Nicola Walker's brutal admission about marriage as she says 'it's not the most romantic'
Nicola Walker is about to return to the lead role in BBC crime drama Annika, which is already dubbed "as good as detective series gets".
Nicola will reprise her role as the titular star Annika Strandhed, a detective inspector working in the Glasgow homicide team and tasked with solving some of the most unfathomable murders to ever wash up on Scottish shores.
Annika is loosely based on the hit Radio 4 comedy drama of the same name, with the popular programme first airing in 2021 on UKTV channel Alibi. It wasn't until two years later that BBC added the detective series to its own prime time viewing schedule.
Season two is now gearing up to launch on the BBC with the hotly anticipated series being broadcast at 9:10pm with Annika ready to investigate further grisly murders in Scottish waters.
An official synopsis for the brand new season reads: "The team are challenged as their dynamics shift, pushing them to rapidly adapt as they encounter murders more complex than ever before. The crimes take them to new landscapes, showing multiple sides of Scotland from the Hebridean Isles to the vibrant capital city, Edinburgh.
"Meanwhile, Annika balances a family dynamic that grows more complicated as long-held secrets from the past begin to impact her relationships. As always, Annika breaks the fourth wall, sharing her wry and humorous observations through a literary lens, alongside raising her brilliant yet complex teenage daughter, Morgan."
After the news that season two had been green lit for a second series, Nicola told the BBC: "We are all looking forward to fighting crime on sea and land with the MHU for a second series and there are secrets closer to home for Annika that will have to be faced. It's going to be a bumpy ride!"
Away from the screen, Nicola is married to Barnaby Kay with their relationship formed based on pragmatic considerations rather than romantic ideals, reports the Express.
Both having lost a parent at a young age, the couple chose to tie the knot for legal security after welcoming their son, as Nicola candidly shared with Radio Times: "Me and my husband, because we both lost a parent young, we thought, after we had a child, we ought to get married, in case one of us dies, so that the legalities are clear."
She acknowledges that matrimony wasn't something she would have pursued without these practical considerations: "Which is not the most romantic reason to get married but is probably the only thing that would have got me to sign a piece of paper."
Nicola and Barnaby's romance started in 1994 during filming of The Libertine, eventually leading to marriage and welcoming their son, Harry.
In a frank discussion, the actress compared marriage to "going to work". "Putting on a lovely dress and make-up, learning lines, someone doing your hair ... I can see that would be really appealing if you don't do it for a living," she revealed.
Annika season 2 is set to air tonight (August 2) at 9:10pm, on BBC One.
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Telegraph
23 minutes ago
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‘I worked with Steve Wright for 30 years. The BBC has tarnished his legacy'
Later this month, BBC Radio 2 will broadcast a tribute concert for Steve Wright – the adored DJ, who died last February. It will feature the bespoke jingles that were such a crucial part of shows such as Steve Wright in the Afternoon and Steve Wright's Sunday Love Songs, but the man behind those jingles, Anthony James, is not involved. Since Wright's death at the age of 69, James says he has been dismayed by the BBC's handling of his friend's legacy – and haunted by what he sees as mistreatment by the corporation in the years leading up to his death. The pair first met in 1986 when James (known professionally as AJ) was a teenager. He had already begun working in local radio, composing unique musical idents for the station's presenters. A fan of Wright's BBC shows, James sent him a 30-second piece of music, with his 'cold pitch' resulting in a phone call to his home soon afterwards. 'My mother picked it up and ran upstairs and said, 'Oh my God, it's Steve Wright on the phone.' I thought it was one of my friends doing a prank,' James reflects, but it was Wright, promising that he would play the tune on his show at 3pm that very afternoon. So began a partnership that James describes as '50-50 friendship, 50-50 like a father figure'. At the outset, Wright appeared to him 'like the Wizard of Oz: he was this great big celebrity on one of the biggest stations in Europe'. When James moved to New York in the late 1990s to continue his career as a composer (still writing around 100 jingles a year across Wright's shows), their friendship continued to develop: 'He would tell me a lot of personal stuff, which was great. But first, he would always want to know what was up with me, what was going on in my world… He was very sensitive, very conscious of how I was doing.' Wright visited James in New York often; they spoke on the phone two or three times a week. He remembers Wright's levity during their calls. 