Latest news with #JackWhitehall
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Move over nepo babies... it's time for the rise of nepo parents! From Jack Whitehall's parents podcast tour to Romesh Raganathan's iconic mum
He is one of the UK's most loved comedians starring in the hit series Bad Education and regularly hosting the BRIT Awards. However Jack Whitehall is at serious risk of being outshone by his parents Michael and Hilary, who thanks to their son have become famous in their own right. While the rise of the nepo baby has been well documented with many celebrity offspring being accelerated into the spotlight, it appears there is also a market for nepo parents. Michael, 85, rose to fame after starring on his travel documentary Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father alongside the comedian. The hit series, which ran for five seasons from 2017 until 2021, propelled Michael into the limelight. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Michael and his wife went on to launch their own podcast The Wittering Whitehalls in 2022, which has since had over five million downloads. The couple have also appeared together in Celebrity Goggle Box Stand Up To Cancer, as well as Chris and Rosie Ramsey's TV Show. The trio also co-authored the book How to Survive Family Holidays. And now Michael and Hilary are stepping out without Jack as they bring their hit podcast The Wittering Whitehalls, to the stage later this year. They promise an evening of unfiltered wisdom, wit, sage advice and opinions, drawn from nearly 40 years of marriage, bringing up three children and their onward journey with grandchildren. But they aren't the only parents to launch new found career success off the back of their children's popularity. Just like Jack and Michael's popular travel show, similarly Russell Howard recruited his mum for a road trip reality series. Russell Howard & Mum: USA Road Trip saw the comedian and his mum Ninette drive around the USA in a minivan as they met people with a range of unusual hobbies and obsessions. After airing on Comedy Central back in 2016, the pair went on to film three more series' including Russell Howard & Mum: Globetrotters which saw them also visit India, Thailand and Vietnam. Meanwhile Romesh Ranganathan's mum Shanthi has become a much-loved figure in her own right thanks to various TV appearances alongside her son. Romesh's family faced a turbulent time after his father Ranga left his mother Shanthi when the comic was just 12. Originally, he and his younger brother Dinesh attended Reigate Grammar School, but were forced to move to a local comprehensive when their father was jailed for fraud and their family home was repossessed. Romesh and his mother were forced to live in a B&B for 18 months before they finally found a council house. And his close bond with his mum is evident and she has featured in a range of shows including BBC Three series Asian Provocateur, Just Another Immigrant and BBC Two show The Ranganation. Most recently she appeared on Romesh's ITV show Parents Evening alongside Alison Hammond and her son Aidan, Carol Vorderman with her son Cameron, and Iain Stirling with his mum Alison. Comedian Adam Buxton has also worked with his late father, who was a travel writer for the Daily Telegraph and wine critic. Nigel Buxton was most known for appearing as BaaadDad in the Channel 4 comedy series The Adam and Joe Show as he frequently served as the butt of their jokes. Nigel sadly died from complications arising from lung cancer at Adam's Norfolk home back in 2015. The rise of the nepo parents has surprised Michael most of all as he spoke about turning the podcast into the live thing. He said: 'The Wittering Whitehalls as a Podcast seemed a strange idea; What was a Podcast? But turning it into a Live show seems even stranger. 'But who knows? I never thought Travels with my Father would work. Come and see us and decide for yourself.' Hilary added: 'It's bad enough trying to keep Michael under control at home. What on earth am I doing carting him around the country and putting him in front of live audiences? I must be mad. 'Where's Jack Whitehall when I need him? I'll just have to rely on marital banter, squabbles and laughter. Come and join the fun!'
