scotland, Wales and the UK as a whole. In terms of newer technology, four in ten households (41%) in Northern Ireland have a smart speaker, more than double the proportion with a DAB radio in the home (19%). In terms of podcasts, nearly one in five (19%) adults in Northern Ireland were found to listen to them at least once a week in quarter one of 2025. However, this remains lower than the UK reach figure of 22.4%, and year-on-year growth in Northern Ireland has slowed again while other nations' have increased. Jonathan Rose, Ofcom's Northern Ireland director, said the report illustrates the enduring popularity of local radio. 'People in Northern Ireland are spending more time than ever in front of their screens,' he said. 'Broadcast TV remains popular but streamers like Amazon Prime Video and video-sharing platforms like YouTube are also now a firmly established part of our daily viewing diet. 'Our research also shows the enduring popularity of radio and especially local radio. 'Listeners in Northern Ireland have a real connection with local voices as well as news and views that reflects what's happening on their own doorstep.'
