Karren Brady, 56, shocks fans with with dramatic new appearance as she reveals latest beauty procedure and sparks weight loss jab concerns
The Apprentice star, 56, shared a glam snap as she posed in a chic white dress, displaying a slimmer frame and tauter visage.
Karren cinched her tiny waist with a gold Chanel belt and sported a glam make-up palette with her caramel locks styled into loose curls.
The Baroness also shared a photo of her recent skin-tightening procedure on her arms, however followers couldn't get over her head to toe transformation.
Rushing to the comments, some fans were quick to praise Karren while others speculated she may have slimmed down as a result of weight loss jabs and was now 'too skinny' - despite the star previously denying she'd used the medication.
They wrote: 'Yup - another Ozempic win': 'Cricky you look so skinny': 'Ozempic again': 'What have you done to yourself?: 'Nope sorry, the line of massively underweight has been crossed': 'For a second I really thought it was a different person': 'Weight loss jabs?'.
Daily Mail have contacted Karren's reps for comment.
Last year Lord Sugar 's adviser on the BBC TV show, exclusively to the Mail on Sunday, 'I have lost quite a bit,' as she showcased her slender frame while attending the Chain of Hope Gala on Friday held in London 's Natural History Museum.
But she insists her willowy figure is not a result of taking the new weight loss drugs such as Ozempic but from 'bloody hard work.'
The businesswoman says she doesn't know how much she has lost in total as 'I don't weigh myself' but thinks it is more than a stone and explained her recent weight loss was triggered by becoming a grandmother.
'I have been on a health kick, I became a grandma, and I wanted to be a fit healthy grandma, so I started eating healthy and exercising.
'I haven't joined (the Ozempic Club) - bloody hard work. It is okay losing it, it is keeping it off.
'I have lost quite a bit - I don't know though I don't weigh myself. I feel better for it. It is good because everything you put on fits.'
In a revealing interview with the Radio Times when she first joined The Apprentice in 2010, she said: 'I worry I look posh and fat,' stood next to Lord Sugar, adding: 'I've spent 20 years battling my weight. Alan's so fit and slim I look huge in comparison.'
But Karren who is the vice chairman of West Ham United, says Lord Sugar has been something of a heath kick buddy.
'He is great he is very fit. He and my husband cycle when we go away on holiday. He is super fit himself so if anyone is giving tips it is him to me.
'We went around Ital y which was lovely on Lord Sugar's boat. It was incredible. He is really lovely and has a wonderful family.'
In April Karren 's daughter Sophia Peschisolido has revealed she's pregnant with her second child.
The Apprentice star is set to become a grandmother once again, just a year after Sophia welcomed a son with her fiancé Frankie Makin.
Sharing the news of her pregnancy on Instagram, Sophia shared a sweet video of herself and Frankie on the beach in Dubai in the son, with her bump on full display.
She captioned the post: 'coming soon… baby #2.'
Karren spoke about being a grandmother on The Apprentice You're Hired earlier this year.
She said: 'He is the most beautiful little boy in the world and my daughter is a natural mother.
'Mother and baby are doing so well and I am so proud of her and her family and her husband and everyone is really well so it is great.'
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The Sun
a minute ago
- The Sun
Celebrity Catchphrase leaves EastEnders legend stumped by tricky riddles – but could you have solved them?
