Latest news with #AnIdiotAbroad
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Stephen Mulhern reveals surprising reason he won't miss co-host Holly Willoughby after she quit You Bet & DOI was axed
STEPHEN MULHERN wants to kick off a new era of his career, ditching his 'Mr Beige' tag to become the new Bruce Forsyth. And it is all because sidekick Holly Willoughby ditched him for Netflix. Advertisement 7 Stephen Mulhern reveals why he won't miss co-host Holly Willoughby Credit: ITV 7 Willoughby quit You Bet and Dancing On Ice has been axed, pictured with Stephen Credit: Rex The duo lost But Stephen remains busier than ever with Celebrity Chatting to TV Biz, he said: 'I'm gutted she's not doing You Bet! with me, but I've had time to think about it and Bruce Forsyth was the first person to do You Bet! and he did it on his own. 'Matthew Kelly made it the best show on the telly. Advertisement READ MORE ON TV 'And every time I've been interviewed and they say, 'What show would you bring back?' I've always said 'You Bet!' 'So maybe it happened for a reason. We've filmed one episode already without Holly, and it felt very comfortable. Maybe it is just a one-presenter show.' 'I cried a lot' Stephen has become an ITV stalwart through his work with Holly, But now he is forging his own path. Advertisement Most read in News TV So much so that, chatting to my reporter Felicity on the Catchphrase set, the former magician revealed he has an idea for a show — and is coughing up his own cash to pay for it. Stephen said: 'It's very hard to pitch stuff on paper, you've got to show people so I'm just going to invest my own money into it then pitch it. Watch moment Holly Willoughby is left red-faced as Dancing On Ice co-host Stephen Mulhern makes x-rated joke on live TV 'I want to do a bit of magic, a bit of wind-up, practical jokes . . . the key is for the family to sit down and enjoy it.' And now Stephen is ready to finally let viewers see the real him after agreeing to film an ITV travelogue with Ant & Dec along the lines of An Idiot Abroad, called Accidental Tourist. Advertisement Stephen said: 'Emma WIllis called me Fifty Shades Of Beige because all my food is beige. 'I don't travel a lot, I always go to Florida — the food's safe. 'But the idea is I step out my comfort zone. I was doing stuff that I'd never do. 'When people see it they'll see a completely different side. It's stripped down. Everyone's like, 'Oh Stephen, he's so nice' but on this I think you're going to see it. Advertisement 'People have seen me on TV for nearly 25 years and they go, 'What's he like at home? Is he going out with someone?'' 7 Stephen is the face of Catchphrase Credit: ITV Being exposed in that way was a lot for Stephen. He added: 'You'll see a lot of emotion, 100 per cent. You'll see me totally out of my comfort zone. Advertisement 'I remember sitting on the bed, and I was like, 'Was this the right choice? Was it the right decision?' 'They film and film and film. I've never done that. No one's ever seen me cry but I cried a lot.' For now Stephen is back in his comfort zone, filming a fresh series of Celebrity Catchphrase. Advertisement And Stephen has now filmed more episodes than show legend Roy Walker. He said: 'I used to watch Catchphrase growing up. I love it because of the gameplay of it. You can never call it. 'The secret to success now is proper family entertainment. 'If you can't sum up the show in a sentence, it will never work. Play Your Cards Right, higher or lower. You Bet!, will they do it, will they not? Advertisement 'Catchphrase, say what you see. Deal Or No deal, pick the right box.' So what is the secret to his own success? 'Because I'm not the rebel! You hear of certain performers or presenters and they go, 'They're bang out of order'. And you go, 'Well, they're not working now. . .'' Never change, Mr Beige. Advertisement 7 Bruce Forsyth originally hosted You Bet! Credit: PA:Press Association 7 Presenter Stephen with The Sun's Felicity Cross Sister act two for Ella ELLA BRUCCOLERI was the unassuming Sister Frances in Call The Midwife, and her latest role is set to be every bit as understated. I can reveal that the actress, who left the period hospital drama in 2022, has been cast as Mary Bennet in BBC One's The Other Bennet Sister. Advertisement 7 Ella Bruccoleri, left, has been cast as Mary Bennet in BBC One's The Other Bennet Sister Credit: BBC Mary is the seemingly unremarkable middle sibling in Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice, and the story sees her stepping out of her sisters' shadows to find her own epic love story. The ten-parter, which starts filming soon, is based on Janice Hadlow's bestselling novel of the same name. Ella, who says she can 'relate' to Mary, described writer Sarah Quintrell's scripts as warm and humorous. Advertisement She added: 'They reveal that beneath Mary's awkwardness and formality lies a woman longing for purpose and connection.' ART OF ENTERTAINMENT HARRY Hill, Romesh Ranganathan, and the Kwapong Family will host a new BBC children's art show. Go Get Arty features How To segments and celeb drawalongs. Harry, who voices paintbrush Bristles, said: 'Go Get Arty is silly, smart and properly creative – a bit like me!' 'Ender line for Bernie EASTENDERS favourite Clair's character Bernie Taylor made her debut in 2017 alongside onscreen mum Karen ( 7 EastEnders favourite Clair Norris has been axed after eight years on the soap Credit: BBC Advertisement It comes three months after executive producer Chris Clenshaw was replaced by Ben Wadey. A source said: 'When a soap gets a new boss they want to make their own mark, it's nothing personal. 'She was the last Taylor standing and it's time to close the chapter on them.' I'm sure the imminent return of Jake Wood as Max Branning after four years away will bring more drama. Advertisement
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Stephen Mulhern: 'I hadn't cried on TV before Ant and Dec sent me to Korea.'
