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Broadcaster Kirsty Young has launched her first podcast, Young Again on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. The theme of the podcast is about having a conversation with your younger self and what would you tell them. Kirsty Young revisits the pivotal moments in her guests lives, reflecting on what they wish they had known at the time and discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they would give their younger selves.

‘The Traitors’ Host Claudia Winkleman Wins Edinburgh Award

The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman is to receive the Outstanding Achivement Award at this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival. Winkleman has been a BBC stalwart for years and has been hosting smash hit Strictly Come Dancing since its inception two decades ago. More recently, she hosted BBC breakout The Traitors, winning over audiences and awards juries for her warm, light touch approach. She also hosts Channel 4’s The Piano and a BBC Radio 2 weekend show. Winkleman will receive her award during an In Conversation with Kirsty Young to discuss her career and highlights from the past three decades. “I am humbled and honoured to accept this Outstanding Achievement Award,” she said. “I am ridiculously lucky and work with extraordinary people, so this is actually for them and not for me.” Last year’s award was won by Motherland and Cunk on Earth star Diane Morgan.

Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer has confirmed Kirsty Young’s first podcast as part of a range of new commissions for BBC Radio 4. The announcement was made during a speech at the Voice of the Listener and Viewer conference, with shows hosted by some of the country’s best-known names. The new content led by Kirsty Young, Helena Bonham-Carter, Mary Beard and Martha Kearney will range from ancient Rome to an ambitious partnership with The National Portrait Gallery and stories from the unsung war heroes of the Second World War.

The coronation of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla, set to take place in the U.K. on Saturday morning local time, is likely to be the last major royal event for at least a decade, with thousands of guests attending Westminster Abbey in person and hundreds of millions more watching on screens across the world.

But what does a coronation actually involve? And where can you watch? Variety is here to answer all your burning royal questions.

What Will Happen?

Technically the crown passed to King Charles the moment that his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last September (which is why he’s been known as King Charles since that day). But the coronation will see him officially invested with regal powers, which are mostly ceremonial these days.

The ceremony, which will see the Archbishop of Canterbury place a crown on the King’s head and anoint him with holy oil,...

King Charles III’s historic Coronation on May 6 starts at 10 a.m. BST in the UK at 5 a.m. Et/2 a.m. Pt in the U.S. Every major British and American network will have live coverage of the event, which you can watch live in the player embedded below.

The Itinerary

The first Coronation for seven decades will see Charles and Queen Consort Camilla take a King’s Procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. There will then be a service during which the official Coronation will take place, beginning around 10:20 a.m. GMT (2:20 a.m. Pt)

King Charles III will be officially crowned, and his wife Camilla will become Queen Camilla during the ceremony. King Charles technically became King upon his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September, but the Coronation — the first in the UK since 1953 — will make it official. Camilla has been Queen...

For many royalists, the coronation of King Charles III is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Many royal family followers were not alive when Queen Elizabeth was coronated in 1953. Therefore, Charles’ ascension is something that will draw great public interest. There are many ways this historic event can be watched. Here’s a guide to keeping up with every minute of the day’s many elements.

King Charles’ coronation takes place on May 6, 2023, | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images How to watch the coronation of King Charles III

There are many options to watch the coronation of King Charles III. CBS, ABC, and NBC will all have reporters on the ground at the event.

As for cable services, both Fox News and CNN will have complete coronation coverage. The BBC and streaming service Paramount+ will also cover the event.

Sky News is streaming the coronation on its website, app, and YouTube channel. The coronation will...

Eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her son Charles is set to be officially crowned as king.

The monarch will be crowned King Charles III in a ceremony on Saturday 6 May, which comes during a special Bank Holiday weekend.

Thousands are expected to gather on the route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, with procedings also set to be televised in full.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the coronation on TV...

A live broadcast of ceremonial events will air on the BBC throughout the day, including the procession to the Abbey, the coronation itself, and the journey back to Buckingham Palace.

Following their return to The Mall, King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, will appear on the balcony.

Coverage will lead on BBC One, with BBC Two airing signed coverage of the ceremony.

Via the red button, there will also be...

Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby has turned down the chance to play a role in the BBC’s coverage of the King’s coronation, according to reports.

