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Metro
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Inside the New Zealand village ‘colonised' by Noel Edmonds ahead of documentary
Noel Edmonds has been accused of 'colonising' the New Zealand village that is now the subject of an ITV series. The 76-year-old former Deal Or No Deal presenter reportedly bought £30million worth of property in the Motueka Valley. Originally, the Mr Blobby star and his wife bought a five-bedroom home on an 11-hectare estate at Matakana, north of Auckland in 2021. But two years later they relocated to the rural Ngātīmoti village, which is home to just 2,500 people. After being accused of 'taking over' the quiet village after he was reportedly permitted to buy 12 houses and build a restaurant, shop and coffee house in his land – his journey has been captured in a six-part series on ITV. Despite his umbrella estate being called River Haven, various anonymous locals have been disgruntled with his reported 'colonisation' of their patch. Noel is fronting the new ITV series called Noel Edmonds' Kiwi Adventure – which follows his life working on a farm alongside his wife Liz. In the series it is explained that the pair were inspired to move to the country after visiting following his exit from the Australian jungle during his stint on the popular reality show in 2018. Noel is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper's Hot TV column as saying: 'I was in Australia on I'm A Celebrity and I got voted out a bit quickly. 'As part of the arrangement, ITV organised for us to visit New Zealand. That trip cemented things for us. In 2019, we sold everything in the UK. 'We left Heathrow for rented accommodation in the UK, knowing absolutely no one. It was quite bold.' The former game show host has claimed that his new series is nothing like Jeremy Clarkson's hit show Clarkson's Farm. He told The Sun newspaper: 'When we were filming our show, some people who knew about Clarkson's Farm said to me, 'Oh, is it like Clarkson's Farm?' 'And I said, 'No, it couldn't be more different.' First of all, I'm not like Jeremy in many ways, though I wish I were. 'He's brilliant. He can articulate an argument beautifully and deliver a sharp, humorous line like no one else.' Edmonds has experience of farming after working in agriculture in Devon since the 1980s and praised Clarkson for showing the tough realities of the profession. Explaining the 'three things in particular' he admires about Clarkson's Farm, Noel said: 'First, the production values — the way it's made, the narrative structure — it's exceptional. Not contrived, but very well-constructed. 'Second, he's highlighted how mad our relationship is with public servants. Jeremy trying to get permission for a restaurant, a shop, a car park… dealing with council staff who don't seem to understand they are public servants. 'They are meant to serve the public. He's shown how difficult they make things. Third, and most importantly, he's shown how hard it is to be a farmer.' Previously, it was reported that two couples Noel and his wife Elizabeth Davies became friendly with in Matakana came with them to the village in South Island, and lived in Edmonds' property, and worked on the estate. This led many to joke the former Breakfast Show host was creating a 'commune'. Commune or not, in his controversially-named pub, it's been said that Edmonds sells an array of X-rated drinks including a lager called T*ts Up and a 'ladies favourite' called the Dickens Cider. The publication report while Edmonds justifies this as 'Kiwi' humour, some locals deem all this 'Benny Hill stuff' unacceptable. Within the beautiful backdrop of forest and snow-capped mountains, locals aren't happy and would only speak to the publication anonymously, given the close-knit community in which they have to live side-by-side with Edmonds. 'He's got this attitude… about how he's improved the place and made it amazing – it was already amazing,' one woman said. 'I just feel like he's a coloniser and… he's come in like the Lord of the Manor,' said another local. Edmonds' estate's catchphrase is 'positively together' and he told the publication he was acquiring property to 'make a difference'. 'I'm here… to give, to make a difference. My love has always been the environment, the countryside. I haven't just been buying property for the sake of it,' he said. Noel has also raised eyebrows within the community by beetling around in 'brand new Ford Ranger Wildtraks, jacked up on huge wheels and pimped out with light bars, aerials' complete with sirens and a loud 'public address system'. Apparently convoys of these vehicles would motor up and down the valley, with lookers-on wondering what the hell was going on. His number plates also reflect his NSFW, er, humour as he reportedly likes playing around with the number 4 and letter Q to spell out 'f**k you.' Noel claims he wants to assimilate himself into the community, and recently paid the village school's £3,000 bill for traffic management during the village's annual bustling festival. When the reporters met up with him, at one point he said they should be asking him how he looks so good at his age. For anyone wondering, it's a daily session of electro-magnetic field therapy and one hour a week in an oxygen chamber. When asked whether he can pronounce the name of his home village now – after confessing to not being able to when he arrived – the Noel's House Party star replied: 'Yeah, I'll pronounce it the way that somebody said last week, that it's Noeltimoti.' In a recording obtained by the publication, Edmonds can be heard raising his voice to a woman named Belinda Crisp, a cycle trail manager who agreed to meet with the TV star on his estate to discuss a previously approved cycle trail through one of his properties. Before Edmonds moved to the area last year, the Nelson Tasman Cycle Trail Trust had approval from the Tasman District Council and the Government to build a cycle trail here as part of the region's Great Taste Trail. Expecting a logistical conversation about how they could make it work for everyone, Crisp was instead greeted by a voice recorder in River Haven's café and a bristled Edmonds after she explained who she worked for. 