Delta Goodrem surprises commuters with a piano performance at St Pancras
London St. Pancras International played host to inspiring Australian singer, Delta Goodrem, with an impromptu piano performance.
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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Kylie and Jason unlikely to appear in Neighbours second finale
Neighbours' Executive Producer Jason Herbison has revealed that the soap's most famous stars, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, are unlikely to feature in the show's finale. In 2022, Channel 5 aired the last ever episode of Neighbours, featuring a host of familiar characters including Minogue and Donovan's Scott and Charlene. Months later, the soap was picked up by streaming platform Amazon Freevee, allowing it to return to screens. However, the beloved Australian soap is set to be taken off-air again in December after the closure of Amazon Freevee. Speaking to Australian soap news website the Neighbours producer said: 'I've already written it, and I would say that, I definitely am not going to try and compete with that finale." In the 2022 finale, Scott (Jason Donovan) and Charlene (Kylie Minogue) return to Erinsborough, while Guy Pearce reprised the role of Mike Young to reunite with childhood sweetheart Jane Harris (Annie Jones). Herbison continued: '"I haven't picked up the phone to Jason and Kylie and Guy again. I've left them alone, but it will be very similar in tone. I think it's a very warm, hopeful tone, but it's also a little bit different. There are things about it that I think might remind people of the previous finale, but it's also very different. "I think, as has been well documented, the show's not ending because people aren't still enjoying it. We still have an amazing following. "Unfortunately, the closure of Amazon Freevee did mean the end of the show. But having said that, at the end of this chapter of the show, they were terrific and gave us lots of notice on it as well, which is as much as you can possibly hope for. It wasn't something that took anyone by surprise." Warning: Spoiler Alert! Herbison teased of the soap's last storylines: "There's a big story for the Rodwells that will be a big challenge for the household, lots of twists and turns, lots of drama and lots of impact for everyone in the street. That will be a massive story right until the end. "The Varga-Murphys have some very big storylines coming up as well. "I'm often asked, are we ever going to meet the Linwells [the dangerous builders from whom the Varga-Murphys had to escape after Cara exposed their dodgy practices]? Yes, maybe we will, but it might not be exactly the story that people are expecting. "But there's definitely another chapter of the Linwells to be told, which also very neatly dovetails into some other stories."
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Scrublands' Irish star: 'my dream is to work at home'
Maria Branagan's just another Irish person who's swapped the Emerald Isle for Australia. Well, except for the fact that she landed a part in hit Oz drama Scrublands. John Byrne reports. Zoom is home to most interview situations these days. Post-covid, it's rare to meet up with someone unless they happen to be in Ireland. Or I just happen to be in Hollywood. It takes away the personal touch, but it also allows you to conduct interviews in a more personal setting than having a chat on the phone. Being able to see the person you're conversing with is always a plus. Especially if – like Maria Branagan – the person on the other side of the Zoom happens to be in Australia. It's a long way from her native Meath, and that's a story in itself. But the ultimate reason why we're chatting, early in the day for me and late in the evening for her, is that she went to Australia hoping it would ultimately lead to a new chapter in her acting career. Spoiler alert: it did. Remember Australian drama Scrublands? Well, it's back on RTÉ2 for a second season from Monday June 9 and our Maria's got a part in it for a three-episode arc. No wonder she's grinning at me like a cat in a cream factory when I ask if she headed Down Under on a whim. "I really did just say, f*** this. I'm heading off," she laughs. "In September of 2023, myself and my fiancé had just finished renovating these farm garages on his mam's land. And that's where we intended to live. "Long story boring. We ended up renovating these garages myself and Dan and - I'm not joking - we finished and I just turned to him and I said 'I've booked flights to Australia' and he said 'What, what? 