Claudia Winkleman ‘honoured' to become British Museum trustee
, The Traitors game show host, has said she is 'deeply honoured' to join the British Museum 's board of trustees.
The television presenter, who also hosts the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing series, is among five new members of the board from the worlds of history, academia, broadcasting and journalism.
The other trustees are The Rest Is History podcast co-host Tom Holland, BBC Radio 4's Martha Kearney, Times columnist Lord Finkelstein, and author and academic Tiffany Jenkins.
Winkleman, 53, said: 'The British Museum has been an integral part of my life since childhood: weekly trips with my father segueing to days of study through my university years and now regular visits with my own children.
'Its impact on me, mirrored in the experiences of hundreds of thousands of people every year.
'The museum's role in the cultural fabric of our country is unparalleled, its ability to educate through beauty and wonder, to connect us to humanity's shared past is unrivalled.
'I am deeply honoured to join the museum's board of trustees and hope that I can in some small way help it to continue its mission to curate, conserve and explain our history for the benefit and education of all.'
Holland, 57, said: 'This is a museum I have been visiting ever since my eighth birthday, and the sense of wonder and excitement I felt then is no less vivid now.
'To serve the British Museum as a trustee is both an honour and a dream come true.'
George Osborne, chairman of the British Museum trustees, said he was 'delighted' that an 'all-star collection of thinkers and communicators' are becoming trustees.
The museum's board can comprise up to 25 members, one of which is appointed by the Crown, four by the Culture Secretary, five by the trustees and 15 by the Prime Minister.
The British Museum, in central London, was the UK's most popular tourist attraction for the second year in a row in 2024 with 6.5 million visits, up 11 per cent from 2023.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
29 minutes ago
- Metro
David Walliams branded 'entitled idiot' for two joke Nazi salutes at BBC taping
Comedian David Walliams has faced criticism after he gave two Nazi salutes in front of a live BBC audience. The incident took place during a taping of the Christmas special for panel show Would I Lie To You, with The Times claiming the Little Britain star, 53, made the grossly offensive gesture not once but twice. The salutes occurred while Walliams's teammate – Call the Midwife actress Helen George – who was recalling the time she sprained her wrist during the Strictly Come Dancing tour in 2015 'from waving too much'. As she tried to convince David Mitchell's team that the anecdote was true, she started re-enacting the waving, which is when Walliams joined in with his own exaggerated flailing, resulting in the Nazi salute. After being reprimanded by the host, Rob Brydon, the filming moved on but as lewd jokes were swapped, Walliams then repeated the action but this time with a 'sexual twist'. Per The Times, one audience member said: 'It was all very weird. There were gasps from the audience, and the other panellists all looked very uncomfortable.' Another X user, @mirrandaYC added: 'Didn't have david walliams doing a Nazi salute at the Would I Lie To You Christmas taping on my 2025 bingo card.' Sources at the BBC and the show's production company, Zeppotron told the publication that there was no chance of the footage being broadcast. Facebook user Alan Robert Booth called him an 'entitled idiot'. A BBC spokesperson apologised to those present, saying: 'The use of such an offensive gesture is completely unacceptable and we apologise to all at the recording for the offence caused.' This has been echoed by Banijay UK (Zeppotron's owner) who added: 'Any attempt at humour regarding this deeply offensive gesture, whether broadcast or not, is completely unacceptable in any context. 'It was immediately acknowledged during the recording that this segment would not be broadcast under any circumstances and we apologise to those who were at the recording for any offence caused.' It is the latest incident in a career filled with controversy. The former Britain's Got Talent judge was removed from his role in 2022 after leaked recordings showed him making offensive remarks about the contestants. Meanwhile, his tenure on the comedy series co-created with Matt Lucas, Little Britain, has faced mounting criticism for its depiction of certain characters branded 'explicitly racist' such as the use of blackface. Nevertheless, despite the show's controversial sketches, it has found a new audience on TikTok with clips regularly going viral among the Gen Z audience for its dark humour. In 2023, after rumours of a reboot, Lucas shut down the idea saying that it was simply 'not true'. The co-creators do have a podcast together, Making A Scene, where they 'turn their famous friends' lives into cinematic masterpieces.' In 2024, the children's author called cancel culture 'exhausting'. '[The issue] is complicated, but you just look at each joke as it comes really. 'Obviously if you were worried about every single thing you said or did might offend someone, that you wouldn't be able to say or do anything on stage. More Trending 'I kind of think people haven't lost a sense of humour in the way that it's often portrayed,' he told The Daily Telegraph at the time. He is not the first high-profile figure to be embroiled in a Nazi salute controversy this year. Elon Musk faced backlash after making a movement that resembled the salute in January. However, he firmly denied that the gesture he made was the one historically linked to German fascism. View More » Metro has reached out to David Walliams' representative and the BBC for comment. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Race Across The World 2025 winners revealed after nail-biting final dash MORE: Lucy Beaumont makes 'amazing' gesture after costing cancer charity £79,000 on The Wheel MORE: Race Across the World's Sioned shouldn't be sneered at for her tears
