Pop Culture

EXCLUSIVE: As the West End production of Mamma Mia! enters its 25th year on stage, Judy Craymer, its creator and driving force, is expanding the MM! universe with ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream talent show. Set on an idyllic Greek island, it’s aimed at finding MM! stars of the future. There’s definitely a desire to see MM!

MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo has died aged 46. The award-winning chef’s sudden death was confirmed by his family, who shared a statement on Facebook. His cause of death was not given. A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed the death was not being treated as suspicious. Zonfrillo’s family wrote: “With completely shattered hearts and without knowing

Back to the Future star Michael J Fox has said that he does not expect to live to the age of 80, due to his worsening health. Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s as a 29-year-old in 1991, a year after Back to the Future III was released. Now aged 61, he said the disease

Coronation Street and Last Of The Summer Wine actress Barbara Young has died at the age of 92. Singer Liza Pulman described her actress mother – who also starred in I, Claudius and Family Affairs – as “warm-hearted and talented”. Pulman said Young died on Thursday following care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. “Just to

Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling has revealed he will leave Soccer Saturday after 25 years at the helm of the show. The 68-year-old announced his intention to step down live on air during Soccer Saturday. “I’ve been at Sky for more than 30 years and loved every moment of my time as part of the

If people were asked who their dream dinner party guests might be there’s a chance either Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen or Steven Spielberg might make the list. It’s therefore no surprise waiting staff in Barcelona had to do a double-take when the former US president, the iconic singer-songwriter, and the Oscar-winning director sat down for

Florence Pugh says the idea to cut off her hair for her latest film was inspired by her own way of dealing with mental health issues when she was younger. In A Good Person the star plays a woman who becomes addicted to painkillers following a tragedy. While struggling with what she’s going through, her

At 20 years old, Gaten Matarazzo is already something of a Broadway veteran. The New Jersey native was only 9 when he made his debut in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, a few years older when he appeared in Les Misérables and then, just last year, took over the role of “Jared Kleinman” in the

Tom Daley’s husband, Dustin Lance Black, is facing trial in August accused of assaulting a woman in a London nightclub. The 48-year-old American filmmaker is accused of throwing a drink over BBC Three presenter and party planner Teddy Edwardes. Image: Teddy Edwardes (centre) co-hosts BBC3 show The Big Proud Party Agency. Pic: BBC He appeared

Jerry Springer, the well-known American TV host, has died at the age of 79. A family spokesperson told TMZ he died this morning at his home in the Chicago area. The presenter was famous for his tabloid talk show, named Jerry Springer, which he always ended with the catchphrase: “Take care of yourself and each

Tucker Carlson has spoken publicly for the first time since leaving Fox News, calling TV debates “stupid” and hitting out at “liars” who he said were trying to silence “honest people”. Posting a two-minute video on his official Twitter feed titled “Good evening”, the 53-year-old host did not directly mention the reason for his abrupt

Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has said he regrets editing guns out of his classic 1980s movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The 1982 theatrical cut includes a scene where police officers chase young children while holding firearms. Spielberg edited the guns out of the 20th anniversary release of the film and replaced them with walkie talkies. “That

Imagine a New York where construction workers tap dance on steel girders high above the city, sorta like that famous photograph you’ve seen a million times, and where kindly landladies who once played Carnegie Hall might tutor a young Holocaust refugee to a Julliard scholarship, and breezy jam sessions do away with generations of friction

Hollywood stars Bruce Willis and Demi Moore have become grandparents. The former couple’s eldest daughter, Rumer Willis, announced the birth of her first child on Tuesday. It comes two months after the announcement of her father’s dementia diagnosis. The 34-year-old actress introduced Louetta Isley Thomas Willis in a post on Instagram, describing her daughter –

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has taken the stand at the beginning of a civil trial in Manhattan alleging his hit “Thinking Out Loud” ripped off the classic Marvin Gaye tune “Let’s Get It On”. Descendants of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer on the 1973 hit, claim Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group, and music publisher Sony

A Phantom-less Broadway took a hit at the box office last week, dropping about 18% in total receipts (to $31,558,171) from the previous week when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masked singer had contributed $3.7 million in its final week. With The Phantom of the Opera gone, another long-runner took the top box office spot: The Lion

Ray Romano says he has recently had a stent put into his heart, after doctors discovered a 90% blockage in his main artery. The Everybody Loves Raymond actor, 65, said he has suffered for years from high cholesterol, but had been reticent to take medication. Opening up about his health issues, on the WTF Podcast

The Shark Is Broken, the Olivier Award-nominated stage comedy that goes behind-the-scenes of Jaws, will arrive on Broadway this summer with co-writer Ian Shaw playing his father Robert Shaw, who starred as shark-hunter Quint in the 1975 classic. Directed by Guy Masterson, The Shark Is Broken will begin a limited 16-week engagement on Tuesday, July

Only Fools And Horses star Patrick Murray has revealed his lung cancer has returned and spread – despite previous hopes he had been cured. Murray, 66, who played Mickey Pearce in the classic sitcom, first announced his diagnosis in January 2022. But in May last year, the actor expressed hope that an operation to remove

If ever a play had good reason to front-load itself with exposition, Good Night, Oscar is it. Once among America’s premiere wits and raconteurs, Oscar Levant has gone the way of many another once-famous wits and raconteurs. Which is to say, he needs lots of exposition. Good Night, Oscar, the new bio-play by Doug Wright