Latest news with #MrLoverman
Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Death In Paradise's Marlon Pryce exit explained as fans 'can't get over' loss
Death In Paradise fans were sad to see Marlon Pryce depart the island of Saint Marie in season 13 - and they're still missing him 'Death in Paradise' is treating viewers to a trip down memory lane with repeats from its 10th series, starring Ralf Little as the quirky DI Neville Parker on BBC One. The nostalgic rerun features beloved characters DS Florence Cassell (Josephine Jobert) and Sergeant JP Hooper (Tobi Bakare), drawing fans back to their enthralling cases. But it's Tahj Miles' role as Marlon Pryce that's left a hole in audiences' hearts; the young actor captivated viewers as he transformed from minor crook to respected police officer under JP's guidance. Marlon's departure came in season 13, a bittersweet moment as he pursued new horizons following his sister's educational achievements in Jamaica. Marlon's leap from Saint Marie to joining the Jamaican police was facilitated by none other than his mentor, culminating in a heartfelt exit story for fans to cherish, reports Wales Online. The reason for Tahj Miles leaving 'Death in Paradise' was a natural progression of the plot and his own desire to explore fresh acting ventures. Affection and respect underpin Tahj's parting from the show, with the actor seizing an exciting opportunity with the BBC production of 'Mr Loverman,' despite sharing his initial jitters to Radio Times about shifting gears after years of embodying Marlon. Diving deep into a brand-new role brought a mix of elation and anxiety for Tahj, as he confessed: "When I booked the job, it was just a good feeling to know that I can book something else other than Death in Paradise. "But then it was nerve-wracking because I've just been in the head of Marlon for four years, so to jump into a whole different character who has his whole different problems and things he has to go through, it was scary." When he left the show, he made it clear that the door was open for his character to return, stating: "Just know that on my end, [the exit] made sense to me." He added: "And if you don't see me on the show for the next two, three years, just know that it doesn't make sense in that moment in time, for whatever reason, whether it's just what I'm doing personally in my life, the direction they're going in on the show, the direction they want to bring the character back into." Viewers have been taking to Reddit to share their thoughts on his departure. One fan, Specific-Dealer-1547, posted: "I still can't get over the fact Marlon is gone. He was definitely my favourite character and I feel like it was very sudden how he made that decision to leave." The user praised Marlon's development as a character, saying: "Such a shame, he was such a good character, especially with his development into becoming a really good, hardworking police officer." Another fan, Whatever-and-breathe, agreed, saying: "Yes agreed I really liked this character... And is exit was really sudden too particularly when the writers were clearly hinting to a potential relationship for him." Death in Paradise airs on BBC One at 9pm
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC Content Supremo Latest: Banijay UK Boss Patrick Holland Out, Kate Phillips Person To Beat
EXCLUSIVE: We have more on the race to replace Charlotte Moore as the BBC's content supremo. After revealing earlier this month that there were three top contenders for the most powerful creative job in British television, audio, and streaming, Deadline hears one of the trio is now not in the running. More from Deadline BBC Unveils 10-Strong Comedy Slate Featuring Diane Morgan, Michael Palin, Mackenzie Crook, Lenny Rush, Rob Brydon, & Guz Khan BBC's Annual Julia Donaldson Christmas Animation Will Be 'The Scarecrows' Wedding'; Rob Brydon, Jessie Buckley & Domhnall Glesson In Voice Cast BBC Drama 'Mr Loverman' Lands U.S. Home At BritBox Industry sources and BBC insiders said Patrick Holland, Banijay UK's executive chairman, is staying put at the French production giant. Holland was considered to be the leading external candidate, even though he told colleagues that he was happy to remain at Banijay UK, where he has been since 2022. BBC sources speculated that salary has been a decisive factor for some external candidates, as the corporation struggles to compete with deep-pocketed commercial counterparts. Moore is paid £468,000 ($628,000). The Holland development, as well Netflix UK chief Anne Mensah ruling herself out, has cemented Kate Phillips' position as the candidate to beat. Phillips, the BBC's unscripted boss and interim chief content officer, has the support of many colleagues at the corporation, while a number of powerful producers are pulling for her to get the job. Sources said Phillips is skillfully caretaking in the content chief role as Moore prepares to leave the BBC's New Broadcasting House headquarters next week. BBC Studios Productions CEO Zai Bennett was thought to be the third strong contender for the job. Others linked include Tom McDonald, the New York-based executive vice president of Nat Geo, and Dan McGolpin, the director of iPlayer and channels. Others have ruled themselves out. This includes Jay Hunt, Apple TV+'s boss in Europe, and Channel 4's content supremo Ian Katz. Sources said Apple executive Alison Kirkham was considered, but is said to be happy in her current role. Liam Keelan, Disney's former EMEA originals chief, is not in the running. Headhunters Grace Blue and Ibison have helped steer the BBC recruitment process, with director general Tim Davie taking a personal interest. Moore is stepping down as chief content officer after four years to join Left Bank Pictures as CEO. She will also oversee international creative output for Sony Pictures Television. Best of Deadline Every 'The Voice' Winner Since Season 1, Including 9 Team Blake Champions Everything We Know About 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' So Far 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
