Latest news with #DianeMorgan
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
BBC viewers have days to watch 'genius' series ahead of fourth season
Comedian Diane Morgan's widely praised BBC series Mandy is imminently returning for another batch of chaos. The Philomena Cunk star, 49, has written, directed and starred in the sitcom where she plays the titular heroine – the 'hapless, jobless Mandy'. '[Her] daft adventures mostly end in disaster. She's got Big Dreams, but can she actually be bothered?' the show aptly describes itself. The theme tune? Barry Manilow's Mandy of course! Each season contains six bite-sized episodes making it the perfect one-week binge in which we see Mandy get up to genuinely bonkers hijinks with Morgan's quintessential flavour of character acting. Seriously, one episode opens with her stark naked on a table, save for some sushi adorned around her body, followed by a host of businessmen digging into their dinner. In another, she is entirely convinced she has eaten an old man's dog. Essentially, it's the kind of show that needs to be seen to be believed. The show also boasts a wild list of guest stars including Maxine Peake, Natalie Cassidy and Shaun Ryder to name a few, if you can believe it. Over the years it has made a mighty impression on viewers. 'Absolutely loved this show, so silly! Watched it with my mum and we still quote it haha,' Mat W wrote on Rotten Tomatoes. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid, predictable, cliche and utterly childish. Loving every minute of it,' one anonymous user quipped, saying one episode left them 'crying with laughter'. 'Diane Morgan is a comic genius: writer, director, comedienne, actress,' another anonymous user praised in a five-star review. 'The Quirkiness of Mandy is its best feauture. And its running time of 15 minutes works really well. Diane Morgans performance in Mandy is unique and different,' another echoed. Critics are in agreement. 'It's bold and ludicrous, but economical too. It don't mean a thing. It is, however, a glorious release from all those things that do mean a thing,' The Time shared. 'This was enjoyably escapist comedy, daft for the sake of daftness, and all the more welcome for it,' the Daily Telegraph echoed. Although the humour may not always land with The Guardian warning it is 'not as tight or laugh out loud funny' and The Independent agreeing it's provokes wry smiles rather than belly laughs.' An official synopsis for the fourth season reads teases that she'll continue 'to live hand-to-wonky-mouth, cooking up enough dodgy side hustles and trashy cash hacks to hopefully climb up into the squeezed middle and out of the squashed bottom.' More Trending It adds: 'Constantly harassed, pursued and persecuted by her benefits officer (Tom Basden), Mandy finds solace in her friend Lola's (Michelle Greenidge) salon, drinking in the heady aroma of cheap bleach and Minty Pig nail polish.' Discussing how she settled on the tone of the show which is apparently based on a woman she met once, she once told The Guardian: 'Most people nowadays are doing downbeat, naturalistic comedy. I wanted to do something mad and silly. I crave silliness. 'A bit of pure escapism. It's turned out much weirder than I imagined. It's quite visual, like a Viz cartoon, but I'm happy with it.' View More » Mandy is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The fourth season arrives on BBC Two and iPlayer on July 21. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: BBC staff with authority to cut Bob Vylan livestream were present at Glastonbury MORE: Gregg Wallace's final MasterChef series should air – his behaviour isn't contestants' fault MORE: Legendary 70s horror film that was almost never released now streaming completely free
Forbes
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Ricky Gervais Working On New Netflix Project With ‘After Life' Co-Stars
Ricky Gervais said he's partnering with some of his After Life and Derek co-stars for a new animated project at Netflix. The standup comedy great and BAFTA- and Emmy-winning writer-director-actor mentioned the project during a livestream on X on Sunday when a viewer asked if he'd be working with actor David Earl again in a drama/comedy. Earl was a series regular in Gervais' After Life and Derek, and also appeared in an episode of Extras. 'I am. I'm doing something with him at the moment,' Gervais said. 