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Sci-fi series based on Stephen King novel arrives on Stan
Telepathic and telekinetic kids from middle America are scooped up and taken to a secret institution where tests are performed on them by people who say they're saving the world. No, we're not talking about Stranger Things, though you could be forgiven for thinking so. The Institute is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name and follows brainiac Luke (Joe Freeman), who, at just 14 years old, is already too smart for high school and is about to head off to college. But before that can happen, he's kidnapped in the middle of the night and brought to The Institute, where very little is explained to him, and he has serious doubts he'll be returned to his home. He's got some telekinetic ability, but nothing he can control. There are other kids with similarly fledgling powers, and all of them are just as in the dark as he is about their fate. Meanwhile in the outside world, Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes, with more free time now Shadow and Bone was cancelled) picks up a job as a semi-civilian police employee whose only task is to walk through the small town at night knocking on doors of businesses to make sure they're not being broken into. But there's an offbeat unhoused woman along his route who knows some things that she shouldn't and has him wondering if there's some sort of conspiracy in town. Mary Louise Parker also stars in this sci-fi thriller. Two episodes were released to kick things off, with further episodes arriving weekly. If you combined The Voice, Love is Blind and Popstars (you remember the one, our first introduction to Sophie Monk) you'd come close to Building the Band. The competition singing show sees 50 wannabe boy band or girl band stars each confined to their own little pods in a big warehouse, listening to just one of their number singing their favourite song in the hope that their peers will want to work with them in a band. You need at least five people to show interest in order to proceed in the competition, and then you can chat with your fellow singers to form a group of between three and five people. None of the singers can see each other through this whole process. Hosted by Backstreet Boy AJ McClean, the series also features judges Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and Liam Payne in his last project before his tragic death. This four-part true crime docuseries does something that many other entries in the genre fail to - it puts the victims front and centre. The series delves into the murder of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, four University of Idaho students who were killed in the same off-campus share house in November, 2022. Through interviews with the slain students' closest friends and family members, as well as the perspective of local media (who are portrayed as concerned locals while the national media are considered invasive vultures), true crime fans and faculty staff, the story of the foursome's lives and deaths comes into focus. But by the nature of the case, this series doesn't have a resolution. We know who the murderer is (arrested suspect Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the crimes only days before the series was released) but we still don't know his motive or how he actually knew the victims. Without these crucial parts of the mystery, as a piece of content, One Night in Idaho is lacking. But it is still engaging and tragic, and you come away with a great sense of who these young people were and how big a hole they've left in the lives of those who loved them. Lena Dunham's back with another show after the success of comedy series Girls. This Netflix offering also stars Dunham, but she's not the main character this time around. That honour belongs to Megan Stalter as Jessica, an advertising rep who hasn't quite come to terms with her recent breakup. After a particularly humiliating encounter with her ex and his new girlfriend, Jessica decides to take up an opportunity to work at her company's London branch and get away from her sad reality. She's determined to live out her London fantasy and almost immediately finds herself attracted to pub singer Felix (Will Sharpe), a new contender for the title of 'internet boyfriend'. The comedy is a little brash and loud and American, to be expected of a series called Too Much, but fans of Dunham's work should like the show. It is chock full of cameos and appearances from familiar faces, with just the first couple of episodes alone featuring Jessica Alba, Rhea Perlman, Rita Wilson, Andrew Rannells, Emily Ratajkowski, Richard E. Grant and Adwo Aboah, among many others. If you were a fan of Bosch, there's a new spin-off to enjoy in Prime Video's Ballard. The crime series stars Maggie Q as the titular cold case detective who thinks she's found the work of a serial killer in a case more than two decades old. On Disney+ fans can rejoice in some behind-the-scenes action and interviews celebrating the legacy of the original summer blockbuster, with Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Meanwhile younger audiences can catch the latest Disney original musical with Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires. Disney+ also has the return It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with season 17 starting on Wednesday. Over on AppleTV+ there's a new season of sci-fi drama Foundation, and nature documentary series The Wild