THEGAYUK

Category: TV

  • Michelle Visage Set For Celebrity Big Brother?

    Camp RuPaul Drag Race judge, Michelle Visage has been rumoured to be entering the Celebrity Big Brother house in tonight’s launch show.

    Known for her role in RuPaul’s Drag Race, Michelle Visage is also a columnist for a gay magazine here in the UK, and is widely seen as a gay man’s best friend – and she’ll be in good company if other rumoured contestants turn out to be true. Gay singer Kavana has been rumoured as well as Perez Hilton and Marcus Collins.

    The Sun has reported that Channel 5 execs think Marcus could have some good ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ goss, as his boyfriend of four years Robin Windsor was a ‘Strictly’ pro. They might also be looking to finding out goss about the ITV flagship show X FACTOR.

    “Marcus would be a great signing if ‘CBB’ can make it happen,” an insider tells the paper.

    “He knows all about what really goes on when you appear on ‘The X Factor’ and also dates Robin, who is a big name in ‘Strictly’ circles.”

    Channel 5’s reality show is to start tonight at 9PM. The last series was a huge success for the broadcaster after controversial contestant Evander Holyfield made homophobic comments, which saw the show becoming one of the most talked about TV events of early 2014.

  • Andi Peters Presents Ejector Seat, New Daytime Quiz Show For Daytime

    Presented by ANDI PETERS, Ejector Seat is the new quiz show that sees six players take their place in one of six imposing seats – each at the top of a track that leads back toward ‘the edge’.

    The game is simple: if players can answer a series of fast-paced general knowledge questions, they stay sitting happily in their seat. But if they answer questions incorrectly, their seat starts to travel back along its track, towards the edge. And if they fail to stop themselves, they’re ejected out of their seats and off the show for good. The competitors are ejected one by one until just one lucky contestant plays the final round with the chance to win up to £10,000.

    Andi Peters, 44, is a well-known face on British TV having made his name in the late 80s and 90s on CBBC’s broom cupboard show with Ed the Duck.

    Ejector Seat was commissioned by ITV Director of Daytime Helen Warner and ITV Commissioner Clare Ely.

    Helen Warner said: “ITV Daytime is the home of some fantastic quiz formats with the hugely successful The Chase and Tipping Point so I’m delighted to welcome… to the schedule for 2014.”

  • The Return Of Judge Rinder Announced On ITV

    ITV Daytime has commissioned two series of the hit courtroom show Judge Rinder, with seasoned British openly gay barrister, Robert Rinder.

    Robert Rinder, an expert in criminal defence, was called to The Bar in 2001 and works on large-scale fraud, murder and money laundering cases and gives lectures across the UK on financial crime. He married his husband in Ibiza in 2013. He and his husband were married by Benedict Cumberbatch.

    The two 50 x ‘60 episode series will air in 2015 following a successful first series which regularly saw the daily 2pm programme reach over one million viewers.

    The series – commissioned by ITV’s Director of Daytime – Helen Warner, is set in a studio courtroom with Rinder hearing real small-claim cases, assisted by an usher who directs the participants through the court process.

    Each show features up to three different disputes with both sides presenting their version of the facts. After interviewing claimants and defendants, Rinder rules on each case with participants agreeing that the judge’s decision is final!

    Helen Warner said:

    “I’m delighted to be bringing Judge Rinder back to ITV Daytime for a further two series. Rob has a unique appeal to viewers of all ages and the show is brilliantly produced by Tom McLennan and his team.’

    Rob Rinder said:

    “I’m thrilled that the show is returning for yet another two series and I can’t wait to bring justice to more people and work on even more challenging and entertaining cases.”

    Judge Rinder is an ITV Studios Entertainment Production for ITV Daytime. The Executive Producer is Tom Mclennan and the Series Producer is Kate Broadhurst.

  • Cucumbers + Bananas + Tofu = A Recipe For Success

    15 years ago Russell T Davies set our television screens alight with his groundbreaking series Queer As Folk that was so successful that the Americans copied it.

    Now this award-winning openly gay writer is back an about to explode on our screens with not one but three series for three different channels.

    CUCUMBER an original drama series follows 46-year-old Henry and his long-term boyfriend Lance in the aftermath of “the worst date night in history” and will air on Channel 4. BANANAS which will be on E4, will tell standalone stories by up-and-coming talent that cover – wait for it – “fifty shades of gay”.

    TOFU meanwhile, is an online documentary series about sex and sexuality and will be screened on 4oD.

    Here’s the first clip that has just been released and suddenly staying in during January looks a whole lot brighter

  • Foggy And Jake Quickenden Compare Package Sizes

    It’s not what you usually expect from good old family entertainment, but the two remaining men of this years I’m A Celebrity Get me Out of Here, compared penises sizes yesterday before a task.