'In fact, half the gang from After Life and Derek [are in it]. I'm working with David Earl, Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman, Tom Basden, Jo Hartley … Andrew Brook, Tony Way — they're all voices in a new animation [project]. I'm still working on it for Netflix.' Gervais wrote, directed and starred in all three seasons of After Life as Tony, a writer for the newspaper the Tambury Gazette in the fictional English village of Tambury. Throughout the series, Tony struggles with the loss of his wife, Lisa (Godliman), to breast cancer as he revisits their home movies together on his laptop. Earl played Brian in After Life, a lonesome loser who wants to be featured in Tambury Gazette, while Morgan and Way play Tony's co-workers Kath and Lenny. Basden also stars as Tony's boss and brother-in-law Tom, who is Lisa's brother. Hartley plays Lenny's girlfriend, June, while Brook plays an obnoxious podcaster named Ratty. During his livestream on X on Sunday, Ricky Gervais didn't give any more details about his upcoming animated project for Netflix, nor did he reveal if it was a film or a series. Gervais did note, however, how long the process for an animated project could stretch out. 'I found some of the original sketches that I did from like September of 2023,' Gervais said, adding, 'It's mental. It takes so long.' Gervais, who famously torched several celebrity egos while hosting the 2020 Golden Globes also said of the animated project, 'It's good. It's different.' He also noted to the user who asked the question that he couldn't speak any further of what it was about. Meanwhile, Gervais, who is no stranger to voice acting, is connected to the upcoming Illumination Entertainment animated comedy adventure Flanimals. Gervais is listed on IMDb as one of the writers of Flanimals, along with Matt Selman (The Simpsons) and Rob Steen. IMDb only lists Illumination — the animated studio behind the Despicable Me/Minions franchise — as the producer of Flanimals, so it's unlikely the Netflix project that Gervais was talking about in his livestream. Per IMDb, the logline for Flanimals reads, 'Fifty species of creatures are so ugly and misshapen they become cute and endearing. One of these creatures, a pudgy, perspiring purple creature, goes on a mission to change the world.' While fans are awaiting Ricky Gervais' new animated Netflix project, they can stream all three seasons of After Life on the platform as well as Derek's two seasons. Gervais' standup comedy specials Armageddon, Supernature and Humanity are also streaming on Netflix.
The Herald Scotland
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Dumbstruck in Dumfries: I discovered my Scots great gran was a hussy
This had the makings of a disaster. The BBC's long-running genealogy show had chosen as its subject one Diane Morgan. As her alter ego Philomena Cunk, Morgan has made her name lampooning the likes of WDYTYA, with its talking head experts and presenters who go on 'journeys'. Her sitcom, Mandy, once referenced a show called Who Are You, Do You Think? ('Not as good as Danny Dyer's but still all right'). I know WDYTYA has been a bit boring lately - frankly, some of the 'celebrities' have been human sleeping tablets - but come on, wasn't this a case of TV eating itself? As Morgan said: 'I never thought in a million years you'd actually ask me to be on it.' Bolton born and bred and now living in Bloomsbury (nice), Morgan had three aims: to learn more about her Aunty Ginny's fiance, Albert Dugdale, who died in the First World War; to trace her Scottish roots in Dumfries; and to find out the identity of 'German Charlie', the stuff of family legend. As she suspected, Morgan's journey was far from glam. She travelled on buses and suburban trains to small town libraries, all the while supplying her own self-deprecating commentary. 'Can I pretend to pay cos I'm with the film crew?' she asked a bus driver. There was a lot of weaving in her background. German Charlie's story was part of that history and wasn't terribly interesting unless you were into chimneys. Aunty Ginny, Morgan discovered, lived near the rest of the family in Bolton, as many of her generation did. That didn't set the heather on fire either. But Dumfries and Morgan's four times great-grandmother Isabella? Now you're talking. Isabella turned out to have had five children to four different fathers. History could relate this because she had taken all the absent fathers to court for child support. As a result, a record of her existence existed - a rarity for a woman, even more so someone who was working class. Young Diane at home in Bolton with her family (Image: PHOTOGRAPHER:Diane Morgan) Between the lines there was obvious sadness. One record said Isabella had been known to the local lads as 'an improper character'. 'I thought you were going to tell me I was related to Robert the Bruce or Robert Burns, one of the Roberts,' said Morgan. 