Ones, which follows three experts trying to save several species from extinction. Telepathic and telekinetic kids from middle America are scooped up and taken to a secret institution where tests are performed on them by people who say they're saving the world. No, we're not talking about Stranger Things, though you could be forgiven for thinking so. The Institute is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name and follows brainiac Luke (Joe Freeman), who, at just 14 years old, is already too smart for high school and is about to head off to college. But before that can happen, he's kidnapped in the middle of the night and brought to The Institute, where very little is explained to him, and he has serious doubts he'll be returned to his home. He's got some telekinetic ability, but nothing he can control. There are other kids with similarly fledgling powers, and all of them are just as in the dark as he is about their fate. Meanwhile in the outside world, Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes, with more free time now Shadow and Bone was cancelled) picks up a job as a semi-civilian police employee whose only task is to walk through the small town at night knocking on doors of businesses to make sure they're not being broken into. But there's an offbeat unhoused woman along his route who knows some things that she shouldn't and has him wondering if there's some sort of conspiracy in town. Mary Louise Parker also stars in this sci-fi thriller. Two episodes were released to kick things off, with further episodes arriving weekly. If you combined The Voice, Love is Blind and Popstars (you remember the one, our first introduction to Sophie Monk) you'd come close to Building the Band. The competition singing show sees 50 wannabe boy band or girl band stars each confined to their own little pods in a big warehouse, listening to just one of their number singing their favourite song in the hope that their peers will want to work with them in a band. You need at least five people to show interest in order to proceed in the competition, and then you can chat with your fellow singers to form a group of between three and five people. None of the singers can see each other through this whole process. Hosted by Backstreet Boy AJ McClean, the series also features judges Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and Liam Payne in his last project before his tragic death. This four-part true crime docuseries does something that many other entries in the genre fail to - it puts the victims front and centre. The series delves into the murder of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, four University of Idaho students who were killed in the same off-campus share house in November, 2022. Through interviews with the slain students' closest friends and family members, as well as the perspective of local media (who are portrayed as concerned locals while the national media are considered invasive vultures), true crime fans and faculty staff, the story of the foursome's lives and deaths comes into focus. But by the nature of the case, this series doesn't have a resolution. We know who the murderer is (arrested suspect Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the crimes only days before the series was released) but we still don't know his motive or how he actually knew the victims. Without these crucial parts of the mystery, as a piece of content, One Night in Idaho is lacking. But it is still engaging and tragic, and you come away with a great sense of who these young people were and how big a hole they've left in the lives of those who loved them. Lena Dunham's back with another show after the success of comedy series Girls. This Netflix offering also stars Dunham, but she's not the main character this time around. That honour belongs to Megan Stalter as Jessica, an advertising rep who hasn't quite come to terms with her recent breakup. After a particularly humiliating encounter with her ex and his new girlfriend, Jessica decides to take up an opportunity to work at her company's London branch and get away from her sad reality. She's determined to live out her London fantasy and almost immediately finds herself attracted to pub singer Felix (Will Sharpe), a new contender for the title of 'internet boyfriend'. The comedy is a little brash and loud and American, to be expected of a series called Too Much, but fans of Dunham's work should like the show. It is chock full of cameos and appearances from familiar faces, with just the first couple of episodes alone featuring Jessica Alba, Rhea Perlman, Rita Wilson, Andrew Rannells, Emily Ratajkowski, Richard E. Grant and Adwo Aboah, among many others. If you were a fan of Bosch, there's a new spin-off to enjoy in Prime Video's Ballard. The crime series stars Maggie Q as the titular cold case detective who thinks she's found the work of a serial killer in a case more than two decades old. On Disney+ fans can rejoice in some behind-the-scenes action and interviews celebrating the legacy of the original summer blockbuster, with Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Meanwhile younger audiences can catch the latest Disney original musical with Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires. Disney+ also has the return It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with season 17 starting on Wednesday. Over on AppleTV+ there's a new season of sci-fi drama Foundation, and nature documentary series The Wild Ones, which follows three