Duncan James bonds with mum at bingo
The Blue singer recently enjoyed some quality time with Fiona Inglis in Feltham, West London, and not only did the pair have a great time in each other's company, but they even took home a cash prize.
Speaking to mark National Bingo Week, Duncan said: "I loved visiting Buzz Bingo with my Mum recently, it was brilliant. There really is something for everyone there. It is one of those games that brings people together of all generations.
"And luck was on our side – we even called 'bingo' with a win! It's definitely worth a visit – We had such a laugh over some great food and drinks — it was just a really good vibe.
"And seeing everyone there, chatting and cheering each other on, you could tell bingo's more than just a game for a lot of people. It's a real community. '
Duncan's visit came as research from The Bingo Association found over half of Brits admitted they struggle to meaningfully connect with different generations, despite wanting to.
A fifth of over 55s are concerned about seeming out of touch with younger people, while 9% of those aged 18-34 only speak to their grandparents once a month, and 24% speak to them even less amid concern over awkward silences.
However, of those who have tried shared activities, like Duncan and his mum, almost half were surprised to find just how much they had in common (48%)
Miles Baron, Chief Executive at The Bingo Association said of the research: 'Although age and lifestyle can sometimes feel like barriers, the desire to spend meaningful time together is something we all share - even if we're not always sure how to bridge the communication gap. It's why we wanted to shine a light on a pastime that brings people together regardless of age.
'Bingo has always been more than just numbers – it's about connection, conversation and community. Whether you're 28 or 88 it's one of the few social activities that everyone can enjoy together. This National Bingo Week we're inviting Brits to sit down, share a laugh and make some memories – because when the numbers get called, the generational gap get smaller.'
For more information, visit https://nationalbingoweek.co.uk/
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Who wore it best? Darcy's wet shirt in 1995 or Darcy's hand flex in 2005?
Like the nerves of his wife are to Pride and Prejudice's Mr Bennet, we have high respect for these screen versions of Jane Austen. We talk, of course, of the BBC's 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and the 2005 Keira Knightley movie version of the great novelist's most popular book. To misquote Mr Bennet, these adaptations are our old friends and we have heard them mentioned with consideration these past 30 years at least. Yes, this year marks three decades since Firth's Mr Darcy steamed up TV screens in his clinging wet shirt, thrusting Austen's novels back into popular culture. And it's 20 years since director Joe Wright's big-screen Pride & Prejudice - with its noteworthy ampersand in the title - gave us Matthew Macfadyen as Darcy and that meme-worthy "hand flex" moment of emotional intensity. Both screen treatments continue to give ardent Austen fans the vapours and both, fittingly, are marking milestones in the 250th year since the great novelist herself was born. Which is all the excuse you need to revisit them - which I heartily recommend after my own recent weekend binge. With the Pride & Prejudice movie getting a cinema re-release to mark its 20th anniversary, a new Netflix screen version currently in the works and an Audible audiobook production featuring the likes of Bill Nighy and Glenn Close dropping worldwide on September 9, let's look back at which screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice wore it best: Darcy's wet shirt of 1995 or Darcy's hand flex of 2005? The Firth series premiered on UK TV screens on September 25, 1995. The Brits had already swooned for dashing Mr Darcy and lively Lizzie Bennett (played by Jenifer Ehle) by the time Australians got to see the ravishing rendition an absurd six months later. Yes, kids, back in 1995, pay-TV had only just started in Australia and most of us were stuck with only five channels to watch. Pride and Prejudice premiered on ABC TV on Sunday, March 3, 1996, in the hotly contested 7.30pm timeslot against 60 Minutes (following Burke's Backyard!) on Nine, Tim Allen sitcom Home Improvement on Seven and US drama Party of Five on Ten. "Surprisingly erotic" is how we described the lavish costume drama back then, noting the bust-enhancing necklines of the ladies' frocks and Firth's splendid smouldering as Darcy, the aloof but handsomely wealthy romantic hero. Here's how we previewed Pride and Prejudice 30 years ago: Popping the question has rarely been as eloquent as it is in the BBC's exquisite new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When novelist Jane Austen's well-bred, handsomely rich and most agreeably good-looking romantic hero, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, asks for the hand of outspoken country girl Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the restrained passion of the inscrutable dasher burns brightly on the screen. READ MORE: Says Darcy after exchanging one too many smouldering glances with Miss Bennet: "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you ... I beg you most fervently to relieve my suffering and consent to be my wife". Darcy puts his elegant proposition at the end of the third episode of the ravishing six-part drama as he reaches the half-way point on his rocky road to wedded bliss with the gorgeous Lizzie. Set to premiere on the ABC on Sunday, March 3, at 7.30pm and released last month on ABC Video*, Pride and Prejudice went to air in Britain late last year and had critics raving and set the hearts of male and female viewers racing. While some academies and purists from the Jane Austen Society labelled the show a "romantic counterfeit" of the book, which was first published in 1813, an average audience of 10 million Britons watched the TV version of the elaborate love story unfold over six weeks. More than 100,000 fans couldn't even wait for the episodes to roll around and raced out to buy the video*. Austen's novel has been given some narrative surgery (including a new-look happy ending) in the move to TV but the compelling refinement of the story and characters, the exchanges of verbal wit and the moral remain gloriously intact. Colin Firth (seen recently on the ABC in the British movie A Month in the Country) stars as Mr Darcy, Austen's tall, dark, handsome but mysteriously aloof leading man. Firth is fabulous as the character that set the standard for other famous romantic heroes