Latest news with #Clair
Leader Live
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Inbetweeners star James Buckley hints at Buckley visit
James Buckley rose to fame when he starred as Jay Cartwright in the hit Channel Four show. Alongside Simon Bird (as Will McKenzie), Joe Thomas (Simon Cooper) and Blake Harrison (Neil Sutherland), the quartet embarked on various daring adventures while trying to navigate through adolescence. Nowadays, Buckley stars on his own podcast 'At Home With The Buckleys' alongside wife Clair. On a recent episode, the pair were discussing place names throughout the UK and James highlighted the Flintshire town of Buckley. He further hinted that a visit could well be on the cards. He said: "There's a town called Buckley in Wales. We should do something there. We should go to Buckley." TOP STORIES He added: "We should do like a little live thing in Buckley. Just saying 'The Buckley's Podcast in Buckley'. Clair said: "Okay, I'll meet you there." If the visit was to go ahead, then it would not be the first time that Buckley has been spotted in North Wales. Last year, the star was seen having a great time at Zip World in Bethesda. Zip Word shared a photo of the actor taken by a staff member with the public on its Facebook page. The Inbetweeners - which Buckley starred in - also spawned two movies, is still fondly remembered by fans who love to recite memorable quotes from the series. He also played the young Del Boy in the BBC comedy-drama Rock & Chips and the main character Brian Weaver in the comedy-fantasy series Zapped.
Metro
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
EastEnders legend will miss co-star's ‘bright and positive energy' as she exits
EastEnders star Diane Parish, known for her role as Denise Fox, has paid tribute to her co-star Clair Norris following her character Bernie Taylor's departure from the soap. Norris's final episode aired this week, with her character Bernie Taylor leaving Albert Square for a fresh start in Spain alongside her step-cousin Felix Baker(Matthew James Morrison), using money stolen from the Panesars. Over the past year, Bernie has been at odds with Diane Parish's character, Denise Fox, largely due to Keanu's death and Denise's role in the storyline involving 'The Six.' Despite the on-screen tension, Diane took to social media to share a warm message after a video of Clair's last day on set was posted. She praised Norris as 'a wonderful talent,' going on to say that the actress has 'Blown me away with her comedic and dramatic performances. Gonna miss her bright and positive energy. Go well beautiful girl.' Clair also shared her own tribute to her on-screen partner Matthew James Morrison, who plays Felix Baker. In an Instagram post, she wrote: 'Bernie &👸🏼B… @matthew_james_morrison I truly believe our paths crossed for a reason. I couldn't have been more thankful to have you by my side on our last block. What a rollercoaster it was but hand in hand we did it!!!' Matthew left a heartfelt comment under the post writing: 'I love you Clair Hayley Norris,' Diane added her own comment under Clair's post, calling her and Matthew 'two of the most genuinely beautiful people within and without.' More Trending Clair's exit was first confirmed back in May, when a BBC spokesperson wished her well and thanked her for her time on the show. Reflecting on her departure in an interview with The Sun, Clair said: 'Obviously, it's upsetting, but also I'd been there for eight years, which is a long time to play a character, and I have absolutely loved being in the show.' She went on to tell the publication: 'They gave me the opportunity to learn on the job, and now I can take that experience into future roles. Of course, it's sad, but with the Taylors gone, it felt like the right time. I'm very excited about what's to come.' View More » MORE: Dramatic Hollyoaks exit confirmed as star leaves after just weeks MORE: EastEnders star reveals wife has breast cancer months after confirming her own diagnosis MORE: Emmerdale legend signs new contract and is staying put amid serious illness storyline
Technical.ly
03-07-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
This ecosystem leader wants founders to ‘make time for serendipity'
Entrepreneurship has been at the center of Darius Clair's career, whether by running a business himself or coaching DC-area tech founders. Clair, a Prince George's County, Maryland native who now lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, is the first full-time hire at DC Startup and Tech Week as the director of programs and community— which he describes as 'the South by Southwest of the East Coast.' Through his role there, he launched an autonomous tech-focused meetup, accelerator and lab called LaunchT — and started hosting programming for it earlier this summer. 'There is a community here,' Clair told 'There are folks building here. If you look all around us, even across the country, autonomous technology is taking over. How do we support that from the district?' His advice for founders in autonomous tech or otherwise? Be strategic, but authentic. 'Obviously, everyone does have an agenda and something that they want to get done, but figure out how you can give and support and be reciprocal in relationships,' he said. 'That goes a long way.' For the latest installment of How I Got Here, caught up with Clair about LaunchT, his previous roles at major firms like Techstars and WeWork, a passion for venture capital and his love for the DMV. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Where did your career start? In commercial banking, and then in personal finance. At one point in time, while running my personal finance career, I was operating three businesses at the same time. One was an event planning business. I also ran a franchise with two other friends, and then I was running my financial practice. That's where it all started. Nothing was wildly successful, but that was always in the ethos of the work that I did. But at some point, I realized I wasn't necessarily fulfilled in some of the personal finance work that I was doing, and then life started to happen. I've made some transitions, and that led me to start working more with small businesses and figuring out how I could support them. Ultimately, that vein for wanting to support small businesses and support entrepreneurs led me to begin working at WeWork, and that's where I got exposure to the venture capital ecosystem. How I grew up, I didn't have access or awareness of all the different methods of investing, and so I didn't know anything about venture capital. That was where the floodgates started to open up — just being in the atmosphere around more entrepreneurs and startups. How did working at WeWork propel you forward? Even if it doesn't yield you anything in the moment, the seeds that you plant can bear fruit in the future. Darius Clair WeWork is where I started to really hone my community-building skills, supporting the startups and small businesses locally. I was fortunate enough to start supporting them nationally, and then globally, under WeWork's corporate umbrella. That introduced me to the folks at DC Startup and Tech Week. Because of the work that I was doing there, it allowed me to start working on the [conference's] early-stage track. I still had my first business, but because of the exposure with venture capital, I decided to pivot. Deals ultimately became D.E.A.L.S. Venture Group. That's where I wanted to become a venture investor. You also worked at Techstars. What was that experience like? I knew that I needed to be in the atmosphere where I could be more closely aligned with venture capital because of the challenges that I was facing with D.E.A.L.S. Venture Group. To be able to come into Techstars and be a part of a venture capital firm, that was really a strategic opportunity and pivot for me. I was fortunate enough to support over 60 deals into portfolio companies over 18 months while working there. What inspired your new project, LaunchT? LaunchT is an initiative of DC Startup and Tech Week. My transition from Techstars naturally ended up becoming a full circle in joining DC Startup and Tech Week as the director of programs and community. After doing work with them for four years as their early-stage content lead, I was their first full-time hire. The reason they wanted to bring me on is to support DC Startup and Tech Week more broadly. But then also, how do we roll out new opportunities and initiatives to engage the DC Startup and Tech Week community more consistently, year-round? Part of that was LaunchT. What's your day-to-day like? I wear two hats. All things with DC Startup and Tech Week, right now we're ramping up in preparation for the actual week [this fall]. Solidifying venues, confirming the different tracks and the new tracks that we'll unveil this year. It's the 10-year anniversary. We want to go bigger and bolder this year and be more intentional about how we support the region and startups, and really providing the impact that we believe they need. That's one hat, and then the second hat is LaunchT — and building out the infrastructure of that. We started programming. We've created the Autonomous Tech DMV meetup. That'll be a monthly opportunity just to convene folks in the autonomous tech space, to be able to come together, to be able to connect, to be able to share resources, build relationships. We're also doing a virtual series every month. The virtual series is to engage a broader audience across the country to attract more talent to the DMV region. What advice do you have for entrepreneurs? One really good piece of advice that I've gotten and that I've learned over the years is, before you build something, make sure that there's a need for it. Without a doubt, you want to build something that you're passionate about, that you're convicted about, or that you have conviction around. But sometimes that doesn't always line up with what people need. The other thing I would say is: Be willing to build strategic relationships and genuine relationships. Make time for serendipity as you're going out and meeting people. A lot of times, we see founders are always looking for something or asking for something. But figure out how you can also provide value. Figure out how you can align motives and initiatives and value propositions with some of the different stakeholders that you have to engage with in the ecosystem. Even if it doesn't yield you anything in the moment, the seeds that you plant can bear fruit in the future. What's next for you? What are your future goals? Specifically for DC Startup and Tech Week, now that I'm a part of the team full-time, I want to add value. I want to see how we can really supercharge with the work that we've been doing. One thing I've been really passionate about is figuring out how we can build a more cohesive ecosystem in our region. Oftentimes, it does feel siloed and fragmented. Folks that come into this ecosystem don't really know where to go, and they've got to bump around until they meet the right people. There are so many times where we're hosting events, and there're multiple events on the same day. How do we become more efficient with that? Then, becoming more of an investor in startups. My work with District Angels lends to that as well, and supporting them from an investor relations perspective on the volunteer side. [I want to be] leaning into that so that I can continue to build my investor muscle, to start putting money where my mouth is.
Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
EastEnders star breaks silence on exit and shares sweet message for colleague
Clair Norris and Matthew James Morrison's final scenes on EastEnders aired last night, with their characters Bernie Taylor and Felix Baker seen leaving Walford together in a taxi Former Eastenders cast member Clair Norris has broken her silence on her departure from the BBC soap this week. The actor has left the show alongside co-star Matthew James Morrison, with their final scenes having aired last night. Clair, 27, had played Bernie Taylor on the show since 2017. The latest episode saw the character was seen getting into the back of a taxi with cousin Felix Baker, played by Matthew, 33, as they headed to the airport for a new life abroad. Ahead of the episode, Clair confirmed her exit after eight years and reflected on her experience as a cast member in a post on Instagram yesterday. It included a photo of her in a dressing room whilst working on the show. She wrote: "My last ep airs tonight & with that comes a flood of memories… Eastenders was my first audition, and my first job. Having come from college & having no experience in this industry, Julia, Wayne & Sean all took a chance on me to play Bernadette Taylor & for that, I can't be thankful enough. "8 years later and honestly this job, has changed my life. It's true what they all said at the beginning, Eastenders is one big family & I'm so lucky to have met and worked with some amazing people." She added: "I will always have an attachment to Bernie, she represents so many girls out there who wear their heart of their sleeves and don't quite fit in…no offence to anyone who wear purple coats …I have adored playing her and she will forever hold a special place in my heart. This has been the best first role ever!!!" Following the episode, Clair paid tribute to co-star Matthew, who has yet to post about his exit on the platform. She shared photos of them together from the filming of their characters' joint departure from Albert Square, with his character Felix dressed up as his drag persona Tara. Clair wrote: "Bernie & [princess emoji] B… @matthew_james_morrison I truly believe our paths crossed for a reason. I couldn't have been more thankful to have you by my side on our last block. What a rollercoaster it was but hand in hand we did it!!!" Bernie was seen getting a taxi to the airport with Felix at the end of last night's episode after she stole money from the Panesar family. She embezzled more than £20,000 through her role overseeing their business empire. Her actions were in retaliation for matriarch Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) and her friends being involved in the death of Bernie's late brother Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), which they covered up. She had previously tried to expose them. Felix had initially told Bernie that he wouldn't leave with her but later changed his mind. It came after he discovered his partner Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) had known the truth about Keanu's death. When he went to confront him, Felix saw Johnny kissing Callum Highway (Tony Clay). As the episode drew to a close, Bernie and Felix's taxi arrived as Suki tried to stop them. She was eventually convinced to let them leave with the stolen money in light of Keanu's death. The pair were then seen leaving in the taxi.
Metro
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
EastEnders star declares love for co-star as they exit show after years
Bernie made one last emotional trip to Belle's memorial tree before her departure (Picture: BBC) After eight dramatic years, Clair Norris has made her final EastEnders appearance as Bernie Taylor this week, marking the end of an era as the last remaining member of the Taylor family leaves Albert Square. Bernie's emotional exit is part of a joint departure with her on-screen step-cousin, Felix Baker, played by Matthew James Morrison. Taking to Instagram, Clair shared a picture of the pair bidding Walford farewell and expressing her gratitude for sharing the goodbye with Matthew. Clair captioned the snap: 'Bernie &👸🏼B… I truly believe our paths crossed for a reason. 'I couldn't have been more thankful to have you by my side on our last block. What a rollercoaster it was but hand in hand we did it!!!' Matthew then joined in and commented, 'I love you Clair Hayley Norris ❤️'. Clair first appeared on EastEnders in 2017 and has been praised for her powerful performances, especially during emotional scenes such as Bernie's confrontation with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright). Matthew joined the cast in 2022, making his memorable debut in drag as alter ego 'Tara Misu'. Felix and Clair exited the show hand in hand (Picture: BBC) Norris's last scenes aired last night (Tuesday, July 1st). Before her departure, Bernie's storyline primarily revolved around her seeking justice for her brother Keanu (Danny Walters), who was murdered as part of the soap's gripping 'The Six' plotline. Taking matters into her own hands, Bernie began stealing from the Panesar businesses to get revenge on Suki (Balvinder Sopal), who she believes played a role in Keanu's death. Bernie urged her step-cousin, Felix, to join her in leaving Walford to join their loved ones abroad and start a new life away from the chaos of the East End. Bernie confided in him about the truth of what happened to Keanu and told him that 'The Six' covered it up, and his love interest, Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff), was also involved. Walford has bid farewell to Bernie (Picture: BBC) Drama continued to unfold when Felix, dressed as his drag persona 'Tara Misu', caught Johnny kissing Callum Highway (Tony Clay) at The Albert's Pride party. Felix's decision was then set – he knew that he must leave Walford with Bernie. As Clair Norris and Matthew James Morrison have taken their final bow on EastEnders, while their classic black cab exit signals goodbye for now, could we see them return to Albert Square in the future? EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer. If you've got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@ – we'd love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. Arrow MORE: Who was Belle in EastEnders as Bernie pays tribute? Arrow MORE: Huge EastEnders twist as character uncovers a brutal murder Arrow MORE: EastEnders favourite suffers two heart attacks in early BBC release
