Latest news with #Avenue5
The Guardian
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Nikki Amuka-Bird: ‘I'd have drag queens from RuPaul's Drag Race play me in the film of my life'
Born in Nigeria, Nikki Amuka-Bird, 49, studied at Lamda and began her career with the RSC. In 2017, she was Bafta nominated for her role in the BBC adaptation of Zadie's Smith's book NW. The same year, she played the lead in the Donmar's production of Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea. Her recent television work spans Armando Iannucci's comedy Avenue 5; the action series Citadel; and I, Jack Wright, which is on U&Alibi. She is divorced and lives in London. What is your greatest fear? I'm quite scared of bats. I'm just seeing rats with wings – no, thanks. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Lack of confidence masquerading as perfectionism. What was your most embarrassing moment? Being an actor is inherently embarrassing. You have to embrace it. Aside from property, what's the most expensive thing you've bought? A business-class flight. Pure indulgence. What is your most treasured possession? I inherited my mother's home in Antigua – so many wonderful memories there. Describe yourself in three words Optimistic, creative, resilient. What makes you unhappy? Small talk on long journeys. What do you most dislike about your appearance? The gap between my two front teeth. I keep trying to fix it and my teeth keep springing apart again. If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose? Blockbuster Video and the ritual of picking and savouring which films you're going to watch at the weekend. Who would play you in the film of your life? I'd like it to be a 'Rusical' and have drag queens from RuPaul's Drag Race play me at different points in my life. What is your most unappealing habit? People-pleasing. What scares you about getting older? Not being flexible enough to dance freely. Who is your celebrity crush? Tilda Swinton. What is the worst thing anyone's said to you? In a rehearsal just after graduating from drama college, I say my lines to an older actor. He pauses, turns to the director and says: 'I'm sorry, but is she going to do it like that?' What do you owe your parents? I learned from watching my mother to disregard the limitations others place on you. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why? Anyone whose party I said I'd go to and didn't turn up. I can get quite socially anxious at times. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My mother. I owe everything to her. What does love feel like? Like everything is in high definition, and life is on your side. What was the best kiss of your life? I had a first kiss on my birthday once that I'll never forget. Which living person do you most despise, and why? I try to steer clear of hatred – it only eats you up inside. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Onwards and upwards. When did you last cry, and why? Probably watching some poor abandoned cat or dog being nursed back to life by a stranger on YouTube.
Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Rebecca Front: ‘Dad nearly drowned on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales'
Rebecca Front, 60, is an actress, comedian and writer from east London. She is known for her roles in The Day Today, Poldark and Avenue 5 and her Bafta-winning performance in The Thick of It. She lives with her husband, the TV producer turned writer Phil Clymer, in north London. They have two children, Ollie, 26, and Tilly, 24. A couple of incidents on family holidays triggered tricky times for me as a pre-teen. One of these episodes occurred as I was climbing the spiral set of 325 steps in the central tower at Durham Cathedral when I was 12. Somebody stopped ahead of us and, tugging at my mum's jacket, I said that I wanted to go back down, but we had to wait as there were people in front and behind us. I found the whole situation very oppressive and it got into my head that we couldn't leave, leading to a lifetime of claustrophobia, with the worst of it usually experienced in lifts and Underground trains. However, no other holiday was as traumatic as the Yorkshire trip when my dad nearly drowned, which was f***ing dreadful. It was the summer before I started secondary school and we were visiting the Yorkshire Dales National Park, picnicking by the River Wharfe on a very hot day. My older brother, Jeremy, and my dad were wading in ankle-height water when dad's foot got caught in the roots of a tree. The current knocked him off balance and he couldn't get out of the river. My poor brother was desperately trying to drag him out, eventually saving his life by yelling for help. Two strapping guys pulled Dad out and he was barely conscious. If that wasn't bad enough, the following day Jeremy fell in the shower and hit his head, and the day after we received a phone call saying that my grandfather had died. At that point we packed and went home. Although that holiday ended in disaster, my mum was determined to create happy memories for us and decided to take us on the kind of road trip she had when she was young, using money that her father had left her. I hadn't been abroad before and it was so exciting as we took our inefficient, third-hand Triumph through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany for three weeks. Along the way