Latest news with #RichardBacon
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Ellen DeGeneres: I moved to the UK because of Donald Trump
US TV star Ellen DeGeneres has made her first public appearance since moving to the UK, saying she decided to settle in England the day after Donald Trump was re-elected US comedian and host told a crowd in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, that life "is just better" in the said she and wife Portia de Rossi were considering getting married again in England after some moves in the US to reverse the right to gay marriage, and that America can still be "scary for people to be who they are".She also addressed allegations of a toxic workplace that led to the end of her long-running chat show in 2022, admitting she could be "very blunt", but dismissed the stories as "clickbait". 'We're staying here' Ellen was one of the biggest names on US TV for 30 years, thanks to her daytime chat show, as well as her self-titled 1990s sitcom, for hosting the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys, and for voicing Dory in Finding her talk show was cancelled and a "final stand-up tour", she bought a house in the Cotswolds, a historic and picturesque area mainly spanning parts of Gloucestershire and Sunday at the Everyman theatre in nearby Cheltenham, she was in conversation with broadcaster Richard Bacon, who asked whether reports that she moved because of Donald Trump were correct. "Yes," she 67-year-old said she and De Rossi had initially planned to spend three or four months a year in the UK and bought what they thought would be "a part-time house"."We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, 'He got in'," she said. "And we're like, 'We're staying here'." Ellen has been giving glimpses of her new rural life on social media, in videos showing her farm animals including sheep - although they have now been sold after they kept escaping."It's absolutely beautiful," she said. "We're just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture - everything you see is charming and it's just a simpler way of life."It's clean. Everything here is just better - the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here."We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life. We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks." Being gay in Hollywood 'is still a problem' On her last tour, she joked that she had been "kicked out of show business twice" - the first being when she came out as gay in effectively led to the end of her sitcom after advertisers pulled out and the network stopped promoting it, she told the Cheltenham crowd on asked whether her visibility had encouraged other people to come out. "I would say no," she replied. "I imagined a lot of people coming out like meerkats poking out of a hole and going back in again. 'How's she doing? OK, no, no.'"But it is "a really hard decision" that doesn't suit everyone, she continued, and that things are better today "in some ways"."If it was [better], all these other people that are actors and actresses that I know they're gay, they'd be out, but they're not, because it's still a problem. People are still scared." Ellen also referenced a recent move by the Southern Baptist Convention to endorse the reversal of a Supreme Court case allowing same-sex marriage. At least nine state legislatures have introduced bills to do the same."The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage," she said. "They're trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it. And Portia and I are already looking into it. And if they do that, we're going to get married here."Later, in response to an audience question, she added: "I wish we were at a place where it was not scary for people to be who they are. I wish that we lived in a society where everybody could accept other people and their differences."So until we're there, I think there's a hard place to say we have huge progress."However, the younger generation are "more comfortable with it" and are "just kind of fluid", she added. "So I think the younger generation is going to show us the way." 'Does being blunt mean I'm mean?' After some former workers on her talk show made allegations of a toxic workplace culture, the star - who ended every episode by telling viewers to "be kind to one another" - was dubbed as "mean" in the the scandal three producers were sacked amid allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment, and the final season of the show opened with DeGeneres giving an on-air addressed that in her 2024 tour and the accompanying Netflix stand-up special."No matter what, any article that came up, it was like, 'She's mean', and it's like, how do I deal with this without sounding like a victim or 'poor me' or complaining? But I wanted to address it."It's as simple as, I'm a direct person, and I'm very blunt, and I guess sometimes that means that... I'm mean?" She also said it was "kind of crazy" that saying someone is mean "can be the worst thing that you say about a woman"."How dare us have any kind of mood, or you can't be anything other than nice and sweet and kind and submissive and complacent?"She added: "I don't think I can say anything that's ever going to get rid of that [reputation] or dispel it, which is hurtful to me. I hate it. I hate that people think that I'm that because I know who I am and I know that I'm an empathetic, compassionate person."It was "certainly an unpleasant way to end" her talk show, she said. Would 'love' a British talk show Ellen said she misses "a lot" about her show, but doesn't think a similar format would work any more. "I mean, I wish it did, because I would do the same thing here. I would love to do that again, but I just feel like people are watching on their phones, or people aren't really paying attention as much to televisions, because we're so inundated with with information and entertainment."She said she didn't know what she would do in the future, but would pick her next move "very carefully"."I just don't know what that is yet," she said. "I want to have fun, I want to do something. I do like my chickens but I'm a little bit bored."