A SOAP legend struggled to crack the clues on Celebrity Catchphrase - but would you have done any better? EastEnders fans were left shouting at their TV screens as the former Mel Owen actress Tamzin Outhwaite failed to guess a tricky catchphrase correctly. 5 Tamzin is best known for playing the savvy businesswoman on Albert Square from 1998 to 2002, and then 2018 to 2019. However, her wits were in short supply as she stumbled on a puzzle in the Super Catchphrase final round. Could you guess it right under pressure? Stephen Mulhern showed her a clue of Mr Chips on an armchair with his legs raised and feet resting on a giant foot. Tamzin made several unsuccessful guesses from "get your feet up" to "put your feet up." Have you got it yet? Stephen revealed the correct answer was Footstool. Another catchphrase the actress passed on was an image of three taxis in lanes labelled 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Tamzin failed to guess it correctly as she said "three taxis" and "taxi service." Did you manage to get it? Stephen revealed the right answer was Taxi Rank. However, the star still managed to take home a decent £10,400 for her charity. Tamzin's memorable storylines in EastEnders included one of the swiftest soap marriages ever to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). At their reception, she discovered evidence that Ian had lied to her about his daughter Lucy's health, and she promptly dumped him as the clock struck the new millennium. In 2019, her character was killed off. Mel died instantly when she was hit by a lorry in the middle of a feud with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean). Fans were left devastated that her character couldn't return to Walford. But Tamzin said she is glad her exit was final and wouldn't have it any other way. She told Inside Soap Magazine: "At first I was sad that Mel died. And now I am pleased because it means the door is closed and it's done. Most devastating soap deaths SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust. Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years. EASTENDERS Barry Evans - Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying. Her plan to inherit Barry's fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files. Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was 'fake'. Bradley Branning - Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater's rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died. He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape. Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death. CORONATION STREET Tina McIntyre - Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow - despite him being married to Carla Connor. When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla's brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her. Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony - then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her. In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe. Molly Dobbs - Molly was one of the victims in Corrie's 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold). Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death. This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth. As fate would have it, Kevin's wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly's side in her final moments. Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack's father, before dying of her injuries. Vera Duckworth - Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character. Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap's most beloved couples. Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair. Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey's exit as Jack. Paul Foreman - Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease. Introduced in 2018 as David Platt's (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance - and marriage - with vicar Billy Mayhew. The MND storyline was announced in 2023 - with the expectation it would result in the character's death. EMMERDALE Sarah Sugden - After the family got into financial problems, Sarah's son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn. He didn't realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze. Nine villagers - The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale. Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash. Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died. HOLLYOAKS Carmel McQueen - The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family's car. Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble - but got stuck in it herself. Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel. "Part of the excitement of being an actor is the uncertainty and not knowing what the next job is." Since leaving the BBC soap, Tamzin says she is in her "rebirth era" and has "never been happier" as she swaps the stage and screen to focus on her free residential retreats for women in urgent need of respite. She is on a mission to make wellbeing accessible to all women – from cancer survivors to burnt-out mums. It comes after she opened up about the challenges of ageing in the entertainment industry - particularly finding lead roles as women over 50. But Tamzin has appeared in some notable dramas, including Death in Paradise, The Tower, Murder is Easy and The Wives. And she has also starred in films such as New Tricks and Great Expectations. She's also actively involved in stage productions, most recently in Abigail's Party. The 54-year-old also spoke about her experiences with menopause and the impact of HRT. Meanwhile, Tamzin split from her toyboy boyfriend Tom Child, 33, after six years together. And revealed her eldest child, 17, is transgender in a moving new interview. 5 5 5