'And I was, like, 'We're moving!' "And so off we went. We packed our bags in January of 2024. And it's been a fantastic experience. I mean, it's been daunting and there's definitely times where you're like, 'What am I doing?' "But generally speaking, I do believe that everyone should leave home for a couple of years, you know, kind of puts perspective on what life is all about really." So, what's it all about then? "It couldn't be nicer," Maria insists, describing her current surroundings. "The weather's just gorgeous." And where is this gorgeous weather? "I'm in Mudgee, which is a small town four hours inland from Sydney." From Meath to Mudgee. It's quite literally half the world away. Thing was, Maria Branagan wasn't getting many breaks in her acting career here in Ireland. Sure, there was some work, such as the 2023 movie Made in Dublin. As is the nature of the acting game in a small country such as Ireland, you can spend a lot of time travelling on a career path without getting very far. And time does tend to fly. Especially when other things are put on hold. Maria's brutally candid. "I literally had, like, resigned myself to the fact that I had been trying to kind of crack the Irish industry for about 10 years. And I've been putting off myself and my partner's travel plans. "I only have ever had two wishes in my life," she adds. "One was to be a working actor and the other was to travel the world. So I put our travel plans on hold for so many years. "And my partner was so understanding. He was really like, 'Absolutely. I'm so committed to you pursuing your dream'. "And one morning I woke up and it would have been around September 2023 and there was a wave of peace that came over me. I don't think I ever told myself I was going to quit [acting] because it is a drug, isn't it? "So I kind of just put it on the back burner. And I said, 'Look, let's go travel.' And when we, if we eventually ever come home, I'll try again." Fate– or whatever you'd like to call it – made an appearance when, at the same time, a pal of hers made a big life choice of her own that had the potential to impact Maria's acting prospects. "Literally the December before I left, a friend of mine, Cathy Ievers, told me that she was going out on her own and making her own [acting] agency. She had done huge things in London with massive agencies and then she was like, 'I'm going out on my own.'" Not only that, Cathy wanted Maria on her roster of talent. Y'know, the Maria that's just about to put acting on hold and move halfway around the globe. No biggie, Cathy insisted. "She said that everyone's sending self-tapes these days," Maria explains. "So you could be anywhere in the world, you know. I thought, maybe we can do this - but when we got to Australia, I was really disoriented and really just focused on travelling. I kind of had acting in the back of my mind." Lucky for her, Cathy Ievers was beavering away back on this side of the planet. Maria was Down Under "about three or four weeks" when Cathy sent her a text about interest from a top casting agency in Sydney. Yep. Sydney, Australia. Maria recalls: "I didn't think much of it, sent the tape in, forgot about it entirely, and Cathy was on to me a week later to tell me I was after getting a recall." Two weeks later, she got the news that she'd been cast to play a character called Toria in the second season of hit Australian drama Scrublands. Sweet. "They actually changed her name from Topaz to Toria," Maria explains when I ask about her character. "They thought Toria was more of an Irish name. I was like, Toria is not an Irish name. The description was originally an Argentinian girl. So that's why they went with Topaz. But I didn't care. I got cast." Indeed. Once the name on the paysllips is 'Maria Branagan' that's all that really matters. So – after some to-ing and fro-ing involving vans and stuff – Maria was off to Western Australia for the shoot. As for the plot and where Toria fits in, Maria recalls: "It's all about this murder that occurs and Martin Scarson, who's the lead character, played by Luke Arnold, has to figure out who the killer is. "It was a friend of his that had been murdered and the whole story is wrapped around that. "And then Toria - the part that I got cast as - she's actually a backpacker and she's trying to scam this well-off sleaze bag in the town, for a visa and money. "So Toria comes into this town, she's an Irish girl who's hooked up with this English dude. They're so ropey. They get involved in some ropey stuff with the local drug dealer. "She's a bit of a spicy, spicy girl. And she brings just a bit of pzazz to the whole thing to be honest. It was incredible to play the role, you know, because she was just a bit feral. "I felt very free in the role," she adds, laughing at the fact that she was playing such a colourful character. "I could do whatever I wanted. You know what I mean? That was the vibe that she had." Scrublands is CV history now for Maria – that's showbiz folks – but her performance has resonated, and other opportunities have begun to present themselves to her. Fingers crossed, eh? "All I want from this industry," she insists, "is just to be consistently working." She also hopes