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
When Freddie Flintoff's documentary covering car crash is on TV and where to watch it
Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff documents the recovery from his tragic crash in a new feature-length film, which hears from close friends including Jack Whitehall and James Corden Freddie Flintoff is giving fans exclusive access into his life in a new documentary launching this month. Available to stream on Disney+, 'Flintoff' follows the former international cricketer and broadcaster as he recovers from injuries sustained in a car crash while filming Top Gear in 2022. Billed as a story of 'resilience', the feature-length documentary takes an 'intimate and unprecedented' look at the life of one of Britain's most beloved sportsmen and TV personalities. It features exclusive access to Flintoff, as well as his wife Rachael and close friends including Michael Vaughan, James Corden and Jack Whitehall. The film also documents Flintoff's life story, from winning two Ashes series for England, to becoming a British TV star, and returning to the public eye following his life-altering accident. In the trailer for the documentary, Flintoff reveals how he lived 'under the radar' for seven months following the accident, which left him with both physical and mental scars. Flintoff says he 'remembers everything' about the crash, which took place at the Top Gear test track in Surrey in December 2022. The footage also shows a still image taken in the aftermath of the incident, with crew tending to Flintoff inside the vehicle. Revealing his reasons for producing the film, he says: 'One of the real frustrations was the speculation, that's why I'm doing this now. What actually happened?' The film comes from award-winning 'Lockerbie' director John Dower, who had exclusive access to Flintoff over the past year, filming his recovery and documenting his cricketing career. Here's when Flintoff is on TV and where to watch it in the UK. When Flintoff is on TV and where to watch it Flintoff launches on Disney+ on Friday, April 25. It will be available to stream with a Disney+ subscription, which now starts at £4.99 per month for a monthly subscription that can be cancelled any time. Members can get the equivalent of two months free by paying for a year upfront on the Standard or Premium plan, bagging 12 months for the price of 10 and saving up to £25.98. The Standard plan now costs £89.90, while the Premium plan is £129.90 and also includes higher video quality up to 4K UHD and HDR, plus the ability to stream on four devices simultaneously. Flintoff comes ahead of the launch of several other hit celebrity documentaries, including the final episodes of Molly-Mae: Behind it All, and the fourth season of Clarkson's Farm. Both series are heading to Amazon's Prime Video in May and will be available free with an .
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE No laughing matter! Top London comedy club that hosts the biggest celeb comics fails hygiene inspection
A hugely popular central London comedy venue that has played host to some of the biggest names in British stand-up has been hit with a damning food hygiene rating. The Top Secret Comedy Club in Covent Garden has had to make major changes after environmental health inspectors found evidence of mice, droppings on bar surfaces, and mould in the ice machine. The club – just yards from the West End's theatres – was given a food hygiene score of 1 out of 5 by the Food Standards Agency, meaning 'major improvement is necessary.' The venue, which has become a cult favourite thanks to its no-frills atmosphere and surprise sets from comedy royalty like Jack Whitehall, Romesh Ranganathan and Russell Howard, has now come under fire for its shockingly poor food hygiene practices. MailOnline can reveal that the official report makes for grim reading. Inspectors reported 'evidence of mice in the bar area' on not one but two separate occasions in September – a major red flag for any premises serving drinks to the public. The report, seen by MailOnline, also noted: 'Droppings noted on surface / in the bar.' 'You must deep clean all areas (food and drink).' Inspectors were so concerned by the findings that they ordered the venue to call in professional pest control immediately to carry out a full site survey and implement proper 'proofing' to block any further rodent access. They also slammed the use of open bait trays, writing that they are 'not appropriate with food and drink' nearby – potentially putting customers at risk. Further concerns were raised over the general state of the premises, which was described as 'dirty' with 'sticky floors', and most shockingly, the ice machine – a staple of any bar – was found to be 'very dirty / mouldy', casting serious doubt over the cleanliness of drinks being served to guests. Despite not having an operational kitchen – the club encourages patrons to bring in their own takeaway – the bar and drinks area still fall under food safety regulations, and the rating of 1 suggests the club is falling dangerously short. The venue is known for its stripped-back style, low ticket prices and the possibility of seeing household names test out new material in front of small audiences. On any given night, it's not unusual for stars like Katherine Ryan, Seann Walsh, or even US comics like Louis CK to appear unannounced – making it a go-to spot for savvy Londoners in the know. But now the spotlight is on a very different kind of performance – one taking place behind the bar, where health and hygiene practices appear to have slipped to a worrying low. The Food Standards Agency's scoring system runs from 0 (urgent improvement necessary) to 5 (very good). A score of 1 is just one step above the very worst rating. The club, which remains open and trading, has been approached for comment. It comes after the club banned guests with Botox last month in order to liven up the crowd. They claimed that 'frozen faces from Botox impact the entire atmosphere'. Mark Rothman the owner of the club said at the time: 'I've had numerous complaints from performers who find it increasingly challenging to gauge audience engagement and bounce off their reactions.' The club says it has taken this measure as a 'last resort' to help liven up the crowd. 'We hope trialing this ban will help move the needle and get facial reactions back into the room – for the benefit of our comedians and the audience,' adds Rothman. Now famous comedian Jimmy Carr, 52, who recently debuted a new look and has admitted he can't stop getting 'tweakments' said he will no longer to play at the venue. Speaking to Radio Times, he said: 'I would look surprised, if I could. 'Does that mean Katherine Ryan and I can no longer play the club? 'Because we're mostly Botox. Of course it's a PR stunt, but it's a fun PR stunt. It speaks to something interesting, which is when you watch live comedy, the person on stage isn't the only one performing. 'Being in an audience is performative: people laugh out loud in a way that maybe they wouldn't if they were just staring at their phone.'
