Latest news with #MaloryTowers
Tom's Guide
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Prime Video's new psychological thriller series gets first trailer — and I'm already prepared for the dark mind games
Prime Video just dropped the first trailer for its upcoming psychological thriller 'The Girlfriend,' based on the bestselling novel by Michelle Frances. The newly released trailer introduces Laura (Robin Wright), a wealthy art gallery owner who grows suspicious of her son's charming new girlfriend, Cherry (Olivia Cooke). As tensions rise between the two women, the series dives into a twisted battle of power, leaving viewers to question who's telling the truth and who's playing a dangerous game. This six-part series premieres September 10 and looks full of mind games, which I love especially when thrillers double as character studies. Not to mention the juicy drama at the center of it all. In 'The Girlfriend,' Laura has a successful career, a devoted husband, and a son she adores. She wants nothing more than Daniel's (Laurie Davidson) happiness, but from the moment she meets his new girlfriend, Cherry, something feels off. The teaser hints at a fiery romance between Daniel and Cherry, while Laura observes that her son speaks about Cherry differently than he ever has about his previous partners. Yet, subtle exchanges between the women, along with secretive glimpses of Cherry doing something sinister behind closed doors, suggest she might have a hidden agenda. This suspicion is heightened when, during a wedding celebration, a cake cut reveals blood instead of sweetness, showing just how much Cherry's presence could unravel Laura's seemingly perfect world. Thankfully the first teaser doesn't give much away, but it's certainly piqued my interest. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Along with the trailer and release date, we also got an official synopsis: 'Based on Michelle Frances' novel of the same name, The Girlfriend follows Laura (Wright), a woman who seemingly has it all: a glittering career, a loving husband, and her precious son, Daniel. Her perfect life begins to unravel when Daniel brings home Cherry (Cooke), a girlfriend who changes everything. After a tense introduction, Laura becomes convinced Cherry is hiding something. Is she a manipulative social climber, or is Laura just paranoid? The truth is a matter of perspective.' The cast also features Waleed Zuaiter, Tayna Moodie, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Karen Henthorn, Anna Chancellor, Leo Suter, and Francesca Corney. The television adaptation of the series is by Naomi Sheldon, a British writer and actress known for her acclaimed play 'Good Girl' and work on shows like 'Malory Towers,' and Gabbie Asher, a seasoned screenwriter whose credits include 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' and 'Leonardo.' In a conversation with Leslie A. Lindsay, Frances shared insights into the inspiration behind the story of her novel: 'There is a moment about halfway through the novel when Daniel's mom, Laura, decides to do the most awful thing and tells a lie like no other. It was this lie that got me thinking about how such a scenario could exist – how could a character like Laura justify saying such a thing? And from there grew the story.' I'm all about stories with characters who are morally gray, so knowing neither Laura nor Cherry are simply good or bad makes this way more interesting than your typical thriller. Plus, even from the trailer alone, Wright and Cooke have so much tension that the drama practically sizzles off the screen. You can see how this drama unfolds when 'The Girlfriend' lands on Prime Video on September 10. In the meantime, see what's new on Prime Video in July 2025.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Ellie Goldstein makes acting debut in iconic drama Malory Towers
Trailblazing model Ellie Goldstein is stepping into the spotlight making her acting debut in the beloved BBC iPlayer series Malory Towers. Ellie joins the cast as Nancy, a spirited new arrival at the school, with her first episode available on BBC iPlayer on Monday 30 June and airing on CBBC on Tuesday 1 July. Ellie has already made history as the first model with Down's syndrome to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine. Known for her groundbreaking work in the fashion industry and high-profile campaigns, she's now bringing her talent and charisma to the screen in the television adaptation of Enid Blyton's classic novels. Now in its sixth season, Malory Towers follows the adventures of Darrell Rivers and her friends at an all-girls' boarding school in post-war Britain. The series is a nostalgic celebration of friendship, fun, and growing up - complete with midnight feasts, pranks, and heartfelt moments. Showcasing quintessentially British storytelling, Malory Towers was filmed in studio in Bristol and on location at the beautiful setting of Hartland Abbey in North Devon, as well as other picturesque locations along the Cornish coast. Ellie's character, Nancy, arrives at Malory Towers with her guardian, who is none other than the girls' previous much-feared Matron, played by Ashley McGuire, making a welcome return to the series. Nancy, who has Down's syndrome, is a passionate history enthusiast and quickly proves