logo
Malcolm in the Middle is returning, but with one big change

Malcolm in the Middle is returning, but with one big change

Independent26-03-2025

A revival of Malcolm in the Middle is set to begin filming, with most of the original cast returning.
Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey, will not be reprising his role. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark will play Dewey in the revival.
Sullivan's departure is reportedly due to his disinterest in pursuing acting further, having chosen to focus on academic pursuits.
The four-episode reboot will air on Disney+, focussing on Malcolm and his daughter amidst family chaos surrounding Hal and Lois's 40th wedding anniversary.
The revival aims to recapture the humour and heart of the original series, with some 'new surprises', according to Disney.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mystery illness nearly derailed my career – I was told to give up acting, reveals Gavin & Stacey star Laura Aikman
Mystery illness nearly derailed my career – I was told to give up acting, reveals Gavin & Stacey star Laura Aikman

Scottish Sun

time2 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

Mystery illness nearly derailed my career – I was told to give up acting, reveals Gavin & Stacey star Laura Aikman

The actress also reveals a surprising career change away from the camera in a bid to 'help society' LAURA'S BATTLE Mystery illness nearly derailed my career – I was told to give up acting, reveals Gavin & Stacey star Laura Aikman Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AS a young actress, Laura Aikman would get so stressed about her career she was advised to walk away to rescue her health. The Gavin & Stacey star, now one of Britain's most in-demand actresses, suffered a mystery pain for years. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Laura Aikman would get so stressed about her career when she was younger that she was advised to walk away to rescue her health Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 6 Laura as bad girl Sonia alongside James Corden in Gavin & Stacey Credit: BBC 6 The star appeared on Disney+ drama Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes Credit: Des Willie She was finally diagnosed with autoimmune disease ulcerative colitis, made worse by the worry she faced between roles. But Laura stuck with the job and is now having her best year to date, appearing in BBC gangster series This City Is Ours and Disney+ drama Suspect: The Shooting Of Jean Charles de Menezes, in which she plays ­whistleblower Lana Vandenberghe. Laura has also a found a work-life balance to keep her condition, which causes inflammation and ulcers in her colon, under control. The 39-year-old said: 'It took me a long time to get diagnosed. Before I got the diagnosis I was very, very unwell and I didn't know why. 'I'd been to the doctors a lot and they kept telling me that it was probably piles, without examining me, and giving me cream because I had blood in my stool. Nothing worked. 'And then I went to a homeopath and she asked me all of these questions about when I'd been poorly and she was like, 'Listen, I've written out a timeline here of when you've not been working, and that is when you've been at your most unwell'. 'She was like, 'Can you do another job?'. And I said, 'No, it's my whole personality.' 'It was a big wake-up call that it was literally making me unwell, the stress of not working and feeling like I wasn't good enough or didn't have anything going on. 'Blame and shame' 'I placed so much of my self-worth and my confidence and even who I was on being an actor and whether I was working. 'Going to family parties at Christmas, everyone's saying, 'What are you up to?'. Like, absolutely nothing. And it can feel like you're letting everyone down. Watch the moment Gavin and Stacey actress Laura Aikman's family found out she was in the finale after keeping it secret 'I think if all of your self-worth is wrapped up in working and then you're not working, you feel like you don't deserve anything. 'I had to actively find other things in my life that gave me self-worth or made me feel important, so I could keep going regardless of whether I was working.' Laura was back as bad girl Sonia in the BBC's hit Christmas special of Gavin & Stacey last year, while in 2023 her role as Dyan Cannon in Archie, an ITV series about Hollywood icon Carey Grant, saw her on billboards in New York's Times Square. To outsiders, her career has hit the heights, but the North London-born actress says that for years she felt a cycle of 'blame, shame and punishment' because she was not quite 'perfect enough'. She told the Women & Wellbeing podcast: 'When you're starting out, you're like, I have to be everything they want. I have to change who I am to fit. I need to be perfect. 