like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind. In Darcy's tight white trousers and brooding demeanour, Firth attained virtual pin-up status during Pride and Prejudice's run on the BBC and is bound to turn female heads Down Under. Jennifer Ehle (who played Calypso in The Camomile Lawn) is Firth's perfect match as Lizzie Bennet, Austen's bright and witty heroine, the second of the five Bennet sisters, whose embarrassingly vulgar mother (played by Alison Steadman) has made it her mission in life to "secure" rich husbands for her variously accomplished daughters. Firth reportedly squired the delectable Ehle during the shooting of the $12 million series and production insiders fed the British press juicy stories of "bruised lips and sexual tension" during the couple's more intimate scenes together. There is certainly a seductive chemistry evident between the pair as the pent-up affections of their characters evolve into sensuality. Pride and Prejudice sexy? You bet. Thriller writer P.D. James once described Austen's work as "Mills and Boon written by a genius". The TV critic for The Guardian observed of Darcy's suppressed lust as portrayed by Firth: "He (Darcy) stares at Elizabeth like a ravenous mastiff that has been put on its honour not to touch that sausage". Andrew Davies, the ace screenwriter who adapted Middlemarch, House of Cards and To Play the King before turning his talent to Austen's classic, described the sexual attraction between Darcy and Lizzie as "the engine that drives the plot". Indeed, producer Sue Birtwistle originally sold the idea to Davies as a story about money and sex. "It's what those wonderful old films used to be about, all smouldering glances across the room," she said. "It's sexy the first time they touch hands when they dance. Those kinds of moments are exciting and much sexier than thrashing around in bed." British underwear retailers certainly recognised the power of the series' restrained sex appeal. The bosom-enhancing cut of the Bennet sisters' frocks inspired one company to offer customers the chance to recreate "Jane Austen's classic look" with a bustier designed to give the wearer "an authentic Pride and Prejudice cleavage". Where to watch it now: Pride and Prejudice (1995) is available now to stream in Australia on Stan, BritBox and Apple TV. It is a truth universally acknowledged that someone in possession of the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice on DVD* will never want for a melting moment. Jane Austen's stately story of strong-willed young Lizzie Bennet and her elegant dance of love with the aristocratic Mr Darcy was beautifully told over six compelling hours by the BBC. It's been 10 years since we first saw Firth's uptight Darcy swap bittersweet misunderstandings with Jennifer Ehle's forthright Miss Bennet. That intensely romantic series - TV's fifth adaptation of the Austen novel - remains the costume drama against which all other literary adaptations and period pieces are measured. This lively new Pride & Prejudice is the first feature film of the book since 1940, when Laurence Olivier matched wits with Greer Garson. It's a handsome, charming and warmly amusing comedy of manners particularly notable for its big-name supporting players and director Joe Wright's willingness to forgo pretty bonnets and sitting rooms for muddy hems and outdoor settings. But the Firth version is a hard act to follow. Keira Knightley (from Bend it Like Beckham, Pirates of the Caribbean and King Arthur) pouts ever-so delicately as Lizzie, second and most sensible of the five Bennet sisters, whose insufferable, embarrassing mother (Brenda Blethyn) has made it her life's mission to marry them off. Spirited Lizzie resolves to follow her heart, never suspecting that it will lead her to Mr Darcy, a very rich and very handsome man who makes a very poor first impression. Knightley looks engagingly unglamorous as our heroine and Matthew MacFadyen (from TV spy show Spooks) is her telegenic match. But his aloof aristocrat Darcy comes on way too strong as an arrogant sourpuss and proves no competition (in wet shirt or dry) for Firth, though to be fair Firth had much more time on the telly to work his charms. More important, the chemistry between the leads lacks the exquisite tingle required to make us swoon when Wright rings down one of his stunning backdrops (their confrontation in a downpour, their reconciliation on a misty meadow in the golden glow of dawn). Making up for that somewhat are lovely performances by Blethyn as the cringefully improper Mrs Bennet, Donald Sutherland as her long-suffering but quietly rational husband, and Judi Dench as Mr Darcy's imperious aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Sutherland's Mr Bennet is probably the film's most engaging character, especially in the pivotal sequence in which he is touched by his favourite daughter's sense and sensibility. It's just a shame we're not as moved as he is. Where to watch it now: Pride & Prejudice (2005) is screening in selected cinemas and available now to stream on Netflix, Binge, Foxtel and Apple TV. Like the nerves of his wife are to Pride and Prejudice's Mr Bennet, we have high respect for these screen versions of Jane Austen. We talk, of course, of the BBC's 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and the 2005 Keira Knightley movie version of the great novelist's most popular book. To misquote Mr Bennet, these adaptations are our old friends and we have heard them mentioned with consideration these past 30 years at least. Yes, this year marks three decades since Firth's Mr Darcy steamed up TV screens in his clinging wet shirt, thrusting Austen's novels back into popular culture. And it's 20 years since director Joe Wright's big-screen Pride & Prejudice - with its noteworthy ampersand in the title - gave us Matthew Macfadyen as Darcy and that meme-worthy "hand flex" moment of emotional intensity. Both screen treatments continue to give ardent Austen fans the vapours and both, fittingly, are marking milestones in the 250th year since the great novelist herself was born. Which is all the excuse you need to revisit them - which I heartily recommend after my own recent weekend binge. With the Pride & Prejudice movie getting a cinema re-release to mark its 20th anniversary, a new Netflix screen version currently in the works and an Audible audiobook production featuring the likes of Bill Nighy and Glenn Close dropping worldwide on September 9, let's look back at which screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice wore it best: Darcy's wet shirt of 1995 or Darcy's hand flex of 2005? The Firth series premiered on UK TV screens on September 25, 1995. The Brits had already swooned for dashing Mr Darcy and