experts trying to save several species from extinction. Telepathic and telekinetic kids from middle America are scooped up and taken to a secret institution where tests are performed on them by people who say they're saving the world. No, we're not talking about Stranger Things, though you could be forgiven for thinking so. The Institute is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name and follows brainiac Luke (Joe Freeman), who, at just 14 years old, is already too smart for high school and is about to head off to college. But before that can happen, he's kidnapped in the middle of the night and brought to The Institute, where very little is explained to him, and he has serious doubts he'll be returned to his home. He's got some telekinetic ability, but nothing he can control. There are other kids with similarly fledgling powers, and all of them are just as in the dark as he is about their fate. Meanwhile in the outside world, Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes, with more free time now Shadow and Bone was cancelled) picks up a job as a semi-civilian police employee whose only task is to walk through the small town at night knocking on doors of businesses to make sure they're not being broken into. But there's an offbeat unhoused woman along his route who knows some things that she shouldn't and has him wondering if there's some sort of conspiracy in town. Mary Louise Parker also stars in this sci-fi thriller. Two episodes were released to kick things off, with further episodes arriving weekly. If you combined The Voice, Love is Blind and Popstars (you remember the one, our first introduction to Sophie Monk) you'd come close to Building the Band. The competition singing show sees 50 wannabe boy band or girl band stars each confined to their own little pods in a big warehouse, listening to just one of their number singing their favourite song in the hope that their peers will want to work with them in a band. You need at least five people to show interest in order to proceed in the competition, and then you can chat with your fellow singers to form a group of between three and five people. None of the singers can see each other through this whole process. Hosted by Backstreet Boy AJ McClean, the series also features judges Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and Liam Payne in his last project before his tragic death. This four-part true crime docuseries does something that many other entries in the genre fail to - it puts the victims front and centre. The series delves into the murder of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, four University of Idaho students who were killed in the same off-campus share house in November, 2022. Through interviews with the slain students' closest friends and family members, as well as the perspective of local media (who are portrayed as concerned locals while the national media are considered invasive vultures), true crime fans and faculty staff, the story of the foursome's lives and deaths comes into focus. But by the nature of the case, this series doesn't have a resolution. We know who the murderer is (arrested suspect Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the crimes only days before the series was released) but we still don't know his motive or how he actually knew the victims. Without these crucial parts of the mystery, as a piece of content, One Night in Idaho is lacking. But it is still engaging and tragic, and you come away with a great sense of who these young people were and how big a hole they've left in the lives of those who loved them. Lena Dunham's back with another show after the success of comedy series Girls. This Netflix offering also stars Dunham, but she's not the main character this time around. That honour belongs to Megan Stalter as Jessica, an advertising rep who hasn't quite come to terms with her recent breakup. After a particularly humiliating encounter with her ex and his new girlfriend, Jessica decides to take up an opportunity to work at her company's London branch and get away from her sad reality. She's determined to live out her London fantasy and almost immediately finds herself attracted to pub singer Felix (Will Sharpe), a new contender for the title of 'internet boyfriend'. The comedy is a little brash and loud and American, to be expected of a series called Too Much, but fans of Dunham's work should like the show. It is chock full of cameos and appearances from familiar faces, with just the first couple of episodes alone featuring Jessica Alba, Rhea Perlman, Rita Wilson, Andrew Rannells, Emily Ratajkowski, Richard E. Grant and Adwo Aboah, among many others. If you were a fan of Bosch, there's a new spin-off to enjoy in Prime Video's Ballard. The crime series stars Maggie Q as the titular cold case detective who thinks she's found the work of a serial killer in a case more than two decades old. On Disney+ fans can rejoice in some behind-the-scenes action and interviews celebrating the legacy of the original summer blockbuster, with Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Meanwhile younger audiences can catch the latest Disney original musical with Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires. Disney+ also has the return It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with season 17 starting on Wednesday. Over on AppleTV+ there's a new season of sci-fi drama Foundation, and nature documentary series The Wild Ones, which follows three experts trying to save several