herself to be a formidable lacrosse goalie. Ellie Goldstein says: "I am so honoured to have been a part of the fantastic series Malory Towers. I'm beyond excited to see my episodes and share them with everyone. I absolutely love acting and feel so lucky to have worked with such a wonderful cast and crew." Anita Burgess, Executive Producer for BBC Children's, says: 'Malory Towers continues to be a cherished part of our children's programming, offering timeless stories of friendship, resilience and adventure. It's a joy to see how each new season brings fresh energy while staying true to the spirit of Enid Blyton's beloved books.' Series 6 also welcomes newcomer Celeste (Ciara Prioux), alongside familiar faces Darrell Rivers (Ella Bright), Gwendoline Mary Lacey (Danya Griver), Sally Hope (Sienna Arif-Knights), Alicia Johns (Zoey Siewert), Mary-Lou (Imogen Lamb), Irene (Natasha Raphael), Jean (Beth Bradfield), Bill (Amelie Green), Felicity (April V Woods), June (Edesiri Paula Okpenerho), Susan (Ava Azizi), Clarissa (Amy Roerig) and Josephine (Emily Costtrici. Also reprising their roles are Ron Gilson (Jude Harper-Wrobel), Mr Parker (Jason Callender), Mam'Zelle Rougier (Geneviève Beaudet), Matron Maher (Ashley McGuire), Matron Shipley (Amanda Lawrence) and Headteacher Miss Grayling (Jennifer Wigmore). Malory Towers has been adapted for television by Rachel Flowerday and Sasha Hails. Episode 8, in which Ellie first appears, is written by Billie Collins. Malory Towers is produced by David Collier, and executive produced by Jo Sargent and Yvonne Sellins for King Bert Productions. It is produced in association with BYUtv and WildBrain, who are also global distributor of the series. Malory Towers was commissioned by Sarah Muller, Senior Head of BBC Children's Commissioning 7+ and the series is executive produced by Anita Burgess for the BBC. Malory Towers is now streaming on BBC iPlayer, with new episodes released every Monday. You can also catch new episodes on CBBC every Monday and Tuesday at 6pm. Watch Malory Towers on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist HH Follow for more
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Model with Down's syndrome 'beyond excited' to join Malory Towers
A woman who made history as the first model with Down's syndrome to feature on the front cover of Vogue said she was honoured to be making her acting Goldstein, from Essex, plays Nancy in the new series of Malory Towers on said the 23-year old would never be able to walk or talk when she was born."I am so honoured to have been a part of this fantastic series. I'm beyond excited to see my episodes and share them with everyone," she said. Now in its sixth season, Malory Towers follows the adventures of a group of girls at a boarding school in post-war Britain."I was nervous to go on set but when I saw the school house, it wasn't a dream, it was really true and I loved filming every scene at Malory Towers in school house," she said."Down's syndrome means I've got an extra chromosome - lucky me. Diversity should be out there and people should not be hidden in boxes. They need to be seen." Patricia Hidalgo, director Children and Education at the BBC said it had "long been a leader in championing diversity and representation, both on screen and behind the scenes". "When children see themselves and their peers represented, it fosters empathy, belonging and a deeper understanding of others," she said. The first episode featuring Ellie, which is episode eight in the series, is available on BBC iPlayer on 30 June and airs on CBBC on 1 July. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Spectator
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
The rose-tinted view of female friendship shatters
There is no such thing as a bad friend. The societal expectations and collective imagination of what friendship should look like have, over the past century, set unrealistic expectations, meaning we are all doomed at some point to fail as friends. At least this is what the cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith argues in her new book. Bad Friend is elegantly written as part memoir, part history, citing multifarious sources, from 12th-century Paris to the American sitcom Friends. The author weaves in her own experiences of female friendships, candid that her research for the book made her reassess the formative and transformative relationships she has cultivated in her life. Reading the book forced my own recollection and reconsideration of friendships. I remember in my emotionally charged early teens decorating my friend's arm in coloured gel pen, honoured to be doing so. Watt Smith notes this as a sort of innocent 'girl crush', commonplace but endorsed in boarding schools from the late 19th century as a rite of passage: 'The relationships [would] teach the tender-hearted and compassionate ways necessary for successful marriage and motherhood. Stories for girls encouraged romantic friendships.' As Watt Smith demonstrates, this is clear in the Malory Towers series, in which Enid Blyton portrays her character Mary Lou as a boarding school girl with a crush on the cooler Darrell. 