The BBC’s coverage of the 6 May event will be led by Kirsty Young, 54, in a studio outside Buckingham Palace, with Huw Edwards, 61, and Clare Balding, 52, providing commentary.

Dimbleby, 84, was offered a role in the coverage, according to a report in The Times, but opted against playing “second fiddle” in the presenting lineup.

The Independent has contacted Dimbleby’s representatives for comment.

It is not clear what exactly Dimbleby’s role would have entailed, but it signals a shift from tradition: his father Richard covered the funeral of George VI in 1952 and Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation the following year.

Dimbleby himself has been a prominent figure in the BBC’s royal coverage for many years and he came out of retirement last September...

The BBC has unveiled its presenter line-up for King Charles III’s Coronation next month.

Presenters revealed this morning include Huw Edwards, who will provide commentary on the Saturday May 6 proceedings, Anita Rani and Clare Balding. Rani will join the gathered crowds while Balding, the new face of the BBC’s tennis coverage, will provide commentary on the ceremonial route.

The event will take place on Saturday May 6 and involve a number of ceremonial proceedings with King Charles III and his wife Camilla, who will be crowned Queen alongside him in London.

Other presenters revealed this morning include Kirsty Young, JJ Chalmers, Sophie Raworth and radio presenters Mishal Hussain, Martha Kearney and James Naughtie.

The BBC said the event, which comes around eight months after King Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away, will “be at the forefront of technology with proceedings on iPlayer streaming live from multiple locations in...

You’re watching the BBC News at 10, and everything’s gone bloody bats*** mental,” newsreaders may have wanted to say, but have not. For months now – years, even – broadcasters have been heroically reporting on the unfolding chaos of our political world without giving any hint of their own thoughts or feelings. They must tell us the unprofessional things the government has been doing while always remaining consummately professional. But levels of dysfunction within the Tory party have recently reached a high watermark, and some of the on-screen poker faces have slipped. And, frankly, who could blame them?

How, for example, could BBC newsreader Martine Croxall not get the giggles, late on Sunday night, when telling us that Boris Johnson wouldn’t stand in the leadership contest? His David Brent-esque return from the Dominican Republic to try and reclaim his old job had flopped beautifully, and the human response was to find that deeply funny.

Andrew Marr has apparently expressed his “surprise” at his voiceover being removed from the BBC’s official tribute film for the Queen.

The broadcaster, who left his BBC One talk show in December, had spent years making updates to a documentary that would be aired upon the monarch’s death.

Despite no longer being employed at the company, Marr is said to have been told that his voice would still be present on the film when the time came for its broadcast.

In an interview on The News Agents podcast earlier this month, he said that he’d worked on a film about the Queen designed to go out at “a certain moment”, telling the hosts: “I found that quite an emotional thing to do.”

After the Queen died at the age of 96 on Thursday (8 September), A Tribute to Her Majesty the Queen aired on BBC One on Friday evening.

Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations are almost upon us, with four days’ worth of events featuring some of the biggest stars coming up on the BBC and ABC News.

A packed schedule is incoming across the next four days, with Britons handed an additional day’s holiday from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June and huge street parties planned across the UK.

In the U.S., viewers will be able to watch the majority of the events on ABC News following an agreement struck between the network and BBC Studios. This includes Saturday’s mega celebration and coverage of the major formal celebrations Thursday. Good Morning America has featured special weeklong coverage all week and will broadcast special editions live from London from tomorrow.

Scroll down for the full list but highlights include Saturday’s two-hour Platinum Party at the Palace, a Buckingham Palace-set celebration on BBC One and...

A host of the stage, screen and sports stars will help celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the British throne at a BBC Studios Productions-led live event at Buckingham Palace titled the Platinum Party in the Park.

Queen + Adam Lambert, Elton John and Diana Ross will all perform at the event for the Platinum Jubilee, which will be broadcast live on June 4, with other such as David Attenborough, soccer star David Beckham, Stephen Fry, Julie Andrews and breakout British tennis player Emma Raducanu also appearing.

Aping Brian May’s Golden Jubilee performance on the roof of Buckingham Palace 20 years ago, Queen + Adam Lambert will open the event with specially produced performance. Elton John, has recorded a special performance from Italy, while Sam Ryder, who placed second at Eurovision over the weekend, will also perform.

Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, Craig David and Niles Rodgers are among the other music stars,...

British Comedy Legend Billy Connolly To Be Given BAFTA Fellowship

Pioneering Scottish comedian Billy Connolly is to be given the BAFTA Fellowship at this year’s Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards. Connolly, who has been active on the British TV and standup circuit for almost 50 years, will be handed the highest achievement bestowed by BAFTA at Sunday’s ceremony, an award that has previously been given to the likes of Judi Dench, David Attenborough and Joanna Lumley. The award comes almost 30 years after Connolly won his first BAFTA in the BAFTA Scotland Entertainment category. Having left school at 15 to become a Welder, he was catapulted to fame in 1975 after a particularly outrageous appearance on BBC chatshow Parkinson and went on to make a variety of comedy shows, films and docs including the likes of the legendary An Audience with Billy Connolly standup, and he is still active today. Connolly said: “I am deeply honoured.

When he was 11 years old, Demis Hassabis was the second highest-rated chess player in the world for his age. His parents had taken him out of school to practice and focus on the game. During a tournament in Liechtenstein, he matched the Danish chess champion move-for-move for over ten hours of competitive play. They then spent four hours in a near-stalemate. Finally, Hassabis resigned, at which point the champion showed him the move he might have made to continue the match. The young Demis had an epiphany.

“It made me think, ‘Are we wasting our minds?’” he told Kirsty Young of BBC Radio decades later. “At that level of chess, they’re all fantastically smart people. What if we used that brain power for something more useful, like solving cancer or curing some disease?” Hassabis told his parents he wanted something more than to excel at a single game.

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According...

Royal wedding mania has kicked off, as guests have started to arrive in Windsor for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. There’s round-the-clock coverage in the UK and Europe, and even the French networks are covering the event.

The BBC, ITV, and Sky are all covering the event all morning, while the ceremony is set to kick off at 12pm GMT. Football fans will be pleased to hear that it will be finished before the Fa Cup Final, the soccer tournament that is the UK’s answer to the Superbowl.

Click here for Deadline’s full photo gallery of all of the stars arriving.

George Clooney and his wife Amal have just arrived, while The Wire star Idris Elba and his fiancee Sabrina Dhowre are joined alongside Oprah and David and Victoria Beckham.

Markle’s Suits co-stars, including Gabriel Macht and Patrick Adams, have also arrived, having spent...

U.K. TV networks have been covering Meghan Markle and Prince Harry extensively in the run-up to their wedding day. As the big day finally arrived, they went to wall-to-wall coverage of the royal nuptials beginning early Saturday.

The 600 invited wedding guests started arriving at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel before 9:30 a.m. London time (1:30 a.m. L.A. time). Around 11:20 a.m., the royal family is expected to arrive.

Leading the TV coverage for BBC One were Kirsty Young, Huw Edwards, Dermot O’Leary, Tina Daheley, Alex Jones, Ore Oduba and Anita Rani....

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding is almost here! The adorable couple will tie the knot at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday, May 19, and, as expected, the world will be watching. As the royals prepare to say "I do" at 12 p.m. GMT, several outlets will be on hand with live coverage of the highly anticipated event. Ahead, we've rounded up all of the places where you can watch the royal affair. Then, if you're still thirsty for more details, check out the rest of our royal wedding content here.

Related: The Countdown Is On! Everything You Need to Know About Harry and Meghan's Wedding ABC: Robin Roberts of Good Morning America and David Muir of World News Tonight will host live coverage from London at 5:00 a.m. Et. CBS: CBS This Morning's Gayle King and Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier will anchor...

The BBC has revealed its programming plans to cover the May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and Suits star Meghan Markle.

The British public broadcaster has lined up The X Factor host Dermot O’Leary and Crimewatch and Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young to present the nuptials alongside BBC news presenter Huw Edwards. Ore Odubda, who won Strictly Come Dancing, the British version of Dancing with the Stars, Radio One’s Tina Daheley and The One Show host Alex Jones will join, marking the BBC’s most diverse line-up to cover a royal wedding.

The BBC is the only broadcaster allowed to film the actual ceremony, which takes places in St George’s Chapel in Windsor, but it will share its coverage with global networks.

