John Barrowman makes astonishing gay 'cover-up' claim against the BBC - and says corporation was full of homosexual men 'married to women': RICHARD EDEN'S DIARY
The Scottish-American actor, 58, was one of the original hosts of BBC children's programme Live & Kicking in the 1990s and says he was encouraged to hide his homosexuality.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
a few seconds ago
- The Sun
Next Bond movie will be written by Oscar nominated filmmaker behind iconic TV show
THE brains behind smash hit show Peaky Blinders has been signed up to write the next James Bond film – and he is promising to make it 'better, stronger and bolder'. Diehard fans of the suave spy had feared Bond would lose its identity after Amazon bought the franchise for $1billion in February. 2 2 But with 65-year-old Brummie Steven Knight at the helm, 007 expert Matthew Field says it is proof its British heritage will be preserved. He told The Sun: 'Amazon could easily have hired an A-list US writer but they chose Knight, a truly great British writer, who understands Bond's importance. 'He has a solid pedigree in film and TV that spans more than 25 years so it will be really exciting to see his world of Bond for a whole new generation of fans.' It is a job that Steven, who also wrote SAS: Rogue Heroes and co-created Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, says was always on his bucket list. Mega signing The youngest of seven children, he was raised by dad George, a blacksmith, and mum Ida, a bookie's runner. He has spoken about how gangster series Peaky Blinders, set in 1920s Small Heath, near Solihull in his home city, was inspired by tales of his dad's gangster uncles and his mum's work. The BBC drama ran for six series from 2013 to 2022, helping to attract record numbers of tourists to England's second city. The final outing became the BBC iPlayer's most streamed series of the year and the show is credited with seeing a resurgence in popularity for the names Arthur and Aida. Soldiers in Ukraine have even adopted the name Peaky Blinders for one of their military units. Married dad-of-seven Steven is a mega signing for Bond alongside Dune director Denis Villeneuve and producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal, known for the Harry Potter and Spider-Man films respectively. Brit acting legend admits he wants to play James Bond saying 'the world's gone crazy' if Amazon casts a US star for 007 Matthew says: 'It's a great collection of creative minds reinventing Bond. It's in really safe hands.' Before screenwriting, Steven trained as a blacksmith but admitted: 'I was useless at it.' After studying English at university, he wrote radio commercials, jingles and promotional game concepts for Capital FM under then-breakfast host Chris Tarrant in the Nineties. One game he developed was Cash Mountain, where players would be able to win an unlimited amount of money answering infinite, increasingly impossible questions until they got one wrong. However, he said: 'No one would insure that just in case, so we had to think of a limit, so we thought, well, a million, why not?' That concept became Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, which peaked at 19.2million viewers per episode and was adapted for around 100 countries. The success of the game show freed Steven to write what he wanted. When the 2022 Commonwealth Games came to Birmingham, he was an obvious choice to co-direct the opening ceremony. The industrial revolution-inspired show featured Sir Lenny Henry, UB40, Duran Duran, Ozzy Osbourne and a 33ft mechanical bull. Two years earlier, he received a CBE for services to drama and the community in Birmingham. He said he planned to celebrate 'Tommy Shelby-style' in reference to the main Peaky Blinders character and his love of whisky and cigarettes. Now the creative force behind Bond, he told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'I'm hoping that, being a Bond fan for so many years, it'll be imbued into me and I'll be able to produce something that's the same but different, and better, stronger and bolder.'
