Latest news with #SallyLindsay
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Near-perfect' crime series starring Coronation Street legend finally hits Netflix - as viewers hail it as 'a refreshing change' for the genre
A 'near-perfect' crime series starring a Coronation Street legend has finally hit Netflix, as viewers hailed it 'a refreshing change' for the genre. The Madame Blanc Mysteries, which dropped on the streamer on Wednesday, stars Sally Lindsay, known as Rovers Return landlady Shelley Unwin in the ITV soap. The cosy crime show, which started on Channel 5 in 2021 to massive success, follows Sally as Cheshire antiques dealer turned armchair detective Jean White. Set in a fictional village in southern France, it sees amateur investigator Jean, helped by a cast of locals, solve her husband's murder - and an array of other mysteries. The four series were co-written by Sally, with long-time writing partner British actress Sue Vincent, who also stars as local garage owner Gloria. It also features an array of guest stars, including Les Dennis and the late Paul O'Grady - and its avid fans will be delighted to now be able to stream it all on Netflix. The cosy crime show (pictured), which started on Channel 5 in 2021 to massive success, follows Sally as Cheshire antiques dealer turned armchair detective Jean White One dubbed the series 'almost perfect' in a review left on film cataloguing site IMDb: 'Really enjoying this comedy-drama-mystery so far. 'It's great to have a show written by and predominately starring over 50s that is clean enough for all generations to watch together.' Another wrote: 'Silly fun in a light entertainment format. Of course it's not meant to be taken seriously. Of course the actors are hamming it up. 'It's still an entertaining little package best enjoyed with a nice glass of red French wine.' Someone else commented: 'Really enjoyed this. Great location. A bright, sunny and refreshing change. 'The ongoing mystery is intriguing and the self-contained weekly case to be solved keeps things ticking along nicely. A lovely change.' One user was keen to see more: 'I would like to see more of this. A mystery without the over dramatising. 'I like the characters and there is a lovely mystery to solve. The background of France is so entertaining also. A nice break from England and the US.' Its avid fans will be delighted to now be able to stream it all on Netflix The show starts with her husband Rory's (Peter Gaynor) death in a car crash while at holiday home in the fictional village of Saint Victoire. As she puts his affairs in order, she realises to her horror that all her assets have been pawned off, leaving her penniless - so she heads to France to try to sort things out. She soon suspects foul play in Rory's death, as well as the possibility he was leading a double life, with another woman and family entirely. Not only that, his priceless ring has gone missing - creating a clear motive for a potential killer. She is not tackling the investigation alone though, joined by taxi driver and potential new love interest Dom (Benidorm's Steve Edge). Expat chateau owners Jeremy and Judith (Robin Askwith and Only Fools and Horses' Sue Holderness) are also there to help. They are joined in their crime fighting by The Chuckle Brothers' Paul Chuckle as local man Trevor and Blackadder's Tony Robinson as Dom's uncle Patrick. And each episode of the series brings a new case for the gang to tackle. A festive special of the sun-soaked series, filmed in Malta, has already been commissioned, to warm the winter months. And four series in to The Madame Blanc Mysteries, Sally has said she will keep writing it as long as there is appetite for it. She said ahead of the fourth season's release early last year: 'I'm not under any, "Yes, I'll quit when I'm on a high". No, I won't. 'I love it so much. I will do it until they want me to not do it, to be honest, because it's such a special thing in my life. And it's such a part of our lives now.' It comes after viewers recently revisited another enjoyable sun-soaked project from Sally, now also available on Netflix. Love Rat - first released to Channel 5 in March last year - follows Emma, played by Sally, a woman at a crossroads in later life. Just divorced from husband Pete (Men Behaving Badly's Neil Morrissey) and estranged from her daughter, she grows tired of mundane everyday life. In search of escape, she travels to Cyprus on holiday where she quickly embarks on a whirlwind romance with handsome, rich hotel owner Niko (Gerald Kyd). But not all is as it seems as Emma suddenly finds herself scammed out of her life savings - and enlisting her ex to help get them back. Fans have taken to film review and catalogue site IMDb to admire the four-part series, initially seemingly some fun in the sun, which turns into a psychological thriller. One commenter said: 'When you first watch episode one, you think it's going to be about a general love rat romance on holiday, stealing money etc. 'It's from episode two onwards it then becomes so much more!' Another added: 'It's one of the drama highlights of 2024 and certainly one of Channel 5's better drama offerings. 'I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not often these days do I binge watch a show. 'Full of twists and turns. Expect the unexpected. It's loaded with suspense and keeps you guessing until the very end.' Someone else, who could recommend watching it one sitting, said: 'A realistic scenario of psycho narcissistic abuse lurks behind the series' true plot twist. 'This series has moments of suspense well-played. Well done to [the] actors involved in this... Great series.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Carol Vorderman stumped by 'easy' showbiz question on new quiz show Celebrity Puzzling - but can YOU solve it?
