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Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain hits out at BBC after they axed her show as she claims 'they will keep you until you're of no use to them'

Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain hits out at BBC after they axed her show as she claims 'they will keep you until you're of no use to them'

Daily Mail​a day ago
Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain has taken aim at the BBC after they axed her series of cookery shows - insisting 'they'll keep you until you're of no use'.
The winner of the 2015 edition of the baking competition revealed last month that the broadcaster had decided not to renew her programme.
Nadiya, 40, later claimed she had been 'treated unfairly' by the BBC in a social media post as she lashed out over the cancellation.
The TV personality said: 'I am allowed to feel angry when I'm treated unfairly.'
Nadiya has now spoken to Paul C Brunson on the We Need to Talk podcast, as she discussed what it means to be a Muslim woman in British media.
When asked if 'speaking her truth' was behind their decision not to renew her commitments with the BBC, she said: 'I kind of accepted in my head that I was very BBC, I suppose it means that they've got me exactly where they want me, I'm utterly unbiased, ..
'And just they've got me where they want me. Neutral. And I am not neutral. I have opinions and I have things to say.'
Giving her own view of what happened, she said: 'They'll keep you till you're of no use to them. And I think that's what happened.'
After winning the Great British Bake Off, Nadiya fronted several shows including Nadiya's Asian Odyssey, Nadiya's Cook Once Eat Twice and Nadiya's Time to Eat.
Nadiya claimed she was never given an exact reason as to why they couldn't commission her show.
She continued: 'It was interesting because my husband and I always spoke about it and he just said, there's going to be a point where they're not going to need you anymore. And the second you don't fit the box, like they have a neat little box, when you don't fit that box anymore, there'll be no space for you.
'And I suppose I don't fit that space anymore. And to be fair, I'm not comfortable in boxes anyway. I prefer a glass ceilings to smash through, thank you very much.'
She said: 'I was always made to feel like my trophy was just going to get taken away from me. Because as somebody, because I felt like I had to always be grateful. I had to be consistently grateful for the opportunity that I was given.
'A Muslim that was relatable, like the People's Muslim, the people's person of colour, the digestible version of myself.
On what's next for Nadiya, the TV chef said: 'You know what, I think I'm going to be the truest, most honest version of myself, entirely unfiltered, with no management, nobody to tell me what I can do, can't do, can say, can't say.'
A BBC spokesperson said: 'After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment.
'Nadiya remains a much valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects.'
Last month in a video uploaded to Instagram, Nadiya said: 'I've received tonnes of messages since talking about my situation with the BBC. Messages from people telling me to be grateful for the opportunity and be thankful for how far I've come.
'Now my whole life as a child in an immigrant household, I used to think I had to be grateful all the time because I watched my family always grateful, grateful for being let in, grateful for having work, even if underpaid, grateful for safety, even if it meant silence, always grateful.
'Grateful even when I feel tired, lonely or disrespected. At first, gratitude felt right because it was instilled in me from a young age, it's all I saw.
'But after a while it starts to get really heavy. Gratitude became something that I was expected to wear like a uniform, anytime I voiced frustration or sadness or wanted more, I could feel the invisible pressure, like how dare you complain? Aren't you just lucky to be here?'
She added: 'But, here's what I've come to understand. I'm allowed to feel more than just thankful. I am a human being and I am allowed to feel angry when I'm treated unfairly, I'm allowed to want better for myself and for my family.
'I'm allowed to speak up, I'm allowed to exist, I'm allowed to exist fully complex, emotional, hopeful, sometimes critical, just like anyone else. So, gratitude has its place, but it shouldn't be a muzzle. It shouldn't be a muzzle like a dog.
'We didn't come here just to survive. We came here to live, to grow, to contribute, to belong. Not as a guest, but as a person who has rights and dreams and dignity just like everyone else.
'So no, I won't always be grateful and that doesn't make me ungrateful, it makes me human.
'So I've got here through hard work, through determination, through talent. So no, I won't be grateful. I got here because I'm good at what I do. Just something to think about.'
It comes after Nadiya opened up about the 'changes in her career' in an Instagram post.
The chef told her 950k followers: 'One huge change is that there will be no cookery show.
'There will be no more cookery show. The BBC have decided that they didn't want to commission the show.
'And for me, that was a huge turning point for me because it's something I've done for the past 10 years.
'It was huge, I was already on this steady trajectory of change and I was thinking about where I wanted my career to go.
'And when the BBC decided they didn't want to commission the show anymore, it really did kind of solidify everything for me, and it made me dig my heels in and think 'OK, I know where I want to be".'
Speaking about her experience in the industry, she added: 'And actually, it's really difficult as a Muslim woman. I work in an industry tat doesn't always support people like me or recognise my talent or my full potential.
'And as a lot gaslighting and making you feel like what's actually happening isn't happening.
'So for me it's been a huge, huge, huge change for me. But it's one that I am really excited about.
'One that I want to move in a positive direction and ultimately I want to work with people who believe in voices of people like me.'