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Flaco Jimenez, Texas accordionist who expanded popularity of conjunto and Tejano music, dies at 86
Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio who won multiple Grammys and helped expand the popularity of conjunto, Tejano and Tex-Mex music, died Thursday. He was 86. Jimenez's death was announced Thursday evening by his family on social media. 'It is with great sadness that we share tonight the loss of our father, Flaco Jimenez. He was surrounded by his loved ones and will be missed immensely. Thank you to all of his fans and friends—those who cherished his music. And a big thank you for all of the memories. His legacy will live on through his music and all of his fans,' Jimenez's family said in a statement. His family did not disclose a cause of death. Jimenez's family had announced in January that he had been hospitalized and had been 'facing a medical hurdle.' His family did not provide any other information on his medical condition at the time. Born Leonardo Jimenez in 1939, he was known to his fans by his nickname of Flaco, which means skinny in Spanish. He was the son of conjunto pioneer Santiago Jimenez. Conjunto is a musical genre that originated in South Texas and blends different genres and cultural influences. According to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, the development of conjunto 'began more than a century ago when Texans of Mexican heritage (Tejanos) took an interest in the accordion music of German, Polish, and Czech immigrants. The ensuing Tejano accordion music, accompanied by the bajo sexto (replacing the European tuba) soon came to represent the Tejano way of life, which was closely associated with working in the agricultural fields. The music remains unchanged and serves as a symbol that binds many Tejano communities in South and Central Texas.' Jimenez refined his conjunto musical skills by playing in San Antonio saloons and dance halls. He began performing in the 1960s with fellow San Antonio native Douglas Sahm, the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet. Jimenez also played with Bob Dylan, Dr. John and Ry Cooder. Throughout his career, Jimenez added other influences into conjunto music, including from country, rock and jazz. In the 1990s, Jimenez was part of the Tejano supergroup the Texas Tornados, which included Sahm, Augie Meyers and Freddy Fender. The group won a Grammy in 1991 for the song, 'Soy de San Luis.' Jimenez also won another Grammy in 1999 as part of another supergroup, Los Super Seven. Jimenez earned five Grammys and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He was also inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame and was named a Texas State Musician in 2014. When Jimenez was named a 2022 National Medal of Arts recipient, the White House said he was being honored for 'harnessing heritage to enrich American music' and that by 'blending Norteño, Tex Mex, and Tejano music with the Blues, Rock n' Roll, and Pop Music, he sings the soul of America's Southwest.' 'Flaco, your legacy will forever be remembered with fond memories. We appreciate the gift of your musical talent, which brought joy to countless fans. Your passing leaves a void in our hearts,' the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum said in a post on social media. Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, said Jimenez 'was a paragon of Tejano conjunto music.' 'Whether he was recording with Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt or the Rolling Stones, or working with his own supergroup, the Texas Tornados, Flaco drew millions of listeners into a rich musical world they might not have discovered on their own,' Young said. ___
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Love Island's Helena breaks silence after shock villa axe and reveals plan to double date with surprising islander
LOVE Island star Helena has broken her silence after her shock villa axe, and revealed plans to double date with a surprising Islander on the outside. Helena had her fair share of ups and downs with the public on Love Island. 4 And on Thursday night, the star was dumped from the villa alongside Blu, who she'd been in a friendship couple with. The former cabin crew member had a tumultuous relationship with Harry Cooksley on the show, with the pair even going exclusive before he dumped her for Shakira Khan. But despite that, Helena said in her exit interview that she plans on staying pals with the footballer, and that they'll even go on a double date with Meg and Dejon. She shared: 'I don't regret saying we would be friends because I was accepting of the situation and starting to move on from it. 'The main thing for me wasn't losing the relationship, it was losing our friendship as we had such a great connection. 'I wanted to still be around him and not avoid him.' Helena continued: 'I think without the pressure of being in the Villa and seeing each other on the outside we will be friends. 'Me, Meg, D and him had already made plans to do things as a four. We have so many similarities, which was why we got on in the first place.' She also opened up on the backlash Harry had received for the way he'd handled the love triangle. Love Island in new fix row as fans hit out at 'massive rule break' Helena admitted: 'Actions will always have consequences but I would still back him in some situations as he is remorseful. 'I don't think he is a bad person, I just don't think he knows how to handle certain things.' As Helena was eliminated from Love Island last night, the former cabin crew member showed a softer side on-screen that left those watching wishing they had got to know her more. After embracing her former villa-mates, Helena had a sweet, concise parting message to her ex Harry - who had been involved in a dramatic love triangle with both herself and Shakira. 'Look after Shakira,' Helena said. Despite being exclusive with Helena only days prior before the couple split, Harry admitted to still also having feelings for Shakira. Taking a moment to ask Harry to look out for Shakira was a touching gesture, especially as Helena and Shakira had the occasional spat, and Shakira and Helena's friend, Meg, were on horrible terms leading to one of the 'biggest feuds in Love Island history'. Taking to X, one viewer wrote: "Whatever you think of Helena, her walking out by saying to Harry 'be good to Shakira' is lovely. She's not the mean girl a lot of people try to make her out to be." Another added: "helena and shakira hug is so sweet." A third tweeted: "Helena telling Harry to 'be good to Shakira' after everything was a really nice thing to do." 4 4
