logo
'We have events that hold a place in our heart' -new series starring Bolton presenter

'We have events that hold a place in our heart' -new series starring Bolton presenter

Yahoo26-05-2025

Bolton TV presenter and radio broadcaster Sara Cox will be starring in a new series bringing alive people's most special memories - in miniature form.
The eight-part BBC Daytime series will celebrate 'cherished memories and moments of time' in The Marvellous Miniatures Workshop.
Professional model makers will bring places, people and iconic moments in time back to life via miniature models.
The Bolton-born presenter said that she "can't wait" to find out the backstory behind each model.
She said: "We all have life events that hold a special place in our heart, so I'm absolutely thrilled we are going to be recreating cherished memories and moments in time using the astonishing skills of our miniaturists.
"This show taps into our fascination with the tiny, from fantasy film to classic literature and as a naturally very nosey person, I personally can't wait to find out the beautiful backstory that inspires each creation."
Sarah Cox will present the new show The special one-off models will celebrate cherished and emotional family stories, as well as cultural heritage around events, design and fashions.
Whether it is a life event, a snap-shot of mid-century design or a memory tied to trends of the past, these models say the BBC will serve as "tiny yet powerful windows into the way things were".
To ensure the models are as authentic as possible, the miniaturists must embark on an investigative journey to uncover the personal stories behind each request, as well as dig into historical and cultural references to craft them as true and realistic as possible.
Production company MGM Alternative will use the latest technology and microscopic cameras to get up close and personal, capturing the minute details and craft that goes into creating these special models.
Have a story? Get in touch at eoin.mccaul@newsquest.co.uk
The artists will also have to dig into historical and cultural references to make sure that they are as "true and realistic as possible".
Rachel Platt, commissioning editor for BBC Daytime, said: 'Many of us will remember our first set of building blocks, train set, or dolls house, so what a thrill to have one of those miniature worlds created around your own special memory.
'Combining the nation's love of model-making with stories that are at once deeply personal and wonderfully relatable, each episode of this genuinely delightful series will be full of emotion, nostalgia - and exceptional skill.'
READ MORE: Channel 4 launches Handcuffed fronted by Jonathan Ross
READ MORE: Open air 'Wind in the Willows' production set for Ramsbottom
READ MORE: Bolton presenter Sara Cox asks whether Facebook friends are real friends in new TV series
Audiences will be taken on an emotional journey from start to finish, from meeting the people who want to capture their special moment, their background on why it's so important to them, to the research that goes into getting every detail correct.
There will be challenges along the way, from identifying accurate furnishing colours and materials from over half a century ago, to recreating interiors and buildings that have long since been derelict.
At the end of each episode is the big reveal; Have the miniaturists faithfully re-created the place of so many memories - and the reaction when childhood memories are recreated.
Dom Bird, SVP at MGM Alternative UK, said: 'MGM is delighted to be growing our slate of BBC programmes in 2025, with this original new series combining deeply personal stories and incredible craftsmanship with joyous surprises and reveals.
'These perfect replicas will bring back to life those locations that changed and shaped people's lives, while the models will be small, the heart and joy in this series promises to be huge.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Sugababes' Keisha Buchanan's ex set for trial next year on harassment and controlling behaviour charges
Sugababes' Keisha Buchanan's ex set for trial next year on harassment and controlling behaviour charges

Yahoo

time23 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Sugababes' Keisha Buchanan's ex set for trial next year on harassment and controlling behaviour charges