'I miss that, big time. I would always get off the phone with Steve and I'd have laughed so much, because he just found humour in everything.' In the years leading up to his death, however, Wright would suffer a series of personal and professional setbacks. The first came in 2022, when Steve Wright in the Afternoon was axed by the BBC. Wright called a tearful James once the news broke; both saw the move as 'crazy; our numbers [were] through the roof'. Wright admitted that he had been told of its cancellation and sworn to secrecy by the organisation nine months prior, but was reassured by promises made by Helen Thomas, the head of BBC Radio 2, that the show would live on via a yet-to-be-created digital channel. When that prospect began looking increasingly unlikely, Wright approached Tim Davie, the director-general. According to James, Davie told Wright: 'I can't believe she fired you… I wouldn't have fired you myself.' The BBC has, however, denied this. James believes that the axing of Steve Wright in the Afternoon was part of a push to banish broadcasters considered too ' pale, male and stale ' from the airwaves, and to create a kind of conformity at direct odds with Wright's verve. 'They just wanted it a little bit more like wallpaper,' he says of Thomas's decision to 'do something different in the afternoons'. 'They thought that this idea of personality [displayed in abundance by Wright] is old style; it's not cool anymore, we should make Radio 2 cool,' he says. 'But who gives a s--- about cool? It's about being entertained.' The effect on Wright was devastating. 'He didn't really stop to accept it. I think it ate him up,' James tells me. 'It got worse, and his health got worse.' Wright had heart surgery a year after the show was axed, and the medication he took in its aftermath led him to put on even more weight. 'He told me, 'I'm just really not well. I'm trying to lose the weight, I think I'm going to have a gastric band.'' James says that Wright also considered using Ozempic. Despite Wright's best attempts to get better, James recalls that: 'There was something about our last meeting [in November 2023]. There was just a look in his eye. I told my partner [afterwards] that something was really wrong.' Then, the following February, Wright died, leaving James overwhelmed with grief. 'I was not on this planet,' he says of that time. The groundswell of public affection went some way to easing his sadness, but that was quickly dismantled by the actions of the BBC. 'The painful truth is that the same BBC leadership celebrating Steve publicly is the one that disregarded and undermined our work privately,' says James. After Wright's death, James feels that they tried to 'delegitimise' his and Wright's relationship. 'I felt disgusted by that,' says James. 'Our relationship was so successful and it lasted for 38 years, and I feel like they're just s---ting on it.' And on Wright himself: a man who attended the studio at nine o'clock each morning to prepare for his afternoon show, and was dedicated to his listeners to the last. In response to questions about the treatment of Wright, the BBC said: 'Steve was deeply loved by the Radio 2 family and listeners, and we all miss him dearly. For almost three decades he hosted a raft of brilliant shows on the network. 'Steve's Sunday Love Songs had been on air since 1996 and he was excited to take on the legendary Pick of the Pops alongside a variety of specials on Radio 2 including Steve Wright: The Best of the Guests, Steve Wright's Summer Nights and Steve Wright's Love Songs Extra on BBC Sounds.' Thomas wrote to James in autumn last year asking for permission to play his music in the BBC tribute concert for Wright, which was recorded earlier this year (ahead of this month's transmission). He agreed, but when he rediscovered a recording of Wright railing at the poor internal handling of his show being axed, 'I just got more and more angry.' James talked through the matter with Wright's son, before telling Thomas that he no longer planned to attend. Then, in the week before the concert, she let him know that 'the great and the good will be there', which James took to mean: don't miss an opportunity to network. 'And I said, 'I'm not f---ing networking; this is not about networking. This is about a tribute to my friend.'' James thinks this last-minute push was driven by fear that his absence would 'look bad' for the BBC. 'It just started stinking towards the end of it, and I thought, 'No, I've given my music, my music will represent me, and that's it. I'm not going,' he says. When I put James's thoughts to the BBC, a spokesman replied: 'When inviting AJ to the recording of the celebration of Steve's broadcast career, where new arrangements of his work would be played live on stage, Helen's sole aim was to make sure AJ did not miss what promised to be, and indeed proved to be, a very special event, with many of Steve's friends and colleagues in attendance.' It is clear that James feels both he and Wright have been wronged by the BBC. The outpouring of affection from fans since Wright's death, compared with what he sees as shoddy treatment by the corporation now openly celebrating him, has made the past 18 months particularly challenging. Wright would have turned 71 on August 26, and his birthday will spark 'very intense' feelings for James as he remembers their friendship and their creative partnership. 'I miss all that,' he says, 'and that makes me very emotional.'