that her performance in Scrublands "will give me a leg-up back home . . . Hopefully get a bit more traction – because my dream is to work at home. On Irish productions." Talking of Irish productions, I was struck by one show on Maria Branagan's CV, the fun procedural Harry Wild filmed in Dublin and starring an ageless Jane Seymour as Harriet "Harry" Wild, a retired literature professor with a knack for solving mysteries. Being a nosey so and so, before the interview ends I have to ask what Seymour – a former Bond girl and probably best known for playing Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman in the hit US show that ran for six seasons – was like. "She still looks amazing," Maria says. "Oh my God. She is such a lovely woman. Like, when we went on set in the morning, she laid out all these canvases and watercolours at one of the tables that we would all sit at while we were waiting to film. "And she sat us down and she was talking us through how to paint watercolours. The woman was so Zen. I've never seen a woman so Zen!" Ms Seymour also showed impressive levels of professionalism when called on to perform for the cameras. "They'd be like, OK, Jane," says Maria. "And she'd just saunter over. I didn't once see her do a read-through. "She's not doing a read through - those lines are just there. They're there in her head. I'm like, 'Oh my God, that's so impressive.' And she was just such a beautiful woman."
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Love Island star ‘calls police' after influencer he met on dating site accuses him of cheating with ‘500 women'
LOVE Island star Tak Chipangura has told fans he has 'called the police' after a single date with an influencer turned sour. Tak, who appeared on the Australian series of Love Island, was accused by the woman of cheating with "500 women" following their night together. 4 Love Island star Tak Chipangura has 'called the authorities' after a bad date Credit: INSTAGRAM 4 Tak has accused a woman of making 'serious false allegations' Credit: Instagram Tak is believed to have met the female influencer on dating site Hinge but now claims to have got "the proper authorities" involved. The rapper and former security guard has accused the woman of "harassment, bullying, public safety and defamation of character". She has even been accused of telling Tak she "wished he died" after he had a minor prang in his car. In a lengthly statement on Instagram, Tak has broken his silence on the situation which he says occurred after he spent one night with her. read more on love island He told his fans: "First I would love to say thank you for the love and support I've received, really appreciate the ones who reached out to check in on me and make sure I'm doing okay. "I'm not going to feed into this behaviour, the people who know me know that I'm not capable of such things. "All of this will be dealt with accordingly and by the proper authorities as she has made some pretty serious and false allegations. "Harassment, bullying, public safety and defamation of character are serious offences and should not be taken lightly. Most read in Love Island "And to all the people that enable this behaviour making fake accounts to give her false information and formulate scenarios that never occurred, it's worth taking a long look in the mirror before contributing to the defamation of someone's character." Tak appeared in the 2022 series of Love Island Australia. Love Island UK left looking tame as Aussie contestants boast about 'pounding' on the show Before entering the villa, he spoke proudly of his "strong morals". He lasted 22 days on the show. Now working as a rapper and model, Tak is believed to have hooked up with the female influencer on Hinge for a date last week. The woman later posted a video on social media claiming he had been speaking to other women behind her back. "I am crashing out because a man has been deceiving me and about 500 other women," she ranted. The influencer, who is also Australian, also made a string of other allegations before they were delated. Fans have been left shocked by the situation and have given their opinions on Reddit. One said: "This is all because he met her 3 days ago. She's already obsessed with him when he only spoke to her as a general and didn't promise her kids, marriage etc. crazy." Another added: "I feel like this level of crashout would be warranted to some extent if they were in a committed relationship, but based on what he said it sounds like she's the only person he's met off hinge." And a third said: "Idgaf [I don't give a f***] about hook ups btw but agree he's allowed to say he's not keen to continue things with her without her losing her mind like this. Hopefully the police help him." 4 Tak appeared on Love Island Australia in 2022 Credit: Nine 4 The former security guard is said to have met the woman on Hinge Credit: Instagram