lively Lizzie Bennett (played by Jenifer Ehle) by the time Australians got to see the ravishing rendition an absurd six months later. Yes, kids, back in 1995, pay-TV had only just started in Australia and most of us were stuck with only five channels to watch. Pride and Prejudice premiered on ABC TV on Sunday, March 3, 1996, in the hotly contested 7.30pm timeslot against 60 Minutes (following Burke's Backyard!) on Nine, Tim Allen sitcom Home Improvement on Seven and US drama Party of Five on Ten. "Surprisingly erotic" is how we described the lavish costume drama back then, noting the bust-enhancing necklines of the ladies' frocks and Firth's splendid smouldering as Darcy, the aloof but handsomely wealthy romantic hero. Here's how we previewed Pride and Prejudice 30 years ago: Popping the question has rarely been as eloquent as it is in the BBC's exquisite new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When novelist Jane Austen's well-bred, handsomely rich and most agreeably good-looking romantic hero, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, asks for the hand of outspoken country girl Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the restrained passion of the inscrutable dasher burns brightly on the screen. READ MORE: Says Darcy after exchanging one too many smouldering glances with Miss Bennet: "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you ... I beg you most fervently to relieve my suffering and consent to be my wife". Darcy puts his elegant proposition at the end of the third episode of the ravishing six-part drama as he reaches the half-way point on his rocky road to wedded bliss with the gorgeous Lizzie. Set to premiere on the ABC on Sunday, March 3, at 7.30pm and released last month on ABC Video*, Pride and Prejudice went to air in Britain late last year and had critics raving and set the hearts of male and female viewers racing. While some academies and purists from the Jane Austen Society labelled the show a "romantic counterfeit" of the book, which was first published in 1813, an average audience of 10 million Britons watched the TV version of the elaborate love story unfold over six weeks. More than 100,000 fans couldn't even wait for the episodes to roll around and raced out to buy the video*. Austen's novel has been given some narrative surgery (including a new-look happy ending) in the move to TV but the compelling refinement of the story and characters, the exchanges of verbal wit and the moral remain gloriously intact. Colin Firth (seen recently on the ABC in the British movie A Month in the Country) stars as Mr Darcy, Austen's tall, dark, handsome but mysteriously aloof leading man. Firth is fabulous as the character that set the standard for other famous romantic heroes like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind. In Darcy's tight white trousers and brooding demeanour, Firth attained virtual pin-up status during Pride and Prejudice's run on the BBC and is bound to turn female heads Down Under. Jennifer Ehle (who played Calypso in The Camomile Lawn) is Firth's perfect match as Lizzie Bennet, Austen's bright and witty heroine, the second of the five Bennet sisters, whose embarrassingly vulgar mother (played by Alison Steadman) has made it her mission in life to "secure" rich husbands for her variously accomplished daughters. Firth reportedly squired the delectable Ehle during the shooting of the $12 million series and production insiders fed the British press juicy stories of "bruised lips and sexual tension" during the couple's more intimate scenes together. There is certainly a seductive chemistry evident between the pair as the pent-up affections of their characters evolve into sensuality. Pride and Prejudice sexy? You bet. Thriller writer P.D. James once described Austen's work as "Mills and Boon written by a genius". The TV critic for The Guardian observed of Darcy's suppressed lust as portrayed by Firth: "He (Darcy) stares at Elizabeth like a ravenous mastiff that has been put on its honour not to touch that sausage". Andrew Davies, the ace screenwriter who adapted Middlemarch, House of Cards and To Play the King before turning his talent to Austen's classic, described the sexual attraction between Darcy and Lizzie as "the engine that drives the plot". Indeed, producer Sue Birtwistle originally sold the idea to Davies as a story about money and sex. "It's what those wonderful old films used to be about, all smouldering glances across the room," she said. "It's sexy the first time they touch hands when they dance. Those kinds of moments are exciting and much sexier than thrashing around in bed." British underwear retailers certainly recognised the power of the series' restrained sex appeal. The bosom-enhancing cut of the Bennet sisters' frocks inspired one company to offer customers the chance to recreate "Jane Austen's classic look" with a bustier designed to give the wearer "an authentic Pride and Prejudice cleavage". Where to watch it now: Pride and Prejudice (1995) is available now to stream in Australia on Stan, BritBox and Apple TV. It is a truth universally acknowledged that someone in possession of the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice on DVD* will never want for a melting moment. Jane Austen's stately story of strong-willed young Lizzie Bennet and her elegant dance of love with the aristocratic Mr Darcy was beautifully told over six compelling hours by the BBC. It's been 10 years since we first saw Firth's uptight Darcy swap bittersweet misunderstandings with Jennifer Ehle's forthright Miss Bennet. That intensely romantic series - TV's fifth adaptation of the Austen novel - remains the costume drama against which all other literary adaptations and period pieces are measured. This lively new Pride & Prejudice is the first feature film of the book since 1940, when Laurence Olivier matched wits with Greer Garson. It's a handsome, charming and warmly amusing comedy of manners particularly notable for its big-name supporting players and director Joe Wright's willingness to forgo pretty bonnets and sitting rooms for muddy hems and outdoor settings. But the Firth version is a hard act to follow. Keira Knightley (from Bend it Like Beckham, Pirates of the Caribbean and King Arthur) pouts ever-so delicately as Lizzie, second and most sensible of the five Bennet sisters, whose insufferable, embarrassing mother (Brenda Blethyn) has made it her life's mission to marry them off. Spirited Lizzie resolves to follow her heart, never suspecting that it will lead her to Mr Darcy, a very rich and very handsome man who makes a very poor first impression. Knightley looks engagingly unglamorous as our heroine and Matthew MacFadyen (from TV spy