'I kind of struggled up until I was maybe in my mid-twenties with what people wanted me to be as a girl, a woman, in this industry and how I needed to present myself. 'I can remember going to auditions and needing to do the lines exactly as they wanted in the blandest way possible, to try to fit whatever I thought the mould was. 'I probably wasn't getting the best parts when I was doing that. I never would, when I was younger, even speak to a producer. 'I would just try to stay under the radar, do my job. I kind of struggled up until I was maybe in my mid-twenties with what people wanted me to be as a girl, a woman, in this industry and how I needed to present myself 'I'm sure I missed out on loads of work because I did absolutely zero networking. But it was that kind of thing — you're lucky to be there, shut up, look pretty, leave. Find everyone very funny, especially the men, and then go home.' With her 40th birthday coming up later this year, Laura has found a new sense of freedom. She explained: 'I feel like where I am now people are almost disinterested in how I look. 'So lucky' 'I've been so lucky with the parts that I've played recently where, even though some of them have been very glamorous women, it's not about me looking beautiful. 'It's about how that person presents themselves.' But she still never takes anything for granted, saying: 'I feel like possibly the last few years I've been able to play some bigger roles in slightly higher profile shows. 'You go through those peaks and troughs in your career where you think, 'Oh, maybe this is it', then it isn't. So I thought, 'Oh, maybe' at the moment, and then I'm sure I'll slide back down again soon.' 6 Laura in her 2023 role as Dyan Cannon in Archie Credit: Planet Photos 6 The in-demand actress also starred in This City Is Ours Credit: BBC Laura grew up in an acting family. Her dad, Stuart Aikman — known as Stuart St Paul — is a stunt director and her mum Jean Heard is also an actress. She is married to actor Matt Kennard, 43, who has appeared in Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Laura got her big break in 1996 film Surviving Picasso, opposite Anthony Hopkins, before going on to appear in a string of movies as well as TV series including Casualty, Death In Paradise and The Split. Despite her struggles with confidence, she loves playing fiery and dominant women, saying: 'My dream is to play women that are as different as possible. "I feel happiest when I'm the furthest away from myself. These last few jobs have been big swings, especially Rachel in This City Is Ours. She's the ultimate Scouse girl, she's tough. 'I do think when you play someone like that and then you step out of it, there's part of you that's like, maybe I could be a little bit more tough. 'They sort of rub off on you a little bit, just like you learn from your friends.' Away from the camera, Laura has trained to become a counsellor with mental health text service Shout. Be kind to yourself when you're not feeling good and just try and do the things that make you feel good She said: 'It's brilliant. You can do a shift whenever you want. People text in when they're in crisis. 'Obviously that's more helpful to society than me getting a job in a TV commercial.' And she concentrates on exercising for her health — not just for her body image — to help deal with her ulcerative colitis. She added: 'I drink less now. I'm no saint, I absolutely get smashed at least once a year, I just fall completely off the wagon. But I will always leave a night out early these days. 'I'm just a bit more boring than I used to be. But overall, it really makes me feel much better.' When she is not working, Matt, who she married six years ago, encourages her to relax. She said: 'He is so chilled out and very even-keeled, he's a cool guy. 'I think he has also been really instrumental in encouraging me to allow myself, if I've not got anything on, to be like, 'Why don't you go to the cinema?'. 'I'm like, 'Just go and spend money on a day when I haven't got a job?'. He'll be like, 'Yeah, just go and do something nice for yourself'. And she has taken notice. Laura said: 'I think you can be so fooled by hearing other people talk about what they do, to think that they're perfect — and they're not. They're probably falling spectacularly off the wagon. 'So I think be kind to yourself when you're not feeling good and just try and do the things that make you feel good.' 6 Laura in the BBC's hit Christmas special of Gavin & Stacey last year

Stream Sydney Sweeney's 'gripping' new thriller for free
Stream Sydney Sweeney's 'gripping' new thriller for free

Daily Mirror

time8 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Stream Sydney Sweeney's 'gripping' new thriller for free

Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore front the new Apple TV+ thriller from producer Ridley Scott Sydney Sweeney stars in a new film packed with A-list talent that's available to stream completely free. The Euphoria actress stars alongside Oscar-winner Julianne Moore in Echo Valley, an 'edge-of-your-seat thriller' billed as a 'tale of love, sacrifice and survival'. The official synopsis reads: 'Kate (Moore) is a mother struggling to make peace with her troubled daughter Claire (Sweeney) – a situation that becomes even more perilous when Claire shows up on Kate's doorstep, hysterical and covered in someone else's blood. As Kate pieces together the shocking truth of what happened, she learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child.' Alongside its two leads, the film also stars Domhnall Gleeson, Fiona Shaw, Kyle MacLachlan and Edmund Donovan. Echo Valley is streaming now exclusively on Apple TV+ and can be watched for free with Apple's seven-day free trial. It comes from BAFTA-winning director Michael Pearce and Emmy Award-nominated writer Brad Ingelsby, creator of Mare of Easttown. Legendary Alien and Gladiator director Sir Ridley Scott serves as the film's producer. It comes as Disney+ tempts Brits with the return of its £1.99 streaming deal, offering 60% off a monthly subscription for four months. For those sticking with Apple TV+, early reactions for Echo Valley have been somewhat mixed, but according to The Telegraph 's four-star review, it may just be the 'plot-twist thriller of the year'. The Hollywood Reporter hailed it as 'satisfyingly tense', saying: 'Echo Valley takes some genuinely gripping turns as well as a few unbelievable detours in its journey through Kate's increasingly complicated life and relationship with her daughter. "Even as the web gets sticky, Pearce maintains control of each thread with his steady direction.' In its two-star review, The Guardian said: 'After an intriguing opening, the convoluted narrative doesn't merely jump the shark but lies down and lets the shark jump over it before the pair of them charleston their way across the rolling Pennsylvanian farmland where the film is supposed to be set.' Article continues below A warmer reaction came from Variety, which said: 'When you're simply looking for something semi-interesting to stream, stories like these don't necessarily require great actors, but great actors are the reason some of them still reverberate in our memory decades later.'

Top TV series to watch on Disney+ for £1.99, including Grey's Anatomy and Netflix rival
Top TV series to watch on Disney+ for £1.99, including Grey's Anatomy and Netflix rival

Daily Record

time9 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Top TV series to watch on Disney+ for £1.99, including Grey's Anatomy and Netflix rival

