Latest news with #Lilies
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hidden gem BBC period drama dubbed ‘better than Downton Abbey' returns to screens a whopping 18 years after original broadcast
An overlooked diamond from the BBC archive has received acclaim from watchers, who have compared it to the multi-award-winning Downton Abbey - a titan of British TV. Lilies, which premiered in 2007, had an eight-episode run, and followed the story of three sisters living with their father and brother in post-WWI Liverpool. Iris (played by Catherine Tyldesley), Mary (Leanne Rowe) and Ruby Moss (Kerrie Hayes) come of age in a family living on the breadline. The sisters, though vastly different, go through the simultaneous experience of launching their adult lives for the first time, navigating poverty, passion and prejudice. The show was the brainchild of Heidi Thomas (creator of Call the Midwife), who was inspired to write it from the stories that her grandmother told her of growing up in post-war Liverpool. 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. The show is close to home for Thomas, with some aspects being a raw, direct televisation of her grandmother's anecdotes. 'The end result is not a series about my family,' she notes, 'but a series about the family that might have lived next door.' 'There's not one single episode that doesn't contain something handed down in anecdote.' The series was praised for its compelling storyline and strong performance, however, it was not renewed past eight episodes, with the last episode to date airing on February 29, 2007. Producer Chrissy Skinns, whose credentials include The Last Kingdom, A Spy Among Friends and Elizabeth is Missing, was instantly mesmerised by the script once it crossed her desk. 'The Lilies scripts were quite unlike anything I had read before,' she said. 'They were funny, surprising, and made me cry. Above all else, I knew that the Mosses were a family I instantly cared about, and wanted to spend time with.' Fans are equally as mesmerised, with one rating it 10/10 on IMDB, penning: 'This series is brilliantly written and beautifully realized. Like Heidi Thomas' more recent effort CALL THE MIDWIFE, it seems coy, but tackles difficult topics head-on and without blinking. 'This was such a massive hit in the UK that a fervent campaign for more seasons resulted in nearly a year of developmental meetings and script experiments. In the end, it was decided not to tamper with it, it's that perfect' Another wrote: 'I came across this at the small local library near where I live and it had such a high imdb rating that I had to check it out---and I'm glad I did. 'Connected stories of a families troubles in England, 1920. It was so well written that you find yourself rooting for the different characters, and their setbacks tug at your emotions. Looking at the film extra's section after I viewed it, I was surprised to see how they made the set because it all seemed so realistic.' Viewers have gushed that the show even supersedes the quality of Julian Fellowes' hit ITV series Downton Abbey, which was released three years later, in 2010.
Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
BBC period drama series 'better than Downton Abbey' as fans demand return of show
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The 2007 BBC period-drama series 'Lilies', spanning eight episodes and crafted by Heidi Thomas, captivated audiences with its tale of the Ross sisters - Iris, Mary, and Ruby - navigating life in post-WWI Liverpool alongside their father and brother. Heidi Thomas, the mastermind behind 'Call The Midwife', moulded 'Lilies' from the rich tapestry of family anecdotes about her grandmother's upbringing in Liverpool after the war. In a heartfelt revelation in 2007 prior to the show's debut, Thomas shared with the BBC: "My family were all terrific raconteurs, and I grew up hearing tales that could make you weep, and rock with laughter. They evoked a hard world, but one that thrilled with energy." READ MORE - Netflix's new crime thriller hailed 'mind-blowing' as viewers demand multiple seasons READ MORE - Steven Gerrard's off-screen life from famous wife, massive net worth and 'career return' She continued to share the personal legacy embedded in her work: "There is not one single episode that doesn't contain something handed down in anecdote." Despite scoring exceptionally well with viewers, to the point of being hailed as The Sunday Times' pick of the week for a relentless two months, 'Lilies' did not return for further seasons, reports the Express. Yet, admiration for 'Lilies' continues to flourish amongst its fanbase, with numerous loyal viewers even rating it above the treasured ITV series 'Downtown Abbey', which has since expanded into a successful film series. TV fans have taken to IMDB to heap praise on Lilies, the period drama that's caught