Carol Vorderman was stumped by a showbiz question on Celebrity Puzzling - but can you solve it? Hosted by Jeremy Vine, the new Channel 5 quiz show sees stars take on mind-bending puzzles with Sally Lindsay and Carol as team captains. During Wednesday's instalment, Carol was teamed up with Ore Oduba and found herself stuck during the Cinema Cipher round. The segment had the stars figure out the title of the film from a code consisting of symbols. Carol and Ore were presented with animal pictures that could be deciphered into the title of a Jack Black film. Ore asked the TV star: 'Do you know any Jack Black movies?' 'No,' she replied. After deliberating for some time, they were given a clue that butterflies symbolised the letter O. Ore exclaimed: 'Oh, I was just listening to it this morning!' He then gave the correct answer, School Of Rock. It was revealed earlier this year that Celebrity Puzzling would be hitting screens. Puzzling first launched last year and was hosted by Lucy Worsley before being shelved. Since then, Jeremy has fronted the new series with Carol and Sally. Carol commented on her new TV role and revealed she 'loves' brainteasers. 'I'm so excited to be a team captain on Celebrity Puzzling,' she said. 'Finally, all those years of loving numbers, words and brainteasers are about to pay off! Well, I hope that they are.' The broadcaster added: 'Joining forces with my brilliant and really good mate Sally Lindsay, and with the ever-clever Jeremy Vine keeping us all in line, it's going to be a battle of brains… and I'm going to be fighting all the way, of course!' Host Jeremy said: 'It's amazing to do a quiz that's so simple and yet feels so fresh in every way. 'Celebrity Puzzling is one of those shows where, from the very first edition, everything fell into place with our amazing 5 team, with Carol and with Sally, and we just had the greatest fun in the studio. 'Not to mention burning through quite a few brain cells as we all tried to solve those beastly puzzles!' While Sally admitted she was apprehensive at first and shared: 'I was honestly a bit nervous about this challenge as I'm more your general knowledge type but even though it was really competitive at times I surprised myself on some rounds!