show Spooks) is her telegenic match. But his aloof aristocrat Darcy comes on way too strong as an arrogant sourpuss and proves no competition (in wet shirt or dry) for Firth, though to be fair Firth had much more time on the telly to work his charms. More important, the chemistry between the leads lacks the exquisite tingle required to make us swoon when Wright rings down one of his stunning backdrops (their confrontation in a downpour, their reconciliation on a misty meadow in the golden glow of dawn). Making up for that somewhat are lovely performances by Blethyn as the cringefully improper Mrs Bennet, Donald Sutherland as her long-suffering but quietly rational husband, and Judi Dench as Mr Darcy's imperious aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Sutherland's Mr Bennet is probably the film's most engaging character, especially in the pivotal sequence in which he is touched by his favourite daughter's sense and sensibility. It's just a shame we're not as moved as he is. Where to watch it now: Pride & Prejudice (2005) is screening in selected cinemas and available now to stream on Netflix, Binge, Foxtel and Apple TV. Like the nerves of his wife are to Pride and Prejudice's Mr Bennet, we have high respect for these screen versions of Jane Austen. We talk, of course, of the BBC's 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and the 2005 Keira Knightley movie version of the great novelist's most popular book. To misquote Mr Bennet, these adaptations are our old friends and we have heard them mentioned with consideration these past 30 years at least. Yes, this year marks three decades since Firth's Mr Darcy steamed up TV screens in his clinging wet shirt, thrusting Austen's novels back into popular culture. And it's 20 years since director Joe Wright's big-screen Pride & Prejudice - with its noteworthy ampersand in the title - gave us Matthew Macfadyen as Darcy and that meme-worthy "hand flex" moment of emotional intensity. Both screen treatments continue to give ardent Austen fans the vapours and both, fittingly, are marking milestones in the 250th year since the great novelist herself was born. Which is all the excuse you need to revisit them - which I heartily recommend after my own recent weekend binge. With the Pride & Prejudice movie getting a cinema re-release to mark its 20th anniversary, a new Netflix screen version currently in the works and an Audible audiobook production featuring the likes of Bill Nighy and Glenn Close dropping worldwide on September 9, let's look back at which screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice wore it best: Darcy's wet shirt of 1995 or Darcy's hand flex of 2005? The Firth series premiered on UK TV screens on September 25, 1995. The Brits had already swooned for dashing Mr Darcy and lively Lizzie Bennett (played by Jenifer Ehle) by the time Australians got to see the ravishing rendition an absurd six months later. Yes, kids, back in 1995, pay-TV had only just started in Australia and most of us were stuck with only five channels to watch. Pride and Prejudice premiered on ABC TV on Sunday, March 3, 1996, in the hotly contested 7.30pm timeslot against 60 Minutes (following Burke's Backyard!) on Nine, Tim Allen sitcom Home Improvement on Seven and US drama Party of Five on Ten. "Surprisingly erotic" is how we described the lavish costume drama back then, noting the bust-enhancing necklines of the ladies' frocks and Firth's splendid smouldering as Darcy, the aloof but handsomely wealthy romantic hero. Here's how we previewed Pride and Prejudice 30 years ago: Popping the question has rarely been as eloquent as it is in the BBC's exquisite new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When novelist Jane Austen's well-bred, handsomely rich and most agreeably good-looking romantic hero, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, asks for the hand of outspoken country girl Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the restrained passion of the inscrutable dasher burns brightly on the screen. READ MORE: Says Darcy after exchanging one too many smouldering glances with Miss Bennet: "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you ... I beg you most fervently to relieve my suffering and consent to be my wife". Darcy puts his elegant proposition at the end of the third episode of the ravishing six-part drama as he reaches the half-way point on his rocky road to wedded bliss with the gorgeous Lizzie. Set to premiere on the ABC on Sunday, March 3, at 7.30pm and released last month on ABC Video*, Pride and Prejudice went to air in Britain late last year and had critics raving and set the hearts of male and female viewers racing. While some academies and purists from the Jane Austen Society labelled the show a "romantic counterfeit" of the book, which was first published in 1813, an average audience of 10 million Britons watched the TV version of the elaborate love story unfold over six weeks. More than 100,000 fans couldn't even wait for the episodes to roll around and raced out to buy the video*. Austen's novel has been given some narrative surgery (including a new-look happy ending) in the move to TV but the compelling refinement of the story and characters, the exchanges of verbal wit and the moral remain gloriously intact. Colin Firth (seen recently on the ABC in the British movie A Month in the Country) stars as Mr Darcy, Austen's tall, dark, handsome but mysteriously aloof leading man. Firth is fabulous as the character that set the standard for other famous romantic heroes like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind. In Darcy's tight white trousers and brooding demeanour, Firth attained virtual pin-up status during Pride and Prejudice's run on the BBC and is bound to turn female heads Down Under. Jennifer Ehle (who played Calypso in The Camomile Lawn) is Firth's perfect match as Lizzie Bennet, Austen's bright and witty heroine, the second of the five Bennet sisters, whose embarrassingly vulgar mother (played by Alison Steadman) has made it her mission in life to "secure" rich husbands for her variously accomplished daughters. Firth reportedly squired the delectable Ehle during the shooting of the $12 million series and production insiders fed the British press juicy stories of "bruised lips and sexual tension" during the couple's more intimate scenes together. There is certainly a seductive chemistry evident between the pair as the pent-up affections of their characters evolve into sensuality. Pride and Prejudice sexy? You bet. Thriller writer P.D. James once described Austen's work as "Mills and Boon written by a genius". The TV critic for The Guardian observed of Darcy's suppressed lust as portrayed by Firth: "He (Darcy) stares at Elizabeth like a ravenous mastiff that has been put on its honour not to touch that sausage". Andrew Davies, the ace screenwriter who adapted Middlemarch, House of Cards and To Play the King before turning his talent to Austen's classic, described the sexual attraction between Darcy and Lizzie as "the engine that drives the plot". Indeed, producer Sue Birtwistle originally sold the idea to Davies as a story about money and sex. "It's what those wonderful old films used to be about, all smouldering glances across the room," she said. "It's sexy the first time they touch hands when they dance. Those kinds of moments are exciting and much sexier than thrashing around in bed." British underwear retailers certainly recognised the power of the series' restrained sex appeal. The bosom-enhancing cut of the Bennet sisters' frocks inspired one company to offer customers the chance to recreate "Jane Austen's classic look" with a bustier designed to give the wearer "an authentic Pride and Prejudice cleavage". Where to watch it now: Pride and Prejudice (1995) is available now to stream in Australia on Stan, BritBox and Apple TV. It is a truth universally acknowledged that someone in possession of the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice on DVD* will never want for a melting moment. Jane Austen's stately story of strong-willed young Lizzie Bennet and her elegant dance of love with the aristocratic Mr Darcy was beautifully told over six compelling hours by the BBC. It's been 10 years since we first saw Firth's uptight Darcy swap bittersweet misunderstandings with Jennifer Ehle's forthright Miss Bennet. That intensely romantic series - TV's fifth adaptation of the Austen novel - remains the costume drama against which all other literary adaptations and period pieces are measured. This lively new Pride & Prejudice is the first feature film of the book since 1940, when Laurence Olivier matched wits with Greer Garson. It's a handsome, charming and warmly amusing comedy of manners particularly notable for its big-name supporting players and director Joe Wright's willingness to forgo pretty bonnets and sitting rooms for muddy hems and outdoor settings. But the Firth version is a hard act to follow. Keira Knightley (from Bend it Like Beckham, Pirates of the Caribbean and King Arthur) pouts ever-so delicately as Lizzie, second and most sensible of the five Bennet sisters, whose insufferable, embarrassing mother (Brenda Blethyn) has made it her life's mission to marry them off. Spirited Lizzie resolves to follow her heart, never suspecting that it will lead her to Mr Darcy, a very rich and very handsome man who makes a very poor first impression. Knightley looks engagingly unglamorous as our heroine and Matthew MacFadyen (from TV spy show Spooks) is her telegenic match. But his aloof aristocrat Darcy comes on way too strong as an arrogant sourpuss and proves no competition (in wet shirt or dry) for Firth, though to be fair Firth had much more time on the telly to work his charms. More important, the chemistry between the leads lacks the exquisite tingle required to make us swoon when Wright rings down one of his stunning backdrops (their confrontation in a downpour, their reconciliation on a misty meadow in the golden glow of dawn). Making up for that somewhat are lovely performances by Blethyn as the cringefully improper Mrs Bennet, Donald Sutherland as her long-suffering but quietly rational husband, and Judi Dench as Mr Darcy's imperious aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Sutherland's Mr Bennet is probably the film's most engaging character, especially in the pivotal sequence in which he is touched by his favourite daughter's sense and sensibility. It's just a shame we're not as moved as he is. Where to watch it now: Pride & Prejudice (2005) is screening in selected cinemas and available now to stream on Netflix, Binge, Foxtel and Apple TV. Like the nerves of his wife are to Pride and Prejudice's Mr Bennet, we have high respect for these screen versions of Jane Austen. We talk, of course, of the BBC's 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and the 2005 Keira Knightley movie version of the great novelist's most popular book. To misquote Mr Bennet, these adaptations are our old friends and we have heard them mentioned with consideration these past 30 years at least. Yes, this year marks three decades since Firth's Mr Darcy steamed up TV screens in his clinging wet shirt, thrusting Austen's novels back into popular culture. And it's 20 years since director Joe Wright's big-screen Pride & Prejudice - with its noteworthy ampersand in the title - gave us Matthew Macfadyen as Darcy and that meme-worthy "hand flex" moment of emotional intensity. Both screen treatments continue to give ardent Austen fans the vapours and both, fittingly, are marking milestones in the 250th year since the great novelist herself was born. Which is all the excuse you need to revisit them - which I heartily recommend after my own recent weekend binge. With the Pride & Prejudice movie getting a cinema re-release to mark its 20th anniversary, a new Netflix screen version currently in the works and an Audible audiobook production featuring the likes of Bill Nighy and Glenn Close dropping worldwide on September 9, let's look back at which screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice wore it best: Darcy's wet shirt of 1995 or Darcy's hand flex of 2005? The Firth series premiered on UK TV screens on September 25, 1995. The Brits had already swooned for dashing Mr Darcy and lively Lizzie Bennett (played by Jenifer Ehle) by the time Australians got to see the ravishing rendition an absurd six months later. Yes, kids, back in 1995, pay-TV had only just started in Australia and most of us were stuck with only five channels to watch. Pride and Prejudice premiered on ABC TV on Sunday, March 3, 1996, in the hotly contested 7.30pm timeslot against 60 Minutes (following Burke's Backyard!) on Nine, Tim Allen sitcom Home Improvement on Seven and US drama Party of Five on Ten. "Surprisingly erotic" is how we described the lavish costume drama back then, noting the bust-enhancing necklines of the ladies' frocks and Firth's splendid smouldering as Darcy, the aloof but handsomely wealthy romantic hero. Here's how we previewed Pride and Prejudice 30 years ago: Popping the question has rarely been as eloquent as it is in the BBC's exquisite new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When novelist Jane Austen's well-bred, handsomely rich and most agreeably good-looking romantic hero, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, asks for the hand of outspoken country