The Independent
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Sam Ryder: ‘For the first time, I felt a pang that we didn't win something'
Prowling around the celebrity-stuffed tables at this year's Brit Awards ceremony, comedian and host Jack Whitehall singled out stars such as Nick Grimshaw ('a competition winner'), some 'McFlies buzzing around' and 'hangers on – look, someone's brought their drug dealer!' The camera zoomed in on Sam Ryder mid-pint, dressed in double denim, laughing his head off. 'It was quite cool, good for my brand,' Ryder (who would probably describe 'positive energy' as his drug of choice) jokes a few weeks after the ceremony. The Essex singer isn't exactly known for his hard-living lifestyle; the night before we speak, he shared a video of himself wearing a lavender facemask while preparing a bubble bath lined with painkillers, throat sweets and a series of Battlestar Galactica. Now he's nursing a mug of ginger tea with honey, a final attempt to ward off the sore throat that has decided to manifest moments before he plays an intimate showcase of new music. Rock and roll, baby. The world knows Ryder as the man who brought the UK the closest it's come to a Eurovision victory since 1998, when he performed his original song 'Space Man' at the 2022 contest. Before that, he'd spent some time as the guitarist for a glam metal band in Canada, dabbled in construction and toured the wedding singer circuit until the pandemic brought social gathering to an abrupt end. It was during lockdown that Ryder started posting to TikTok, mostly covers of pop and rock classics using nothing but his phone and a backing track. By the time he was announced as the UK's Eurovision champion, he'd already amassed a following of 13 million on the app. Since then, and where other Eurovision contestants might have faded into obscurity, Ryder has established himself as one of the most endearing new characters in UK music, for whom the term 'golden retriever energy' could have been coined. He's charming today, despite his cold, with those resplendent blond locks framing his kind, open face. I'm disappointed at the lack of gossip he has from the Brits afterparties, though, as he was apparently more preoccupied by the buffet. 'It was pretty interesting,' he says. 'They had four cabbages just sitting there, and a communal tiramisu, just like, one slab that people were tucking into. Weird!' Three years in, and these events still feel like a bit of a zoo to him. Really, it's wonderful to hear that (so far), this notoriously brutal industry hasn't knocked the stuffing out of him, just dented his immune system. Hanging around during his soundcheck at the George Tavern in London, I see his perfectionistic nature as he asks to repeat a verse or frets over his voice. He has an extraordinary range, which stretches from a blues-soaked holler up to a glass-shattering wail. Tonight he's flexing it for a debut performance of 'White Lies', his first big step since parting ways with major label Parlophone, with whom he signed a one-album deal, in 2023. He brought his former team with him, who were laid off during a company restructure and who Ryder considered 'instrumental' in his success to that point. He seems intent on doing things his own way, believing the slow pace that majors often operate at is at odds with the way we consume music today. 'We're building something totally new that I think is the direction the music industry is headed,' he says. 'It's not any shade to [major labels], because I know they want to be able to provide a good service, but the level they run at, nothing is quick, so it's like you're waiting for the industry to change.' Ryder's first order of business after going independent was releasing a holiday song, the Eighties-influenced 'You're Christmas to Me'. Nominated for Best Single at the Brits, it challenged Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' for the No 1 spot and ultimately came in at a respectable second place. He recently bought a home in Nashville with his partner, jewellery designer Lois Gaskin-Barber, having fallen in love with the music city when he first visited over a decade ago. There, he's built a studio for his team, who foster an 'ethos of kindness'; the majority of its members are women, which he finds refreshing after the male-heavy major label scene. 