species from extinction. Telepathic and telekinetic kids from middle America are scooped up and taken to a secret institution where tests are performed on them by people who say they're saving the world. No, we're not talking about Stranger Things, though you could be forgiven for thinking so. The Institute is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name and follows brainiac Luke (Joe Freeman), who, at just 14 years old, is already too smart for high school and is about to head off to college. But before that can happen, he's kidnapped in the middle of the night and brought to The Institute, where very little is explained to him, and he has serious doubts he'll be returned to his home. He's got some telekinetic ability, but nothing he can control. There are other kids with similarly fledgling powers, and all of them are just as in the dark as he is about their fate. Meanwhile in the outside world, Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes, with more free time now Shadow and Bone was cancelled) picks up a job as a semi-civilian police employee whose only task is to walk through the small town at night knocking on doors of businesses to make sure they're not being broken into. But there's an offbeat unhoused woman along his route who knows some things that she shouldn't and has him wondering if there's some sort of conspiracy in town. Mary Louise Parker also stars in this sci-fi thriller. Two episodes were released to kick things off, with further episodes arriving weekly. If you combined The Voice, Love is Blind and Popstars (you remember the one, our first introduction to Sophie Monk) you'd come close to Building the Band. The competition singing show sees 50 wannabe boy band or girl band stars each confined to their own little pods in a big warehouse, listening to just one of their number singing their favourite song in the hope that their peers will want to work with them in a band. You need at least five people to show interest in order to proceed in the competition, and then you can chat with your fellow singers to form a group of between three and five people. None of the singers can see each other through this whole process. Hosted by Backstreet Boy AJ McClean, the series also features judges Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and Liam Payne in his last project before his tragic death. This four-part true crime docuseries does something that many other entries in the genre fail to - it puts the victims front and centre. The series delves into the murder of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, four University of Idaho students who were killed in the same off-campus share house in November, 2022. Through interviews with the slain students' closest friends and family members, as well as the perspective of local media (who are portrayed as concerned locals while the national media are considered invasive vultures), true crime fans and faculty staff, the story of the foursome's lives and deaths comes into focus. But by the nature of the case, this series doesn't have a resolution. We know who the murderer is (arrested suspect Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the crimes only days before the series was released) but we still don't know his motive or how he actually knew the victims. Without these crucial parts of the mystery, as a piece of content, One Night in Idaho is lacking. But it is still engaging and tragic, and you come away with a great sense of who these young people were and how big a hole they've left in the lives of those who loved them. Lena Dunham's back with another show after the success of comedy series Girls. This Netflix offering also stars Dunham, but she's not the main character this time around. That honour belongs to Megan Stalter as Jessica, an advertising rep who hasn't quite come to terms with her recent breakup. After a particularly humiliating encounter with her ex and his new girlfriend, Jessica decides to take up an opportunity to work at her company's London branch and get away from her sad reality. She's determined to live out her London fantasy and almost immediately finds herself attracted to pub singer Felix (Will Sharpe), a new contender for the title of 'internet boyfriend'. The comedy is a little brash and loud and American, to be expected of a series called Too Much, but fans of Dunham's work should like the show. It is chock full of cameos and appearances from familiar faces, with just the first couple of episodes alone featuring Jessica Alba, Rhea Perlman, Rita Wilson, Andrew Rannells, Emily Ratajkowski, Richard E. Grant and Adwo Aboah, among many others. If you were a fan of Bosch, there's a new spin-off to enjoy in Prime Video's Ballard. The crime series stars Maggie Q as the titular cold case detective who thinks she's found the work of a serial killer in a case more than two decades old. On Disney+ fans can rejoice in some behind-the-scenes action and interviews celebrating the legacy of the original summer blockbuster, with Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Meanwhile younger audiences can catch the latest Disney original musical with Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires. Disney+ also has the return It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with season 17 starting on Wednesday. Over on AppleTV+ there's a new season of sci-fi drama Foundation, and nature documentary series The Wild Ones, which follows three experts trying to save several species from extinction.