The Guardian
23 minutes ago
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Ray French obituary
Although Ray French was a dual rugby international, winning four caps for England at rugby union and then, after signing professional terms to play rugby league, appearing four times for Great Britain, it was as the BBC's rugby league commentator that he came to national prominence. French, who has died aged 85 after living with dementia, succeeded Eddie Waring as the BBC's voice of the sport in 1981, spending 27 years in the role. Waring had established a public profile, beyond his verbally eccentric rugby commentaries, via frequent appearances in light entertainment shows and knockabout comedy routines. And, like Waring before him, French too became a somewhat divisive figure among a cohort of rugby league supporters who believed he entrenched a stereotypical perception of their sport. With his distinctive Lancashire enunciation, catchphrases and characteristic lexicon, his critics accused the national broadcaster of choosing a figurehead designed to 'keep the sport in its place': an idiosyncratic pastime of northern England. However, to focus solely on his presentational style would be to mask the depth of knowledge French had for both codes of rugby, especially league. His command of the history of the two codes and his personal experiences of the prejudices constantly marring their relationship were leitmotifs running through his spoken and written work, imbuing his delivery with authenticity. He also called some of the most celebrated matches during his BBC tenure, including the 1985 Challenge Cup final between Wigan and Hull, oft-regarded as the greatest final of all, and 12-man Great Britain's against-the-odds victory over Australia at Wembley in 1994 when fellow cross-coder Jonathan Davies scored one of the finest tries seen at the stadium. 'Davies, he's got some space. He's going for the corner, he's got his head back. And the Welshman is in for a magnificent try' are words longstanding supporters can recite verbatim. Despite such highlights, French always said his most professional achievement at the BBC was during the second half of a commentary when, stuck high on a gantry, he was so desperate to relieve himself that, while still speaking, he was forced to use a bucket held by his match summariser. Meanwhile, his books – which include My Kind of Rugby: Union and League (1979) and Ray French … and Rugby (2010) – explore the complex socioeconomic and political relationships between the two rugby codes. And despite the longstanding animosity between them, often based on class and misplaced prejudice, he did much to break down barriers he considered absurd. 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Unfortunately, the team's lacklustre performances meant many squad members, including French, would not be selected again. Meanwhile, while still playing professionally at St Helens, French studied for a degree in English, Latin and Russian at Leeds university. He graduated in 1962 and applied for teacher training at Loughborough university, only to be turned down because he was a rugby league professional. He eventually qualified back at Leeds and taught English at his alma mater Cowley, where he stayed until retirement. It was during his time at Cowley that French began commentating on rugby league for local radio, eventually progressing to the BBC. He was awarded the MBE in 2011 for services to rugby league. The man-of-the-match award in the 1895 Cup Final for lower-division teams is named after him, reflecting his love of, and involvement in, grassroots rugby. He married Helen (nee Bromilow) in 1963. She survives his, as does son Gary and daughter Susan. Raymond James French, rugby league player, journalist and sports commentator, born 23 December 1939, died 26 July 2025
STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
First look at Andrew Lincoln and Ewen Bremner in upcoming STV thriller Coldwater
New images have been released of Andrew Lincoln and Ewen Bremner, who are set to star in a new six-part Scottish thriller airing on STV and STV Player this autumn. Set in the fictional Scottish village of Coldwater, The Walking Dead actor Lincoln plays stay-at-home dad John, who relocates his family to Scotland amid an identity crisis. John is quickly befriended by next-door neighbour Tommy, played by Trainspotting actor Ewen Bremner, a charming, confident man and devoted husband to the local vicar Rebecca, played by Eve Myles. He is a man of faith, a pillar of the community and self-appointed leader of the village's all-male book group. Sister Pictures for ITV John (played by Andrew Lincoln) and Fiona (played by Indira Varma) relocate to Scotland with their family. Sister Pictures for ITV Sister Pictures for ITV While John is both impressed and slightly fascinated by Tommy, his wife Fiona, played by Game of Thrones star Indira Varma, despises him. When her husband's relationship with their enigmatic new neighbour becomes increasingly intense, Fiona's suspicions are aroused, unconvinced Tommy is all he seems to be. Sister Pictures for ITV Sister Pictures for ITV Sister Pictures for ITV When John's long-repressed rage comes to a head with disastrous results, he soon finds himself unexpectedly indebted to his new friend, unaware that Tommy himself is harbouring horrifying secrets. It's only after a series of unsettling incidents start to occur that John begins to wonder who the real Tommy actually is. Sister Pictures for ITV Sister Pictures for ITV The series is written, created and executive produced by David Ireland (The Lovers, Ulster American, Cyprus Avenue). Lee Haven Jones (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, Passenger, Doctor Who) directs the first three episodes while Andrew Cumming (Shetland, Payback, Cold Feet) directs the second half of the series. Coldwater will air on STV and STV player this autumn. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