'When he heard [the council], he said, 'you're the servant and I'm the ratepayer, so I'm the master',' Crisp recalled. More Trending In the tape, he can allegedly be heard saying: 'All hell's gonna break loose, right. And while you, still, have this attitude you are not welcome here. Don't even think about having a coffee, having a slice… you are our enemies.' He raised his voice: 'You are our enemies. You have to be defeated otherwise you're gonna bring down this wonderful country. 'Yes you are, because you're so proud. Anyway, good luck with it. As we say in Britain, 'on yer bike'.' This article was first published on November 4, 2023. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: MP holds up a naked photo of herself in parliament to prove an important point MORE: Teenager dies after 'dangerous' social media rugby trend
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Helen Flanagan recalls being bullied in school over television fame
Reality star Helen Flanagan once became a subject of bullying in her school over her show 'Coronation Street'. The actress was just nine years old when she replaced Emma Collinge as Rosie Webster in 2000, but her TV career led her to be tormented by her jealous peers, reports 'Female First UK'. Helen only escaped the torment when her parents, Julia Flanagan and Paul Flanagan, moved her to a private girls' school. As per 'Female First UK', Helen, who played her alter ego on the ITV1 soap on-and-off for 18 years, is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper's Hot TV column as saying, "I did struggle with a lot of bullying in my first school because I was on 'Coronation Street'. I did really get picked on. My parents then moved me to a private girls' school". The 34-year-old TV star, who has daughters Matilda, nine, and Delilah, six, as well as a son Charlie, three, with her ex-partner Scott Sinclair, admitted the bullying she endured makes her worry as a mum. Jimin & Jungkook Are Back! BTS Reunion Inches Closer with Suga's Return Coming Soon She said, "Because I got picked on an awful lot, as a mum, I worry. My little girl, she is a sweetie and soft like me". Helen previously said she would jump at the chance to return to Weatherfield, the fictional town in Salford, Greater Manchester, where 'Coronation Street' is based, and would like Rosie to become one of the Rovers Return pub's "iconic" barmaids. In an interview with The Sun on Sunday newspaper's Bizarre column in March, the actress said, "I'd love to see Rosie come back as a single mum, having just left her partner. She'd dump her two kids with Sally and I think she would be an iconic barmaid at the Rovers Return. Especially as I am living up north again now". And the actress admitted putting an effort into her appearance helps her feel like her own person, rather than just her children's mother.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lord Sugar blasts 'pathetic' attempts to replicate The Apprentice
Lord Sugar has slammed "pathetic" attempts to imitate 'The Apprentice'. The 77-year-old businessman will once again be fronting the BBC reality series as it returns for a 19th season and has hit out at the failed bids by other channels to recreate the success of the long-running show – such as ITV's 'Natural Born Sellers' and Channel 4's 'Tricky Business'. Lord Sugar is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper's Hot TV column as saying: "'The Apprentice' is often copied... but people that have tried that have failed. "Unfortunately some of the imitations are pretty pathetic." 'The Apprentice' – which returns to screens on Thursday (30.01.25) - is still a ratings winner for the BBC 20 years on from its first episode and Lord Sugar believes authenticity is the key to the programme's enduring appeal. He explained: "I am part of the show and I've done everything. With all of these tasks, I've done it. I've done every single thing. "I've loaded lorries, I've packed parcels and I've travelled all over the world. "I don't ask these people to do anything I can't do myself, that's why it rolls off my tongue in the boardroom. I don't have a script." The entrepreneur recently described how it has been "refreshing" to do the show without gendered teams as it was revealed that the contestants won't be split up by sex this time around. He said: "We've split them into sexes in the past purely to help the audience get to know the candidates quickly, it just felt like an easy thing to do. But this year we decided to mix it up from the outset. "I think it's quite a refreshing addition to the first episode and it's interesting to see how they handle being a mixed team because it's not what they necessarily expected from the start."