    Looking at their respective costumes ahead of the infamous Cyclone task on last night’s episode of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, Jake Quickenden exclaimed, ‘Yours is bigger than mine!’ before putting his hands down the front of his costume to readjust himself – as a bemused Carl ‘Foggy’ Fogarty looked down to check out his own tackle. Later on, after successfully completing the challenge, back at the camp, Foggy decided to give the remaining campmates a show, by pulling up his trunks to show off his bulge and spanking his bottom at former Tory politician Edwina Currie, who despite complaining about the show, couldn’t keep her eyes off the former racing champion gyrations.

    Tonight one of the three remaining celebs, Mel Sykes, Jake Quickenden and Foggy will be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle after Edwina Currie was booted from the camp in last night’s episode.

    According to a poll on Digital Spy, Jake Quickenden is favourite to win with 39.5% of the vote, whilst Foggy has 32.6% of the vote and Mel has 27.8%.

    Jake entered the jungle, with Edwina, late when Gemma Collins and Craig Charles left the competition at the beginning of the series.

    I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! airs its finale at 9pm on ITV on Sunday.

  • REVIEW | Transparent

    ★★★★★ | Transparent

    After Netflix’s phenomenal success creating original content for its streaming service with two Award winning television series, now Amazon has also stepped into the area which was once the sole territory of network and cable television with the launch of Transparent its very first own series. If you haven’t caught it yet (it’s free for AMAZON PRIME subscribers) then you’re missing out as it is one of the most innovative and enjoyable family dramas that has been seen on television for years.

    It’s the story of Mort Pfefferman who has indulged and spoilt his grown-up children for years and now that he has retired he wants to share with them something that is important to him. When he asks them to gather to hear his news, they all just assume that it’s going to be something very tragic, like having terminal cancer.

    What they are not prepared to learn is that Mort is going to become Maura. This is the female who has been trapped inside him since he was a kid, and now he wants to be true to him (or rather her) self.

    The news doesn’t go over too well as these three self-absorbed siblings are all wrapped in their own lives, none of which are going too well. Sarah the oldest one feels trapped in an unhappy marriage and when Tammy her old college roommate with who she had a serious fling with shows up again, she finds an escape route.

    Jay the middle one is a successful music producer and probably the most selfish of the three. He is used to dating girls young enough to be his daughters, although that goes a little sour when one of them double crosses him at the record company where he works. He finds salvation in religion. Well to be more precise, in dating the female Rabbi. His past will catch up with him in the end as is revealed in the final episode of this first series.

    Then there is Ali the directionless brainy one who is too bright to hold down a day job so still relies on her father for handouts that she euphemistically calls ‘loans’. Her love life is equally impossible to define and when she starts dating a trans man, her brother Josh jokes that there he is now no longer the only one in his family that still likes ‘pussy’. Except his mother, but the mere thought of even contemplating his aged mother’s sex life is rather stomach turning.

    She remarried soon after divorcing Mort years ago and her ancient new husband is now fading fast. A fact that Shelly is annoyed about as not only is looking after him as his sole career a great deal of hard work, but it interferes with her own life.

    Amazon has billed this as a ‘downbeat comedy’ but what it is, in fact, is a wonderfully warm and funny series about the extraordinary journey that Maura is taking with such spirit and determination and how her choices are playing out with her family. It’s an astonishing career-defining performance from veteran actor Jeffrey Tambor who imbues the character with empathy, dignity and resilience even through the transitioning process is not always easy or comfortable. Maura may not be the most natural or charming of women, but somehow Tambor compels us to be so completely drawn to her and so wanting her to succeed.

    Great supporting cast that includes Jay Duplass, Melora Hardin, Gaby Hoffman, Kathryn Hain and Amy Landecker. However, the only other scene-stealer in the piece (besides Tambor) is veteran actor Judith Light playing the classic Jewish mother/widow to the hilt.

    The series is created and directed by Jill Soloway (Producer ‘Six Feet Under’) whose father revealed his own transitioning to her just three years ago. Although she claims that this is not at all autobiographical, she does nevertheless handle this potentially controversial subject superbly showing both remarkable insight and understanding. They were a few mumblings when the idea was initially announced that they not going to cast a transgender actor in the lead but no-one could possibly have portrayed Maura as superbly as Tambor. (Soloway did, however, make this a trans-friendly production hiring 20 in the cast and crew, and more than 60 trans men and women were employed as extras.)

    Transparent is both bold and groundbreaking and is sophisticated quality programming that is usually the Hallmark of BBC or HBO, and I cannot wait for Series 2 to arrive.

  • Andrea Faustini To Give Full Diva With Whitney Houston Classic

    Okay, who is looking forward to Andrea Faustini’s rendition of a Whitney classic.

