Gladiators star Steel joins new BBC kids show Horrible Science
Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children's and Education, said: 'Our mission is to inform, educate and entertain and now, we're taking greater strides towards bringing entertainment and education closer together than ever before. Making it even easier for teachers and parents to bring the 'Horrible' magic into learning spaces. So, kids across the UK get ready to watch Horrible Science for homework!'
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Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
BBC announces new action-packed drama series from Death in Paradise writer
The BBC has announced the new action-packed drama series, Crookhaven, which is based on a popular novel series. The BBC has unveiled an "action-packed" eight-part adaptation of J. J. Arcanjo's popular novel series, promising a thrilling ride. The upcoming series, titled Crookhaven, is being created by Death in Paradise writer Justin Young. Billed as a "coming-of-age drama full of exciting twists and turns", Crookhaven will chart the journey of a group of high-achieving young rogues at a clandestine school, where they're schooled to harness their "deception" and "crimnastics" skills for the greater good. The show's synopsis reveals: "Centred around pickpocketing genius Gabriel and his archrival, headmaster's daughter Penelope, the series follows a group of eight very different, young international students as they compete for the coveted Crooked Cup. "In a school where every teacher is a crook and traitors are lurking at every turn, no-one is entirely what they appear to be as the gang unearth the dark secrets that tie Penelope's missing mum to Gabriel's own enigmatic past and face off against a terrifying foe - The Nameless. "A coming-of-age drama full of exciting twists and turns, Crookhaven is about finding your place in the world, learning who you can trust and the very nature of right and wrong." Filming for Crookhaven is set to kick off in Northern Ireland come May, with its premiere slated for next year. Author J. J. Arcanjo couldn't contain his excitement about the upcoming series, reports Wales Online. He expressed: "I have always aimed to excite and inspire the young readers who pick up my books, but also the parents and grandparents who journey with them to my worlds and the TV series aligns perfectly with that. "Together with BBC Children's and Education we have created a fun family show filled with humour, heart and plenty of clever twists. I cannot wait for Gabriel Avery and his crew of kind-hearted crooks to be brought to life and introduced to TV audiences around the world." The author excitedly announced on social media that he had been holding onto this thrilling news for over two years, eager to finally share it with his fans. The announcement of the TV adaptation was met with an outpouring of support and excitement from his followers. One fan exclaimed: "Amazing! Congratulations." Another eagerly posted: "Amazing news!!!! Wow, the casting is going to be tricky to get just right, though, because your characters live and breathe on the page." Details about the cast of the upcoming BBC show remain under wraps, but the author has teased that casting decisions have been made, with more updates expected soon.
Wales Online
16-05-2025
- Wales Online
BBC announces new series from Death in Paradise writer with 'twists and turns'
BBC announces new series from Death in Paradise writer with 'twists and turns' This week the BBC revealed a new series is set to air on the broadcaster basked on a popular novel series. The BBC has revealed an "action-packed" eight-part adaptation of J. J. Arcanjo's popular novel series, and it promises to be thrilling. Death in Paradise writer Justin Young is behind the upcoming series titled Crookhaven. It's been described as a "coming-of-age drama full of exciting twists and turns". Crookhaven will follow a group of high-achieving young crooks at a secret school who are trained to use their skills in "deception" and "crimnastics" for good. A synopsis for the show reads: "Centred around pickpocketing genius Gabriel and his archrival, headmaster's daughter Penelope, the series follows a group of eight very different, young international students as they compete for the coveted Crooked Cup. BBC announces new series from Death in Paradise writer with 'twists and turns' (Image: (Image: BBC) ) "In a school where every teacher is a crook and traitors lurk around every corner, no-one is entirely who they seem to be as the gang uncover the dark secrets that link Penelope's missing mother with Gabriel's own mysterious past and confront a terrifying enemy - The Nameless. Article continues below "A coming-of-age drama full of exciting twists and turns, Crookhaven is about finding your place in the world, learning who you can trust and the very nature of right and wrong." Filming for Crookhaven will begin in May in Northern