The Sun
a minute ago
- The Sun
Rise of sick ‘Cougar Clans' sparked by Bonnie Blue's ‘barely legal' romps where predatory women hunt ‘cubs' for sex
SHE'S the 26-year-old from Nottinghamshire who claims to have had sex with 1,057 men in just 12 hours - but that's not all that has garnered controversy for Bonnie Blue. The glamorous sex star - with her bouncy blowdries and Love Island-esque looks - has sparked outrage over her sex marathons with "barely legal" students - many of them eager for her to take their virginity. 12 12 12 Bonnie proudly advertised for young lads to 'bonk me for free' at university freshers' events, with as many as 158 queuing outside her hotel room. She then challenged Spring Break "barely legal" college boys to see who could give her the best orgasm - with a pledge to pay for the tuition of the "winner". Despite the head-turning influencer - real name Tia Billinger - growing up in a sleepy village and formerly working in NHS recruitment, she now rakes in a whopping £1million a month. She's now claimed she'll risk HIV to break records and said her shocking 1,057-men sex stunt was just the start. Disturbingly, Bonnie is not alone in the industry, with her sexploits being copied by other women trading in their bodies for likes on social media in horrifying trends. 'PREDATORY' BEHAVIOUR Bonnie is facing a growing chorus of hate in the UK, with A&E doctor Maddy Lucy Dann calling her 'predatory' for targeting teenagers. However, she's far from alone, with over 300,000 videos with the #cougar hashtag on TikTok, and numerous 'Cougar & Cubs' Facebook groups set up for older women to hook up with younger men. Here women, mostly over 40, give tips on where to pick up their 'cubs', brag about their 'experienced' sex lives and also plug hook-up sites on where to find toyboys. Despite the controversy around older women and younger men, Bonnie has claimed that she always IDs participants first to ensure they are of legal age - so while her stunts have raised eyebrows, they have not been illegal. But discussing Bonnie's antics, Maddy said on TikTok: 'I'm just going to say it, there's a woman on this app that is creating content centred around having sex with freshers. 'Freshers in the UK are people who have just started university and broadly speaking they are fresh out of six form, fresh out of school and they are probably about 18 years old. 'In this person's content, she makes a comment about how a lot of them might be virgins, sexually inexperienced, and I'm sorry but this kind of behaviour is predatory. 'She's an older woman and these are younger, inexperienced, vulnerable people that she seeks out via social media in order to have sex with them to create content. 'This person cares far more about their social media presence and making loads of money than they do about these people they are having sex with, who I do not believe are correctly informed and therefore cannot fully consent to what is happening. 'The ramifications of having sex with the person can be plentiful, but the ramification of having sex with somebody that is filming it and posting it – the internet is forever.' 12 'RAPE CULTURE' Bonnie was slammed for "promoting rape culture" and labelled "vile" for announcing what she called " Bonnie Blue 's petting zoo". Explaining the sickening idea during an interview on Kat Baker's podcast, she said that she was going to be naked and tied up in a glass box, which would be "open for the public" to do basically whatever they want to her. When Kat asked "where" the box was going to be, Bonnie continued that she would be in "the centre of London" but "in a house". Making the planned event even more repulsive, Bonnie told Kat that she wanted to beat her own record by "doing 2,000". However, the news led her to being banned from OnlyFans with her set to lose her massive "£600,000 a month" pay. Bonnie had her page pulled due to breach of terms after her "extreme challenge" content "crossed a line". An OnlyFans spokesperson said: 'Extreme 'challenge' content is not available on OnlyFans and is not permitted under our Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service.' Why Bonnie Blue MUST be banned from social media By Kate Kulniece, Fabulous Digital writer and rape survivor When it comes to sex, I like to consider myself open-minded - and non-judgemental. But the vile, attention-seeking OnlyFans porn star Bonnie Blue makes me sick to my stomach. When the 26-year-old first hit the headlines with her gruesome stunts in March 2024, I'll admit - I didn't pay much attention to her. But as the challenges became more perverted and she eventually bedded over 1,000 men in just 12 hours, I became not just disappointed - but angry. Her most recent - and most disgusting - stunt to date, of being tied up in a glass box for men to fulfil their sick desires, is wrong and worrying on so many levels. The number of rapes being reported to police are at a record high, with a shocking 1 in 4 women, 1 in 6 children and 1 in 18 men falling victim to this horrific crime. It's an alarming rise and many believe, as I do, that the sexual assaults are fuelled by access to toxic online culture - with Bonnie seemingly leading the way with her vile sex marathon stunts. As a young woman who is a survivor of two rapes - aged just 13 and 23 - and who has been sexually harassed on countless occasions, I feel sick and enraged. In