Meghan Markle hit with blow as Netflix series fails to land in top 300
Meghan Markle's latest venture into the world of streaming with her Netflix show With Love, Meghan has failed to make a significant impact.
The Duchess of Sussex's dreams of creating a media empire hasn't gone to plan as she struggled to get into the top 300 shows for the first half of the year.
The lifestyle series premiered in March but has only been viewed 5.3 million times, placing it at a modest 383rd on Netflix's viewership charts.
This puts the show on par with the second series of the BBC's Peaky Blinders, which debuted in 2014, and the fourth series of Suits, the legal drama that featured Meghan herself back in 2011.
With Love, Meghan sees the Duchess showcasing her culinary and horticultural prowess, offering tips and hosting guests like Mindy Kaling, with Netflix describing the show as "inspiring" and a fresh take on lifestyle programming.
Despite a strong start, soaring into Netflix's global top 10 in its first day, subsequent figures indicate a swift drop-off in interest, compounded by a slew of critical reviews.
The Telegraph slammed the show as an "exercise in narcissism", and The Guardian labelled it "toe-curlingly unlovable TV", with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 36% rating and IMDb scoring it a lowly 3.2.
Despite the poor review, Netflix has confirmed that production for a second series is underway. The much-anticipated project has been completed and is expected to air in the autumn.
Harry and Meghan secured a lucrative five-year contract with Netflix in 2020, reportedly worth a cool $100m (£74.4m). This deal, inked through their production outfit Archewell, spawned Harry & Meghan – a six-part docuseries chronicling the couple's controversial departure from the Royal Family.
Despite its record-breaking debut as Netflix's most-watched documentary premiere, the series faced harsh criticism and saw a swift decline in viewership. Last year's figures revealed that Meghan's former TV show Suits outperformed the documentary by ninefold in terms of viewing hours.
Meghan's Netflix-backed lifestyle brand has also attracted scrutiny after it was discovered her "craft" jam is produced a staggering 2,000 miles from her Montecito residence.
Initially named American Riviera Orchard, the brand has been rebranded to As Ever due to trademark complications.
Outside of Netflix, Harry and Meghan signed a $20m podcast deal with Spotify in 2020, but this collapsed after Meghan produced just 12 episodes of her interview show Archetypes in two years. Bill Simmons, a senior podcasting executive at Spotify, called the pair 'grifters' after the partnership ended.
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Metro
6 minutes ago
- Metro
Think twice before you mock the Coldplay kiss-cam couple
Something extraordinary happened yesterday. It was a viral moment to contend with Professor Robert Kelly's kids wandering into the room while he was in a BBC interview in 2017. And it could give Vanderpump Rules' Scandoval a run for its money. It all happened at a recent Coldplay concert in Boston, when a kiss-cam directed itself to a cosy-looking couple. Immediately, their stomachs dropped in horror to see their private moment projected onto the world stage, as they ducked out of the frame like criminals in CCTV footage. 'Ooh, look at these two,' said frontman Chris Martin, before acknowledging their dramatic reaction: 'Alright, come on, you're okay! Oh — what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy!' It turned out the latter is apparently more likely. Online sleuths did some digging and claimed the pair were married tech company CEO Andy Byron and his HR chief Kristin Cabot. It will go down in history as a meme-able viral moment. Don't get me wrong, I love that this has happened. I'm all for a global outbreak of schadenfreude. But as the rumour mill spins out of control about their private lives, I'm also left feeling uneasy about the power of a viral moment and the sheer global humiliation of being the subject of one. Yes, these two people were in a public place, seemingly open about their relationship. And concerts these days always have people on their phones filming throughout, so perhaps they absolutely deserved this. But most of the time at concerts, people on the big screen are willing participants. All lenses are directed at the stage and those who choose to be in the frame: it's often fans who queued literally all night to be on the front rail and crave the attention of their own big screen moment. Sometimes, proposals are even made. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Enter the kiss-cam: a largely US phenomenon that's the real-life version of some sickly TV show where women are expected to smile, giggle coyly, and have their big rom-com moment on the big screen. Dare I say, it feels pre-Me Too to trap what is often a woman under a mountain of public pressure to comply with the expectation of a kiss. In March, an NBA fan was caught on kiss-cam with a woman. She appeared to swerve his advances, and the internet expressed their sympathies for him. Not for the poor woman who was faced with either a forced kiss or being responsible for publicly shaming a friend. In November there was another viral basketball game moment, when a man and woman were caught on kiss-cam. She leaned in for a kiss, but he pushed her head down to his lap. While she did laugh, it was awkward and uncomfortable to watch. So now, because of the dreaded kiss-cam, we have two people who are being heavily criticised by the whole world for allegedly doing what roughly a quarter of all married people have also done. There's no