Coronation Street star dead: Tributes pour in for Barbara Ferris following death aged 85
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Every actor tipped to play Voldemort in HBO's Harry Potter series
A new star has emerged as the frontrunner for the HBO series There is a new favourite star to be cast in a key role for the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series. Most of the main stars have already been announced, including the young upcoming actors who will take on the parts of the titular character alongside best friends Hermione Grainger and Ron Weasley. They are already joined by iconic comic actors John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Hagrid. Announcements were already made by the studio in decisions to cast Paapa Essiedu as Professor Severus Snape. However, it is still not confirmed who will take on the villain of the series, Lord Voldemort. A Marvel and Succession star has now been installed as the favourite to take on the part. It comes after casting news for a new audiobook series. Audible have revealed that all the books will receive Full-Cast Audio Editions. Previous audiobooks for the Harry Potter novels were previously narrated by Stephen Fry but these new versions will have a full lineup of stars playing each character. This includes Matthew Macfadyen as Lord Voldemort and as a result, he is the new favourite to also play the role for HBO. There is also Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore, Riz Ahmed as Professor Snape, Michelle Gomez as Professor McGonagall and Cush Jumbo as narrator. The theory behind Macfadyen eventually being cast for the television show, which could run for up to 10 years comes as Arabella Stanton, the young actress who will portray Hermione Granger in the HBO series, will also be voicing the character in the first three instalments of the Audible audio series. According to OBLG, the actor who played Tom Wambsgans in HBO's hit drama series Succession is now evens to also play the role on screen. This puts him as the current out and out favourite. He's not the only big name star in the running though. Fellow Marvel stars, a former Doctor Who and an Oscar winner are also reported to be in consideration. The current odds are: Matthew Macfadyen 1/1 Matt Smith 3/1 Paul Bettany 3/1 Cillian Murphy 4/1 Tom Hiddleston 5/1 Cillian Murphy is a rank outsider as it stands, after the Irish actor picked up an Academy Award for his turn in Oppenheimer. He was recently given the stamp of approval from, Ralph Fiennes who played the part in the films. Speaking on a US chat show he said: " Cillian is a fantastic actor. That's a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favour of Cillian." Notably, Fiennes only debuted as Voldemort from the fourth film when he is first seen in his true form, with Richard Bremmer portraying he who must not be named when he is hiding on Professor Quirrel's head. Meanwhile, Murphy is also being tipped to be cast as the next James Bond villain.
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
‘Frankly': The key things we have learned from Nicola Sturgeon's memoir as book goes on sale early
As her memoir gets released days early, we take a look at the main talking points from 'Frankly'. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Despite Nicola Sturgeon's memoir 'Frankly' not officially going on sale until Thursday, many shops have started selling the book days earlier. The former first minister covers both her personal and political life in her memoir, detailing the highs and lows of both, including the independence referendum, her time as first minister and the coronavirus pandemic. What have we learned from her new memoir? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The queen asked about Alex Salmond Ms Sturgeon's predecessor and former mentor Alex Salmond features heavily throughout her memoir. However she said the late Queen Elizabeth II 'loved a bit of gossip' and asked about the sex allegations against him when the pair met at Balmoral Castle in 2018. Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon and the late Queen Elizabeth II | Andrew Milligan/Press Association Ms Sturgeon wrote: 'She asked me about it almost as soon as I sat down. 'She wasn't being trivial in any way, she wanted to know more about what was going on. I think she was also trying to put me at ease.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Attacks on JK Rowling The gender reform debate was one of the most controversial chapters in Ms Sturgeon's career. She says she wishes she had 'hit the pause button' on gender reform. During her interview on ITV on Monday evening, she admitted she had 'lost the dressing room' on the divisive issue. In her memoir she criticises Harry Potter author and outspoken gender critic JK Rowling for posting a selfie wearing a T-shirt that said: 'Nicola Sturgeon, destroyer of women's rights.' JK Rowling wore a T-shirt that said 'Nicola Sturgeon, destroyer of women's rights'. | Lisa Ferguson/National World and JK Rowling/X Ms Sturgeon said: 'It resulted in more abuse, of a much more vile nature, than I had ever encountered before. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It made me feel less safe and more at risk of possible physical harm.' She added: 'It was deeply ironic that those who subjected me to this level of hatred and misogynistic abuse often claimed to be doing so in the interests of women's safety.' Alex Salmond did not read independence white paper In her memoir Ms Sturgeon writes about a 'totally uncharacteristic sense of optimism' in the lead up to the 2014 independence referendum. The former first minister said it was a tough time due to the unbalanced media coverage and because Mr Salmond left her to the heavy lifting, which 'felt like we were trying to push a boulder uphill'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Sturgeon was in charge of drafting the independence white paper which she said left her in 'utter despair' and being 'overcome by a feeling of sheer impossibility'. Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon with her predecessor and former mentor Alex Salmond. | Press Association She said: 'I ended up on the floor of my home office, crying and struggling to breathe. It was definitely some kind of panic attack.' The Glasgow Southside MSP then said Mr Salmond 'showed little interest in the detail' of the white paper, and added: 'He promised he would read it on the plane. I knew his good intention would not survive contact with the first glass of in-flight champagne.' Surprise at sectarian abuse Ms Sturgeon says she was surprised by the level of sectarian abuse she received while out campaigning in Govan for the 1997 general election. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'I was chased away from one door with shouts of 'Fenian B******' ringing in my ears.' The former first minister said there were 'whispers percolating around the constituency that I was an active supporter of the IRA'. She said: 'It was deeply unpleasant and an unwelcome education in the darker 'arts' of political campaigning. 'Although I had grown up in Ayrshire, I had never experienced the depth of sectarianism I encountered in parts of Govan.'
Daily Record
19 hours ago
- Daily Record
Dame Maggie Smith's Downton Abbey dress set to fetch eye-watering amount
Dame Maggie Smith's iconic Downton Abbey dress could make a staggering amount at auction, it's been revealed. The Harry Potter actress died aged 89 in September last year, with tributes pouring in from fans and friends alike. She was remembered as 'incredibly kind", 'a fierce intellect", 'charming' and 'extremely funny' by her co-stars. One of Dame Maggie's later roles came in Downton Abbey, playing Violet Crawley in the British period drama between 2010 and 2015. She won three Primetime Emmy Awards for the character, as well as a Golden Globe and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, adding to her host of accolades over the decades. Maggie Smith played the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley (Image: Carnival Films) READ MORE: Lily James' epic BBC series based on 'best book of all time' now streaming free READ MORE: 'Outstanding' wartime drama hailed 'a magical escape' by fans During a segment on This Morning today (Monday, 11th August), one of her most well-known gowns was displayed from her time as the Dowager Countess, with its worth revealed and shocking hosts Emma Willis and Andi Peters. "This costume really needs no introduction," an expert began. "This is Dame Maggie Smith's, who played the Dowager Countess, Violet Crawley, it's beautifully put together this design." After gasping, Emma could be heard gushing over the "incredible" cane which accompanied the sage green gown. The expert went on: "The cane is a separate lot and I think this is one of the most important lots on sale because Violet Crawley, she uses that cane, it's such an extension of her character. One of Dame Maggie's dresses from the franchise is worth a staggering amount (Image: Carnival Films) "Not just for support but for pointing and prodding, and you very rarely see the Dowager without her cane so it is a very important lot." The embellished dress would fetch between £1,000 and £1,500 at an auction, it was revealed, while the cane itself stood at between £500 and £800. Praising the "genius" costume designer, he pointed out the vintage bag and hat that were sourced second-hand to complete Dame Maggie's outfit, that would now go on to have a "third life". The final of three Downton Abbey films is set to be released in September, with Michelle Dockery recently revealing it will include a touching tribute to Dame Maggie. The Lady Mary Talbot actress shared that the film is 'beautiful', telling Collider: 'It's a beautiful film. For us, it was such a treat to be able to come back together again. It's a real tribute to Maggie Smith, the film.' The third Downton Abbey film will be a tribute to Dame Maggie (Image: AP) The Dowager Countess was written off by her death in the 2022 film, Downton Abbey: A New Era. Hugh Bonneville - who starred alongside Michelle and Dame Maggie as the Earl of Grantham - also said the upcoming film would honour her legacy. He said: 'We finished a third — and I think probably final — Downton Abbey film this summer, which will come out next September and that is a wonderful sort of closing off of all the stories, so it's a proper film for the fans. 'It's very much set in the house and saying goodbye to all these characters and we obviously say goodbye to Dame Maggie, which was very poignant on screen and now in real life. 'She'll be sorely missed. But the final film will obviously be a great lasting tribute to her.' This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX. Downton Abbey is available to watch on Netflix.