Nadiya has had a very successful career since winning GBBO 10 years ago.
Shortly after the show, she landed The Chronicles of Nadiya on BBC One. The same year she was a judge on Junior Bake Off.
The following year she presented an eight-part series called Nadiya's British Food Adventure.
As well as her cooking series on the BBC, she's appeared on The One Show as a reporter various times, as well as ITV's Loose Women.
Nadiya also has written a number of cooking books over the years.
Some include Nadiya's Kitchen, Nadiya's Every Day Baking and Cook Once, Eat Twice.
She's also written novels such as The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters, Spreading my Wings and Today I'm Strong.
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‘This is going to be a real hatchet job, isn't it?' Janet Street-Porter on ‘bitchiness', backstabbing and her remarkable career
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Janet Street-Porter is the straight-talker's straight talker. Nobody says it how it is quite like her, whether she's talking about how she 'hated' her mother, tried to kill her sister or cheated on her four ex-husbands. The former TV executive, newspaper editor, author and Loose Women regular is now going on the road with a one-woman show called Off the Leash. To be fair, she's never been on it. Street-Porter's website heralds her as 'the nation's favourite pissed-off pensioner' and promises that, with the new show, 'in the words of her good friend Elton … 'the bitch is back!'' We meet at a restaurant she has booked in west London. When I get there, she's already perusing the menu and eavesdropping on the couple behind us. 'That man behind us is very irritating,' she stage-whispers. 'He's giving this woman advice about making friends.' My back is to him. What does he look like, I ask. She sticks two fingers down her throat and makes a gagging noise. 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But that was the right thing to do because they were in awe of you. They weren't going to treat you like some little piece of fluff.' She pauses. 'It was so tough to get on, not using the tricks you could use.' What tricks? 'The bimbo factor. I'm very proud of my career, which I achieved entirely on merit. Not just my outrageous ambition, but my determination. I was very single-minded.' She says some people were determined to do her down. 'It culminated in a newspaper saying I'd only done well because I was having an affair with a senior executive. It was rubbish.' Did it ever make her want to get out? 'God, no! I thought, 'Fuck this, I'm not leaving.' I've clawed my way up the pyramid of power to senior executive at the BBC. You don't get that far by shagging someone. There was also a lot of backstabbing. And a lot of manoeuvring.' Who backstabbed you? 'Who knows? Who cares? I wouldn't be bothered. I'd be doing it to other people – you'd expect it. 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I was not going to let anything stand in my way.' These days, Street-Porter is best known for being on Loose Women, which she joined in 2011. In May, ITV announced the show's run would be reduced from 52 weeks a year to 30. 'I don't agree with how they've done the cuts,' she says. Does she know if she will keep her job? 'Oh, I know I'm going to keep that job. Don't waste your bloody time trying to get a scoop on that.' She says Loose Women fulfils a unique function. 'Women come up to me all the time. The issues we talk about resonate with them, whether it's relationships or domestic abuse.' And, she says, the programme also holds politicians to account. 'Obviously, during the last election campaign, I decided to confront Rishi Sunak about freezing the tax threshold. Well, it scuppered his campaign, didn't it?' It's interesting that she refers to her younger self as a 'moody bitch' and is promoting the one-woman show as 'the bitch is back'. Has she always regarded herself this way? 'Well, I have been bitchy.' What's the bitchiest thing you've done? She looks daggers at me. 'This is going to be a real hatchet job, isn't it?' I'm only asking because that's the word you use. 'Well, I'm getting a vibe,' she says. 'OK, I'm bitchy in a fun way. Not heavy-duty. A lot of it is banter.' I ask if she'll be talking about the men in her life in the show. 'No, I never said that.' Sorry, I say, I assumed you would be because the promotional material says: 'Now she finds herself with a senior railcard and four ex-husbands.' 'Oh well, all right. It's not right, it's not wrong, it's not finalised.' She has been with her partner, the former restaurateur Peter Spanton, for 26 years. Is this your longest relationship? 'Probably.' Is it a good relationship? 'What do you define good as? It's survived. I'm not bored.' Who's been the best man in your life? 'The thing is, when all new relationships start, you get very involved with someone, and then you go back to work! 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'I feel very strongly that the old must not be referred to in a negative, diminishing way and, if I can do one one thing, it's celebrate getting old and being a pensioner and carrying on living life to the full. It might not be life to the full to a twentysomething TikToker, but it's perfectly brilliant by my standards and certainly a damn sight more exciting than my mum's standards. So when you asked me about my mum and dad, I did get a bit testy back then because I think, 'No, let's talk about my life now.'' I'm a bit confused. The thing is, Janet, I say, you were the one who kept going back to your mum and dad. 'Oh no I didn't. Anyway, you can say what you like. But, for me, that episode is part of my show because I like to explain to people how I've ended up like this and those are my roots and they are pretty weird. And I've still not sorted them out. I think that's clear from talking to you. 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Janet Street-Porter's Off the Leash tour starts at the Kenton, Henley-on-Thames, on 11 September, and ends at the Halifax Playhouse on 1 April. Click here for details.