Dad wanted to visit some war graves in Verdun, northeast France, where the gift shop sold bomb-shaped chocolate. Heidelberg, in southwest Germany, was an incredible town — it looked like every fairytale illustration I'd ever seen, with enormous hillside forests. My best work trip was for the BBC series War & Peace in 2015. We filmed in Latvia, Lithuania and the Russian city of St Petersburg, where we did two stints, shooting in summer and winter. I was very nervous about the long shoot, but it was a phenomenal job with the most glorious people — it was a brilliant social whirl, hanging out with castmates such as James Norton, Paul Dano, Jack Lowden and Aneurin Barnard, who was playing my son. Even though I'm much older than him he was lovely to me, and from rehearsals onwards he'd always say, 'You're coming with me!' whenever the cast would go somewhere. My phone would ping constantly with invitations to join whatever fun gathering was happening. The architecture in St Petersburg is beautiful, and our comfortable post-Soviet hotel was within walking distance of the Hermitage, the fantastic art and culture museum. We didn't start filming until 5pm, so I would spend the days sightseeing, walking to galleries and churches and lunching on blinis. It was thrilling; I absolutely loved it. I love a US road trip and American diners with their over-easy eggs and hot sauce on every table. Phil, the kids and I usually drive from Seattle to Los Angeles, or vice versa, as we have friends in those cities. In Washington state we always try to stay at the Sleeping Lady resort, which has fairly rough-and-ready cabin accommodation — and a fabulous swimming pool — in woods on the Cascade Mountains. In California we like to stay at Deetjen's Big Sur Inn, which has amazing home cooking and, controversially, no wi-fi — this stresses me out much more than it does the kids. • 12 of the best US road trips Shortly before our last road trip Ollie rang to ask whether there was room for his new girlfriend, Imogen. It's quite brave to be trapped in a car for three weeks with a family you've just met, but when she joined in with us singing along to the music I immediately knew that she'd fit People with Rebecca Front, featuring interviews with Peter Capaldi, Nicola Stephenson and Armando Iannucci, among others, is available from all podcast stores
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
5 of the best and biggest TV shows filmed at Leavesden Studios you can watch
Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden has been the base for many popular movies and TV shows since opening in 1994. Brought in 2010 by Warner Bros, the studios are best known for helping create the Harry Potter movies as well as the likes of Barbie and The Batman. But along with its long list of impressive movies, Leavesden Studios has also helped produce many popular TV shows. Shows like House of Dragon, The Franchise and Avenue 5 have all been made at the Hertfordshire-based studios. Here are just a few of the shows made at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and how you can watch them. The fantasy drama series, House of the Dragon is a prequel show to the worldwide hit Game of Thrones created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal. The HBO show tells the story of the events that led up to the decline of House Targaryen. House of the Dragon stars Milly Alcock, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Emma D'Arcy, Paddy Considine and Eve Best. You can watch House of Dragon via a premium subscription to NOW. will secrets stay caged in the end? — YOU (@YouNetflix) March 13, 2025 Netflix thriller series You, filmed series 4, which was set in London at Leavesden Studios. Starring Penn Badgley as the dark-minded Joe Goldberg, the series follows Joe as he discovers the line between love and obsession. The series stars the likes of Victoria Pedretti, Jenna Ortega, Tati Gabrielle, Shay Mitchell and Charlotte Ritchie. You is available to watch via Netflix. The sci-fi series Avenue 5 stars Hugh Laurie, Zach Woods, Josh Gad and Rebecca Front to name just a few. The show was created by Armando Iannucci who previously worked on the worldwide hit Veep. The show follows the crew of Avenue 5, a spaceship filled with rich tourists. When things go wrong, the ship is thrown off course, meaning it will take three years to return to Earth. You can watch Avenue 5 via NOW. DC show Pennyworth tells the story of Alfred Pennyworth, an ex-British soldier who accepts a job from Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce Wayne. The spy meets crime show, had three series but was cancelled by HBO Max following a reboot of DC Studios seeing James Gunn and Peter Safran take leadership. Pennyworth starred Jack Bannon, Emma Paetz, Ben Aldridge, Paloma Faith, Polly Walker, Jason Flemyng and Emma Corrin. You can watch Pennyworth on ITVX. Recommended Reading Supergirl to Harry Potter: 2025 Leavesden Studios productions HBO Max show, The Franchise was created by Skyfall director Sam Mendes along with Armando Iannucci and Jon Brown. The comedy series follows the crew working on a franchise superhero film sharing the secret chaos of movie making. The Franchise has a star-packed cast, including Richard E. Grant, Himesh Patel, Daniel Brühl, Lolly Adefope, Jessica Hynes, and Billy Magnussen. You can watch The Franchise via NOW.