The Guardian
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘I'm here to open doors': Bernardine Evaristo on success, controversy and why she plans to donate her £100k award
Back in 2013, Bernardine Evaristo gave a reading in a south London bookshop from her novel Mr Loverman. Only six people showed up, a couple of them were dozing and she realised they were homeless people who had come to find somewhere comfortable to sleep. Last month, the hit TV adaptation Mr Loverman, about a 74-year-old gay Caribbean man set in Hackney, east London, won two Baftas, including leading actor for Lennie James, making him the first Black British actor to win the TV award in its 70-year history. 'I checked Wikipedia!' Evaristo exclaims of this shocking fact when we meet in London. Evaristo's long career is one of firsts and creating them for others. In 2019, at the age of 60, she became the first Black woman to win the Booker prize – shared with Margaret Atwood – for Girl, Woman, Other, 12 interwoven stories of Black, female and one non-binary character. She is also the first Black woman to become president of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) – only the second woman in its 200-year history, not to mention the first not to have attended Oxford, Cambridge or Eton. And this week she became the recipient of the Women's prize inaugural Outstanding Contribution award. 'I became an 'overnight success',' she writes of her Booker win in her 2021 memoir, Manifesto, 'after 40 years working professionally in the arts.' It is these now 45 years that are being recognised by this new award. Ironically, she has never won the Women's prize, although she was shortlisted for Girl, Woman, Other. 'This award more than makes up for it,' she beams. The Booker judges' decision to break the rules and split the prize between Evaristo and Atwood caused an outcry, with many accusing the panel of undermining the historic recognition of a Black female novelist. Evaristo was cheerfully unperturbed. 'It couldn't have gone better for me, to be honest,' she insists now. 'I really do mean that. In terms of how it accelerated my career and gave me so many more opportunities and such a large audience for my work.' Girl, Woman, Other was on the bestseller list for nine consecutive weeks. Barack Obama chose it as one of his favourite books of 2019. Hamish Hamilton reissued her backlist. After being told for decades that there was no market for her work, she was suddenly in demand. So much so that a 2021 Private Eye cartoon – now on her fridge – showed a guy exclaiming: 'Come quick! Bernardine Evaristo isn't on Radio 4!' Although she found it funny, there is an unmistakeable whiff of condescension. 'Why notice me?' she asks. 'When there are many people who are constantly in the media, who are not Black women. You notice the Black woman and suddenly it's too much. You want us to be quiet and invisible.' Tall and good-naturedly open, Evaristo is in no danger of keeping quiet or becoming invisible. Today she is wearing a hot-pink blouse the same shade as the trouser suit she wore to the Booker ceremony, her curls kept in check by a colourful headscarf. She is interested in power, how those outside the establishment can succeed without abandoning their own identities. 'The headline is going to be 'I want power!'' she hoots, as one not unfamiliar with controversy (the traditionally sleepy RSL has had more than its share of headlines under her tenure). 'What do we mean when we say power?' she says seriously. 'Influence, to have an impact, to effect change, to assume leadership positions? It's so important that power is shared out.' Unlike the late poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who rejected an OBE, Evaristo accepted hers in 2020, arguing that not to do so is to risk enforcing the idea of 'white honours for white British people'. How does it feel to be at the heart of the establishment, to no longer be 'throwing stones at the fortress', as she puts it in Manifesto? 'I still believe in what I believe in. I'm just much more capable and careful, hopefully strategic and able to have more of an impact than I did when I was in my 20s,' she says, reminding me that she has been professor of creative writing at Brunel University for many years now. 'You go through an angry period – as you get older you can't keep that up – but I'm still very alert to the inequality in the world, and also inequality in my industry. I am not there to endorse the status quo. I'm there to bring other people with me and to open the doors, always, to great talent.' She has not just opened doors but built them where none existed. From the moment she graduated from Rose Bruford drama school in 1982 and co-founded the Theatre of Black Women with fellow students, the playwright Patricia Hilaire and director Paulette Randall, she has set about making things happen. Those early days were not just about creating theatre, she says now, but also work. 'Because we were just so unemployable as Black women.' They put on Jackie Kay's first play Chiaroscuro in 1986. Since then, Evaristo has set up projects, mentoring schemes and prizes for under-represented poets and novelists. She has run workshops and courses, sat on judging panels (47, by her last count) and boards ('not something I necessarily want to do, trust me!'). Most recently, she launched the Black Britain: Writing Back series with her long-term publisher Simon Prosser at Hamish Hamilton, republishing 13 books by writers of colour since 1900. She plans to donate all her 'huge' prize money (£100,000) from this latest award to an as yet undisclosed project to support other writers. She hasn't done all this because she is 'saintly. Clearly not!' she laughs. Throughout our conversation, she is at pains not to sound like a 'do-gooder': we are here to talk about her outstanding contribution, I remind her. 