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The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Legend of Rooney's Ring: Wayne and Coleen get their very own summer panto
The benefits of hosting Eurovision are contested. But Liverpool has that song contest to thank, improbably enough, for wooing an exiled writer back to her native city. Helen Serafinowicz is the co-writer of BBC sitcoms Motherland and, more recently, Amandaland. The world of TV, you might think, is at her feet – but instead she's returning to Merseyside with a debut theatre show, a swords-and-sorcery pastiche about the relationship between Wayne and Coleen Rooney, rejoicing in the title The Legend of Rooney's Ring. 'I've started reconnecting with Liverpool recently,' says Serafinowicz, scouse accent unmistakable as she dishes up a cuppa at her home in Norwich. 'And I was invited to the Eurovision song contest in the city a few years ago.' While there, she went to see her friend, the actor Keddy Sutton, in a Jonathan Harvey play called A Thong for Europe at the Royal Court theatre. This was where teenage Helen used to watch heavy metal bands: elitist middle-class theatre the Royal Court is not. 'It seems to have opened itself up to everyone.' And the play? 'It was mad, but very funny. It showed that you can be very silly and true to Liverpool without taking the piss. That unlocked a lot of stuff for me. I began to think I might have some ideas.' The one she went with involved 'a legend that exists in Liverpool of Wayne and Coleen Rooney having this massive argument in their car, and her chucking her very expensive engagement ring out of the window. The next day, everyone in town went out with their metal detectors, looking for it.' Local history? Urban myth? Or pretext for a sub-Game of Thrones summer panto with pop songs and a cameo for Donald Trump? 'Coleen is a princess and her parents are queen and king, and Wayne is a warrior. They get together, they split up, she's broken-hearted and he goes on a quest to find the ring and re-propose to her.' She pauses. 'The theatre says they've never done anything like this before.' It is, she says, 'a love story. I'm not making fun of them. There's no Rebekah Vardy in it. I could have really gone for Wayne with some of the things that have stuck with him from previous news stories. But I don't want to do that.' And as for Coleen: 'She's clever, she's cool, she's just a really interesting person.' She's invited the Rooneys via their agent (no response so far) – and 'I know that some of their family go to that theatre and might come.' Maybe that's why the 51-year-old professes herself 'a bit nervous' about the show. Or is it because the theatre, and writing by herself, are outside her comfort zone? The unglamorous-parenting comedy Motherland was co-written with Sharon Horgan, Holly Walsh and Barunka O'Shaughnessy; so too its recent sequel Amandaland, about which Serafinowicz was 'really not sure,' she recalls. 'Because spin-offs don't have a great record, do they? I was so surprised when we got those brilliant reviews.' Collaborating is tried and tested, then – but 'being on my own is great too, to stick the blinkers on and delve into it'. And as for writing for the stage: 'I just wanted to see if I could.' So has she caught the theatre bug? 'I would do, if the bug had a little bit of money attached to it!' Perhaps writing a local show for local people in Merseyside wasn't the shrewdest way to capitalise on TV success. But it's still pinch-yourself territory for a woman whose primary professional concern until recently was selling vintage furniture. 'I had a shop here in Norwich. It's what Hygge Tygge in Motherland was based on. I bought a lorry-load of mid-century German furniture from this guy selling it at £30 a piece. But the day I signed the lease on my shop was the day Motherland got the nod from the BBC. So I used it as an office. Customers would disturb me while I was on Zoom. It was a strange situation.' Back then, the most famous sitcom writer in Serafinowicz's family was her then-husband Graham Linehan (The IT Crowd; Father Ted), from whom she has since separated. Her brother, meanwhile, is actor, comedian – and host of Netflix's recent Million Dollar Secret – Peter Serafinowicz. But now it's Helen who's hot telly property. 'I'm in a really good position,' she admits. 'People will look at my stuff. There are a million things I want to do, and not enough time to do them.' But first, Rooney's ring. Might it be, in Eurovision parlance, her Waterloo? 'I had a dream that I won a Tony award for the script. Oh, God!,' she groans, tea cups drained. 'It's like exposing yourself, like streaking at a football match. This is just what has come out of my head. I'm really interested – no, not interested, terrified – to see how it goes.' The Legend of Rooney's Ring is at the Royal Court Liverpool, from 18 July to 23 August
Daily Mirror
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Celebrities in new series Shark! taught by diving instructor with missing limbs