excuse for cheating, if it turns out that's what either of these suspiciously shy Coldplay fans has done. But there are things which explain it, that the internet's lack of nuance does not cater for. Like when a Taylor Swift fan was in floods of tears reacting to the song Exile, and the whole online world ripped her to shreds over it. We don't know what in her life has happened which triggered this response, and yet we are resolute in our bullying. While everyone will know the worst of these people and revel in it – perhaps for the rest of their lives – no one will care to wonder about the best of them. I worry about their mental health, and that of their immediate family, and of course the allegedly cheated-on partners. Although the coincidental gotcha is seen as a perfect slam-dunk moment by the rest of the world, it's embarrassing for Byron's wife – even though it shouldn't be. Of course, it should be embarrassing for him, not her. It's kind of evilly delicious just how embarrassing this is for him, if safeguarding concerns are put aside. But we know how the world works: when a man gets caught cheating, it's an almost joke-fuelled atmosphere, which I've seen in response to this scandal. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if the biggest cheater in this scenario was a woman. (It's reported Kristen is divorced, while sleuths claim to have tracked down his wife.) While there's been outrage at the CEO, comments of course turned misogynistic against her. I've seen X posts calling her a 'corporate s**t', a 'bitch', and 'f***ing whore'. If history tells us anything, it's that no one's laughing when a woman is the cheater. 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7 minutes ago
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Netflix's Untamed cast in full from Jurassic Park icon to The Boys actress
Here's where you probably recognise the cast from Netflix's newest crime drama is already proving to be a big hit for the streamer. Untamed, is the latest original limited series produced by the company and is already a hit among viewers. At the time of writing, it has surged to the second most watched series among UK users just a day after it landed. The show is billed as a character driven mystery thriller and follows Kyle Turner, a special agent for the National Parks Service who works to enforce human law in nature's vast wilderness. The investigation of a brutal death sends him on a collision course with the dark secrets within the park, and in his own past. Viewers are making their way through the six-part mystery with speed and have already pointed out a number of reasons why they recommend it to others. One of those reasons is the impressive performances by the entire cast. The stars that feature include some recognisable faces and famous names. So here's where you have seen the cast of Untamed before from a Jurassic Park icon to a star of The Boys. Who is in the cast of Untamed? Eric Bana Who does he play? Kyle Turner Who is he? A special agent for the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB) who works to enforce human law in nature's vast territories. Where have you seen them before? Starred as Australian's most infamous criminal in Chopper, which was a breakout role. Since then has featured in Black Hawk Down, Troy and played the Incredible Hulk in a pre-MCU version of the superhero. Also starred in adaptation of The Dry and his previous television role was Dirty John. Sam Neill Who do they play? Paul Souter Who are they? Has been in the role of chief park ranger in Yosemite for half his life. One of Turner's closest friends. Where have you seen them before? Sam Neill is the icon from the original Jurassic Park movies. He played the role of Dr Alan Grant in the first and third of the films. He reprised the role in Jurassic World Dominion. Neil has also starred in the film Hunt for the Wilderpeople and had a cameo appearance in two of the Thor movies. Rosemarie DeWitt Who do they play? Jill Bodwin Who are they? Turner's ex-wife. A former teacher and park counselor. She has remarried since divorcing Turner and has a new family. Despite her new husband's concerns, she still shares some kind of connection with her ex-husband. Where have you seen them before? DeWitt featured as Ryan Gosling's character's sister in LaLa Land, as well as appearing in the remake of Poltergeist. She also plays the mother of the lead character in Smile 2, and the mum of Hughie in Prime Video series The Boys. Lily Santiago Who do they play? Naya Vasquez Who are they? A former cop from Los Angeles who has recently relocated and joined Yosemite's ranger squad. She arrives in the hope of finding a new life for her and her 4-year-old son. 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Smillie actually played one of the Joker's accomplice bank robbers in the opening scene of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. His character was called Happy. He has also starred in Chicago Fire as Hadley, as well as episodes of Dark Matter and Empire. Raoul Max Trujillo Who do they play? Jay Stewart Who are they? An indigenous friend of Turner who provides insights into local symbols and heritage. He was a close friend of Lucy's mother when she was a young child. He also seems to work within a maintenance team for the park. Where have you seen them before? Trujillo was the original choreographer and co-director for the American Indian Dance Theatre. In terms of filmography, he has appeared in Riddick, Sicario and its sequel as well as DC's Blue Beetle. He also played Che "Taza" Romero in the series Mayans MC. Josh Randall Who do they play? Scott Bodwin Who are they? Jill's current husband and a dentist. Where have you seen them before? 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Times
