Josephine, Marylebone: Ready-made chain feels like a cynical cash grab
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Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Where Coronation Street fans have seen Aunty Rani before as actress makes soap comeback
Coronation Street viewers have been introduced to Rani Alahan, the Aunt of Dev Alahan, but the actress has actually been on the programme before on several occasions. Coronation Street viewers have been introduced to Rani Alahan, the aunt of Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin), who has arrived just in time for his wedding to Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove). She quickly caused a stir at number seven as she set about taking control of the nuptials and the bride-to-be adopted a posh accent in a bid to impress her. The character is played by Josephine Lloyd-Welcome and, while she is now taking on a whole new role, this is not the first time she has been seen walking the cobbles of the nation's most famous street. From 2004 until 2009, she appeared on an intermittent basis as Doctor Patel and was initially seen on-screen with Dev and Sunita Alahan (Shobna Gulati) as she delivered the results of his then-wife's blood tests prior to her brain tumour diagnosis. Following that, she shared scenes with legendary matriarch Gail Platt (Helen Worth) and Jerry Morton (Michael Starke), when her character visited the former kebab shop owner following a health scare. In 2010, she appeared as an unnamed doctor who checked on Asha Alahan (Tanisha Gorey), who is her new character's great-niece, for suspected meningitis. And in 2012, she was seen Raveena Bhatia, who was the boss of Marcus Dent (Charlie Condou) when he worked as a midwife at Weatherfield General. At the time, she played a part in his storyline that saw the openly gay character having an affair with Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon), and she spotted them both together in the Bistro. But Josephine's new part comes as Weatherfield businessman Dev, who first appeared on the soap in 1999, made a comeback after six months away. As well as her various stints on Coronation Street, Josephine has also appeared in a wealth of other British television staples throughout her lengthy career. Earlier this year, she appeared as Devika Babu in the penultimate episode of the latest episode of Doctor Who alongside Ncuti Gatwa, and she has also starred in episodes of Not Going Out, EastEnders, Doctors, Casualty, and Holby City. In 2021, she appeared the regular role of Rainbow on the Nickelodeon sitcom Goldie's Oldies. In 1980, she appeared in six episodes of Agony, the sitcom that made a star out of Dame Maureen Lipman, who now plays Evelyn Plummer on Coronation Street. Away from the screen, Josephine has also enjoyed an illustrious career on stage and has tread the boards in productions of Kinky Boots, The Mousetrap and Top Girls. But Josephine is not the only soap star to have appeared in Coronation Street in various roles before making a comeback in a regular part. Way back in the early days of the show, Jean Alexander played landlady Mrs Webb over the course of two episodes before rejoining in her signature role as the iconic Hilda Ogden. Similarly, Beverley Callard played the one-off part of June Dewhurst, a friend of Gail and Brian Tilsley in the early 1980s before she truly made her mark on the programme as Rovers Return landlady Liz McDonald. Years later, Lisa George played a family liaison officer on more than one occasion before she arrived to play feisty knicker stitcher Beth Sutherland from 2011, and Catherine Tyldesley, who is thought to be making a comeback as former barmaid Eva Price, played a midwife before she landed what became her most famous role. And in 2004, Alison King played a bored housewife known only as Mrs Fanshaw, who seduced builder Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) before she returned two years later to take on the role of no-nonsense factory boss Carla Connor. What's more, Jane Hazlegrove first joined the cast as a teenager when she played Sue Clayton in the early 1980s. Her character's family became involved in a dispute with Jack and Vera Duckworth before they left, and the actress came back more than two decades later to take on the part of Bernie. Aunty Rani's debut on the programme comes just as Aadi Alahan (Adam Hussain) is set to leave. We haven't got an exit date yet for the character, but with his father Dev Alahan returning to Weatherfield after months offscreen, amid two big twists for his son, it seems it could be soon. Aadi was caught up in drama just weeks ago when he planned to take LSD at a party only for someone else to unknowingly take it. That person, Lauren Bolton, nearly died and has yet to find out Aadi was involved. He's been trying to make amends by helping her out, and in upcoming scenes they grow closer - with this no doubt set to end in heartache. Also, Aadi was the victim of theft last week when someone robbed the shop. Of course it soon emerged that Aadi had staged the whole thing, with the help of troubled teen Brody Michaelis. Brody took off with the money, or so it was assumed as Aadi claimed £6,000 was taken. He was later forced to confess to his stepmother Bernie Winter that this was the amount he was in debt after taking out a loan. He'd taken the money from the safe to pay off said loan, hoping the robbery would allow them to claim on the insurance. Next week the drama continues when Aadi realises the insurance company won't pay out. With the money gone, surely it's only a matter of time before he's forced to explain all to his father Dev. Aadi is facing big trouble once he's exposed for both the staged robbery and the LSD spiking, not to mention the betrayal towards his family with the theft of their money to fix his mistake, without telling anyone. With it confirmed Aadi is leaving the show soon, will this all lead to him leaving home for good?