The celebrities were said to be taking a big risk as they swam with ever-increasing sized sharks in the Bahamas in a new ITV series to mark the 50th anniversary of Jaws The seven celebrities who agreed to swim with sharks in an ITV series which marks the 50th anniversary of Jaws, were taught to dive by an instructor with missing limbs. The seven stars - who all admit to being scared of the sea - were Call the Midwife's Helen George, comedians Sir Lenny Henry and Ross Noble, Countdown's Rachel Riley, McFly's Dougie Poynter, Amandaland's Lucy Punch and TV presenter Ade Adepitan. All have now returned from filming Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters with their lives intact, but were constantly reminded of the dangers involved by their Australian instructor - who was missing an arm and a leg, courtesy of a tiger shark. For the five-part series, due to start next month, the celebs were challenged to confront their greatest fear and flown to the island on Bimini in the Bahamas, home to around 10 different species of shark. Once there, they took the plunge together alongside hammerhead, bull and tiger sharks. While there is no voting or elimination process in the show, the dives got progressively harder, with each involving a bigger and tougher breed of shark, and the celebrities were allowed to sit out if they felt overwhelmed. One insider said: 'The sharks they were free diving with were definitely dangerous and they were shocked when they realised what had happened to the expert, who'd had an arm and a leg bitten off.' Despite the series being shown as tribute to half a century since the Oscar-winning Jaws was released in 1975, the 'ocean-phobic' stars did not attempt to recreate the movie scenes. 'There were no Great Whites involved in the making of this show,' the source said. 'But it was not for the faint-hearted, that's for sure. Some were more scared than others.' Viewers will have to wait to see if any of the stars sustained injuries during the making of the programme, which was filmed last year. Yesterday presenter Rachel said that taking part was a 'dream come true' adding: 'It was the best trip, the best experience, the best everything, of my life.' Describing it as 'wet and wild' she added: 'Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters is a totally new type of entertainment show, with so much integrity and a love of sharks and conservation at its heart. And with the best bunch of people you could hope to work with.' The mum-of-two said she'd first been asked to take part a year ago. 'They said we're thinking of sending some celebrities out to the Bahamas for a few weeks to swim with some of the biggest, scariest wild sharks in the world.' Helen agreed that it had been brilliant, saying: 'One of the most insane experiences of my life, learning about this incredible creatures, with equally incredible humans.' Ross described it as a 'great adventure' and quipped: 'No, it's not a wind up, it's a real thing.' And pop star Dougie marvelled that it was the closest he'd ever get to a 'real Jurassic Park experience'. ITV entertainment boss Katie Rawcliffe said audiences should enjoy the combination of blue chip natural history programming with ITV's skill at entertainment, and called the famous faces taking part 'some of the bravest celebrities out there'. Karen Plumb, of Plimsoll Productions, said the aim was to give viewers a new perspective on sharks. 'We're constantly looking for innovative approaches to wildlife storytelling and are certain that our fish-out-of-water spin – delivering 50 years after Jaws – will transform the world's perception of these critical predators before it's too late.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joanna Lumley reveals plan to celebrate her 80th birthday
Dame Joanna Lumley will not host a big birthday party to celebrate turning 80. The former 'Absolutely Fabulous' star reaches the milestone age on May 1, 2026, but Lumley doesn't enjoy a huge fuss on her birthday and will instead hope she will be working when her big day comes around. Speaking to the new issue of Closer magazine, she said: "When I was growing up, I was always at school for birthdays. Always at school. So, we never did stuff. The idea of birthday parties repels me. Not because of anything, I just don't know why you would ever do it. "I love having birthdays, but the idea of doing a big party to say, 'Me, I'm 112.' Why would you do that? Or, 'Me, because I'm 57.' Why have that, why have a party? So, on my big special day, fingers crossed I'll be working. It's always good to be working on your birthday." Luckily for Lumley she has plenty of acting roles and TV jobs. The British screen icon has earned critical acclaim for her performance as Felicity Sanderson, the mother of Lucy Punch's character Amanda Hughes in BBC sitcom 'Amandaland' - which is a spin-off of the successful comedy series 'Motherland'. Lumley admits it is a role she is very proud of. She said: "I love 'Amandaland'. I love Lucy's character - I love them all, actually. It's beautifully cast." Lumley and Lucy previously worked together on 2004 film 'Ella Enchanted' and she has fond memories of that shoot. Jonna added: "She played my daughter before. We did a film together in Ireland with Anne Hathaway playing the Cinderella figure. Lucy was playing one of the bad stepsisters and I was the evil stepmother. This is how life goes on - I'm now her evil mother! Not evil, Felicity is not evil." Lumley has also become a prominent travel documentary maker in recent years and in her latest ITV travel series 'Joanna Lumley's Danube', she travels 1,770 miles along the River Danube. visiting Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania and taking a detour to the Ukrainian border before reaching her final destination the Black Sea. Whilst she was in Romania the former 'Absolutely Fabulous' star spent time with a group of white witches and after taking part in the ceremony Lumley was presented with an amulet which she was told would keep her safe on her trip. In a previous interview with the Daily Express Saturday magazine, she said: "They work with the elements - earth, air, water, fire - to bring peace and ward off negativity. "They were so glamorous. They used masses of candles for their ceremony. The camera boys nearly died from the heat. Then they gave me an amulet to take me safely on the rest of my journey."