The broadcaster has also lined up major radio plans including Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, who also appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here,...

Tom Hanks may be an internationally known and much-loved actor, but that doesn't take the sting out of his lonely childhood memories. Hanks, 59, got emotional when talking to Kirsty Young, the host of Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4, and explaining the eight records he would take with him to a desert island. The desert island scenario is surely one that Hanks is familiar with - he famously played a man lost at sea for 14 months in the movie Castaway", which earned him an Oscar nomination in 2000. During the segment, the actor had to compose himself several times when talking...

Do you love watching Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins on “The Great British Bake Off”? You might not have known that the two hosts also have their own talk show, “Mel and Sue.” The talk show can be viewed through FilmOn’S online BBC channel. The television show features Giedroyc and Perkins discussing entertainment, popular culture and, of course, the best of what home cooks have to offer. On one of the episodes, viewers can learn more about one of BBC2′s shows, “Nurse,” from two of the stars. Here’s more about this episode: “Chat show with Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. Desert Island Discs’ host Kirsty Young and Paul Whitehouse and [ Read More ]

The post Mel and Sue, Available now on FilmOn.com appeared first on Shockya.com.

A 16-minute excerpt of William Hartnell's Desert Island Discs has been found and put online.

The actor played the first incarnation of The Doctor in Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966 and he recorded his spot on what was then Roy Plomley's show on Monday, August 23, 1965.

"This is the only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desert Island Discs and begins with the castaway's first choice of music," notes current Kirsty Young at the start of the recording.

Hartnell's favourite piece of music is 'The Spring Song from A King in New York' by Charlie Chaplin.

His top book is English Social History by G M Trevelyan and his luxury is cigarettes.

During the interview Hartnell talks about preferring horses to the theatre and running away from school at an early age with the hope of becoming a jockey.

Former BBC executive Steve Condie has joined the Seven Network.s UK production co-venture 7Wonder as head of specialist factual.

Condie comes from Oxford Scientific Films where he executive produced series for the BBC and Channel 4 including the Philippa Gregory-presented The Real White Queen, Jimmy Doherty's Food Prices - The Shocking Truth and BBC Four's music and fashion series Oh You Pretty Things.

That follows last month's appointments of Chris Wilson as head of popular factual and Mish Mayer as head of development.

At the BBC Condie led the history development team in the factual division whose output included The Power of Art presented by Simon Schama,. The Seventies with Dominic Sandbrook and The British Family with Kirsty Young.

Wilson was commissioning editor for factual at Sky where he was responsible for projects including The Sun Set, Micky Flanagan.s Detour de France, Flintoff: From Lords to The Ring,...

After the whirlwind awards run earlier this year for “12 Years A Slave,” and with no project yet on the horizon, director Steve McQueen is kicking back and enjoying the time off by stopping by the BBC Radio show “Desert Island Discs,” to both showcase some of his favorite music and talk a bit about his career. Hosted by Kirsty Young, the BBC Radio 4 program sits down with a guest each week to ask them what eight pieces of music, literature, and luxury they would take if they were stranded on an island, all the while interviewing the subjects. It should come as no surprise that McQueen was his typical honest self, whether it was talking about being underestimated as a student by his school (he was placed in a class focusing on manual labor) or explaining his decision to not play up the evilness of the violence of the slave...

Stars in Their Eyes is coming back - and the show's looking for contestants.

Last month, ITV confirmed that Harry Hill will host a brand new version of the classic singing programme, which sees members of the public being transformed into popstars.

Members of the public who think they can channel their favourite popstar are now being invited to apply for the show online at www.starsintheireyes.com.

"Without a doubt, appearing on Stars in Their Eyes as Morrissey all those years ago (although beaten, unfairly in my view, by Kirsty Young's Peggy Lee) was one of the highlights of my light entertainment career," said Hill.

"So imagine the smile brought to my lips when I was asked by ITV at a secret breakfast meeting in a top London hotel to take the reins of this Rolls Royce of pop-impression talent shows and walk in the footsteps of showbiz giants Crowther,...

ITV has officially announced that Stars in their Eyes will return.

Harry Hill will host a rebooted version of the musical talent show, which originally ran from 1990 to 2006.