Ireland, with its debut expected to be next year. Crookhaven is expected to air in 2026 Speaking about the upcoming series, author J.J. Arcanjo had nothing but excitement. He said: 'I have always aimed to excite and inspire the young readers who pick up my books, but also the parents and grandparents who journey with them to my worlds and the TV series aligns perfectly with that. "Together with BBC Children's and Education we have created a fun family show filled with humour, heart and plenty of clever twists. I cannot wait for Gabriel Avery and his crew of kind-hearted crooks to be brought to life and introduced to TV audiences around the world.' The author shared the news on social media this week, admitting he's waited over two years to share the news with his followers. It wasn't long before people commented on the TV adaptation news, with many thrilled for him. The author took to Twitter to share the news with his followers One person commented: "Amazing! Congratulations." Someone else wrote: "Amazing news!!!! Wow, the casting is going to be tricky to get just right, though, because your characters live and breathe on the page." Another fan tweeted: "Congratulations [sic] wonderful news and what a series it'll be." With another adding: "Cannot wait!! This is wonderful news." It's not yet known who will be appearing in the BBC show, although the author revealed the casting has been done with another announcement on the horizon. Article continues below Crookhaven is expected to air next year
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
BBC star Big Manny's life off screen including Prince William link
TikTok sensation Big Manny is showcasing his talents in the BBC's new series, a creation from the team behind Horrible Histories. Horrible Science made its debut on CBBC on May 9, with the entire series now available for streaming on iPlayer. Much like its predecessor, Horrible Histories, this new comedy show makes education fun for kids through quick-fire sketches centred around scientific themes. Five out of the fifteen episodes even cover topics found in primary school curriculums, including outer space, motion, light and electricity. The show features a recurring cast along with guest appearances from First Dates' Fred Sirieix and social media scientist, Big Manny. While audiences may be familiar with Fred, this could be their first encounter with Manny on television. Let's take a closer look at the life of this viral star off-screen, reports the Daily Record. Who is Big Manny? (Image: Getty Images) Big Manny, whose real name is Emanuel Wallace, uses his nickname across his social media platforms. The BBC star began sharing educational science videos on TikTok in 2021, during the COVID-19 lockdown when children were forced into home schooling. Fresh from graduating with a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of East London, Manny started working as a science technician in a secondary school. It was this experience that inspired him to start posting videos online. "I could see first-hand that students were struggling in science because of the lockdown," the London native revealed to Chemistry World in 2023. After four years since his debut post, the TikToker has now amassed a whopping two million followers on TikTok and another 1.6 million on Instagram. But that's not all - Manny recently scooped up the Education Creator of the Year accolade at the first-ever TikTok Awards in December 2024. Manny demonstrates scientific experiments in short videos (Image: TikTok/ @ Manny resonates with younger audiences by breaking down intricate scientific concepts using everyday London vernacular. His ultimate mission? is to show young folks from all walks of life that they too have a place in the science world. In a heart-to-heart with The Voice in 2024, he shared: "So what I am trying to do with my platform is show young people that there are scientists out there that look like you, talk like you, dress like you, come from the same background as you. "So if they can become a scientist then there is no reason why you can't as well." Manny recently collaborated with Prince William (Image: Instagram/@ Meanwhile, back in January, Manny caused quite the stir among his fans with an unexpected Royal cameo. While visiting Nature Metrics, an environmental DNA research group, none other than Prince William dropped in to collaborate with the scientist on an experiment. Proclaiming himself as "Manny's beautiful assistant," for a tutorial on strawberry DNA extraction, the Duke's cameo stunned viewers. The brief 48-second TikTok video racked up over six million views, and fans flooded the comments. One astonished viewer couldn't help but express their shock, exclaiming: "PAUSE? ? IS THAT PRINCE WILLIAM? ?" Meanwhile, another was equally taken aback, jokingly remarking: " I LITERALLY BLINKED TWICE TO CONFIRM WHAT I WAS SEEING." Big Manny guest stars in Horrible Science, streaming now on BBC iPlayer.