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Carol Vorderman, 65, shows off her VERY smooth visage as she cosies up to Melvin Odoom, 44, for the first time since he admitted she's his showbiz crush in the I'm A Celeb jungle
Carol Vorderman showed off her very smooth visage as she reunited with Melvin Odoom for the first since he admitted he had a crush on her on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Carol, 65, and Melvin, 44, were in the studio together for the return of the Channel 5 show Celebrity Puzzling, on which they were joined by Jeremy Vine and actress Sally Lindsay. It marked the first time the pair had met up since they sent fans into a frenzy as Carol appeared flattered to hear she was Melvin's Showbiz crush late last year. And they seemed elated to be reuniting as Carol shared pictures of her and Melvin, 20 years her junior, cosying up together on-set. In one, Carol - who displayed her smooth complexion and incredible curves in leather trousers - locked arms with her co-presenter as they posed for a snap. The pair also beamed for a selfie together as Carol, sporting a red lipstick look, rested her head on Melvin's. In a video posted to Carol's Instagram, the flirty tension between the duo was obvious as the presenter teased: 'Guess who I'm with,' before Melvin quickly replied: 'It's happened - best day ever.' The 65-year-old - who's been a regular on our TV screens for more than four decades - described Melvin as a 'very special guy' in her caption. She penned: 'Reunited with a very special guy this evening... my jungle man @melvinodoom! This was definitely what I call a fun day at work! 'Tune in to see if we can beat team @sallylindsay tonight on #CelebrityPuzzling! Will we come out on top or is it going to be another hilarious showdown?' In the comments section, a clearly smug Melvin replied: 'Life is good (heart emoji)' Melvin, who appeared on the most recent season of I'm A Celeb, shocked his campmates when he chose to have a pillow with Carol's face on it as his luxury item. After it arrived, Melvin explained why the former Countdown star earned a spot on his pillow, saying: 'My dad, my mum and Carol Vorderman. My crush.' 'I have been a fan of Carol Vorderman for a very long time - in fact, I have a little rap.' He then recited: 'I know a woman so fine, she's mature like a fine wine. The mandem can't comprehend my 10 out of 10 Carol Vorderman, woo. I wanna work her out, check your DMs girl and I'll be waiting.' Carol, who had been keeping up with the show, was quick to respond and sent him a message by calling into spin off show I'm a Celebrity... Unpacked. She said: 'Melvin… or should I say jungle man, Melvin Vorderman. Right, question, have you been spying on me? Because only last night I had little Thai food...' She then added: 'Jungle man, keep doing what you are doing, you're doing a brilliant job. see you on other side.' Then, after leaving the jungle, Melvin couldn't help but to DM Carol on Instagram - but revealed during an appearance on GK Barry's Saving Grace podcast that the much-loved presenter ghosted him. 'You lot were pressuring me so much in the Jungle, so when I got home, I sent Carol a DM as the people who were looking after my page said she was a great support while I was in there,' he said. 'It just said here's my number, give me a call. But she's still not read it. It's been three weeks. I still check it once a week to see!' The pair at last met up on Wednesday, around six months after Melvin left the jungle, for the third episode of Celebrity Puzzling after the show recently made a return. The new series, which consists of eight episodes airing every weekday, sees a different star join the teams each week to tackle a variety of puzzles and problems. After the show's return was announced, Carol revealed she was 'so excited' to be named as a team caption last month. 'Finally, all those years of loving numbers, words and brainteasers are about to pay off! Well, I hope that they are,' she said. 'Joining forces with my brilliant and really good mate Sally Lindsay, and with the ever-clever Jeremy Vine keeping us all in line, it's going to be a battle of brains… and I'm going to be fighting all the way, of course!' Celebrity Puzzling first hit screens last year and was hosted by Lucy Worsley before being shelved.