Edinburgh Live
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
The Edinburgh Fringe drag act 'unrecognisable' from days as Blue Peter star
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Former Blue Peter presenter, Stuart Miles, is barely recognisable two decades after leaving the popular children's show. Stuart famously departed from Blue Peter, criticising the programme for being "out of touch" with its young BBC viewers. His exit came just three months after his friend and co-host Richard Bacon was sacked due to cocaine use, with Stuart arguing that youngsters had lost interest in the arts and crafts and pet segments of the show. "With the year 2000 nearly here we've got to make Blue Peter more relevant to modern-thinking children," he declared, "less twee, more hard-hitting. I know it's like a comfort blanket for a lot of people, a programme that will never shock or offend you, but we err on the side of caution." At the age of 27, Stuart was, at the time, the longest-serving presenter on Blue Peter. His departure was a significant setback for the corporation, already dealing with the repercussions of Richard Bacon's drug scandal and his subsequent replacement on the show. (Image: PA) However, 26 years after Blue Peter, Stuart's career continues to thrive. He has since hosted a variety of major shows both behind and in front of the camera, reports the Daily Star. He has guest-presented programmes such as This Morning and Holiday, and became a regular on Sky Vegas, an interactive TV gambling channel. He later hosted a breakfast show for Heart alongside his former co-star, Katy Hill, according to the Mirror. In 2008, he presented a drag act at the Edinburgh Fringe dubbed The Adventures of Pink Peter, wherein he appeared as Vera Singleton, purported to be the sister of Valerie Singleton, one of Blue Peter's early hosts. Looking back on his tenure with Blue Peter ten years on, Stuart shared that he regrets not being open about his sexuality during those years. Speaking to Metro, he revealed: "I only have one regret and that is I spent a lot of my time on the show feeling conflicted about my sexuality. "I was frightened of the reaction I may get both in the press and from the parents of children who watched the show if I came out as a gay man." Further elaborating, he stated: "This may seem daft to someone growing up gay in 2018 but it's easy to forget how, as little as 20 years ago, we were in a very different place." Now at 56, Stuart is barely recognisable from his days on Blue Peter and has carved out a new niche for himself as a professional speaker with Great British Speakers. Recent times have seen Blue Peter, which is now in its 66th year, undergo a considerable transformation, moving away from live episodes to pre-recorded content. Just last year, ex-hosts Anthea Turner and Janet Ellis led a campaign to save the programme when it faced the threat of being outsourced.
Evening Standard
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Blue Peter to air with ‘digital-first magazine format' from new studio
Following former Blue Peter presenters Richard Bacon and Simon Thomas expressing their upset at the programme moving away from real-time TV, a BBC spokeswoman said in March that the series has been a mix of live and pre-recorded shows for decades, and it has decided to stop future live episodes 'as viewing habits change'.
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Blue Peter presenters' lives now - from sex tape and cocaine scandal to 'porn' role
While Blue Peter has launched the careers of many TV presenters, some stars have struggled to shake off their association with the iconic children's show after leaving. The wholesome reputation of Blue Peter - the longest-running children's TV programme globally - has occasionally been marred by the off-screen behaviour of its presenters. From Richard Bacon's cocaine scandal in the 1990s to Scots entertainer John Leslie's leaked sex tape and sexual assault allegations; Konnie Huq's phone-in controversies and TV executives failing to shield their youngest host, Yvette Fielding, from convicted paedophile Rolf Harris, the show has sometimes made headlines for all the wrong reasons since it started in 1958. But what became of these hosts after they bid farewell to the show? Here, The Record delves into the varied fortunes of some of Blue Peter's most cherished presenters. Richard Bacon Arguably one of the most notorious former hosts, Richard has carved out a successful career as a US TV producer based in LA, where he generates new concepts for game shows. But, even though it is nearly three decades later, the now 47-year-oldis perhaps best remembered for his dismissal from Blue Peter following a cocaine incident at a London nightclub. In October 1998, at just 22 years old, Bacon became the first presenter on the children's show to have his contract terminated mid-run after confessing to using the Class A drug when a Sunday tabloid exposed the story. Despite this setback, Bacon managed to salvage his television career, going on to host The Big Breakfast and Top of The Pops, as well as securing an afternoon slot on BBC Radio 5 Live. In 2014, Bacon ventured to the US to anchor a daytime television programme and he has also opened up about his historical battles with addiction, particularly regarding alcohol. He admitted to The Guardian: "My wife would like me to do AA all the time, and I just don't, but I have said I will spend more time with our therapist examining my relationship to drink." During a visit back home in 2018, Bacon became ill and took himself to A&E at Lewisham hospital, where it was found that he was critically sick with pneumonia. Doctors placed him in an induced coma. Reflecting on the traumatic episode, Richard shared what doctors had told him post-recovery: "You were lying on the hospital trolley, you were crashing. You turned blue. We thought you were going to go into cardiac arrest and die." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Upon waking up nine days later from his brush with death, Bacon learned that healthcare professionals in the London hospital's ICU had performed a tracheotomy to save his life. Bacon is now living in LA with his spouse Rebecca McFarlane and their two kids Arthur, 14, and Ivy, 11. He joked: "I could bring peace to the Middle East and still, when I die, the top line of the obituary will be 'fired from Blue Peter '." Before Bacon's appearance, Scots presenter John Leslie co-hosted Blue Peter alongside the departed Caron Keating and Anthea Turner between 1989 and 1994. Leslie went out with The Mask of Zorro star Catherine Zeta-Jones, but became more famous for dating nurse and model Abi Titmuss after a private tape of her having sex with another woman - filmed by Leslie - was leaked But Leslie's successful career as a co-host of This Morning with Fern Britton came to an abrupt halt in 2002 when Swedish TV presenter Ulrika Johnson alleged in her autobiography that she had been raped by "an acquaintance" when she was 19 and Matthew Wright mentioned Leslie's name by mistake on live television. Despite being cleared of all charges, he told the Scottish Mail: "I lost everything overnight. I'd gone from earning over £300,000 to not a single penny coming in. And I spent about £500,000 on legal costs." Forced to sell his £3.5m mansion and return to his hometown of Edinburgh, Leslie managed to get by on royalties and DJing gigs. Having battled his way back from being a "depressed and suicidal" recluse, the 60-year-old is currently a property developer and resides with his girlfriend Kate Moore. But Leslie has continued to be plagued by historical assault allegations. A woman claimed he groped her breasts at a celebrity party in 2008, and again in 2017, he was accused of sliding his hand down the back of a woman's trousers while dancing. Leslie has consistently denied both allegations and was acquitted in both cases. Yvette Fielding Convicted paedophile Rolf Harris was a frequent guest on numerous BBC shows. But Yvette Fielding, who joined as a co-presenter alongside Mark Curry and Caron Keating at the age of 18 in 1987, disclosed that she was molested by the disgraced entertainer after being left alone with him in a TV studio. Last year, she criticised the BBC for not fulfilling its duty of care towards her. Speaking to The Sun, she said: "It was bizarre to think Rolf Harris was squeezing and patting my bottom and I am standing there, thinking, 'I don't know what to do.' Other people in the industry must have known what he was like and (they) left me alone in the studio with him. That shouldn't have happened. I think a lot of them did know'." Now aged 56, Fielding is most recognised for hosting and co-creating the paranormal TV show Most Haunted with her cameraman and producer husband Karl Beattie. Konnie Huq Konnie Huq, who co- presented with Richard Bacon and held the record as the longest-serving female presenter on the show from 1997 to 2008, had to apologise live on air for a phone-in scandal that resulted in the BBC being fined an unprecedented £50,000 by Ofcom. The corporation confessed that the results of a Blue Peter competition to identify the celebrity owner of a pair of shoes were fabricated when the show allowed a child visiting the studio to pose as a caller due to technical issues preventing real calls from reaching the studio. Konnie was also implicated in the show's cat-naming scandal. She later said: "I was horrified. I couldn't believe it was allowed to happen. It was partly because of the scam I made the decision to leave." Married to the mastermind behind Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker, the 49 year old London-based mother of two has transitioned from her TV presenting and celebrity game show panelist days to penning books and scripts, carving out a niche as a successful children's author. Pet scandals Blue Peter without its controversies, particularly when it came to their furry co-stars. The first major incident occurred in 1962 when it was later revealed that Petra, the show's first pet, was hastily replaced by a lookalike after the original dog tragically died of distemper just two days before her scheduled debut. Biddy Baxter, the long-serving Blue Peter editor who stepped down in 1988, disclosed in her memoir, 'The Woman Who Made Blue Peter', "It was unthinkable to traumatise our youngest viewers, so we had to trawl London for the dead pup's lookalike." Another memorable moment involved a dispute over Shep, the programme's beloved border collie, following the departure of legendary presenter John Noakes after a 12-year stint during which he became synonymous with the show's golden era alongside Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves. Shep, who