'It's really changed the dynamic, and I much prefer it now – it's way more measured, nurturing and much less ego-driven, and helps me stay more present,' he says. He's also coined his own genre, 'frontier soul', influenced in part by the westerns he grew up watching with his grandfather. Ryder wanted to be an astronaut when he was a kid, but now he seems more inspired by films such as Sergio Leone's 1964 classic A Fistful of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood. 'There's a sprinkling of Tarantino desert, spaghetti western vibes going on in there,' Ryder says of the track, the first from a new album that will be announced later this year. 'It's super breezy, like the story of a road trip from Tennessee to Texas I took a few months ago, and inspired by all those golden era Hollywood westerns.' Indeed, fans of the camp rock of 'Space Man' might be surprised by what they hear. 'White Lies' sneaks in on a slick synth beat, adding gospel-style harmonies and shuffling R&B percussion: think Plan B's 'She Said' or Teddy Swims's 'Bad Dreams'. It's something of a warning Ryder wrote to himself, when he realised he was getting a kick out of people telling him what a 'super positive' person he was. Suddenly, his natural charisma felt more like a brand, as though he was performing to expectations: 'It was like finding a currency, and I was telling myself these white lies that it was normal, when actually… no human being is one-dimensional.' His comment reminds me of an Instagram post he shared in January last year, after missing out on an Emmy Award for 'Fought and Lost', the song he contributed to season three of Ted Lasso. Success was 'relative', he wrote, and 'it can become all too easy to measure it against our desires rather than past experiences'. 'The Emmys was a circuit break moment where this all started,' he reflects now. 'Ed Sheeran won the award (big up, Ed), and I really had to stop and ask myself why I felt like it needed to happen for me. Because for the first time in my career ever, I felt a pang that we didn't win something – I'd never felt like that before, because I do not care.' His usual response, he says, is to be grateful for any kind of acknowledgement of his music: 'You have to do a lot of work to feel like that, because sometimes it's just s***, you know? But that's what I want to stand for.' Right now, he's in the 'best place, spiritually', that he's ever been. 'It's been a tough one, building something from the ground up, but I have so much to be thankful for,' he says. 'I feel validated because of who I'm surrounded by – the kindness in this project is huge. And the chance to go and show people who you are – that, for me, is a win.' 'White Lies', the new single from Sam Ryder, is out now
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Becky Hill hits back at Jack Whitehall for dubbing her 'Wetherspoons Whitney' at BRITs
Becky Hill has called out BRITs host Jack Whitehall for calling her a "Wetherspoons Whitney" during the awards show. The singer, who found fame on The Voice in 2012, took to her Instagram Stories to hit back at the host for seemingly joking about her working-class upbringing during the ceremony earlier this month. "Imagine being called a 'Wetherspoons Whitney' by some privately educated nepo baby who has a TV show with daddy the showbiz agent on national TV," Hill wrote. "My parents worked so hard to provide a middle class life for me, even tho they couldn't afford it, no one gave me a leg up, I wasn't close to London so I couldn't go to @brits school. So if you associate a Midlands accent with a Wetherspoons that's says more about the silver spoon in your mouth jolly ol' boy (sic)." The Remember singer made her scathing remarks alongside a graphic showing that Jack and BRIT Award winners Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and A.G. Cook attended expensive private schools. The 31-year-old, who hails from Worcestershire, was nominated for a BRIT for Best Dance Act, but she was beaten by Charli. In a follow-up post, she wrote alongside a selfie, "Me and my working class attitude off to WORK today. Remember not to be out of touch today kids, even if ur daddy is rich. Shout out Jack Whitehall for the fuel to my fire (sic)." Whitehall, who starred in Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father with his dad Michael, has yet to respond to her comments. His fifth BRITs hosting stunt was also criticised by Miquita Oliver recently. She told Lily Allen on their joint Miss Me? podcast that she didn't like his "condescending and somewhat glib attitude" and "dated" jokes. Oliver added that he wasn't "the right person" for the job because he "undermined" the musicians in the room with his tone.