Members of the public will be transformed into popstars by top makeup and wardrobe artists, before impersonating them in a brand new arena.

Hill said: "Without a doubt, appearing on Stars in their Eyes as Morrissey all those years ago (although beaten, unfairly in my view, by Kirsty Young's Peggy Lee) was one of the highlights of my light entertainment career.

"So imagine the smile bought to my lips when I was asked by ITV at a secret breakfast meeting in a top London hotel to take the reigns of this Rolls-Royce of pop-impression talent shows and walk in the footsteps of showbiz giants Crowther, Kelly and Deeley! And on ITV too!

"Dust off the wigs and sequins - I'm coming home!

ITV's Tonight: The Rise of Discount Supermarkets was Friday's highest rated show outside of soaps.

Exploring the success of budget supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl, Tonight was seen by an average audience of 4.73m (24.3%) viewers at 8pm on ITV.

ITV's evening continued with 2.63 million (13%) for drama series Lewis at 9pm, while Pierce Brosnan's James Bond movie Die Another Day played to 877k (10.1%) at 10.35pm.

Have I Got News for You continued to be a ratings success for BBC One, attracting 4.01 million (19.4%) at 9pm. This week's show was hosted by Crimewatch presenter Kirsty Young.

It was followed by 3.09 million (15.7%) for Room 101 at 9.30pm, while 3.21 million (24.2%) tuned in to watch Julie Andrews, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on The Graham Norton Show at 10.40pm.

BBC One's evening kicked off with an average audience of 3.22 million (18.1%) for The One Show at 7pm, followed by 2.6m (12.8%) for Rhs Chelsea Flower Show...

Jennifer Saunders will be the first guest host in the new series of Have I Got News For You.

The Absolutely Fabulous presenter will be at the helm on Friday, April 4, when the show returns to BBC One.

Saunders appeared for the first time on the politics show in 2013 as a guest and will return this time in the hot seat, alongside team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.

"It's thrilling to have worked up the courage to take on Have I Got News For You and I shall pitch myself somewhere safely between Kirsty Young and Kathy Burke," said Saunders.

Have I Got News For You's 47th series will be a nine-episode run.

Further hosts and guests will be announced soon.

Alistair McGowan has been named Star Baker in the final episode of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

The comedian and impressionist beat Doon Mackichan, Helen Skelton and Rochelle Humes to win the coveted apron today (January 16).

He managed to win over Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood with his pizza in the signature bake round, his second-placed Eccles cakes in the technical challenge, and his Hawkeye Victoria sponge in the showstopper part of the competition.

"Alistair won because he triumphed with his sponge today," Berry explained. "It was absolutely delicious. He should be proud."

Humes - who impressed with her pizza and showstopper but had a disaster in the technical challenge after mixing up salt and sugar - said she was "really proud" to get through the competition with no tears, commenting: "I had a really good time."

Elsewhere, Skelton joked that it was nice to take part in a...

Kirsty Young was named Star Baker in tonight's instalment of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

The Desert Island Discs presenter managed to beat Olympian Greg Rutherford, actress Jane Horrocks and Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner to take home the coveted apron.

She won over judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood with her showstopper chocolate cake - which had coconut sand, chocolate records and lots of rum to represent Desert Island Discs.

Young admitted that she felt "ridiculously delighted" with her victory, saying: "I feel fantastic. I love it. I love to win - who knew? I've never won anything."

Berry and Hollywood both said they were "proud" of the broadcaster, with the latter describing her as a "deserving winner".

Meanwhile, Rutherford expressed delight that Hollywood had seen potential in his baking, but Gardiner was less happy with the competition's events.

"I will never, never go into another kitchen,...

Kirsty Young was named Star Baker in Tuesday's instalment of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

The Desert Island Discs presenter managed to beat Olympian Greg Rutherford, actress Jane Horrocks and Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner to take home the coveted apron.

She won over judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood with her showstopper chocolate cake - which had coconut sand, chocolate records and lots of rum to represent Desert Island Discs.

Young admitted that she felt "ridiculously delighted" with her victory, saying: "I feel fantastic. I love it. I love to win - who knew? I've never won anything."

Berry and Hollywood both said they were "proud" of the broadcaster, with the latter describing her as a "deserving winner".