Edinburgh Live
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Joanna Lumley says she doesn't have 'all that time left' as she opens up
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Actress and comedian Joanna Lumley, 79, has shared her candid thoughts on ageing, revealing that her awareness of time passing only fuels her vitality. The esteemed star also confessed to frequently pondering her own mortality, stating in a My Weekly interview: "As you near the top of the hill you suddenly think, 'Gosh, there's not all that amount of time left'," and adding, "All kinds of my beloved friends are beginning to leave." This acute awareness of life's fleeting nature drives Joanna to make the most of her time on this planet. With her contagious enthusiasm, she remains active in the entertainment industry, recently impressing audiences in the BBC comedy series Amandaland and gracing Netflix drama Fool Me Once in 2024. READ MORE - Brooklyn Beckham's heartbreakingly 'sad' reason for feud with David and Victoria READ MORE - BBC's iconic snooker commentator's colourful past as house repossessed and addiction In addition, her new ITV travel series follows her epic 1,770-mile journey along the majestic River Danube. Despite her remarkable career, Joanna has long navigated the challenges of prosopagnosia, a condition hindering facial recognition, which she once disclosed to Vernon Kay on BBC 2: "I've got this weird thing with faces, I've got a face blindness," and further clarified on the Tracks of My Years podcast, "It's called prosopagnosia. "I have to know who people are, I have to know in advance. I always say, 'Please tell me who's going to be there', then I can match the name to the thing. I mean, lots of people say, 'Oh, but you meet so many people', it's not to do with that, it's completely different from that.", reports Surrey Live. "It's followed me and I never knew what it was. And I'd try a test. I'd look at somebody and then I would shut my eyes and see if I could see their face in my head. And I couldn't." The NHS describes prosopagnosia as an often more complex condition than simply not recognising faces – it can extend to difficulty discerning gender, age, and even recognising other objects like cars or animals. Sadly, no cure exists, but becoming attuned to unique attributes can help individuals cope with it. The NHS advises, "You'll still see the parts of a face normally, but all faces may look the same to you," adding that "It affects people differently. Some people may not be able to tell the difference between strangers or people they do not know well. Others may not recognise the faces of friends and family, or even their own face." Despite the challenges of prosopagnosia, Joanna hasn't let this define her. At 79, she has adorned our screens with her talent, marking an illustrious career with memorable roles across television series like The New Avengers and Sapphire and Steel to beloved shows such as Absolutely Fabulous, Finding Alice, and Motherland. In the 1960s, she was famously one of Ken Barlow's initial love interests in Coronation Street. She also had a stint on the silver screen, working with none other than Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. Outside her acting career, Joanna is wed to Stephen Barlow, a conductor aged 70. She relishes a fulfilling family life as the doting mother of Jamie, who is 57, and a grandmother to Alice, 22, and Emily, 21.
Wales Online
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Joanna Lumley says 'I don't have much longer' after personal tragedies
Joanna Lumley says 'I don't have much longer' after personal tragedies Joanna Lumley admits she thinks about death a lot as many of her friends have passed away - but the Absolutely Fabulous star says getting older has made her more energetic Joanna Lumley admits she spends a lot of time thinking about her own mortality (Image: Getty Images ) Dame Joanna Lumley admits "there's not a lot of time left" as she reflects on her own mortality. The 78-year-old actor and comedian admits she spends a lot of time thinking about growing older. Speaking to the Mirror, she explained it comes after losing a number of people close to her. Joanna said: "All kinds of my beloved friends are beginning to leave. My time must be coming quite soon and I don't want to have wasted a minute of being on this beautiful planet." Despite acknowledging her mortality, Joanna's schedule remains bustling with impressive projects. In 2023, she graced screens in BBC's Amandaland, and in 2024 she appeared in Netflix's critically-acclaimed drama Fool Me Once. Her penchant for adventure recently led her to helm an ITV travel series journeying along the 1,770-mile length of the River Danube. Joanna says she "always knew" good projects would come along as she got older, reports Gloucestershire Live. Joanna Lumley says she thinks a lot about mortality (Image: Getty ) Article continues below In a chat with My Weekly, Joanna confidently shares her evolution from restless youth to a poised elder: "I used to panic when I was young, but as I've got older I've started literally to live day to day. With age, you work out what matters. "I always knew that good stuff would come along when I was older. When I was 18, I longed to be 30. When I was 30, longed to be 50. "We mustn't be led into thinking getting old is bad. Growing old is good." Furthermore, she offers a stark insight to today's youth about the pitfalls of technology, cautioning that the omnipresence of social media might impair their social skills. Joanna still looks fabulous at the age of 78 (Image: Getty ) Joanna stressed the importance of self-reflection for the younger generation, saying: "My big message to the young that you need time in your head. I'm so afraid we're going to breed a generation who don't know the world and don't know how to talk." Article continues below The actress's glittering career on screen includes roles in timeless classics such as The New Avengers and Sapphire and Steel, cult favourite Absolutely Fabulous, alongside newer hits like Finding Alice and Motherland. Her journey into the spotlight began in the 60s with her role on Coronation Street as one of Ken Barlow's earliest girlfriends. Her ventures into film have placed her alongside stars like Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street and in family favourite Paddington 2. Acknowledged for her contribution to drama, entertainment, and charity work, Joanna was appointed a Dame in 2022. Away from the screen, Joanna is married to conductor Stephen Barlow, 70. She is a devoted mum to son Jamie, 57, and she has two granddaughters, Alice, 22, and Emily, 21.