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Myleene Klass: ‘That bikini got my children through school'
Recently someone asked Myleene Klass what she considered her greatest achievement, aside from her three children. 'And I said being able to use my business skills to still make money as a musician,' she says. 'Because, if music is what you want to do with your life, you're told when you're younger you'll never make any money.' Klass, who is the first to admit she has made an awful lot of money, is on a mission to change all that. The former Hear'say star turned classical music artist turned multimillionaire entrepreneur has just been appointed a visiting lecturer in musical theatre at her alma mater, the Royal Academy of Music, where she will mentor students in all things industry-related, including business and marketing. As the 47-year-old reminds me often during our interview, she unquestionably has the experience. 'I've lived all these lives: classical musician, musical theatre performer, pop star, I've had to understand branding, from being in a pop band to creating my own clothing line. Problem-solving is essential for musicians. It's great the Academy have asked me to do this because I'm living that real world daily.' We meet at the home of her publicist who has been with Klass for 20 years, by which point she had already appeared in the reality show Popstars, had four top ten singles with the band it created, Hear'Say, and a number two classical music album, Moving On. Packaged pop acts invariably have about a two-year shelf life, after which its members tend to appear on I'm a Celebrity, attempt a solo album and then drop out of view. Klass, however, did both these things and then kept on going. She became a regular on TV and radio, has recorded three albums in total and, after appearing in a white bikini on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2006, monetised the notoriety it garnered by launching a swimwear line. As she never tires of reminding people, she sells a bikini once every 60 seconds. 'I know that I'll always be reduced to the woman who wore a white bikini in the jungle,' she says. 'But that bikini has got my children through school. So who's laughing now? Feminists need pants [i.e. bikinis], what can I say? It's just that this one can also play Mozart and Rachmaninov.' It's easy to forget that Klass is a gifted pianist and violinist amid the enduring tabloid fascination with her life – which reached a peak when Graham Quinn, the father of her two daughters and a former Hear'say security guard, left her in 2013, six months after they had married – and her many appearances on Loose Women. Yet behind the scenes she is dedicated to promoting classical music to young people, particularly in less well-off areas: she is currently mentoring at her old secondary school in Great Yarmouth, one of the most deprived towns in the country. 'I'm going back into music education because there is an absolute crisis,' says Klass. who won a scholarship at London's Guildhall before studying at the Royal Academy. 'Choirs and orchestras have been removed from so many schools. The ones at my old school are long gone. But I'm involved in all aspects of their lives. One of my pupils has just won a place at business school. Which is a huge surprise to us all, and no, he won't mind me telling you that. She also admits that: 'It's hard to talk about violin lessons when most of these kids come from families that struggle to put food on the table.' Klass doesn't believe in quick fixes. She applauds Labour's spoken commitment to improvement but is sceptical of how they will implement it. 'More maths, more music was a big Labour tag line. But 'more' isn't only the answer. It's not just a case of handing over free recorders. It requires a culture shift in how we think and talk about music.' How does she think we should be talking about it? 'Music is considered a soft subject at school, which I find almost criminal. Think about what goes into being a musician. Your maths has to be en pointe, for one thing. But young musicians also need to know how to market themselves. It's a booming industry, but most musicians are badly unprepared for the real world.' There's something bulletproof about Klass. The mixed-race child of a Filipino mother and an Austrian father, she has not only survived, but emerged triumphant from under the pitiless spotlight of reality TV and pop star fame, a period in her life she describes as like 'the wild west'. On Popstars (2001), Klass discovered a microphone in a teapot in the house she was sharing with her Hear'Say bandmates. They were being secretly recorded. With Hear'say, the work schedule was so relentless the group often survived on two hours sleep (she has apparently explosive diaries from her time with Hear'Say which she hints she might yet publish). Then there was the tabloid scrutiny, and the endless comments about her body and appearance. She's now a happily settled mother of three (she shares a son with her current partner Simon Motson) and is constantly working – on July 10 she also hosts All Things Orchestral as part of BST Open House in Hyde Park. Others, though, haven't been so lucky. 'If I look at my peers, pop music has many fallen soldiers. Caroline Flack, Paul Cattermole [the former S Club Seven singer who admitted to having financial troubles before his death from heart failure in 2023], Liam Payne.' The duty of care is improving, she says, but there's still a long way to go. 'You've also got all these stories [of sexual abuse] coming out now, but we all know who the predators are because we were there. All these old men looking after young minds.' She won't be drawn further on this except to bring up Harvey Weinstein, who allegedly offered her a 'sex contract' in 2010; Klass apparently told him to f--- off. 