a society where sexual abuse, violence against women and misogyny have become a widespread pandemic, we should ban people like Bonnie from social media. Her foul and obscene challenges, which are becoming worse every time, are a slap in the face to millions of rape survivors like myself. Not only are her videos a constant reminder of the trauma and pain that was forced upon us, but she also teaches perverts that women are a piece of meat - and nothing else. Despite repeatedly insisting she empowers women, Bonnie promotes a culture in which women are passed around by men like toys. She also plays into the narrative that our husbands, fathers and sons can't control their sexual urges - or shouldn't have to. As a vocal multi millionaire, Bonnie may think this is all harmless fun, paying her many assistants to keep her out of real harm's way. But in reality, the sex-insatiable Bonnie is promoting dangerous rape culture and pushing victims like myself deeper into the abyss of trauma. Her twisted antics, and those of rival Lily Phillips and Aussie OF star Annie Knight, are damaging impressionable young teenage boys - half of whom have been exposed to pornography by the age of 13. These very same boys will grow up thinking this is normal, this is what women want - and what we're here for. There are countless things I look forward to, but the day the sick content creator finally gets banned from platforms cannot come soon enough. COPY CAT STUNTS A Sun probe has found that at least three more women in their 20s have started taking part in similar sex marathons and are promoting the footage on websites including TikTok and Instagram. Lily Phillips, 24, from Derbyshire, claimed to have had sex with 101 men in 14 hours at an Airbnb - and she received over one million views when she posted the footage online. Lily, who has banked well over £2million thanks to her OnlyFans career, said the youngest man she slept with was 18 and the oldest was in his 60s. Insisting she didn't complete the feat for money alone, she said: 'I didn't need to sleep with 101 random men, I did that out of enjoyment.' Bonnie had previously opted not to make her real name public. And it's little wonder, given the furious backlash she received after bragging about sleeping with teenagers - and their married dads and grandfathers. Appearing on the popular Saving Grace podcast with internet personality GK Barry recently, Bonnie, who has 256k Instagram followers and 60k on TikTok, said: 'I don't want to discriminate. I don't want to just to students – I want to do their dads as well. 'To be fair, I need to give credit to this student, he came with his dad. "I was like, 'Are you joking?' When I first saw him with his dad, I thought he was going to come and tell me off. No, it was the opposite, he wanted to join in." 'TOXIC AND GREEDY' In Australia, where Bonnie previously travelled with two bodyguards to attend 'Schoolies' university induction events, thousands have signed a petition calling for her to be barred from re-entering the country. Child safety expert Kristi McVee is one of those supporting the ban. She told The Sun: 'The main thing is, she is a grown woman exploiting barely legal and young men who don't and won't understand the impacts until they get older. 'Some of these young men - after the high of being with her, the overall excitement and potential disappointment wanes - will have regrets. In this person's [Bonnie's] content, she makes a comment about how a lot of them might be virgins, sexually inexperienced, and I'm sorry but this kind of behaviour is predatory Maddy Lucy DannA&E doctor 'For some it won't even register, and they will be ok. It will depend on their level of emotional intelligence during and after. 'The point though is that 18-year-old men, who are just leaving school, haven't had the life experiences or skills to make critical decisions that could impact their future and careers, such as having these videos on the internet for all to see, and most won't think through the potential long-term consequences before getting involved. 'Only in the aftermath will we see the potential overall harm. 'Quite frankly, I am shocked that a grown woman would be so persistent in her mission to exploit young men. 'Who profits here other than her? I haven't considered her motivations but she's toxic, greedy, and predatory. 'She is feeding the beast of child abuse and exploitation by creating content using teenagers. 'Anyone who does this is, regardless of their gender, is a predator.' Bonnie Blue's rise to fame and controversy Born in May 1999, Bonnie - whose real name is Tia Billinger - grew up in a small Derbyshire village, and attended the Friesland School in the village of Sandiacre. She has two half-siblings - a sister and a brother - who have always remained out of the public eye. She never knew her biological father, and considers stepfather Nicholas Elliott her dad. Bonnie also became something of a dance star in her local area, and competed in the British Street Dance Championships alongside her sister back in 2015. She also had a part-time job at Poundstretcher as a teenager. After school, she began working in recruitment. In October 2022, Bonnie married Oliver Davidson, who she had started dating when she was just 15. Once they were married, they moved to Australia, where Bonnie continued working in recruitment. However, it was in Australia that she decided to pursue a different line of work, and tried her luck as a 'cam girl' - crediting Oliver for giving her the confidence to enter the adult entertainment world. She quickly made a