Meanwhile, Rutherford expressed delight that Hollywood had seen potential in his baking, but Gardiner was less happy with the competition's events.

"I will never, never go into another kitchen,...

Jason Gardiner, Jane Horrocks, Greg Rutherford and Kirsty Young will take part in tonight's episode of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

The foursome will be doing their best to impress in the famous Bake Off tent as part of Sport Relief's latest fundraising campaign.

Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry will be back to test the famous faces' foodstuffs, but tonight the proceedings will be hosted by Jo Brand, who previously took part in the Comic Relief edition of the show.

The four celebrities will be challenged with making gingerbread and banoffee pie during their time on the Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

However, the real difficulties will come when they are asked to make a chocolate cake representing their job for the showstopper section of the programme.

Will Jason Gardiner be Dancing on Ice, or will Kirsty Young be making the news for once? Will Jane Horrocks be...

Rochelle Humes, Jamelia and Victoria Pendleton are among the celebrities confirmed to be taking part in The Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

A total of 16 famous faces will be entering the infamous tent in the hope of impressing judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.

Impressionist Alistair McGowan, singer Michael Ball and Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner will also take part in the four-part BBC Two series, which will air every night from Monday, January 13 to Thursday, January 16.

Samantha Bond, Bonnie Wright, Emma Freud, Jane Horrocks, Greg Rutherford, Helen Skelton, Johnny Vaughan, Doon Mackichan, Michael Vaughan and Kirsty Young complete the lineup.

For the first time, a number of guest presenters will also step into the tent to host the series, which is in aid of Sport Relief. As well as regular presenter Sue Perkins, comedians Omid Djalili, Ed Byrne and Jo Brand are to each host one episode.

Brand...

BBC One maintained its Friday night ratings grip outside of soaps last night (November 1), with Have I Got News For You and The Graham Norton Show securing more than a fifth of the audience.

This week's instalment of topical panel show Have I Got News For You featured Kirsty Young as guest host, alongside panelists Ian Hislop, Paul Merton, Max Keiser and Tony Law. The 9pm show brought in 4.49 million viewers, with an audience share of 20.6%.

Citizen Khan attracted 2.86m (13.9%) viewers at 9.30pm, but ultimately lost out to ITV 1's Piers Morgan's Life Stories. The Graham Norton Show returned BBC One to the top of the ratings pile with 3.59m viewers - a 26.4% share.

Piers Morgan's Life Stories with Riverdance star Michael Flatley attracted an audience of 3.82m (18%) on ITV 1. However, the channel's Friday night film, Closer, only pulled in 610,000 viewers (6.5%).

Channel 4's Friday night comedy lineup continued to...

The director reveals he is a 'great fan' of the Us standup comic. Meanwhile, Geri Halliwell looks set to star in her own TV comedy show and London's Glee Club isn't happy

This week's comedy news

Woody Allen has been talking to the New York Times about his desire to make a film with standup comic Louis Ck. The latter has a small role in Allen's forthcoming feature Blue Jasmine, but the part isn't "commensurate with his talent", says Allen. "[So] when I finished this picture, I went into my room and thought, what would be a fun picture? My first thought was: can I come up with something that I could do with Louis Ck? … Some day, I will get something that we could do together, because I do think it would be fun. I'm such a great fan of his."

Elsewhere in Hollywood, Mike Myers in hatching a directorial...

Hugh Laurie has revealed that he and Stephen Fry have discussed plans for a possible reunion in the future.

The former House actor told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young that he and his former comedy partner "often" talk about working together again.

However, Laurie ruled out the chances of the pair filming a new sketch show.

"I think probably sketching is a young man's game because, by and large, it's about mocking people much older than you," he said.

"We are now not only the age of cabinet ministers, we are actually probably older than half the cabinet."

Fry and Laurie first met at Cambridge University, before making four series of the sketch show A Bit of Fry and Laurie. They also starred together in a TV adaptation of PG Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster.

Speaking about Fry, Laurie said that he had a "pretty instantaneous" friendship...