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Netflix fans can now binge all 4 seasons of 'near-perfect' crime series
Cosy crime has managed to carve out an escapist monopoly – with Death Valley and Ludwig the latest TV iterations to find an audience on the BBC. But Channel 5 has had another enjoyably gentle whodunnit on its screens for several years now – and it's just dropped on Netflix. The Madame Blanc Mysteries stars Coronation Street alum Sally Lindsay – who created, co-wrote and executive-produced the show – as antiques dealer Jean White, who sets about investigating the death of her husband and other miscellaneous misdemeanors. Set in a quaint south of France village, Jean teams up with taxi driver Dom, played by Benidorm's Steve Edge, to get to the bottom of things. The pair are this show's incarnation of the classic amateur detective duo and, later on, love interests. All four seasons of the crime caper have just hit the streaming service, complete with a set of larger-than-life characters and a bit of summer escapism in the Malta and Gozo filming locations, which stand in for the fictional village of Sainte Victoire. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Jean suspects foul play in her husband Rory's death, putting two and two together to get to the answer that he was leading a double life – possibly one that involved an entirely other family. He was murdered by his other women for a ruby ring, putting Jean on the hunt for the killer and the jewel. The cast is filled out with Robin Askwith and Only Fools and Horses' Sue Holderness, as a couple of expats living large in a chateau, as well as one half of the Chuckle Brothers, Paul Chuckle, and Blackadder's Tony Robinson. The show already has a Christmas special on the way this year – so you could binge all four seasons just in time for that – and Lindsay has said she will make The Madame Blanc Mysteries for as long as Channel 5 want them. Ahead of the fourth season, she told gathered press: 'I'm not under any, 'Yes, I'll quit when I'm on a high'. No, I won't. I love it so much. I will do it until they want me to not do it, to be honest, because it's such a special thing in my life. And it's such a part of our lives now.' The feel-good cosy crime show has a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its first season, as well as several positive reviews on IMDb. SunnyDaise described the show as 'almost perfect', writing: 'It's great to have a show written by and predominantly starring over 50s that is clean enough for all generations to watch together.' More Trending Paul_anson described the show as 'silly fun in a light entertainment format'. 'Of course it's not meant to be taken seriously,' Paul added. 'Of course the actors are hamming it up. It's still an entertaining little package best enjoyed with a nice glass of red French wine.' 'Really enjoyed this,' echoed robbiep-53815. 'Great location. A bright sunny and refreshing change. The ongoing mystery is intriguing and the self contained weekly case to be solved keeps things ticking along nicely. A lovely change.' View More » The Madame Blanc Mysteries is available to stream on Netflix. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Liam Payne fans heartbroken over 'special' first glimpse of singer in Netflix series MORE: Netflix's controversial new thriller watched 2,400,000 times gets second season MORE: The completely free streaming service that boasts 10,000 shows and movies
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EastEnders legend Shaun Williamson bags new TV gig 18 years after being killed off as Barry - and it's worlds away from the BBC soap
EastEnders legend Shaun Williamson has bagged a new TV gig 18 years after being killed off as Barry. Soap fans may remember Shaun as Barry Evans who first appeared on the show back in 1994. Barry died after being pushed off a cliff edge by his wife Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) in 2004. Shaun's new role is worlds away from the popular BBC soap and it has been revealed he will be featuring on Channel 5 's Celebrity Puzzling. Hosted by Jeremy Vine, the spin-off is set to see stars take on mind-bending puzzles across eight instalments. The new series is set to being on Monday, June 23 and Jeremy will be joined by Sally Lindsay and Carol Vorderman who act as team captains. Shaun will play on Sally's team in the finale episode against The Chase star Paul Sinah, also known as The Sinnerman. Other celebrities set to feature across the series include former England goalkeeper David James, comic Les Dennis, TV doctor Ranj Singh, actor John Thomson, and Olympic gold medallist Sam Quek, amongst others. Commenting on the spin-off, Jeremy said: 'It's amazing to do a quiz that's so simple and yet feels so fresh in every way. 'Celebrity Puzzling is one of those shows where, from the very first edition, everything fell into place with our amazing 5 team, with Carol and with Sally, and we just had the greatest fun in the studio. 'Not to mention burning through quite a few brain cells as we all tried to solve those beastly puzzles!' Just last year, Shaun delighted the crowd at Alexandra Palace by performing Sweet Caroline. The crowd at the World Darts Championship certainly welcomed his performance, which generated a superb atmosphere. In addition, he also performed 1980s song '(Something Inside) So Strong'. The darts cheerleaders joined in with his performance by dancing along. There was much applause for Shaun, who is frequently referred to by the name of his EastEnders character. After leaving EastEnders in 2004, Shaun went on to appear in sitcom Extras as 'Barry off EastEnders'; a satirical version of himself.