Gameshow host on The Accidental Tourist getting emotional, his love for Celebrity Catchphrase and how Holly Willoughby told him she was quitting You Bet! Stephen Mulhern says viewers will see a very different side to him in The Accidental Tourist, in which pals Ant and Dec send him on a journey of discovery to Korea. The much-loved gameshow host, whose ITV shows include Celebrity Catchphrase, Deal or No Deal and You Bet!, says he's very happy to always hide behind his presenter alter ago. But in the one-off special later this year, the audience will watch the real Stephen properly struggle as he pushes his boundaries by travelling to an unfamiliar country to eat food he doesn't like with people he doesn't know. At the time of filming last year, he had just lost his father, Christopher, and his attempts to become more intrepid left Stephen, 48, feeling incredibly emotional at times. 'No one's ever seen me cry on the telly,' he muses now, admitting that it took nearly three years for him to be persuaded. 'But it was quite nice to not be behind a format, I've never done that. You're going to see behind the razzle-dazzle, if you like. People have thankfully seen me on TV for nearly 25 years, but they may go, 'Well, what's he like at home? Is he going out with someone?' I'm at the very centre of this and it's scary. 'They film and they film and they film and they just get everything. I think what you're going to see is a lot of emotion. You'll see me totally out of my comfort zone.' For the programme, designed to help him unleash his inner traveller, Stephen is sent to Asia, a continent he's never visited because he only ever holidays in Florida. 'I like the food and the theme parks,' he laughs. 'Only Ant and Dec would choose Korea. Why couldn't it have been Tokyo? It looks like New York." He says the idea to send him out into the world came about because he was so unadventurous and the Geordie pair thought it would be funny to see him learn new things. Already, the show has been compared to An Idiot Abroad, in which Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant sent their pal Karl Pilkington off on daft adventures. 'The difference is that I got very emotional because of the timing,' he sighs. 'I'm not very worldly. I don't travel a lot. And my body's been used to eating plain food.' His reluctance to broaden his horizons has led to teasing from celebrity pals including Emma Willi s and Holly Willoughby. 'They would call me 50 Shades of Beige because of the food I eat, which is embarrassing really,' he laughs. But when he got back to the UK after filming ended, he found that the exotic diet had played havoc with his insides. 'The food was just horrific, we'd try things like octopus, fish penis, something they dug out the very bottom of the sea and like a worm that's wriggling, but when you squeeze it squirts water,' he shudders. 'When I came back I couldn't eat for two and a half weeks. I literally couldn't stomach anything - I lost half a stone.' He nearly quit along the way but managed to stick it out and, once home, his family asked if he'd be prepared to do it again. 'The answer is, I don't know,' he says now, looking faintly terrified at the prospect. Having got over the experience, he does feel proud of himself, but it's tinged with regret. 'My dad had just passed away,' he says sadly. 'So that's the only thing. I'm gutted that he didn't see it.' Fully recovered from the ordeal, Stephen is now on screen with the final two episodes of Celebrity Catchphrase with guests including Mel Blatt, Michelle Visage and Jeremy Vine yet to come. He's also making a second run of You Bet! - this time without co-host Holly Willoughby, who pulled out ahead of filming. Stephen says Holly, with whom he also hosted Dancing on Ice until it was axed after the most recent series, told him in person that she didn't want to continue with the fun challenge show. 'I'm gutted she's not doing it, but I've had time to think about it,' he reasons. 'Bruce Forsyth was the first person to do You Bet!, and he did it on his own. Matthew Kelly made it the best show on the telly. So maybe it's happened for the right reasons. We've filmed one episode already and it felt very comfortable and it felt good. I think maybe it is just a one presenter show.' It's been reported that her Netflix series Celebrity Bear Hunt has been dropped after one run, and he says it'll be 'interesting" to see what she does next. 'I don't know what happened. She just said, 'Look, sorry, I can't do it.' She told me face to face. She said, 'Look, I'm gutted, but it's all over.' For himself, he has a hard time choosing between Catchphrase and Deal or No Deal when it comes to a favourite. On the one hand he'd choose the former, because he's hosted it for so long - and would love to see a return for the original version featuring everyday people. But he also has a lot of love for the newer show because it was his market trader dad's favourite and he was filming it while visiting him in hospital towards the end. 'We were doing three a day and he would be asking me, 'What were the winnings today?' So it's very, very dear to my heart simply because of that.' As something of a gameshow expert, Stephen believes that simplicity is the key to success. 'If you can't sum up the show in a sentence, it will never work,' he insists. 'Catchphrase, say what you see. Play Your Cards Right, high or lower? You Bet, will they or won't they? Deal Or No Deal, pick the right box. The Price Is Right, guess the prize,' he reels off. The road to failure, he believes, lies with having to think too hard as you play. "Catchphrase is a prime example of that - anyone can play it,' he says. 'As I say to the contestants, if you have a good time, I promise you'll do all right.' With In For a Penny currently being rested, he's decided to have a go at creating his own family entertainment show entirely from scratch. 'I'm going to film a 20-minute pilot, I'm just going to invest my own money and then pitch it and see if it goes well,' he says. Inspired by the likes of Beadle's About and Surprise, Surprise, it will involve his two favourite things - magic and practical jokes. 'It's very heartwarming as well,' he explains. 'I just think it would be nice to do a show where I get to do a bit of magic and a bit of wind up, which I love doing,' he says. 'I think that's missing from our screens at the moment.' - Celebrity Catchphrase, ITV/ITVX/STV, Sunday, 6.55pm