'Predatory treatment was actively encouraged in pop music back then. But it's changing. At least today people have the language to speak out.' In 2013 she herself spoke out against the media's poisonous treatment of women in the public eye. A decade on, does she think things have improved, or worsened? 'It's all to do with language, isn't it. Run like a girl. Mum dance. Incompetent cervix [Klass has suffered four miscarriages and in December was made an MBE for her campaign to improve miscarriage care]. Everything to do with women is so negative and it drags us down. But our children are living through this. I sat down with my two daughters [now aged 14, and 17] to watch [acclaimed Netflix drama] Adolescence but none of it was a surprise to them. They've grown up with boys who watch so much porn they know the names of all the porn stars. And no, I don't trust the government to get a handle on this because you'd be asking dinosaurs to regulate the money men.' Klass, as you may have gathered by now, doesn't hold back. What, then, does she think of young female pop stars such as Sabrina Carpenter, who has been criticised for striking a sexually explicit pose on the cover of her album, or the actress Sydney Sweeney, who recently sold soap comprising her bathwater? Does she worry whether her children are growing up with good female role models? 'I feel for people like Sabrina. For Christ's sake, we grew up with Madonna masturbating on a bed. Why aren't people calling out Hollywood A-listers who go out with girls half their age? 'These girls are singing on stage in their twinkly boots living their best lives, so no, I don't want to hang this conversation on Sabrina. I want to hang it on the record company bosses, on the Harvey Weinsteins and the people who have infinite power who can direct or misdirect our views of how these girls are presented. But celebrities don't make good role models anyway – they are too far away. It's hard-working mothers who do.' You can see why Klass is such a good mentor: she's bullish, successful, unafraid to speak her mind. She'll take anyone on, too – wading into the mansion tax row with Labour in the past, clashing with Ed Miliband on ITV's The Agenda in 2014. 'I'm a Filipino girl who didn't grow up knowing the ways of Westminster or the meaning invested in the signet rings or suits, and I go into Parliament and get more done in a day than they do in a year,' she says. No wonder both Labour and the Tories have so far unsuccessfully, asked her to stand as an MP. She's also without snobbery. This is not surprising for someone who came up through reality TV and musical theatre (her first job on graduating was a part in Miss Saigon), who very much dwells in the cross over fringes of classical music, and who hosts a show on Classic FM. 'There's such a class system in this country and so music can be so defining of where people think they fit. 'But the purists who think music should be canonised and wrapped in cotton wool – that's not preserving it, it's removing it from all the people who would love to have access. Instead we should be promoting the way it lives on in film music, musical theatre, computer game soundtracks. Vivaldi for instance is all over TikTok.' The indefatigable Klass was all over TikTok during lockdown, too, giving free music lessons to children stuck at home. 'My daughter once compared me to a shark. Because if I stopped moving, I'd be dead.'
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Popstars winners Hear'Say today - from Dancing On Ice champ to Coronation Street
Hear'Say were the original reality TV pop band who shot to fame when they won the reality show Popstars in 2001 with hit single Pure and Simple, but where are they now? Hear'Say catapulted to stardom in 2001 after clinching victory in the popular singing contest Popstars, but have since gone their separate ways. Back in 2000, thousands of aspiring singers flocked to auditions for ITV's talent show, Popstars. The hopefuls were evaluated by Nigel Lythgoe, Paul Adam and Nicki Chapman, who had previously worked with the Spice Girls. The five selected vocalists formed Hear'Say, while the five runners-up went on to create the band Liberty X. The pop group's achievements set the stage for success for its members - Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan. During their time together, they dominated the charts with their hit single Pure and Simple and their album titled Popstars – both the single and the album secured the number one spots at the time. 2001 saw the band achieve so much, going from strength to strength and garnering an impressive fan base. Due to Kym's unwavering popularity, she fast became the most famous member - which was partly down to the fact that she was dating EastEnders ' actor Jack Ryder at the time. Everything fell apart for the band when Kym announced she was leaving in 2002 – but what have the Hear'Say members been up to since they went their separate ways? Kym Marsh As we discovered earlier on, Kym left the band in 2002 to 'pursue solo ventures' – but she later revealed that not all was what it seemed. Rumours have often swirled around whether or not there were feuds among the bandmates, and apparently, this was the case. Kym apparently clashed with Myleene Klass and Noel Sullivan – which is part of the reason the band split. Jumping ship from music to acting, Kym moved to the cobbled streets and joined the cast of Coronation Street in 2006. Fans will remember the brunette beauty joining the soap as Michelle Connor, where