Sugababe Keisha Buchanan's footballer ex-partner is set to stand trial next Spring over claims he harassed the singer and controlled parts of her life. Taiwo Leo Atieno, 39, is accused of blocking the singer from wearing red lipstick, watching TV and going to the gym, and allegedly controlled what she ate when they were in a relationship. After the breakdown of the romance, it is said he harassed her with texts, emails and social media contact, as well as an alleged request for £25,000. He is also accused - in criminal charges spanning a decade - of attacking Ms Buchanan. Atieno appeared on Thursday at Harrow Crown Court for a preliminary hearing, when Judge Charles Bourne KC set the case down for a five-day trial starting on April 13 next year. The defendant appeared for the hearing on a videolink from HMP Wormwood Scrubs, having been held in custody since first being charged last month. The judge agreed on Thursday that he could be released from prison to await his trial, as long as he abides by bail conditions including the surrender of his passport. Ms Buchanan, 40, was one of the original members of Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhan Donaghy, and was part of the band as they became one of the 21st Century's most successful pop acts. She enjoyed chart-topping hits such as Round Round and Push the Button, before ultimately being forced out of the band in 2009. Ms Buchanan had solo success before reuniting with her former bandmates under the title Mutya Keisha Siobhan – and together they seized back control of the Sugababes name in 2019. Atieno was a professional footballer who made appearances for Kenya in qualifiers for the World Cup and African Cup of Nations. The Brixton-born forward made appearances for Walsall, Tamworth, Luton Town, Stevenage and Torquay United before retiring in 2013, and he also had spells playing in Puerto Rico and Rochester in New York state. He is charged with controlling and coercive behaviour towards Ms Buchanan between December 2015 and May 2018, assault occasioning actual bodily harm between January 2012 and January 2015, harassment between January 2021 and December last year, and an alleged breach of a non-molestation order. A previous court hearing was told the singer alleges Atieno controlled her finances and use of the shower while they were living together, allegedly intervened in her eating habits, and only allowed her to go to the gym 'at certain times'. It is said he 'did not allow her to watch TV and did not allow her to wear red lipstick' and also subjected her to verbal abuse, according to the charges. Atieno is also accused of grabbing Ms Buchanan around the neck, punching her on the arm and striking her on the back in a series of alleged assaults, the court heard. When blocked from contacting the singer by a family court order, it is alleged Atieno sent emails to her and he is also accused of harassment over the course of three years with texts, emails, social media contact and a request for £25,000. According to reports, Ms Buchanan was once engaged to Atieno and they had begun making plans for a wedding. Atieno was not asked to enter pleas to any of the charges at Thursday's hearing. He told the magistrates court hearing he denies all the allegations. Atieno, of Langton Road, Kennington, southwest London, is set to return to court to enter pleas in August.