'If I'm asked to do something, I need to accept the invitation, so that I can make a difference,' she explains. 'It is very important for me as a Black, British, working-class, now-older woman to acknowledge that really important position.' The fourth of eight siblings, Evaristo grew up in 'an activist household', she says. Her Nigerian father was a welder who became a local Labour councillor, her mother, a devout Catholic from an Irish family, was a primary school teacher and trade union rep. Evaristo's childhood in Woolwich, south-east London, in the 1960s was one of racial insults and smashed windows. Her father kept a hammer at the side of the bed for his whole life in England. The young Bernardine developed a 'self-protective force field' that persists to this day, along with a determination to fight her corner – with words. After leaving home for drama school at 18, her 20s were spent in a blaze of cigarettes and love affairs – with women – hustling for jobs and moving between the various short-term housing available in the 80s. 'I really cherish that period,' she says. She has been straight for 35 years, and today lives with her husband in the outskirts of west London; she has swapped the Marlboro Reds and Drambuie for yoga and meditation. In her 30s, before the boom in creative writing courses, she signed up for a personal development course. 'My parents were not part of the elite,' she explains. 'So they weren't going to pass on to me strategies for how to succeed.' Evaristo was manifesting long before Instagram promised us we could live our best lives. The course made her realise 'you can change big and you can expect the best. So why not go for that?' she says. She wrote a note to herself that she would win the Booker prize one day. The next three decades were spent working really hard to make it happen. 'Nobody was waiting for me to publish books. Nobody was commissioning me,' she has said in a radio interview. 'I just wrote on spec and hoped that somebody would publish me.' Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Her first poetry collection, Island of Abraham, was published in 1994. Lara, a verse-novel based on her parents' marriage, came out three years later. Then came The Emperor's Babe, another verse-novel and her first with Penguin, which imagines life for a Black girl in Roman London. Soul Tourists, a zany road trip packed with Black ghosts from white western history; Blonde Roots, a satire that reverses the power dynamics of the slave trade; and a novella called Hello Mum, about a 14-year-old boy growing up on a council estate, followed. All her novels deal with the African diaspora in some way, mixing history, stylistic experimentalism and humour. 'I'm always going for the difficult stories and to be subversive,' she says. 'I'm always looking to find original ways into what I'm writing about.' Mr Loverman 'felt like a taboo subject'. Much has been written about the Windrush generation, but no stories that she knew of told a love story between two elderly Caribbean men. When it was first published, she was told it was 'too niche' to be adapted for television, because its protagonist, Barrington Jedidiah Walker, 'was Black, old and gay'. While her reputation was steadily building, sales were not. She wouldn't even look at her royalty statements when they arrived each year. Then, finally, her much-manifested breakthrough came. With Girl, Woman, Other she set out 'to explore as many Black women in a single novel as possible', ranging in age from 19 to 93, all with different backgrounds, faiths, sexualities and classes. Amma, a lesbian playwright, is clearly a version of Evaristo's younger self. Once again, in a style she calls 'fusion fiction', she plays fast and loose with punctuation in favour of the rhythms of speech and thought. Here are the monologues of the silenced women Evaristo wrote for the theatre all those years ago. Her Booker win coincided with a long-overdue effort to make publishing more inclusive. 'George Floyd,' she says, when I ask what she thinks was the catalyst for this change. 'There was already an awareness of it, but definitely the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter was a turning point.' Where once she knew every writer of colour in publishing, and could count them on one hand, she says, today she can't keep up. 'Identity politics has always existed,' she says of today's culture wars. 'We just didn't name it that.' Last year, she wrote a piece in the Guardian refuting the 'false allegations' against the RSL and the rumours that she had swept in with 'radical' new measures for appointing fellows, sidelining older, more established names. 'It's a great honour and a privilege,' she says mischievously when I press her for more. 'There's always this argument that if things diversify, standards are dropped.' Evaristo even manages to bring positive thinking to our current global predicament. 'Every decade, we are evolving. From my childhood to today, we have evolved,' she says. 'We can't do anything about America, but we can put up a fight in this country.' Of all these achievements, what makes her most proud? 'I feel I can enjoy the successes I've had of late,' she replies without hesitation, 'because I know I haven't kept it to myself.' Bernardine Evaristo is the winner of the Women's prize outstanding contribution award.