girl Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the restrained passion of the inscrutable dasher burns brightly on the screen. READ MORE: Says Darcy after exchanging one too many smouldering glances with Miss Bennet: "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you ... I beg you most fervently to relieve my suffering and consent to be my wife". Darcy puts his elegant proposition at the end of the third episode of the ravishing six-part drama as he reaches the half-way point on his rocky road to wedded bliss with the gorgeous Lizzie. Set to premiere on the ABC on Sunday, March 3, at 7.30pm and released last month on ABC Video*, Pride and Prejudice went to air in Britain late last year and had critics raving and set the hearts of male and female viewers racing. While some academies and purists from the Jane Austen Society labelled the show a "romantic counterfeit" of the book, which was first published in 1813, an average audience of 10 million Britons watched the TV version of the elaborate love story unfold over six weeks. More than 100,000 fans couldn't even wait for the episodes to roll around and raced out to buy the video*. Austen's novel has been given some narrative surgery (including a new-look happy ending) in the move to TV but the compelling refinement of the story and characters, the exchanges of verbal wit and the moral remain gloriously intact. Colin Firth (seen recently on the ABC in the British movie A Month in the Country) stars as Mr Darcy, Austen's tall, dark, handsome but mysteriously aloof leading man. Firth is fabulous as the character that set the standard for other famous romantic heroes like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind. In Darcy's tight white trousers and brooding demeanour, Firth attained virtual pin-up status during Pride and Prejudice's run on the BBC and is bound to turn female heads Down Under. Jennifer Ehle (who played Calypso in The Camomile Lawn) is Firth's perfect match as Lizzie Bennet, Austen's bright and witty heroine, the second of the five Bennet sisters, whose embarrassingly vulgar mother (played by Alison Steadman) has made it her mission in life to "secure" rich husbands for her variously accomplished daughters. Firth reportedly squired the delectable Ehle during the shooting of the $12 million series and production insiders fed the British press juicy stories of "bruised lips and sexual tension" during the couple's more intimate scenes together. There is certainly a seductive chemistry evident between the pair as the pent-up affections of their characters evolve into sensuality. Pride and Prejudice sexy? You bet. Thriller writer P.D. James once described Austen's work as "Mills and Boon written by a genius". The TV critic for The Guardian observed of Darcy's suppressed lust as portrayed by Firth: "He (Darcy) stares at Elizabeth like a ravenous mastiff that has been put on its honour not to touch that sausage". Andrew Davies, the ace screenwriter who adapted Middlemarch, House of Cards and To Play the King before turning his talent to Austen's classic, described the sexual attraction between Darcy and Lizzie as "the engine that drives the plot". Indeed, producer Sue Birtwistle originally sold the idea to Davies as a story about money and sex. "It's what those wonderful old films used to be about, all smouldering glances across the room," she said. "It's sexy the first time they touch hands when they dance. Those kinds of moments are exciting and much sexier than thrashing around in bed." British underwear retailers certainly recognised the power of the series' restrained sex appeal. The bosom-enhancing cut of the Bennet sisters' frocks inspired one company to offer customers the chance to recreate "Jane Austen's classic look" with a bustier designed to give the wearer "an authentic Pride and Prejudice cleavage". Where to watch it now: Pride and Prejudice (1995) is available now to stream in Australia on Stan, BritBox and Apple TV. It is a truth universally acknowledged that someone in possession of the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice on DVD* will never want for a melting moment. Jane Austen's stately story of strong-willed young Lizzie Bennet and her elegant dance of love with the aristocratic Mr Darcy was beautifully told over six compelling hours by the BBC. It's been 10 years since we first saw Firth's uptight Darcy swap bittersweet misunderstandings with Jennifer Ehle's forthright Miss Bennet. That intensely romantic series - TV's fifth adaptation of the Austen novel - remains the costume drama against which all other literary adaptations and period pieces are measured. This lively new Pride & Prejudice is the first feature film of the book since 1940, when Laurence Olivier matched wits with Greer Garson. It's a handsome, charming and warmly amusing comedy of manners particularly notable for its big-name supporting players and director Joe Wright's willingness to forgo pretty bonnets and sitting rooms for muddy hems and outdoor settings. But the Firth version is a hard act to follow. Keira Knightley (from Bend it Like Beckham, Pirates of the Caribbean and King Arthur) pouts ever-so delicately as Lizzie, second and most sensible of the five Bennet sisters, whose insufferable, embarrassing mother (Brenda Blethyn) has made it her life's mission to marry them off. Spirited Lizzie resolves to follow her heart, never suspecting that it will lead her to Mr Darcy, a very rich and very handsome man who makes a very poor first impression. Knightley looks engagingly unglamorous as our heroine and Matthew MacFadyen (from TV spy show Spooks) is her telegenic match. But his aloof aristocrat Darcy comes on way too strong as an arrogant sourpuss and proves no competition (in wet shirt or dry) for Firth, though to be fair Firth had much more time on the telly to work his charms. More important, the chemistry between the leads lacks the exquisite tingle required to make us swoon when Wright rings down one of his stunning backdrops (their confrontation in a downpour, their reconciliation on a misty meadow in the golden glow of dawn). Making up for that somewhat are lovely performances by Blethyn as the cringefully improper Mrs Bennet, Donald Sutherland as her long-suffering but quietly rational husband, and Judi Dench as Mr Darcy's imperious aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Sutherland's Mr Bennet is probably the film's most engaging character, especially in the pivotal sequence in which he is touched by his favourite daughter's sense and sensibility. It's just a shame we're not as moved as he is. Where to watch it now: Pride & Prejudice (2005) is screening in selected cinemas and available now to stream on Netflix, Binge, Foxtel and Apple TV.