35 minutes ago
- Times
Iris Williams obituary: Welsh singer compared to Shirley Bassey
In the pantheon of celebrated Welsh female singers, comparisons between Iris Williams and Shirley Bassey were inevitable. Born barely a dozen miles apart in south Wales, both were mixed race, born to white mothers and black fathers, and their chosen career paths followed similar courses. Both possessed big, rich voices and a classy stage elan that stood out on the club circuit at a time when black or mixed-race British singers were a rarity. Both recorded Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth's He Was Beautiful, although it was Williams's version that was the Top 20 hit. Popular at royal command performances, both were recognised in the honours list, Bassey first as CBE and then as a Dame, and Williams, who in 2004 was appointed OBE. Yet much as Williams admired Bassey, she found the constant comparisons irritating. 'We're both dark-skinned and come from the Cardiff area but it ends there for me and my style is completely different,' she insisted. 'She is a great singer, with a wonderful voice, but I hate being compared to her and have tried everything to rid myself of it. I want to be me.' Certainly, there were differences as well as the obvious similarities. In Williams's own words she was not as 'gregarious' as Bassey, less inclined towards 'the big belter numbers' and in the view of many her singing boasted a greater emotional depth. 'I don't use half of the voice that she does because I don't need to — as I see it, I am telling a story,' she noted. Yet when she chose to let rip there was no doubting the strength, power and sheer vivacity of her delivery. Terry Wogan, who championed her on his radio shows, was a particular fan of the creamy resonance of what he called her 'basso profundo'. Her singing took her from the factory floor to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and then into the charts and to her own BBC series. She later moved to the United States but remained proud of her Welsh heritage. Alongside Bassey, Tom Jones and a 13-year-old Charlotte Church, she sang at a concert to mark the opening of the Welsh National Assembly in 1999 in front of an audience that included Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and the future King Charles. 'Wales will always be my great passion,' she said. When she was the subject of a 2002 documentary film on Welsh TV, she gamely insisted on being interviewed in Welsh. She had learnt Welsh as a child but had barely spoken the language in decades and 'brushed up' by practising on her dog Mimi. She was subsequently admitted to the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Her two marriages, to Clive Brandy and Edward Jones, both of whom served as her manager, ended in divorce. 'A lot of female singers make the mistake of making their husband their manager,' she said. 'It generally doesn't work because you should be able to go home and leave work behind. When you're married to your manager all you do is talk showbusiness.' She is survived by her son Blake from her first marriage. She was born in 1946 in Rhydyfelin, near Potypridd, in south Wales, the illegitimate daughter of an African-American GI who was stationed in Britain during the Second World War and who met her mother — who was already married — in a local dance hall. A romance blossomed but the taboo-breaking relationship was doomed and the daughter who resulted was given up for adoption. Williams spent her first five years in a children's home until she was fostered by Bronwen Llewellyn, a miner's wife from Tonyrefail, who encouraged her to sing. She was subsequently reunited with her birth mother and a half-brother in the mid-1980s after she found them via an advert placed in a local newspaper. Growing up as the only black child in her village was 'a bit of a problem', but she argued that the prejudice made her tougher, which served as an asset as she began to 'mingle into the world'. On leaving school she worked in a glove factory in Llantrisant, and when it closed and she found herself without an income her former piano teacher put her name forward for a scholarship at the Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff. She won a place and after appearing on the Welsh BBC pop music TV show Disc A Dawn, she had a hit in the country of her birth in 1971 with Pererin Wyf, a Welsh-language version of Amazing Grace. Three years later she won the annual Cân i Gymru (A Song for Wales) competition. Her breakthrough outside Wales came in 1979 when she had a Top 20 UK hit with He Was Beautiful, a song based on the theme from the film The Deer Hunter. During the 1980s she ran a pub near Ascot named The Pheasant Plucker with her first husband while continuing to appear on the nightclub circuit. By the early 1990s she had moved to New York, where she appeared in concert with Bob Hope and Rosemary Clooney. She also sang at gala benefits for the clinics started by Betty Ford, whose husband, the former US president Gerald Ford, helped her to access classified files to find her birth father. By the time she discovered his identity he was already dead and she did not contact his family. Suspecting that they did not know of her existence, she had no wish to cause any posthumous upset. In later years she was a popular entertainer on cruise ships, singing jazz standards and show tunes and joking with audiences that Bassey, who was a decade older, was her 'younger sister'. Iris Williams, singer, was born on April 20, 1946. She died of undisclosed causes on July 9, 2025, aged 79