name for herself in the industry, and was soon making £5,000 a week. But while her work life was going from strength to strength, her relationship was crumbling, and she and Oliver split after almost a decade together. She moved over to OnlyFans following her cam girl success, and once again found fame on there. She quickly became a favourite on the site, especially thanks to her "niche" of sleeping with young male students - such as when she bedded 158 students during Nottingham Trent University's freshers week in September 2024. Bonnie is now estimated to be worth £3 million, and makes around £600,000 a month on OnlyFans. Her family are also supportive of her work, with mum Sarah Billinger even claiming she's her daughter's PA, and helps clean up after Bonnie's events - as well as handing out condoms to young clients. In January 2025, Bonnie claimed to have broken the world record for the most amount of sex in 12 hours, after apparently sleeping with 1,057 men from 1pm to 1am at a secret London event. 'KARENS HAVE AN ISSUE' Despite claims of 'predatory' behaviour, Bonnie Blue has insisted her content is 'educational', adding: "It allows you to understand consent better." Bonnie hit back this week, blaming so-called 'Karens', or privileged white women, for trying to force her out - and pointing out that 18-year-olds are allowed to vote and join the army. She said of the lads she films with: 'They have to sign a consent form [saying] they have not been drinking or have done drugs in the last 24 hours. She [Bonnie] is a grown woman exploiting barely legal and young men who don't and won't understand the impacts until they get older Kristi McVeeChild safety expert 'It's the 'Karens' that have got an issue with it. I understand what I do is out there, but sex is focused on one thing. It's pleasure and enjoyment, and that's all I see it as. It's not anything more than that.' In the same interview, Bonnie doubled down on previous comments she'd made about married men having a right to cheat if their wives won't sleep with them. She said: 'You can come home, deal with your wife's whinging, look after the kids - but you're just sneaking off elsewhere to get pleasured. 'If [men] are going to work and do a hard day's shift, they need to be treated.' 12 SEX REGISTER CALLS Dubai-based lifestyle creator Jade Katy also slammed Bonnie on TikTok, saying: 'Guys, Bonnie Blue belongs on a sex offenders register. 'I said what I said, I'm not going to take it back. 'I'm convinced the woman's frontal lobe isn't fully developed the way she goes about her life but that's by the by. It's the 'Karens' that have got an issue with it. I understand what I do is out there, but sex is focused on one thing. It's pleasure and enjoyment, and that's all I see it as. It's not anything more than that Bonnie Blue 'If you had a grown male hanging around student halls, ready to film, in her own words by the way, 'barely legal' girls, to profit off on an account he had, I'm sorry but he'd end up in court and being put on a register. 'So I'm standing by the fact that this woman also deserves fully to belong on a register.' Meanwhile, TikTok influencer Kayla Barker compared Bonnie to former kickboxer Andrew Tate, who is accused of spreading sexist views and is currently facing charges of sex trafficking and rape. 12 Kayla said: 'Giving women like Bonnie Blue a platform contributes to violence against women and girls and if you think that's a reach, please let me educate you. 'It's clear to see that we're in a femicide. Violence against women and girls is growing literally every single year. 'It doesn't come from nowhere, men aren't born as rapists and abusers, it grows as misogynistic values grow. 'Misogynistic values passed on from creators like Andrew Tate and now Bonnie Blue coming on to the internet and saying, 'Oh if you're not having sex with your husband, he has a free pass to cheat on you.' 'It's so much cheaper than rage bait, it contributes to the objectification of women and it reinforces the idea that men are entitled to have sex with us whenever they want basically." SEX AS A 'COMMODITY' Psychotherapist Lucy Beresford also fears that women like Bonnie might end up regretting their actions. She said: 'Sleeping with so many people will mess you up to some degree because it turns sex into a commodity rather than being an intimate act. 'It runs the risk of anaesthetising you to the joy and pleasure that sex can bring in a healthy relationship. 'There is an argument to say such behaviour is pathological because they're doing it like a job. 'The lines between the act and the emotions that arise through intimacy might be warped – because they are doing it with so many people.' However, she adds: 'But then what is too many? And why is it OK for men to have lots of lovers, but it's not OK for women?' Sex addiction expert Dr David Ley also accuses Bonnie's critics of having double standards. He said: 'Many lay people and therapists alike believe that females engaging in casual sex is a sign of low self-esteem, neediness, or even severe mental health. 'An old professor once told me that women who engage in gang bangs are likely pre-psychotic and the multiple men they sleep with fulfil the needs of a fragmenting psyche. 'But we now know these beliefs are all driven by misogyny, sexism and sexual double-standards in our societies. 'The only reasons that women who engage in promiscuity or group sex experience negative outcomes is because of social judgement and stigma. 'If we want women to not experience such harm, we as a society must consider our role in it.'