she was a part of some huge storylines. She ended up staying in the soap for 13 years and announced her departure in 2019. Myleene Klass Mylene is another successful former member of Hear'Say and has gone on to have a glowing career since the band broke up. One year after the band split, she signed a five-album deal with Universal Classics and Jazz, with a classical music album being released a year later in 2003. She's had number ones and number twos in the UK chart – going from strength-to-strength as a classical music artist. Myleene has also had a glowing career on TV and has often popped up on our screens. Most will remember the stunning brunette star for appearing on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here in 2006 – yes, she was responsible for the slew of iconic shower scenes! In 2010, she also hosted Popstar to Operastar – keeping her work within the realm of her classical music expertise. And you may recognise her dulcet tones from presenting her own radio show on Smooth Radio. Suzanne Shaw Suzanne Shaw was just 21 when Hear'Say split, but this didn't prevent her from making a name for herself and hitting the big time. She went on to perform on the West End and was the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in 2005. After that, she starred as Janet in The Rocky Horror Show national tour. A couple of years after her theatre stin,t she went on to star in The Bill in 2007. Fans of the band or those who love the soaps might recognise her from her role of Eve Birch in Emmerdale, or from when she won Dancing on Ice in 2008. More recently,y she's dipped her toe into panto and in 2021 she played Belle in Beauty and the Beast at Chesterfield's Pomegranate Theatre. Danny Foster Danny Foster hasn't really stayed in the public eye since the breakdown of the super band, but he's doing pretty well. He's thought to still be singing, while in the band, Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation, which has a focus on performing Motown songs. His dream of making it big has never gone away though and in 2013 he auditioned for The Voice but sadly didn't make it through. Danny's social media presence is very low-key, and he has just under 4K followers on Instagram. Posting snippets of his life with wife Victoria Goddard, Danny appears to be incredibly spiritual and his bio says he's, "on a mission - creating life of well-being" along with "spreading love". Noel Sullivan Noel Sullivan is a Welsh singer and actor who has gone on to have a brilliant career since his stint in the band and its subsequent downfall. Like Suzanne, he has gone on to star in many stage productions, including Fame and as Danny in Grease on the West End. In 2010, he appeared in the hit rom-com TV series Gavin and Stacey. Noel announced he got hitched in 2017 to his husband James.
The Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Huge ITV reality TV star ditches fame for very normal career – and admits she's ‘failed more times than I'd have liked'
A HUGE reality reality star has ditched fame for a very normal career. Admitting that she has failed more times than she would have liked, Popstars starlet Suzanne Shaw has gotten candid in a new video shared on Instagram. 10 10 10 10 Suzanne, 43, shot to fame on the hit ITV reality talent show in 2000 when she was thrust into new band Hear'Say. At just 18 years of age, Suzanne became a huge star and went on to have a glowing career. Appearing in musicals on the stage, and on several TV shows, Suzanne even starred and competed in Dancing On Ice in 2008. But Suzanne ended up making a massive career U-turn and ditching fame for a pretty normal career. After her foray with fame, the Bury-born beauty now works as a motivational speaker. In a recent video shared onto her Instagram account, suzanneshawofficial, which has over 7,000 followers, Suzanne got candid about failure. "I have failed so many times in my life. In business, in parenthood, in relationships," she said in the video. She went on: "Sometimes I even look back at those failures and I feel really embarrassed. "But what I do not allow it to do, is hold me back from my next set of aspirations." In the caption, Suzanne wrote: "It's time to normalise failure and to also flip the script! Everyone fails at some point in their life!!! And those who succeed most fail MORE!" Suzanne Shaw smashes 19-hour running challenge to raise funds for mental health charity after booze and pills battle She later added: "I've failed more times than I'd have liked - in many areas of my life. "When I look back on those time I sometimes feel embarrassed or ashamed but then I quickly remind myself. Who cares!!! "At least I gave it a go or prepared to fully embrace this crazy life!" Suzanne went on: "Every time I have a whopper of a failure I always think - well this will make for a great anecdote for a speaking gig or a character in my book!" 10 10 10 Last year, Suzanne opened up about her motivational speaking career. Speaking to New! Magazine, she said: "I help people get through sobriety and help them on their wellness journey, so that's what I do now as a job." She also told the magazine that it had been four years since she last drank alcohol. "It wasn't healthy, and it wasn't something that was going to benefit my life. "I didn't have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, it just wasn't for me," she said at the time. Suzanne is a mother to two children. The former pop star turned motivational speaker welcomed her first child, Corey MacKenzie Shaw-Day in December 2004 with Darren Day. Her second child was born in 2015 with fiancé Sam Greenfield. In December 2015, the couple welcomed a boy named Rafferty.