'Instead my great, great, great grandmother was a bit of a hussy.' For fear of spoilers I'm not going to say what happened next in Dumfries, or how Morgan got on tracing Albert Dugdale's family to give them the 'death penny' that had been kept safe in her family. If you haven't seen the show you are in for a treat. Morgan's WDYTYA probably isn't destined for the hall of fame. But the very ordinariness of the people we learned about was what made them special. They weren't kings or queens or captains of industry or explorers, they did dull jobs and lived in terraced houses, but they were here once, and their lives mattered. Whoever decided Diane Morgan would be a good pick for WDYTYA should be given a pay rise. This could have been a disaster; instead it was a triumph.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Moment actress Diane Morgan discovers shocking family secret about her four times great grandmother - and jokes 'I don't know whether to be ashamed or proud'
Diane Morgan was left stunned after finding out her four times great grandmother had five 'illegitimate' children with four different fathers. The actress, from Bolton, will appear on tonight's episode of the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are to learn more about her ambiguous family history. The 49-year-old described having an interest in her family tree but said that she has never been good at compiling information on her computer. During the show, she said she was eager to learn more about her Scottish heritage after finding out that part of her family comes from a small village outside of Dumfries. Diane met with genealogist Emma Maxwell in a library in the Scottish town who told her that by the age of 30, her great, great, great, great grandmother Isabella Hope had given birth to five illegitimate children - a term used to describe babies born outside of marriage - from four different fathers. She took Robert Robson, John McMurdo, James Ferguson and George Rome to court throughout the 1840s for not financially supporting their children and ended up winning all of her alimony money back. It was not uncommon for women to have illegitimate children in rural Scotland during this time, but few took up their right to take fathers to court to get their maintenance cash back. 'She must've been quite confident then to go through with all that,' Diane said of her great, great, great, great grandmother. 'Other women at the time I can see them being quite put off by having to go to court and the shame of it as well.' Upon finding out that Isabella had a third child out of wedlock and successfully won her money back for the third time, Diane added: 'This is starting to look like a career for her. I can't believe this.' Emma said: 'This is a small village outside Dumfries, everybody would've known each other.' Isabella - who was described as an 'improper character' in court documents - then had her two twins, belonging to a fourth father, George Rome. When Diane was handed the paperwork, she said: 'Oh no! Dirty bugger. I don't know what to make of her really. I don't know whether to be ashamed or proud.' Emma added: 'She certainly tried to make sure her children were cared for. And she wasn't intimidated either. 'These records really reveal an aspect of women's history in Scotland, which is really fascinating and it was perhaps unexpected that women had this ability to be able to do this, to be able to go to court and pursue the father of their children.' Isabella had given birth to Adam Robson, Elizabeth McMurdo, Jemima Ferguson and two unidentified male twins. Isabella - who was described as an 'improper character' in court documents - then had her two twins, belonging to a fourth father, George Rome Reflecting on a church that Isabella would have likely visited with her family, Diane said: 'I thought you were going to tell me I was related to Robert the Bruce or Robbie Burns , one of the Roberts. Instead, my great, great, great, great grandmother is a bit of a hussy. 