News.com.au
25-07-2025
- News.com.au
Annie Knight reveals why she's no longer friends with Bonnie Blue
Annie Knight has sensationally ended her friendship with Bonnie Blue over her most recent sex stunt – just eight months after the pair were kicked out of Fiji for filming their controversial Schoolies stunt together. The Gold Coast sex worker, famously dubbed 'Australia's most sexually active woman', said their friendship turned sour after Blue announced a 'horrifying' sex event that was so shocking, it got her kicked off OnlyFans. Blue was banned by the adult platform after her 'petting zoo' idea – where she was set to be tied up in a glass box 'like a zoo animal' for anyone of legal age to join her – copped widespread criticism. Many called out its 'dangerous' messaging, stating it glamorised sexual violence and 'promoted rape culture', with Blue later canning the stunt and stating 'it had to go'. Shortly after, Blue went on a rampage, claiming OnlyFans 'took unprecedented action' to punish her for 'making content, while multiple other creators are mimicking my entire marketing techniques and events'. 'The only difference is, I don't cry and I don't vlog hospital journeys. I just keep smiling,' she fumed, referring to Knight's recent hospitalisation for an endometriosis flare up. It was this 'stab in the back' that prompted Knight to reassess her friendship with the increasingly controversial porn star, resulting in her deciding to cut Blue out of her life for good. 'I'd spoken to her just a week prior and everything was fine and then she got banned from OnlyFans and the next thing I know, she's badmouthing me online, using my health issues against me and trying to get me banned as well,' Knight told 'Her ship was going down and she tried to pull down as many people with her as possible, that's something I would absolutely never do. 'She tried to take credit for other people's careers and insinuate that people copied her, namely me. It's a huge stab in the back.' Knight said she had been growing increasingly concerned about the direction Blue's content was going in, noting that 'consent' and 'respect' are at the forefront of her own videos. 'I think the derogatory nature of the 'petting zoo' was horrifying. It opened the floodgates for abuse and other horrible things to occur. It was a line I wouldn't even dream of crossing,' the 27-year-old, who is originally from Melbourne, explained. 'I think at the end of the day our morals are completely different. Consent is so important and it has always been important that I convey that in my content. 'Sex is meant to be enjoyable for both parties and that's the most important thing for me to educate people on.' Knight, who discusses their fallout on the latest episode of her podcast Annie Knight: Unhinged, said many of Blue's most problematic views never sat well with her. 'I disagree with cheating and I don't believe that women belong in the kitchen or on their knees,' she explained, noting the British porn star's now infamous views on marriage. 'I am a 'girls girl', and I am supportive of other women. Being a woman is hard enough in a world where the odds are pitted against us, we don't need other women trying to tear us down as well.' However, Knight has 'no regrets' about filming explicit content with 'barely legal' young men alongside Blue in Fiji back in November, arguing the Schoolies leavers involved were consenting adults. 'I always knew Bonnie did more extreme content than I did, but I didn't think that she would take it as far as she did.' Ultimately, the pair were kicked out by the country's Minister for Immigration, Pio Tikoduadua, in an effort to 'safeguard Fiji's integrity and immigration system'. Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, had to return to the UK after her Australian visa was cancelled the week prior while Knight came back to the Gold Coast. The women later went to Spring Break in Cancun in March but haven't seen each other since, with Knight getting engaged to Henry Brayshaw, a FIFO worker who is also the son of popular sports commentator James Brayshaw, shortly after. 'Her content is so in your face, it's crass as all f**k,' he noted on the podcast episode of the difference between his fiancee's content and Blue's. 'A lot of it is rage bait, and ridiculous, which I understand is common in the industry but predominantly I just feel worse off for seeing her stuff. 'When I saw that whole 'being in a box' thing, I as someone who is familiar with the world you guys are in, I knew that was f**ked up. That's ultimately what it comes down to.' A spokesperson for OnlyFans said 'extreme 'challenge' content is not permitted on the site,' stating it goes against its 'Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service'. 'Any breach of our Terms of Service results in content or account deactivation,' the spokesperson told The Sun last month.