Niontay: Underground Rap's Rockstar
Niontay: Underground Rap's Rockstar

Hypebeast

timean hour ago

  • Hypebeast

Niontay: Underground Rap's Rockstar

Niontayneeds no introduction — his early-career co-signs say it all. At just 26 years old, the 10K rapper has garnered support and collaborations fromEarl SweatshirtandMIKE, the latter of whom has played a key role in the kickstart of the rapper's uprising from the confines of the East Coast underground. 'MIKE put a battery in my back before I even released music,' Niontay told Hypebeast, the pair boasting five studio tracks as a unit. Now, with two studio albums under his belt — fresh off the release ofFada<3of$at the end of April — the Milwaukee-born, Florida-raised, Brooklyn-based rapper has established a tight-knit, symbiotic network of creative collaborators, includingMAVIandSideshowwithTony Seltzeron production. What he hasn't established, per se, is a signature sound — because he doesn't necessarily want to. 'I don't think I'll ever make two albums that sound entirely the same,' he shared, explaining that he doesn't approach writing in a routine, structural way at all. Sometimes the first four bars he spits land perfectly as the hook, while in others, the final verse comes first. All the while, he ponders: 'What even is structure in a song anymore?' When the rapper pulled up to the Hypebeast studio, he donned a custom dark denim zip-up work jacket with 'Sex after church' embroidered on the back of the silhouette. That's the rapper's producer's name, and his original artist name that he ended up changing after deciding it was too raunchy. He still wanted to keep it for something, so it's still his Instagram name and producer tag, though not an alias. That's where lil peanutbutter comes in. A listed featured artist onFada<3of$,peanutbutter delivers some of bars on Tay's favorite track on the album 'Stuntin' like my baba,' taking a higher-pitched voice than the rapper's typical persona. With his primed production background and peanutbutter in tow, Niontay's come-up is in progress, and we're privy to it live. We're just over a month off from the release ofFada<3of$– how are you feeling? I'm feeling good. I'm happy with the reception. I think the release party was what really showed me the impact the project had and put that in perspective for me. People coming up to me and telling me they f*cked with it and that they bought the vinyl. Sh*t's not cheap. How has your connection with MIKE impacted your career? It would have taken me so much longer to figure it all out and get to where I am today if I didn't know MIKE. He opened so many doors for me. I'll tell him that forever. He put a battery in my back before I even released music. While I was in my head, he was just reassuring me like 'You got it. Don't even trip.' When did you first start making music? I started playing around with making music in 2015 when I was 16. I downloaded this platform called Mixpad. You could record yourself and make beats on it – kinda Ableton-ish. When did you drop the first piece of music that you felt good about? Probably in 2019. That was when I started dropping sh*t that I didn't feel bad about telling people to listen to and saying 'I'm a rapper.' Who is Sexafterchurch (your producer alias) in relation to Niontay and your credited alter ego, lil peanutbutter? Sexafterchurch isn't really an alias. It was my artist name at first, but then I decided to change it because it felt a little too raunchy. People were like 'We f*ck with bro, but he should change his name.' So I changed my name. But it's still my Instagram name, so I wanted to keep it for something. lil peanutbutter is my alter ego. How do you know when you want to tap into lil peanutbutter? It's really all about the subject matter. I just think about who would be the better rapper to deliver the lyrics. 'I feel like a real rockstar.' What was your mindset going into building this album? Honestly, I wasn't thinking about it too hard. I wasn't trying to make an album. That wasn't the goal. I was just making music. I didn't put that pressure on myself of 'Every song has to be for the album.' After about two years, I ended up with a bunch of songs, and I finally started going through all of them. I knew certain ones had to be on the album, like 'Top da top' and 'mumbleman.' I played the rest for the homies and got their input, and that's how I made the album. Did you ever feel pressure to drop a project? Toward the end of the two years. I started getting on myself more like, 'Tighten up. Drop. You got all this music. Put it all together. Come on.' So I finally did. How do you approach the writing process? It depends. Sometimes, I hear a beat, and I know the first four bars I say will be the hook. Other times, it'll just be whatever I'm feeling. What even is 'structure' in a song anymore? You hear rappers rap what you think is the hook, but it's really the verse, and then you think it's finally the hook, but it's still the first verse. How would you describe this album in relation toDiontay's inferno? Diontay's Infernowas me finding myself. I think n*ggas like it a lot because it's so raw. I was playing with a lot of different sounds. But this album is me coming in as a more established artist and acknowledging that, like, 'Iaman artist, let me speak more clearly. Let me put more energy into this verse.' Overall, it's just a more polished project. I don't think I'll ever make two albums that sound entirely the same. Why didn't you choose to produce the entire project? I thought about producing the whole thing but there are too many good ass producers out right now who I wanted on there – MIKE, Harrison, Tony Seltzer, WTFOMARI!, Evilgiane. Something unique about this project is the inclusion of speaking parts as interludes or added onto the end of tracks. Could you say more on this? On '32ummers,' that's my mom talking at the end. That's her funny ass. The rest of the album's interludes come from videos I like on YouTube. The one on 'FULLCOURTPRESSHA' comes from this old gangster documentary I watched in London with Omari. Where else do you draw inspiration from? I really admire the way rockstars carry themselves. I feel like a real rockstar. I draw a lot of inspiration from the golden age of rock n' roll, like Ozzy Osbourne. I try to keep that mindset when I approach designing my merch and my live performances. What's next for you? 10K is gonna have a crazy year. MIKE's got 30 tapes ready to go, so how can I not be ready to go myself?

Jake Dunn Is Fiercely Protective of BBC Trans Drama ‘What It Feels Like for a Girl'
Jake Dunn Is Fiercely Protective of BBC Trans Drama ‘What It Feels Like for a Girl'

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Jake Dunn Is Fiercely Protective of BBC Trans Drama ‘What It Feels Like for a Girl'