Telegraph
a minute ago
- Telegraph
Flashman and the movies: The little-known Hollywood adventures of George MacDonald Fraser
'I like film people, and their crazy trade,' George MacDonald Fraser wrote in his memoir after his screenwriting career had finished. On the evidence of his work, it is not hard to see why. Although his list of film credits is far from prolific, the author worked on some of the most purely enjoyable adventure pictures made in the 1970s and 1980s. The combination of wit, swashbuckling and licentious boisterousness made for a very satisfying combination indeed. Fraser first came to prominence after having a brilliant idea following his military service: what happened to Flashman, the notorious bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays, after he was expelled from Rugby School? The answer came in the shape of 12 bestselling novels focusing on the character published between 1969 and 2005, and allowing him to interact, Zelig -like, with many of the real-life figures from the Victorian period. They have regrettably fallen out of vogue today for their perceived un-PC qualities, but for those unbothered by that and more interested in a well-told, ripping yarn, they remain favourites. His career in cinema is less celebrated. He brought fun and wit to his scripts – not least when he put Bond in a gorilla suit – but many of the projects on which he worked became mired in difficulty. This month sees the release of Red Sonja, a long-delayed remake of one of Fraser's less memorable screenplays, a swords-and-sorcery B-movie originally starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen. Despite the presence of the ever-dependable British character actors Trevor Eve and Tim McMullan, it's doubtful anyone will flock to see it. Still, it serves as a reminder of the distinctive voice behind its source material, whose career proved to be rich, eventful and surprisingly influential. Here are his finest films – some of which actually made it to the screen. Flashman (unmade) After Fraser published his first Flashman novel in 1969, which purported to be a true account of the adventures of the Victorian rogue that Fraser had found by chance, it soon proved to be an enormous bestseller. As sure as day follows night, the film rights were sold to the director Richard Lester, who was best known for having directed the Beatles films A Hard Day's Night and Help!. Lester began to develop the film with Fraser, but eventually tired of it, later claiming that he felt that he had essentially already made it in his head after a lengthy pre-production process. The first – and many would say best – Flashman novel therefore remains unfilmed, although there have been rumours as to its making it to the screen. Over the years, leading actors have been suggested (including Daniel Day-Lewis). In 2015, none other than Ridley Scott bought the rights to the book with a view to producing an adaptation of it. Around the same time, that well-known roisterer Dominic West threw his hat into the ring, calling the 'spectacularly politically incorrect' Flashman 'a perfectly preserved gem that's just waiting for a good revival'. Should a bold, risk-taking director wish to return to Fraser's original adaptation of his novel, the results could be spectacular. The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers (1974) Flashman may never have happened, but it began a good working relationship between Fraser and Lester. When Fraser met the director near his home on the Isle of Man, and knowing his reputation for making broad comedies, he tentatively asked 'How d'you want the Musketeers – straight, or sent up?' Lester's answer was simple: 'I want it written by the man who wrote Flashman.' Once Lester's initial idea of casting his old collaborators the Beatles was stymied by their break-up, production went smoothly. By the time that Fraser was shown the rough cut of the picture, now starring Richard Chamberlain, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay and Michael York, Lester was able to say, proudly, that 'it's 85-90 per cent you': something that the film's assured mixture of swashbuckling action and witty badinage lived up to. Without this film, it's doubtful we'd have the likes of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. But it was also a swift lesson in Hollywood chicanery. Fraser had written a long script, which he had intended a single epic picture to include an interval, but the producers simply cut it in half and released it as two pictures, called The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers. This came as a surprise to the cast, who were only informed at the Paris premiere that they would be watching half the film they had made. Royal Flash (1975) Fraser reunited with Lester to adapt the second of the Flashman novels, and ended up with a limp reprise of the Musketeers panache starring the likes of Bob Hoskins, Joss Ackland, David Jason and a splendidly caddish and self-regarding Malcolm McDowell. Lester later ruefully called Royal Flash 'a poor choice of mine'. He was right, but Fraser had by then moved on to another project, the similarly ill-fated Prince and the Pauper, based on the Mark Twain novel. Despite a starry cast with several Musketeers veterans (Reed, Raquel Welch and Charlton Heston), it was not a success. 