Scottish Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Huge ITV reality TV star ditches fame for very normal career – and admits she's ‘failed more times than I'd have liked'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE reality reality star has ditched fame for a very normal career. Admitting that she has failed more times than she would have liked, Popstars starlet Suzanne Shaw has gotten candid in a new video shared on Instagram. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 10 Suzanne Shaw shot to fame 25 years ago Credit: Instagram/suzanneshawofficial 10 She now works as a coach and motivational speaker Credit: Instagram/suzanneshawofficial 10 Suzanne often shares motivational videos online with her followers Credit: Instagram/suzanneshawofficial 10 Opening up in a candid way, Suzanne often creates relatable content for her followers Credit: Instagram/suzanneshawofficial 10 She has traded fame for helping people Credit: Instagram/suzanneshawofficial Suzanne, 43, shot to fame on the hit ITV reality talent show in 2000 when she was thrust into new band Hear'Say. At just 18 years of age, Suzanne became a huge star and went on to have a glowing career. Appearing in musicals on the stage, and on several TV shows, Suzanne even starred and competed in Dancing On Ice in 2008. But Suzanne ended up making a massive career U-turn and ditching fame for a pretty normal career. After her foray with fame, the Bury-born beauty now works as a motivational speaker. In a recent video shared onto her Instagram account, suzanneshawofficial, which has over 7,000 followers, Suzanne got candid about failure. "I have failed so many times in my life. In business, in parenthood, in relationships," she said in the video. She went on: "Sometimes I even look back at those failures and I feel really embarrassed. "But what I do not allow it to do, is hold me back from my next set of aspirations." In the caption, Suzanne wrote: "It's time to normalise failure and to also flip the script! Everyone fails at some point in their life!!! And those who succeed most fail MORE!" Suzanne Shaw smashes 19-hour running challenge to raise funds for mental health charity after booze and pills battle She later added: "I've failed more times than I'd have liked - in many areas of my life. "When I look back on those time I sometimes feel embarrassed or ashamed but then I quickly remind myself. Who cares!!! "At least I gave it a go or prepared to fully embrace this crazy life!" Suzanne went on: "Every time I have a whopper of a failure I always think - well this will make for a great anecdote for a speaking gig or a character in my book!" 10 Suzanne Shaw was in the Popstars group Hear'Say Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 10 She shot to fame in 2000 Credit: ITV 10 She competed in Dancing On Ice in 2008 Credit: ITV Last year, Suzanne opened up about her motivational speaking career. Speaking to New! Magazine, she said: "I help people get through sobriety and help them on their wellness journey, so that's what I do now as a job." She also told the magazine that it had been four years since she last drank alcohol. "It wasn't healthy, and it wasn't something that was going to benefit my life. "I didn't have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, it just wasn't for me," she said at the time. Suzanne is a mother to two children. The former pop star turned motivational speaker welcomed her first child, Corey MacKenzie Shaw-Day in December 2004 with Darren Day. Her second child was born in 2015 with fiancé Sam Greenfield. In December 2015, the couple welcomed a boy named Rafferty. 10 Suzanne is mum to two sons Credit: Splash