'Whenever I work, I'm like, 'This will be the last time you do that,'' Jake Dunn laughs. 'I just can't believe it.' His candid disbelief is no surprise when the Nottingham-born star, fresh out of drama school, went straight into filming a Sally Wainwright show. Dunn might be best known to viewers as Thomas in Renegade Nell, Disney+'s fantasy adventure penned by the Happy Valley creator, which was canceled after one season last year. More from The Hollywood Reporter Banijay Has No Immediate Plans to Buy ITV Studios as CEO Talks Consolidation at SXSW London Letitia Wright on Overcoming Impostor Syndrome for Directorial Debut, Ryan Coogler Prophecy Death of "Grassroots" Live, Electronic Music Venues Gets U.K. Parliament Review: SXSW London 'It does give you an understanding,' Dunn continues, 'of when something is fizzing and exciting versus when something maybe doesn't have that same impact on first read.' The 25-year-old would know better than a lot of people — he's also worked on Jack Rook's Big Boys, Nick Hamm's historical epic William Tell and now turns to the BBC Three's millennial coming-of-age drama based on the memoir by transgender journalist Paris Lees. What It Feels Like for a Girl, on BBC iPlayer from June 3, follows Paris as a teen when she was known as Byron (played by Ellis Howard). Byron is still working through sexuality, identity and widespread prejudice in the working class town of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, but when they enter the world of sex work before adulthood, it also guides them to solace in the form of 'The Fallen Divas,' a group of queer, like-minded young people, including Laquarn Lewis' Lady Die, against the backdrop of the Y2K boom in the early 2000s. From there, Byron embarks on a journey toward womanhood but gets embroiled in deeply coercive and often uncomfortable relationships along the way. Dunn stars as Liam, an intimidating, criminally inclined boy who also secretly dabbles in sex work. Additional cast members include Laura Haddock, Hannah Walters, Calam Lynch, Hannah Jones, Michael Socha and Alex Thomas-Smith. The show has received some negative attention in recent weeks following the U.K.'s controversial Supreme Court ruling. In April, judges decided that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex.' Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was among those celebrating the news. The decision makes even the title of Lees' adaptation more contentious. 'Presenting the idea of an effeminate boy 'becoming a girl' as an edgy coming-of-age story is presenting delusion as self-discovery,' said Maya Forstater, a gender-critical activist who set up the British campaign group Sex Matters. Dunn's not having any of it. Below, he catches up with The Hollywood Reporter about landing the complex role of Liam, working with some of the best British writers in showbiz, playing the bad guy and why the U.K. Supreme Court ruling has muddied the waters of what should be jubilant time for Paris Lees and the cast of What It Feels Like for a Girl: 'It's a very uncertain time, politically, to be releasing a show that has, at the head of it, trans people.' I feel like this is so emblematic of a great little BBC show. Original storytelling, fantastic cast. What piqued your interest? It's a funny, sort of leading question because the reality of it is that, obviously, you audition for everything you can. Anything that comes through, you try and audition for because you want to work, you want to make rent, all those things. And then, very occasionally, maybe once or twice a year, you end up auditioning for something that you actually also think is really interesting. And it was a weird situation where I'd done a film called William Tell in 2023. Oh, of course. How was that experience? Great. We love our swords and shields. (Laughs.) But I shot that for about four and a half months and it finished, and I was knackered. I was like, I just want to take a few months to just not do anything. At the same time, a couple of my friends started auditioning for this show What It Feels Like for a Girl and asked me for help with the Nottingham accent. And I think most of my friends back in Nottingham would tell you that I'm really posh compared to anyone there. (Laughs.) I just never really inherited the accent. I helped people audition for different parts and read in, but it just never came my way. There was this part called Liam, which I'd heard about. People had been like, 'You could be auditioning for this.' And I didn't want to push it — I was tired from the previous jobs. I thought, it's not coming my way very easily. But then it did, and I did a couple of auditions and somehow managed to get the part. It was very surprising. So you feel like you're very much still in the audition for everything phase of your career? Yeah, definitely. There's no two ways about it. I'm not at all known or being sought at all, which is great — I don't expect that at all. I've been very lucky the last two years to get a job every so often. I think that's healthy. I think I would be nervous if that changed at all because while starting from the same place every time is scary, it's also very good. If you're not right for the part, you're not right for the part and that's that. It becomes less about anything else. But yeah, I'm always scrambling a little bit. It goes to show how many talented people in the biz have to scramble. And, of course, at the same time, lots of people would love to be in your position. Oh yeah, God, I'm also very aware that I've been incredibly lucky to work at all in the last couple of years. Since I left drama school, [I've worked] on things with really amazing people. I spent four months making William Tell and it was such a fun time. It was four months working with the funniest, best, most talented [people]. When it happens and you get something, it's the most exciting thing. So I am very, very, very lucky to work at all. Talk to me about Liam and what it is you think the casting directors saw that they liked in you. Why did people urge you to audition? I don't know. Maybe they said it in a Nottingham sense. But when I heard what the part was, I was like, that sounds really interesting but not like me at all. I think I got close to something else that was in a similar vein, [so] I had the skinhead at the time! Sometimes, those cosmetic things help you. But Liam himself, even when I got cast, I couldn't quite believe it. I didn't come out of the chemistry reading and go, 'I think this is gonna work out for me.' After that, it was about getting a hold of who he was as quickly as possible. I