Dawn French has admitted that she nearly turned down her role in The Vicar of Dibley. The actress admitted that she questioned whether the show was funny enough when she was initially offered the part, reports the BBC. French spoke about her famous role in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. "I thought, 'How on earth do you play a central character who's so blooming good?'" she told Kirsty Young. "I thought, 'Where are the flaws? Where is the monster in this woman?' That's what I understand comedy to be. The show aired on the BBC for 13 years before its final episode on New Year's Day 2007, and featured (more)...

The music choices became sidenotes as the Hollywood star struck up an affable rapport with Kirsty Young

Few programmes spark the satisfaction a particularly good edition of Desert Island Discs does. Fewer still match Kirsty Young's talent for being the best interviewer in the business. Young has a way of eking out compelling portraits of people you might never have heard of, sucking listeners in anyway. It was almost inevitable, then, that Dustin Hoffman's turn as a castaway would become this week's must-hear.

"A 'funny guy' was a nice way of putting it. I was a real loser," he says of his teens in that pleasingly deep nasal honk. Hoffman's aunt told him he was too ugly to be an actor and he later describes The Graduate as "a freak accident that was never meant to be".

It is a familiar celebrity narrative, this – the "doomed to be a failure,...

The Graham Norton Show rallied to a new series high for BBC One on Friday night, the latest overnight data indicates. Featuring Cheryl Cole and Katy Perry, the latest programme attracted 4.19m (25.6%) at the late time of 10.35pm, beating its last high of 4.1m last month. An extended Have I Got News For You, guest-hosted by Kirsty Young, amused 4.69m (20.5%) from 9.20pm. BBC One's teatime news bulletin informed 5.74m (28.8%) at the unusual time of 7pm, pipping ITV1's Emmerdale. The channel kicked off Euro 2012 with 4.26m (27.5%) for Poland v Greece from 4.15pm. Meanwhile, ITV1's first Euro game - between Russia and the Czech Republic - scored 4.54m (20.5%) from 7.30pm. Over on Channel 4, Alan Carr's star-studded Summertime Specstacular entertained 1.59m (7.5%) at 9pm. The two-hour special added (more)...

William Shatner has been confirmed as a host on BBC’s Have I Got News For You.

Famous for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, Shatner will join regular stars Ian Hislop and Paul Merton and special guests Andy Hamilton and Charlie Brooker on the show.

But there is traditionally a difference between British and American humour. So how will the 81-year-old actor keep up with his British co-stars? Responding to the news, William Shatner said;

“English sense of humour is different from American sense of humour. Luckily, I’m Canadian.”

Have I Got News For You is currently in its 43rd series and is a panel quiz show dealing with the weeks news. Other presenter confirmed for the current series are Alexander Armstrong, Kirsty Young and former No.10 spin doctor Alaster Campbell.

As for William Shatner, he has just finished his one man show ”Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It.

London — Margaret Thatcher chose Beethoven, Michael Caine picked Frank Sinatra and boxer George Foreman selected The Beatles' "All You Need is Love."

They are among almost 3,000 guests who have appeared on the radio program "Desert Island Discs," a British broadcasting institution that turned 70 on Sunday.

The show's simple format hasn't changed since 1942: Ask an illustrious or famous figure to choose the eight pieces of music they would take with them to a deserted isle, and talk about what the tracks mean to them. At the end of each program, the guest is sent into imaginary exile, along with their choice of a book, a luxury and one of their eight records.

Almost 3 million listeners tune in each week to the show, which has stranded royalty, prime ministers and movie stars, as well as scientists, poets and philosophers.

Its success is a mark of radio's enduring popularity in the age...

Belief in God and evolution not incompatible, says Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough does not believe that an understanding of evolution is incompatible with faith in God, he will tell Radio 4 listeners on Sunday.

Attenborough, who was invited back to Desert Island Discs to mark the 70th anniversary of the radio programme, explains that, while he is still agnostic, he does not rule out the possibility of the existence of a deity.

"I don't think an understanding and an acceptance of the 4 billion-year-long history of life is any way inconsistent with a belief in a supreme being," the 85-year-old broadcaster and writer will tell presenter Kirsty Young. "And I am not so confident as to say that I am an atheist."

Attenborough will also tackle the controversy over the use of footage of polar bears filmed in a zoo in his recent television series, arguing it was the job...