had lived with Noakes since his first appearance on screen in 1971, became the centre of a heated argument when Noakes left. He said at the time: "I thought Shep was mine – they told me I could keep him, but they went back on their word." Now aged 91, Biddy Baxter clarified in her book that Noakes did indeed take Shep with him until 1982, when he and his wife Vicky embarked on a global sailing adventure, after which Shep was taken in by the show's pet carer Edith Menezes. Noakes passed away in 2017. Peter Duncan In 1980, the audacious Noakes was succeeded by another man of action, actor Peter Duncan, who had previously appeared in a risqué film titled The Lifetaker. Despite the ensuing controversy, Duncan, who co- hosted alongside Simon Groom, Sarah Greene and Janet Ellis, wasn't dismissed. Reflecting on the incident, he said:"They called me a soft porn star and it was nonsense. Yes, there was a little soft-focus nudity, but it wasn't salacious." Duncan even made light of the situation in 2014 when he tweeted: "For your pleasure on my 60th trailer from my 1973 'porn' film that caused trauma and headlines." In the early 2000s, Duncan and his wife Annie produced a series of family holiday documentaries featuring their four children. Now aged 71, the former chief scout remains active every Christmas, staging his Jack and the Beanstalk panto production. Stars lost too soon When Duncan departed from the show for the first time in 1984, he was replaced by Michael Sundin, whose tenure was marred by controversy following rumours about his sexuality, leading to his dismissal. Tragically, Michael passed away at the age of 28 from an Aids-related illness in 1989, although it was reported as "liver cancer" at the time. The show also mourned the loss of another presenter taken too soon, Gloria Hunniford's daughter Caron Keating, who succumbed to breast cancer in April 2004 after a seven-year battle. She was only 41 and left behind two young sons. Peter Purves Blue Peter's longest-serving male presenter, Peter Purves, is still alive today at the age of 86. Working on Blue Peter between 1967 and 1978, Purves once took the headlines for a fleeting romantic encounter with fellow presenter Valerie Singleton during his marriage. He later said: "It was only one night. We remained great friends." Purves disclosed how his countless trips to sunny shores while on Blue Peter led to skin cancer. Speaking with The Mail on Sunday, he said: "I travelled to 27 countries with Blue Peter in the 1960s and early 70s." Successfully defying the so-called Blue Peter curse, Purves now enjoys a tranquil life tucked away in Suffolk with his wife Kathryn Evans and their cherished dogs. Singleton, who is 88, chose not to marry or have children. She pursued a radio career post-Blue Peter before calling it a day and settling down in Somerset.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC's Blue Peter ends live episodes after 67 years
Blue Peter, the longest-running children's show in the world, has recorded its final live episode as the show moves to a pre-recorded format, the BBC has confirmed. The corporation said the magazine show, which first aired in 1958, had been a mix of live and pre-recorded shows for decades. It has decided to put an end to its live episodes "as viewing habits change". Former presenters Simon Thomas and Richard Bacon expressed their disappointment at the news over the weekend, with the latter saying "being live is what made it alive". Thomas, now a Sky Sports presenter, posted on Instagram: "We probably didn't realise it at the time, but we were working in the last years of the golden age of children's TV, a time when children's programmes filled the afternoons and Saturday mornings on BBC1 and ITV. "An era when audiences were measured in the millions rather than the thousands. "I don't say golden in arrogant way; but everything has fragmented now and the way children consume entertainment has changed forever. There will never be another era like it again." Bacon responded saying he "loved" the long-running series and described it as "a big, well-made, lovingly made, really well resourced live kids TV show. That had been live in that building for decades". "It was a magical experience (for, you know, all of 20 months)." The presenter was sacked from the show in the 1990s after admitting drug taking but returned for its 60th anniversary, receiving a famous Blue Peter badge. Blue Peter, which features viewer and presenter challenges, interviews, pets and garden action, will continue to be filmed in Salford and broadcast on CBBC and BBC Two as well as on the iPlayer. "The programme has been a mix of live and pre-recorded shows for decades and has transitioned to a pre-record model as viewing habits change," said a spokesperson. "Blue Peter continues to be loved by generations across the UK. "As we continue to navigate a challenging market and young audience viewing habits evolve, it is necessary to make some changes to ensure that BBC Studios Kids and Family Productions delivers a dynamic, digital-first brand that will future-proof the show and sustain its legacy for years to come." The current presenting line-up includes Shini Muthukrishnan, Joel Mawhinney and Abby Cook. Daniel earns Blue Peter badge for RNLI fundraising From Bean to Cup: Blue Peter discovers the secrets of Brazilian coffee, 1977