Daily Mirror
24-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Death in Paradise fans issue demand as Josephine Jobert's exit explained
Josephine Jobert has portrayed DS Florence Cassell on the BBC One detective drama Death in Paradise since 2015, and has been sorely missed by fans since her exit BBC One's tropical detective series Death in Paradise has waved goodbye to a host of beloved characters over the years, with Josephine Jobert being among them. She first graced the show in 2015 and exited in 2019, only to reappear in seasons 10 and 11, and then surprisingly in 2024 when her character stepped out of witness protection. In an intimate video message to her followers, Josephine shared the reasons behind her initial exit, citing personal and professional grounds while reassuring fans that there was "nothing dramatic" about her decision. She expressed: "Everything is fine it's just that I've been working on Death in Paradise for five years. I loved every minute of it." She continued: "I'm going to miss the show, I'm going to miss Toby and Ardal and Shyko and everyone so it's been a tough decision, but that's life." Josephine, who thought she had left the sandy shores of Saint Marie for good, found herself irresistibly pulled back into the fold, as she confessed to Hello! regarding her season 10 comeback, reports Wales Online. "I already left in series eight, I thought it would be for good, honestly, I thought, 'I'm done,'" she disclosed. "Then they asked me back for series ten as I was like, 'Hmmm I don't know, okay I'm going to do it.' But I knew it wouldn't be forever, I knew it. How long, I didn't know. I had an idea, but I wasn't sure." However, the third episode of the tenth series, titled Lucky in Love, originally aired in 2021 and will be rebroadcast at 9pm tonight on BBC One. The synopsis of the episode reads: "It seems money doesn't buy happiness when lottery winner Cherry is found dead at her luxurious villa, much to the horror of her husband and their visiting friends." The plot thickens as Neville and his team are faced with a puzzling case: no one was present in the house at the time of the murder, and the victim's body mysteriously disappears. It continues: "Meanwhile, JP is training unruly new officer Marlon, aware that his wife Rosey is due to give birth at any time." Furthermore, she teased the prospect of joining the spin-off series, Beyond Paradise, revealing that it was a topic she had broached with the producer. "We'll see if that will happen. But I would love to anyway. It would be a very nice wink," she hinted. Fans have been flocking to social media to praise the French actress's performance in Death in Paradise. A Reddit user said, "She's the heart and soul of the show; it's never quite the same without her." Another penned: "I always Hoped she would have a turn being detective after being promoted." While a third weighed in with their thoughts: "I really miss her, honestly. While I do like Naomi, I really would have loved if Florence had become the first non-English DI in the show; especially with her experience and smarts." Death in Paradise airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
Daily Mirror
24-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
BBC Death in Paradise detective reunites with Ralf Little as they return to beloved role
Death in Paradise will return tonight with a repeat episode of the BBC drama Death in Paradise favourite Josephine Jobert will grace television screens once more this evening in a repeat broadcast of the beloved BBC series. Josephine portrayed Detective Florence Cassell in the Caribbean-set police drama. Lucky in Love, the third episode of series 10, initially transmitted in 2021, will be screened at 9pm tonight on BBC One. The episode summary states: "It seems money doesn't buy happiness when lottery winner Cherry is found dead at her luxurious villa, much to the horror of her husband and their visiting friends," reports the Express. "As usual, Neville and the team are presented with a real head-scratcher when it turns out no one was in the house at the time - and the mystery deepens when the victim's body apparently vanishes into thin air." It concludes: "Meanwhile, JP is training unruly new officer Marlon, aware that his wife Rosey is due to give birth at any time." This marks another recent repeat showing, following last week's broadcast of episode two from series 10 on BBC One. Florence Cassell won't be the only familiar face returning to screens, as the programme's longest-serving detective, Neville Parker (Ralf Little), also features in the episode. Tobi Bakari returns as police officer JP Hooper, whilst Tahj Miles reprises trainee police officer Marlon Pryce. Following the episode's original transmission, Tobi, Tahj, Ralf, and Josephine have all departed the programme to pursue different ventures. Tobi became the first to exit in 2021 following the conclusion of series 10. Ralf and Josephine's departures came in series 13 after their characters sailed off into the sunset together following Neville's declaration of love to Florence. Tahj Miles also departed the programme at the conclusion of series 13. Ralf's role was swiftly filled by the island's fresh lead detective, Mervin Wilson, portrayed by Don Gilet. In an earlier chat with Hello! Josephine discussed her comeback to the programme in series 10 and confessed she was aware it wouldn't be permanent. "I already left in series eight, I thought it would be for good, honestly, I thought, 'I'm done,'" she revealed. "Then they asked me back for series ten as I was like, 'Hmmm, I don't know, okay, I'm going to do it.'". "But I knew it wouldn't be forever, I knew it. How long, I didn't know. I had an idea, but I wasn't sure." Death in Paradise airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