had access to the first three episodes and I basically found everything out about Liam through the script in a way that I don't think I've ever fully had before. I think it's so well written and because it's based on reality, on someone's life, it has that amazing thing about it [where] it's quite a jagged shape. It doesn't sit in narrative conventions as much as a [fictional] drama would because it was someone's life. Episode three, specifically, I learned a lot from. He was someone that I think was really similar to Byron when he was Byron's age and had been through the same things that Byron was about to experience. And he has, as a result — in my head — built himself tough to respond to it. People like Liam exist, I know people like that. It was also the first time I really based someone on people I used to know in Nottingham. People like Liam are survivalists. They go from moment to moment and they feel like they've got no money, no future and no one listening. When you're living that way, you see how it becomes about cheating the system. Do you know what I mean? That's super interesting that you say Liam has been through what Byron has. There was a line — it was cut from the final [product], which is fine — where Byron heard that Liam also used to work [in sex work]. We're learning how to talk about it. Byron is 15, and we, as an audience, get to decide how we feel about what's happening when in the eyes of morality or law, what we're seeing is statutory rape and a form of coercion and grooming and all these things. It felt really useful for me when playing Liam to realize that if Liam had gone through what Byron had, it meant that he couldn't see what he was doing as coercion because it would mean Liam was coerced as well. So, for me, it felt like Liam was a mirror. Liam saw Byron in himself and thus became fascinated, obsessed with him and hated him. There were all these muddled, intense feelings that are brimming throughout episodes two and three. It meant you could kind of do anything with it. It felt much more freeing. Also, bear with me if I over-talk a character; I really don't know whether it makes sense or not… No, no, it makes perfect sense. Did you speak to Paris about who Liam was in real life? I did a little bit. It's so specific and esoteric that I feel quite nervous to almost touch on what I do and don't know because there was a gift for me in reversing what actors would normally do. I held off on the knowledge. There was a point where I was like, if I knew anything about him or who he was based on, what they looked like, it might take me into a realm of something that is a bit too documentarian. I based Liam's voice on someone I knew from when I was 15, 16. I based his movements on the same chap and then [Paris and I] created this look together. However, much of it was based on the true person I wasn't privy to, in a way that I'm quite grateful for because I don't want to dredge up anything. You never know where the line is in this because this is about Paris's life. Paris has written it. But it's also about keeping the freedom of what we're exploring. I almost didn't feel bad for not asking permission for certain things that we improvised during scenes because we knew we were making a drama. How do you feel about finally being out in the world? I mean, I don't know if you saw the U.K. Supreme Court ruling about the definition of a woman. We're living in a very scary time, and I feel excited in the sense that I'm so proud to be a part of this show. I think that the acting is nuts, and I think Ellis and Hannah and Laquarn are incredible, but it's a very uncertain time, politically, to release a show that has, at the head of it, trans people. Jake, am I allowed to ask what you have coming up next? (Laughs.) I'm heading away in about a week for four months to shoot something, which I'm super excited for. And it's the first time I'm not playing someone really, really evil. So that is a real big turning point for me. Do you feel you've been typecast in your career so far as the bad guy? I mean, I've really enjoyed it. I just played Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire [at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield]. I finished that about a few weeks ago. We did a month run and a month of rehearsals. I played Liam. I didn't work for seven months because, you know, auditioning, and then I played Stanley and before that was Stussi in William Tell and before that was Thomas in Renegade Nell. It's sort of a track record. (Laughs.) They're all very different and exciting! But you're like, 'Oh, is this my thing?' It's all about variation, though, right? You never want to feel like you're playing the same character twice. I never have felt that. Like I said, I'm always auditioning. I'm always trying. It is hard. I'm very lucky. But the people, the characters I've got to play have been so developed and nuanced and different. And I feel really incredibly lucky to have played Liam. It's such a specific person and character and not something that I would ever even [think I'd] be considered for. And you've really worked with some of the best British writers in the biz — Sally Wainwright, Jack Rook, now Paris. One hundred percent. I left drama school and did a Sally Wainwright show and I couldn't believe it. It does give you an understanding of when something is fizzing and exciting versus when something maybe doesn't have that same impact on first read. And it's a funny dichotomy — you're trying to audition for everything, but then you've also had a run of working with the best writers you can think of. I've been very happy. What would your dream role be, or dream filmmaker, writer, or fellow actor to work with? I'm quite bad with things like that. I'm always very pessimistic and assume that any job is the last one. And I really don't have career dreams. I don't know if it's [that] I don't have an imagination, but I just can't believe it whenever I work. So whenever I do work, I'm like, 'This will be the last time you do that.' (Laughs.) It's really good for me. It keeps me aware of everything outside of acting, rather than putting your whole life on this. You gotta be careful with things like this… OK. Max Porter is a writer who — I mean, I think everyone is phenomenal — but he is phenomenal. I heard along the way that he watched Renegade Nell, so I would love to come across his radar. Andrea Arnold — I saw Bird last year and I thought it was one of the most exciting films I'd seen in a long time. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

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