Courier-Mail
18-07-2025
- Courier-Mail
Palace has 'meltdown' over leaked Charles funeral plans
Don't miss out on the headlines from Royals. Followed categories will be added to My News. Until the Queen Mother died at the shockingly premature age of 101-years-old, she was hailed as the embodiment of a uniquely British gin-laced, buck-up-chaps Blitz spirit. She epitomised 'keeping calm and carrying on', even in the face of dive bombing jerries and Châteauneuf-du-Pape served with fish. I'm betting that this week she would not be amused by the goings on inside Buckingham Palace after 'desperate royals' recently 'went to war' over someone inside the Palace whispering the 'most sensitive of royal secrets' to the press. X Learn More SUBSCRIBER ONLY And she would not be amused by the fact that the Palace is now battling leaks on multiple fronts after closely guarded details about not only the 'change of reign' but also about the King seemingly entering peace talks with a certain rudderless, isolated Californian duke. If Nelson had run this sort of far from watertight operation at Trafalgar, the Brits would be singing The Marseillaise at Villa Park today. This all started when the staunchly monarchist, Union Jack-waving Telegraph published an extraordinary scoop last month – the top, top, top secret details of King Charles' funeral planning. Codenamed Operation London Bridge, there's reportedly a several-hundred page playbook for what happens after Charles dies. Picture: Dylan Martinez –Codenamed Operation London Bridge (as all sovereigns' are) the reportedly several-hundred page Bible-like playbook for what happens after Charles dies will see eco elements at his funeral (recyclable fascinators maybe?), a reduced mourning period and the real clanger – the return of self-exiled, one-time TV producer Prince Harry to royal front ranks. This will mean in the first days and weeks of King William V's reign will see his long estranged brother, his wife Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lili, dramatically return to the UK and, temporarily at least, resume their place in the royal family. Now, let's be clear. The Telegraph piece makes pains to point out that 'There is no suggestion that the King's reign will not continue for many more years.' King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the State Banquet at Windsor Castle. Picture:(In fact, one of Charles' closest aides reportedly told the royal rota that His Majesty 'is living with cancer, continuing with treatment … and doing extremely well on it'.) The truth is, Their Majesties' funeral plans are something that are started decades in advance. The late Queen's was probably onto its third draft when colour TV was invented. Understandable then that even after the Telegraph got hold of Charles' Bridge planning, outwardly the Palace appeared sanguine, the only line in the story coming from them saw them 'caution against speculation'. You know what they say about appearances. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their kids on a visit to Disneyland. Picture: Meghan Markle/Instagram Prince Harry reads to son Archie. Picture: Instagram/Meghan Now it has been claimed that this was far from the full picture; that behind the scenes, Charles' staffers were allegedly, and this is the technical term, having kittens over the leak. The revelation of His Majesty's funeral blueprint saw one of the King's top aides have a 'meltdown', according to a Daily Beast exclusive, before they launched 'a huge censorship operation to 'contain the spill'', which sounds like the sort of mucky mop up effort required after an oil tanker craters and takes out half the penguin population of the Puget Sound. Cor blimeby gov'nor. In fact this episode, the Beast's Tom Lachem writes, lays bare the 'iron fist in a velvet glove' of Palace operations. King Charles pictured on July 15, 2025 in London. Picture: Aaron Chown -The whole thing sounds less genteel sorts in a lesser drawing room writing charity press releases while listening to Brahms on the wireless and more North Korean Ministry of Information. The storm broke in late June when the Telegraph ran the piece entitled 'Prince Harry and Meghan at heart of King's funeral plans'. The Sussexes', deputy royal editor Victoria Ward reported, are at 'the heart of [the King's] funeral plans' and Charles 'is adamant that his youngest son take his rightful place at the centre of his family' when the sad day comes. This will see the duke 'walk side-by-side with his brother, by then the King … through the streets of central London' and both Harry and Meghan 'will be invited to … play a prominent role alongside the most senior royals during the funeral service.' Harry and Meghan 'will be invited to … play a prominent role alongside the most senior royals during the funeral service'. Picture: Ben Stansall –Given that the distance between Harry and the King probably can only be measured in light years – emotionally, psychologically, metaphysically – this was all astonishing stuff, concrete plans to bring the Sussexes in from the cold, even if temporarily. (Hard to see the new King William doing much fraternal forgiving or handing back of the Frogmore keys.) Making the Telegraph's bombshell all even more incredible – the Beast says the leaked Bridge details had 'originated from within Buckingham Palace's planning operation.' (Chatham House rulz okay?) Enter this story's star player, Tobyn Andreae, the King and Queen Camilla's communications head, who has dragged from the Palace shadows over the last and found his mug all over the Daily Mail. Andreae 'was very, very, unhappy' and 'multiple sources' told the Beast that Andreae 'had a meltdown' over the report. No other British outlets reported on the King's plans to bring the Sussexes back into the royal family, even if temporarily. Picture: Henry Nicholls/AFP After the Telegraph story came out, 'courtiers began an extraordinary operation,' the Beast reports, to try and stop all the other UK newspapers also covering the leaked Bridge revelations. As the Beast points out, this appears to have worked. No other British outlets reported on the King's plans to bring the Sussexes back into the royal family, even if temporarily. Then, a couple of weeks later, came Andreae's starring moment, finding his face splashed all over the Daily Mail. Somehow the paper managed to have a paparazzo in place to record a 'peace summit' involving the spin doctor and two of the Sussexes' top aides, including their communications head and head of household Meredith Maines. Even though the trio just had 'casual drinks,' per the Mail, this meeting was the biggest step towards patching things up between London and Montecito that we have seen in years. What next? The formal exchange of gift baskets? King Charles with his son Prince Harry in 2019. Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage Between the Bridge details being fed to the media and, you'd have to guess, someone tipping off the Mail (the Sussexes were reportedly 'frustrated' over the secret meeting being made public), Andreae is really not having a crash hot time of it right now. Lips would seem to be decidedly loose right now and all this manoeuvring and planning being splashed all over the internet and the media can hardly be welcomed by the 'iron fisted' Palace now can it? At this rate someone will be blabbing about Queen Camilla's regular Nandos order tout suite. Let me leave you with the most useful but wonderful bit of royal trivia I have ever picked up. If The Marseillaise had ended up as the British national anthem then, handily, the Queen Mother could reportedly play it on the mouth organ. Simply brilliant. Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and commentator with more than 15 years' experience working with a number of Australia's leading media titles. Originally published as Palace's 'meltdown' over leaked Charles funeral plans