Sir Terry Wogan has revealed that a bomb parcel was once addressed to him. The veteran broadcaster, best known for presenting Radio 2's breakfast show, said that he was on vacation when the parcel was delivered. Wogan told Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs: "My producer carried this parcel to the post room and was roundly castigated by the BBC - nearly lost his job for trying to blow himself (more)...

Piers Morgan is put on the defense once again in regards to the phone hacking scandal. British political blogger Paul Staines, who blogs under the name Guido Fawkes, has recently unearthed a 2009 interview with BBC's "Desert Island Discs", in which the "Piers Morgan Tonight" host seemed to admit being in the know about tabloids' shady actions.

Asked by host Kirsty Young about how he felt about people who "rake through bins" and "tap people's phones" to dig up dirt for the tabloids, the 46-year-old said at the time, "To be honest, let's put that in perspective as well."He added, "Not a lot of that went on. A lot of it was done by third parties rather than the staff themselves."

"That's not to defend it, because obviously you were running the results of their work. I'm quite happy to be parked in the corner of tabloid beast and to...

The phone-hacking scandal that has wounded Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and shuttered the News of the World tabloid newspaper is also now threatening CNN’s Piers Morgan. Larry King’s replacement was the top editor at News of the World in the mid-1990s and later ran the Mirror, and Louise Mensch, a British politician, erroneously inferred that Morgan had admitted illegal hacking in his 2005 autobiography when she questioned Murdoch and former News International CEO Rebekah Brooks last week. Morgan confronted her on Wolf Blitzer’s show and declared, “For the record, in my time at the Mirror and the News of the World,...

That "smoking gun" that was supposed to link CNN's Piers Morgan directly to phone hacking and other outrageous practices of the U.K. tabloid press? Well, not so much. As we reported Tuesday, a British blogger claimed to have a recording of Morgan that--he said--"contracts" Morgans flat denials that he ever "hacked a phone, told anybody to hack a phone or published any story based on the hacking of a phone." As it turns out, that recording's a 2009 interview Morgan gave to the BBC, appearing on a radio show, Desert Island Discs.The host, Kirsty Young asked Morgan about “all that nasty down-in-the-gutter stuff” that Morgan was exposed to by being a tabloid newspaper editor. He never says that he personally was involved in any of it.

Michael McIntyre has described how he felt "awful" after fellow comedians made jokes at his expense at the British Comedy Awards. The Britain's Got Talent judge said that there was "an amazing amount of hostility" towards him - from comedians such as Stewart Lee - following his 'Best Male Comic' win. "Quite a few people were making jokes at my expense and it just made me feel awful," he told Kirsty Young on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. "I'm there with my wife - and she's gone out and bought a dress - and it's my big night and I won and the overriding experience was that of nastiness. "For what (more)...

Michael McIntyre has described how he felt "awful" after fellow comedians made jokes at his expense at the British Comedy Awards. The Britain's Got Talent judge said that there was "an amazing amount of hostility" towards him - from comedians such as Stewart Lee - following his 'Best Male Comic' win. "Quite a few people were making jokes at my expense and it just made me feel awful," he told Kirsty Young on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. "I'm there with my wife - and she's gone out and bought a dress - and it's my big night and I won and the overriding experience was that of nastiness. "For what (more)...

Losing jewelry is devastating to any woman. Now imagine it was a 10-carat diamond Tiffany band ring that wasn't just lost, but stolen right in front of you! That's what happened to Sharon Osbourne in 2004, but we're happy to say that Ozzy's wife has been reunited with her rock—thanks to a TV show. Sharon was so distraught after the loss of her ring, she had put up a £100,000 reward for its return, and someone was paying attention. The Sun reports that the ring, worth £2million, was featured on the BBC1 show Crimewatch. Presenter Kirsty Young said, "Let's just talk about this little beauty here, quite a bobby dazzler...If you recognize that...

London, July 14: Sharon Osbourne was overjoyed after her long-lost 200,000-pounds wedding ring turned up on BBC show Crimewatch.

The ten-carat diamond Tiffany band, which was nicked by masked raiders during a 2million-pound burglary in 2004, appeared on BBC1's Crimewatch.

"Let's just talk about this little beauty here - quite a bobby dazzler," the Sun quoted the show's presenter Kirsty Young as saying.

"If you recognise that incredible ten-carat ring or anything else,.