'My first reaction is one of disappointment,' Fraser said upon seeing it. But it did strengthen his bond with producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, who had also backed the Musketeers films, and would go on to make Superman the following year. Superman (1978), Superman II (1980) Although the screenplay for the first Superman film was credited to The Godfather's Mario Puzo, David and Leslie Newman and Robert Benton, Fraser suggested that Puzo's contribution was nominal. Puzo, he said, was brought on board to beef up the part of Jor-El, Superman's father (eventually played by Marlon Brando, at the then-exorbitant fee of $3m). When his usual collaborator Lester was hired to replace Richard Donner, who directed the first picture and a substantial part of what would become Superman II, Fraser contributed significant material to both films, uncredited. As he later reflected, 'there is no such credit as 'script fixer' or 'plot cobbler'.' (He was also privy to some of the more unlikely casting discussions for Superman before they fixed on Christopher Reeve – the boxer Muhammad Ali was at one point half-seriously mentioned.) One of his ideas, in which Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor steals Kryptonite from a museum by simply smashing one of the exhibits' cases with a brick, never made it to screen: a shame, as it could have been very amusing. Force Ten From Navarone (1978) Fraser relished working with major stars during his career, and one of the biggest was Harrison Ford, who worked on the ill-fated Guns of Navarone sequel Force Ten From Navarone, which Fraser went uncredited for. The writer relished how, when Ford was offered a local delicacy – dog meat with cheese – in the expensive Yugoslav hotel in which he was staying, he reacted with 'horrified disbelief'. But otherwise Ford was 'quite the gentlest of the cast, soft-spoken and quietly courteous, and not the one you'd expect to be first as an action man'. It was, however, a miserable business working on the film with its supposed lead, Robert Shaw, who a friend of Fraser's drily described as 'competent when sober'. Shaw hated making the picture and thought the script was appalling, complaining to a journalist on set: 'I'm seriously thinking that this might be my last film. I no longer have anything real to say. I'm appalled at some of the lines. I'm not at ease in film. I can't remember the last film I enjoyed making.' Still, when he was on set, he took delight in discussing his latest play with Fraser, complaining about the expense of the golf course he was having constructed at his Irish estate, or remarking on the price of fatherhood. The actor, who had 10 children, died of a heart attack before the film was released. Octopussy (1983) Fraser's produced scripts were less noteworthy during the 1980s, with only his work on the James Bond film Octopussy being seen by wide audiences. He attempted to bring a sense of fun and surprise to the character, much to the series producer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli's disdain. The idea of dressing Bond up as a clown was bad enough, but another form of disguise was just unacceptable. As Fraser wrote in his memoir, 'I can still hear his cry of outraged disbelief: 'You want to put Bond in a gorilla suit?' This scene, and many other wacky moments, made it into the finished film, although the screenwriter was left in no doubt as to how insignificant his contribution would be to a strictly generic 007 romp. When his appointment was announced, Roger Moore simply called out 'Commiserations!' Red Sonja (1985) The 1985 sword-and-sorcery would-be epic was hardly a classic, being a tame rip-off of the more successful Conan the Barbarian and featuring a reluctant Schwarzenegger being crowbarred into more and more scenes in a vain attempt to give the film some box office clout, alongside the untested Nielsen. This stratagem failed, and the picture was a notorious critical and commercial flop. Yet it does have one feature of interest, and that is that most of the scenes involving Arnie as Lord Kalidor, which were added during production, were written by Fraser. He wrote that he was recruited by uber-producer Dino de Laurentiis to write the screenplay for a remake of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, to be directed by none other than Federico Fellini after Richard Lester turned down the project. It soon transpired that de Laurentiis had (perhaps deliberately) overstated Fellini's potential interest in the project. The film might be made as a musical, it was suggested – with silent underwater explosions. Fraser remained on the payroll in Rome to act as a well-paid script doctor on Red Sonja instead. 'Schwarzenegger himself was impressive,' Fraser would write, 'not only by reason of his extraordinary physique, but because he was a great deal cleverer than a Mr Universe has any right to be.' When the film finally opened, he was blasé about its reception. 'Barry Norman was kind enough to say that the other writer [the prolific British screenwriter Clive Exton] and I had been unlucky in that mice must have got at the script, but in fact it was all our untampered work.' The Return of the Musketeers (1989) It was death that sped Fraser's career as a Hollywood screenwriter to its end, although not his own. His final credit came on his reunion with Lester and the Musketeers cast in the ill-fated 1989 sequel The Return of the Musketeers, based on Dumas' sequel Twenty Years After. During filming, Roy Kinnear fell off his horse and died of his resulting internal injuries, which not only destroyed the mood on set but also led to significant rewriting and the necessity of hiring a voice-over artist to replace Kinnear; Fraser suggests that the impressionist Rory Bremner was one of those mooted. When the film came out, the reviews, no doubt influenced by the production problems, were damning. As Fraser observed: 'The aftermath of recrimination and litigation was no encouragement to the viewing public.'