Daily Mirror
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Richard Madeley opens up on grief after father 'died on the spot'
Richard Madeley has opened up on the moment his father died, saying he 'had a heart attack on the spot' weeks after his wedding Good Morning Britain graced the telly again on Thursday (12 June), as presenters Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid served up another packed edition of the ITV breakfast programme. The dynamic duo delivered a raft of headlines and news updates to ITV audiences. They also welcomed Emmerdale's Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle, for a heartfelt live chat. Lisa talked about her character's current dramas in the soap, alongside touching on her personal battles with loss, mentioning the passing of both her mother and past Strictly Come Dancing partner Robin Windsor. This poignant discussion led Richard to share his own heart-wrenching memory of his dad's sudden demise in 1977, which occurred just days after he wed Lynda Hooley. Reflecting on that time, Richard shared: "I remember when my father died. He died on the spot, had a heart attack when he was 49. Huge shock. I was a breakfast producer then, a radio producer." He recounted the difficult period following his father's death: "I remember I had a week off to come to terms with it. After the funeral, I went in, and the guy that I worked with didn't say a word. He didn't say, 'how are you, or what happened', he obviously felt it was best not to talk about it." He continued, expressing understanding yet disagreement with his colleague's reaction: "I don't blame him for that. He couldn't have been more wrong. You want people to come up to you and talk to you. You need that trigger to talk." Moreover, Thursday's episode saw them join forces with their colleague Richard Arnold, who came bearing the latest scoops in showbiz and television, reports the Manchester Evening News. During his segment, Richard paid homage to the legendary musician Brian Wilson following the announcement of his passing on 11 June. Brian was a founding member of the iconic Beach Boys. The lead singer and co-founder of the band died at the age of 82, with his cause of death yet to be disclosed. "A real pop pioneer. He co-founded one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, the Beach Boys, rivalling The Beatles," Richard shared with his audience. He also reminisced about his own discovery of the Beach Boys back in the 1970s, admitting he played their records "constantly" and was "very much a Beach Boys fan".
The National
31 minutes ago
- The National
'Fed up' Brian Cox hits out at Keir Starmer on BBC Debate Night
The Succession star was speaking as he appeared on the BBC Scotland Debate Night programme on Wednesday evening. Cox called for more unity of purpose from Scottish politicians and the public more widely. READ MORE: Wee Ginger Dug: John Swinney needs to rethink his strategy over Scottish independence 'I'm not just talking about parties, I'm talking about the country,' he said. 'I'm talking about this country, which I love, and I'm very proud that I come from this country, but I've seen it time and time again where there's this endless debate: debate this, that, this, that, this. 'I just feel that we need unity, we need unity of purpose, and we haven't got unity of purpose. I'm sorry, but we simply don't. 'We have so much dissension, and we've lost the way really big time, and I feel that we should resume that, we should get it back.' Cox said he did not know which political party could unite Scotland, but suggested it was 'certainly' not Labour under Starmer. The actor went on: 'I'm not pleased with Mr Starmer and his attitude towards Scotland, because everything for him is England. 'He talks about England, he talks about English football.' After applause from the audience, the Dundee-born star added: 'I'm at heart a socialist, so I get, I do really get annoyed when it's not about socialism, it's about something else, and that's what I feel is lacking. 'I'm just, I'm sick of it really, I'm fed up. READ MORE: These key economic truths show how independent Scotland and Wales can succeed 'I come back to this country. I love this country and I see dissension after dissension after dissension, the inability to come together, and it's an appalling situation.' Asked if pro-independence parties should unite, Cox said: 'Absolutely they should, because it's in everybody's interests.' Talking about the Labour Government, he added: 'They're not interested in us. I know for a start that Starmer is certainly not interested and doesn't want an independent Scotland. 'He only sees it as a sort of encumbrance to what he is, so I'm not happy about that situation.' Brian Cox is known for his role as Logan Roy in the smash hit SuccessionElsewhere, Cox, a former Labour supporter, said that the UK Government's attitude to Scotland was 'nebulous'. 'I worry about a lot of things that go on, and I'm particularly worried about the attitude towards Scotland,' he said of the impact of the Spending Review, which Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday. Cox went on: 'There certainly should be more detail, but they also should certainly understand what the need of this country is – and that's what gets me. 'It's a bit bland, it's a bit off, you know, just off the cuff, and I really want to see really what they think about Scotland, and I find it a little bit nebulous.'