Disney+ has brought back its cheapest streaming deal for 2022, making it the cheapest major streaming site - and there's plenty of series to watch on the platform The weekend is upon us and for those eager to unwind on the settee with a binge-worthy series, there's plenty to choose from. Disney+ is grabbing headlines with the return of one of its most cost-effective deals, as prices plummet to £1.99. The offer scraps the usual £4.99 per month cost of the Standard with Ads plan for £1.99 a month. This makes it the cheapest major streaming site, beating Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+ tariffs. Customers will need to sign up for the subscription to secure the £1.99 price, but there's no obligatory contract and users can cancel after each 30-day period. The deal is up for grabs until 30 June, and it lasts for four months before reverting to the previous £4.99 rate, as The Mirror reports. With a jam-packed telly schedule for the summer, including the live-action Snow White and Marvel's Ironheart, there's loads to view. As a team brimming with series enthusiasts, we've got a few recommendations from the new Welcome to Wrexham season, reality dramas The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, or decade classics like Grey's Anatomy. Narin's top picks - Daredevil: Born Again and Welcome to Wrexham Daredevil: Born Again might be the best telly series I've watched this year so far. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio reprise their roles as Daredevil and Kingpin as the two old foes clash once again, with both men attempting to balance their public personas and secret lives deeply entwined with New York's crime-infested underworld. The outcome is a programme that takes the best of the already-excellent Netflix series (including some fan favourite comebacks) and surprisingly makes it even darker and more brutal - what would Walt say? As a self-confessed comic book enthusiast, I admit that Marvel fatigue has been a reality for some time now, with much of their content proving to be a miss rather than a hit for me. Daredevil: Born Again (and indeed also Thunderbolts which will be arriving on the streaming giant soon) are a welcome and much-needed return to quality and definitely a must-watch. Welcome to Wrexham season four is currently streaming on Disney+ and this £1.99 deal lets you watch the exciting finale of the celebrity-led club's season week by week. In the brief four years since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham AFC for £2 million, the club's fortunes have dramatically changed, transforming it into a £150m+ powerhouse in football. This programme provides an excellent behind-the-scenes glimpse at that rise, led by both men along with a cast of supporting characters, including the team's foul-mouthed yet brilliant manager Phil Parkinson and Executive Director Humphrey Ker. Don't let the football sidetrack you, though - at its heart, this is as much a show about the community and people who live around Wrexham as the on-pitch antics and all the better for it. If you prefer your reality TV to be uplifting rather than fraught with tension, then this is your next ideal binge watch. Phoebe's top pick - Grey's Anatomy My mum has always sworn by Grey's Anatomy, having watched it religiously since its debut in the mid-2000s. So, when it became available on Disney+, I decided to give it a try and see what all the fuss was about. I registered and immediately started binge-watching the captivating series. I can joyfully declare that Grey's Anatomy has secured a spot in my all-time favourite TV shows. It's brimming with emotion and passion, and features a host of characters I absolutely love. The show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, has me chuckling one moment and sobbing uncontrollably the next. With 21 series and over 400 episodes to be watched, it's guaranteed to keep households amused for months. Harriet's top pick - The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives If you're a fan of drama, gossip, affairs and the social media frenzy, then I'd highly recommend The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The second series of this reality show has recently landed on Disney+ following a gripping first series - and I've never been more engrossed in a programme. I'd say you need to be a fan of shows like Keeping Up with Kardashians and The Real Housewives to appreciate this one. The series trails a group of MumTok influencers and their Mormon community as they manoeuvre through growing social presence and scandals. Jake's top pick - Andor Series 2 I've been a massive Star Wars enthusiast since my childhood, but had nearly abandoned the franchise after some of its recent offerings left me suffering from Jedi fatigue. That was until the new series of Andor reeled me back in completely. Despite not being overly impressed by the first series, I found myself utterly captivated by the eponymous rebel spy's latest mission, so much so that I binged the entire thing over a single weekend. It may not feature any lightsabers or Jedi, but what it does provide firmly establishes its place as one of the finest Star Wars titles there is and without question, the best episodic instalment yet. There simply aren't enough superlatives to describe the series; it's exquisitely filmed, each performance is Emmy-worthy and the high-stakes of Andor's mission result in incredibly gripping viewing – particularly in the latter half of the series. Rewatching Rogue One – which takes place immediately after the Andor finale – entirely alters the viewer's perspective on the story, enhancing an already fantastic film. Jada's top pick - Abbotts Elementary Quinta Brunson has been on my radar since her 'he got money' videos went viral during my teenage years. I've followed her career through the Buzzfeed era and when I discovered that her award-winning show would be available to stream on Disney+ I knew it was time to subscribe. Abbott Elementary centres around a public school in Philadelphia where the odds are stacked against everyone. It's consistently hilarious and I'd love to be a fly on the wall in their writer's room. Quinta portrays Janine Teagues, a bubbly second-grade teacher brimming with enthusiasm to make a positive impact. There's a romantic tension brewing between Janine and Gregory, portrayed by Everybody Hates Chris star Tyler James Williams, that had me cheering for them throughout as they clumsily navigate their feelings. It's undoubtedly the best mockumentary sitcom I've ever seen, my only complaint is that episodes are released later in the UK than the US - so I made sure to catch up with the season finale when I visited the states earlier this year. Something Disney+ doesn't offer and Eve's favourite 1883 is, without question, one of the finest TV series I have watched to date. I'm quite eclectic when it comes to the shows I watch. I'm a big fan of Gilmore Girls and Ginny and Georgia (both on Netflix) as well as the thrilling, edge-of-your-seat, relatively brutal mob-family spectacle Mobland (Amazon Prime), Ted Lesso (Apple TV), The Last of Us (NOW) and New Girl (Disney+). Each of which bring very different things to the table. But when 1883 was recommended to me, aside from knowing the bare bones of its description, I had no idea what to expect. A prequel to the highly acclaimed Yellowstone (a show still on my watch-list), 1883 is an American Western drama miniseries which traces the origin story of the Dutton family to the Yellowstone ranch. The show follows the five Dutton family members in post-Civil War America as they escape poverty in Texas and embark on a long, gruelling journey through the Great Plains in search of a better future in Montana. According to IMDB, the show's synopsis is: "The post-Civil War generation of the Dutton family travels to Texas, and joins a wagon train undertaking the arduous journey west to Oregon, before settling in Montana to establish what would eventually become the Yellowstone Ranch." Delving into the lives of ranchhands and cowboys, as well as the history, struggles, and conflicts faced by Native Americans during this era, it's an action-packed and emotionally charged story that had me captivated. This 10-part series boasts an impressive cast, including notable figures from film and country music such as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliott, with guest appearances by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Hanks. Its sequel, 1923, features Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, and is also an exceptional watch on Paramount+.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store