'She trails around after Darrell, yearning for her company, performing little acts of service.' Unlike institutionalised relationships such as marriage, women's friendships are frustratingly elusive to a historian seeking to recover them and Watt Smith acknowledges the difficulties she encountered. Casting her net for original ways to access emotions in the record, she is inspired by the black feminist historian Saidiya Hartman, who developed 'critical fabulation'. This was a method that allowed her 'to foreground the gaps in our historical knowledge and ask questions about a historical actor's motivations without necessarily knowing how to answer them'. This idea is crucial to Watt Smith as she recovers the story of two female inmates at the Auburn Correctional Facility in New York in the early 20th century: Madeline, an undercover agent reporting on conditions in the prison, and Minerva, a black woman, 'whose job it was to go from cell to cell each evening with the water jug'. The two became friends, with Madeline trying to extract information about Minerva's experience. Watt Smith is drawn to the imbalance of power in this friendship, told from Madeline's perspective as 'the one ray of comfort', but never told from Minerva's. 'Did Madeline assume… that as a black woman, Minerva was there to accommodate and protect her and do her bidding?' One of the least documented areas of female experience and friendship is in the domestic sphere; yet historically this was a space that not only necessitated female friendships but nourished them. In the second world war 'there were mothers in bustling kitchens… and children who wandered in and out of people's homes. These women helped one another, providing endless emotional support around kitchen tables, childcare, food and even money'. The modern experience looks very different. I personally balked at the idea of NCT (National Childbirth Trust) classes. Or, as my friend put it, 'the most expensive phone book you will ever have'. I saw it as Watt Smith does – 'a cliché'. I feared the 'mum group', but 'given the desperate loneliness of motherhood in an age of the private nuclear family', it was essential. Watt Smith marks the popularity of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, which painted a bleak picture of home life in the 1960s as a moment when women began to talk about the drudgery of domesticity, calling it 'the problem'. 'They wept over those foaming dishpans. They raged internally.' But on the other side of suburbia's tracks a very different scene unfurled. Child-sharing was normalised and ritualised in black communities known as the Flats across New York and Chicago: 'Close female kinsmen in the Flats do not expect a single person, the natural mother, to carry out by herself all of the behaviour patterns which motherhood entails.' Throughout the book we see women naturally communing for support and safety. In 12th-century Europe a group of single women lived together in a non-cloistered community called the Beguines. Watt Smith examines one crucial source for medieval women in trying to understand their closeness – their wills. She found frequent mentions of a socia, a compagnesse, a friend. The book is a brilliant ode to the necessity and complexity of female friendship but shatters the rose-tinted view of what it should look like by showing friendships that are tender, raw, angry and imperfect. We also see the way women choose to commune together, be they in 'covens' or 'cliques'. With my catalogue of unanswered WhatsApp messages, I breathe a sigh of relief when Watt Smith blasts the ideal: 'The perfect friend seems too brittle; how could she not shatter?'
Business Upturn
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Upturn
Is ‘Malory Towers' returning for season 6? Everything we know so far
By Aman Shukla Published on May 20, 2025, 17:03 IST Fans of the beloved British-Canadian series Malory Towers are eagerly awaiting news about the future of this charming adaptation of Enid Blyton's classic boarding school novels. With its nostalgic storytelling, relatable characters, and heartfelt themes, the show has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. But is Malory Towers Season 6 happening? Here's everything we know so far about the show's next chapter. Is Malory Towers Season 6 Confirmed? Yes, Malory Towers Season 6 has been officially confirmed! The Family Channel and CBBC have renewed the series for a sixth season, delighting fans who have followed the adventures of Darrell Rivers and her friends at the iconic boarding school. Additionally, there's exciting news that Season 7 is also in the works, indicating strong confidence in the show's continued success. Filming for both Seasons 6 and 7 began in June 2024 at The Bottle Yard Studios and on location in Devon and Cornwall, suggesting that production is well underway. This dual-season filming approach hints at a robust pipeline of new episodes to keep the story alive. When Will Malory Towers Season 6 Premiere? While an exact premiere date for Season 6 has not been announced, sources indicate it is slated for release in 2025. Given that Season 5 premiered on June 10, 2024, it's reasonable to expect Season 6 to follow a similar timeline, potentially arriving in mid-2025. Fans can likely catch the new season on platforms like BBC iPlayer, BYU TV, and the Family Channel, where previous seasons are available. Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