New York Times
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Mr. Loverman' Is a Rich, Stylish and Riveting Mini-Series
Lennie James recently won a BAFTA for his leading role in the mini-series 'Mr. Loverman,' and for good reason: His performance is as whole and mesmerizing a portrait as one sees on television. 'Loverman,' arriving Wednesday, on BritBox, is based on the novel by Bernardine Evaristo and follows Barrington Jedidiah Walker (James), an Antiguan native who has been living in London for decades. He is a self-described 'man of property, man of style,' a dapper dresser and a Shakespeare enthusiast, husband to a devout Christian woman, father to two adult daughters and grandfather to a teen boy. He is also closeted. His long-term partner, Morris (Ariyon Bakare, who also won a BAFTA for his work here and is also fantastic), has been his best friend and lover since they met in Antigua as young men; he is Uncle Morris to Barry's children, a constant presence, a secret and not a secret, a betrayal but also a devotion. But Barry balks at labels, and he says he isn't a homosexual but rather 'a Barry sexual.' Barry swears he is about to leave his wife, about to tell her the truth. But he has sworn that before. The show weaves among the characters' perspectives, and long flashbacks depict the pivotal moments that carve each person's reality. We hear their internal monologues, though none sing quite as melodically as Barry's does. 'Loverman' is polished and literary, practically silky — sublime, even. It's natural to be baffled by other people's choices: Why would you do that? Why didn't you say anything? Why would you stay? Why would you leave? A lot of contemporary shows — even plenty of good ones — fall back on pat just-so stories for their characters' backgrounds, but the picture here is deeper and fuller than that. Fear and pain, love and loyalty: They're never just one thing. There are eight half-hour episodes of 'Mr. Loverman.' I couldn't resist bingeing it, not because it's so propulsive, per se, but because it's so lovely.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC's Annual Julia Donaldson Christmas Animation Will Be ‘The Scarecrows' Wedding'; Rob Brydon, Jessie Buckley & Domhnall Glesson In Voice Cast
The annual BBC animated Christmas special this year will The Scarecrow's Wedding. As is the case every year, a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler children's book will be adapted by Magic Light Pictures for broadcast on BBC One and streaming on BBC iPlayer. More from Deadline BBC Drama 'Mr Loverman' Lands U.S. Home At BritBox Laurie Kynaston, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell & Alex Lawther Leading Feel-Good Drama Series 'Leonard And Hungry Paul' For BBC & RTÉ BBC Studios Restructures Production Division With Formation Of Unscripted & Global Units The half-hour animated special will feature a voice cast including Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey, The Trip), Jessie Buckley (Wicked Little Letters, Wild Rose), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time, Alice and Jack), with Sophie Okonedo (Slow Horses, Hotel Rwanda) as the Narrator. The story follows two devoted scarecrows, Betty O'Barley (Buckley) and Harry O'Hay (Gleeson), who are planning a wedding to remember. Per the synopsis: 'When Harry insists on leaving the farm to collect one last thing for their big day, a smooth-talking scarecrow named Reginald Rake (Brydon) swoops in with plans of his own. Chaos follows, and soon Betty's in danger and everything's at risk. Can Harry get back in time and save the day? Full of heart, humour and adventure, this is the joyful tale about loyalty, love and learning that the most important thing isn't a grand gesture – it's simply being together.' Directors are Samantha Cutler and Jeroen Jaspaert, with Barney Goodland and Micheal Rose of Magic Light Pictures the producers. The outgoing BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore and Nawfal Faizullah, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor, acquired the special. Donaldson's books have been the bedrock of the BBC's annual Christmas specials, with this being the 13th to be adapted. Last year's Tiddler took an audience of 7.3 million, which was the highest share for a Magic Light film since The Gruffalo in 2009. Her picture books remain among the most popular in the UK. It was recently announced she was writing a new 'Gruffalo' book, 21 years after the last one, 'The Gruffalo's Child', which was adapted by the BBC in 2011. 'The Scarecrows' Wedding is my favourite of all the books I've created with Axel Scheffler, so I'm extra specially pleased that it is to be this year's animated adaptation from Magic Light Pictures,' said Donaldson. 'It's a love story set on a farm by the sea, and the story contains a lot of comedy and a Hollywood-style villain. Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added: 'We're incredibly proud of our enduring partnership with Julia, Axel and Magic Light Pictures, and can't wait to bring the Scarecrows' big day to millions of viewers across the UK this Christmas. Much like the wedding itself, this charming, funny and exquisitely animated adventure has all the perfect ingredients.' Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies In Order - See Tom Cruise's 30-Year Journey As Ethan Hunt Denzel Washington's Career In Pictures: From 'Carbon Copy' To 'The Equalizer 3'