    Andrea Faustini is bound to wow a national audience tonight live on the XFACTOR as he takes on the classic Whitney track, I Have Nothing.

    Speaking about performing at the live shows, Andrea said, ‘I just want to sing my heart out, show everyone who I really am, and give everything I have. I think this is the greatest chance I’ve ever had in my life. I still can’t believe it right now.’

    Andrea, who is the bookies’ favourite to win this year’s XFACTOR said in an interview that he felt overwhelmed when it was announced that he would be taking part in next year’s XFACTOR Tour. The tour features the finalists of the show.

    Here’s what the other contestants are singing:

    Girls
    Lauren Platt – How Will I Know?

    Groups
    Only The Young – Something About The Way You Look Tonight

    Stereo Kicks – Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me

    Overs
    Ben Haenow – I Will Always Love You

    Fleur East – I’m Every Woman

    Stevi Ritchie – I’m Still Standing

    Tonight’s show is the Whitney Vs. Elton John, you can watch it on ITV1 from 8:00PM

  • As New HIV Infections Soar, Hollyoaks Plans To Tackle With Postive Storyline

    One of the UK’s most cutting edge TV soaps, Hollyoaks, is to tackle the rising numbers of gay men who are newly infected by HIV.

    Keiron Richardson is set to make history when his character, Ste Hay, on Hollyoaks becomes the first HIV positive gay man in a British soap, in an attempt by the production company to tackle sexual health issues in gay men.

    On Monday new figures from PHE (Public Health England) revealed that new HIV infections amongst MSM (men who have sex with men) continue to buck the downward infection trend.

    Shockingly nine gay or bisexual men are infected with HIV everyday in the United Kingdom.

    Will Harris, Head of Media at Terrence Higgins Trust, said, ‘We always say that a well-researched, well-told storyline in a national soap is worth any number of health campaigns, especially for a stigmatised condition like HIV. It’s important because currently whole generations of young gay men are entering adulthood without the confidence they need to negotiate healthy sex and relationships.’

    Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said, ‘We have wanted to tell this story for a long time and while HIV can affect anyone, infection rates in young gay men remain too high and to ignore that is to do the gay audience a disservice. Hollyoaks is in a unique position to be able to talk directly to millions of young viewers and if the safe-sex message is not coming through education we can help with that both on screen and through multi-platform support.

    ‘2015 is Hollyoaks’ 20th year and to make that our “year of safe sex” felt right for a show built upon telling rites of passage stories. With Ste’s HIV and other stories for our teenage characters we will explore the many implications of unprotected sex and hope to encourage thoughtful debate amongst our audience.’

    This isn’t the first time that Hollyoaks have reached out to gay audiences with hard hitting storylines. In January the programme in its 19th year wrote about male rape in a crueling storyline which saw John Paul McQueen assaulted by Finn O’Connor.

  • Jake Quickenden to enter The Jungle

    Jake Quickenden, who’s appeared on the X Factor show twice now, will be entering the Australian outback tonight in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

    The surprise entrance will be made with ex-conservative MP Edwina Currie, joining the host of celebrities at base camp who’ve already battled with nature for the last four days. So will the jungle prove scarier than facing Simon Cowell?

    Jake and Edwina will no doubt help to boost the numbers of the camp after Gemma Collins, TOWIE, walked on Wednesday after struggling with camp life and today Craig Charles has decided to leave camp following news of his brother’s death, reported in the Mirror.

    You can catch the arrival of Jake and Edwina tonight on ITV.

  • Here It Is: The Johnny Carter And Ben Mitchell Kiss

    After weeks of will they? won’t they?, is he?, isn’t he?, Ben Mitchell and Johnny Carter finally share a smooch.

    CREDIT: (C) BBC - Photographer: Kieron McCarron
    CREDIT: (C) BBC – Photographer: Kieron McCarron

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  • Julia Davis To Return With New C4 Comedy

    Channel 4’s Upfront 2015 event for the advertising industry today broke the news that Morning has Broken, a 6 x 30-minute comedy written by and starring Julia Davis, has been commissioned.

    Ordered by Head of Comedy Phil Clarke and Commissioning Editor Rachel Springett, the series will see Davis as Gail Sinclair, the ‘Queen of Daytime’ and star of Good Morning… with Gail Sinclair.

    After eight glorious years of high ratings and winning awards, things begin to go wrong for Sinclair when the programme begins to lose viewers and tensions break out within the production team.

    Made by Brown Eyed Boy, the series will be directed by How Not To Live Your Life star Dan Clark and produced by Gary Reich.

    Julia’s past shows like Nighty Night have become cult classics, and have earned her a reputation as a camp icon – a favourite with many in the gay community.