'But let's give her the benefit of the doubt, she just couldn't find the right man and there wasn't much to do around here wasn't there. She got some security for her kids I suppose, not a lot of women of that era would have done that, would they? Good for her.' Meeting the local museum's curator Judith Hewitt at St. Michael's Graveyard where she was told more about what Isabella's short life was like. After giving birth to five children, she then worked in the town as a servant to bring in a wage, while her mother looked after her kids. This job often involved her making frequent trips to the river to fetch water, which left her at risk of catching bacterial diseases like cholera, as it was the same stream where the town's was dumped. Dumfries had experienced disastrous effects from cholera in 1832 after the illness claimed more than 400 lives. The town then experienced another outbreak 1848, six years prior to medics discovering it was a bacterial disease spread through contaminated water. Locals blamed loose morals and the weather as medics were not sure where cholera had come from. Isabella died aged 30 from the disease in December 1848 and left behind her five children. Emma told Diane that Isabella took all four of her children's fathers to court throughout the 1840s for not financially supporting their children and ended up winning all of her alimony money back She was buried in St. Michael's Graveyard and while there is a headstone to mark those who passed away from the 1832 outbreak, there is no distinct grave for those who died from the 1848 wave. Judith said: 'We know they were burying dozens of people a day but there is no memorial stone for that outbreak.' Diane added: 'It makes me want to go out and get a stone and put it up. Not just for her, for all of them because I think they should have something.' She was then curious to know whether Isabella would've been buried in a coffin, to which Judith said: 'If people couldn't afford coffins, they might be buried in a mortcloth, which is a piece of material that the parish owned. You would be placed into the grave wrapped in something which would later be retrieved. 'Given her status and her finances it's very likely she would've had that poor person's burial.' Before leaving the graveyard where her great, great, great, great grandmother is buried, Diane met with local photographer Graham Robertson, who told her he was working on a project to remember those who passed away during the 1948 cholera epidemic. He is planning to install a copper plate engraved with all of the names of those who have passed away, located in the church. Diane said that she would 'definitely' be making another trip up to Dumfries to visit the memorial plate when it is complete in the next year or so. 'Well, I thought I was going to go away from here really sad that that my great, great, great, great grandmother Isabella doesn't have a gravestone. But to see that, what Graham's made, it's lovely. It's given me peace that her name is there and that people will see it.
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: a horrifying look inside the prison walls of the Assad regime
9pm, BBC TwoWhen the reign of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad came to an end in December 2024, the image that went around the world was of political prisoners being released after years of confinement and torture. This film follows the story of two incarcerated brothers, matching it with the confessions of more than 40 former regime operatives, from intelligence officers to prison guards. They describe actions so dark and cruel, they are hard even to comprehend. Jack Seale 8pm, BBC OneDiane Morgan's comic creation Mandy was once on an episode of Who Are You, Do You Think? ('Not as good as Danny Dyer's, but still all right'). Now, Morgan – better known as clueless TV presenter Philomena Cunk – is doing the real thing, involving a pilgrimage to Germany and a moving conclusion to a second world war love story. Ellen E Jones 8pm, Channel 4Despite what co-presenter Ellie Taylor suggests, there is a world of difference between a savoury paté en croute and a Greggs sausage roll. Putting a signature spin on the French classic is just one of the stressful tasks the four remaining pastry chef duos must juggle if they are to make it past the opening heat. Graeme Virtue 9pm, BBC ThreeParis Lees' turbo-charged coming-of-age drama continues. School teenager Byron (Ellis Howard) has found their tribe in the Nottingham clubs with the 'Fallen Divas' but there's danger ahead with toxic Liam (Jake Dunn), who gave them a taste for ketamine and has a 'plan' to make money together. Hollie Richardson 9pm, Sky Arts 'If the Guerrilla Girls tell you to meet them at the Getty museum, you meet them at the Getty museum.' Kate Bryan is in genuine awe as she spends a week with the female art group – it's wonderfully surreal as 'Frida Kahlo' and 'Käthe Kollwitz', in their gorilla masks, squabble over car directions. HR 10pm, BBC FourRachel Elitzur grew up Orthodox Jewish and got married, but then decided to not have children, divorce her husband and follow her dream to become a film-maker. In her new feature documentary, she interviews fellow Orthodox Jews about their wedding nights – on which they are expected to have sex for the first time in their lives. HR