The King and AI: A humanoid robot has painted a picture of Charles. How did it do?
The King and AI: A humanoid robot has painted a picture of Charles. How did it do?

Sky News

time2 hours ago

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The King and AI: A humanoid robot has painted a picture of Charles. How did it do?

Whether or not the UK will have a Royal Family in the future is something that often comes up in debate. If we do, the latest evidence suggests there will be no lack of artists around to paint them. A new portrait titled "Algorithm King" has perhaps offered a glimpse of how members of the Royal Family may be painted in the decades or even centuries ahead - after it was created by a female "robot artist" named Ai-Da. The artistic humanoid used advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and a robot arm using on oil canvas to create the painting of King Charles. Ai-Da, the first robot to ever paint the monarch, also used the cameras in her eyes to help create her machine-made masterpiece. The robot previously painted a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the monarch's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The two portraits, which the monarchs didn't sit for, were exhibited together at an unveiling of the portrait of King Charles as part of the AI For Good Summit hosted by the United Nations in Geneva. Ai-Da, described as being the world's first "ultra-realistic robot artist", was created by UK art dealer Aidan Meller and built in Cornwall by Engineered Arts. She uses advanced AI language modelling to enable her to have a conversation with humans. Speaking at the UN, Ai-Da said: "It's a privilege to be part of this remarkable event at the United Nations, surrounded by those shaping the future of technology and culture. Presenting my portrait of His Majesty King Charles III is not just a creative act, it's a statement about the evolving role of AI in our society, and to reflect on how artificial intelligence is shaping the cultural landscape." Simon Manley, ambassador and permanent representative to the World Trade Organisation and UN in Geneva, said at the unveiling of the portrait: "Ai-Da is not just a technological marvel, she is a cultural conversation starter. We are proud to showcase British innovation at its most imaginative, and to reflect on how emerging technologies can shape global dialogues on art, ethics and identity." Ai-Da - named after the first computer programmer Ada Lovelace - has spoken at the House of Lords, Number 10 Downing Street and at the UN. Her artwork has been exhibited all over the world from the Tate Modern, V&A, Somerset House and the Design Museum in Britain to the Pyramids in Egypt and the Venice Biennale. She made history in 2024 when a painting by her sold at Sotheby's for $1m. Mr Meller said: "The greatest artists in history grappled with their period of time, and both celebrated and questioned society's shifts. Ai-Da Robot as technology, is the perfect artist today to discuss the current developments with technology and its unfolding legacy."

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