viewers' imaginations with its raw portrayal of post-WWI life. "I found this mini-series by accident, and what a delight. From beginning to end, I felt transported back in time. Throughout the series, you get a slice, perhaps, of a less sugar-coated time of transition after the First World War. This story unfolds through the eyes of three close but very different sisters and the surrounding family and friends." wrote one admirer of the show. Another avid watcher exclaimed: "I was totally drawn in from the first episode. The spirited Moss family, so much like my own family, was that believable? It was written from the reminisces of a grandmother of her family and that is probably why it rang so true. This is one of those shows that so deserved a much longer run that it is a travesty that it was not given one. What WAS made is a gem to be savoured for eight episodes." The series has even been held in higher regard than Downton Abbey by some, as evidenced by the following feedback: "The series did portray the division between Catholics and Northern Irish Protestants very well." They continued, discussing the religious tensions depicted: "Unless you grew up in that environment, it is hard to understand today that neither could enter a church of the other faith without condemning their immortal soul to hell forever more." Over on Rotten Tomatoes, another viewer gave kudos for the show being rooted in realism: "Well done, and a lot more grounded than some of the BBC's other costume pieces. It dealt with touchy topics in a realistic manner. Shame it was cancelled." Although currently out of reach on BBC iPlayer or Prime, Lilies can still be purchased on Amazon for viewers looking to immerse themselves into this highly regarded series.
Irish Examiner
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Meath hold off late Kildare fightback and reach Leinster final
Leinster Senior Ladies Football Championship: Meath 2-14 Kildare 1-16 Meath will face Dublin in next weekend's TG4 Leinster Senior Football Championship final at Croke Park after holding off a dramatic fightback from Kildare in their gripping round three meeting at Cedral St Conleth's Park in Newbridge on Sunday afternoon. After trading early scores with Meath's Kerrie Cole, Kildare attacker Roisin Byrne added her second point of the game in the seventh minute of the action. While the Royals subsequently found the target through the talismanic Vikki Wall and Orlaith Sheehy, the Lilies – who lost to Dublin in the same venue last weekend - responded to these efforts with contributions from Neasa Dooley and dead-ball specialist Alannah Prizeman. Another free courtesy of Naas' Prizeman moved Kildare two points in front, before Meath eventually hit a purple patch inside the second-quarter. After Cole doubled her account, Megan Thynne seized upon a short opposition kick-out and proceeded to release Emma Duggan for a simple 17th minute goal. Duggan and Niamh Gallogly also split the posts from distance as the opening period wore on and Meath were very much in the driving seat when the raiding Sarah Wall rattled the net on the half-hour mark. While a late Prizeman point reduced Kildare's deficit to six (2-6 to 0-6) in time for the interval, Meath reinforced their authority on the resumption with unanswered scores from Duggan and Ciara Smyth. The excellent Duggan went on to bolster her tally with a two-point salvo and the hard-working Prizeman did likewise at the opposite end as the Lilies gallantly sought their way back into contention. Kildare substitute Ellen Dowling also found the range to cancel out a Marion Farrelly point for Meath and this was quickly supplemented by Prizeman's sixth of the contest. Duggan added another white flag score to move the Royals eight clear (2-12 to 0-10) on the stroke of 50 minutes, but it was at this stage that the Lilies challenge kicked back into gear. Complementing Prizeman's second point from play, Ciara Wheeler fired home a 53rd minute goal at the second time of asking. Dowling and Prizeman then brought the gap down to two with quickfire scores, before Meath regained their composure with much-needed efforts from Smyth and Duggan. However, Kildare refused to throw in the towel and with Mia Doherty, Byrne and Dooley all kicking points during six minutes of stoppage-time, the bare minimum separated the sides in the end. Scorers for Meath: E Duggan 1-6 (0-2f), S Wall 1-0, C Smyth, K Cole 0-2 each, O Sheehy, M Farrelly, N Gallogly, V Wall 0-1 each. Scorers for Kildare: A Prizeman 0-8 (6f), C Wheeler 1-0, R Byrne 0-3, N Dooley, E Dowling 0-2 each, M Doherty 0-1. MEATH: R Murray; A Sheridan, MK Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary, S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly; M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth; E Duggan, V Wall, K Cole. Subs: K Birmingham for Sheehy (44), A Gaffney for Thynne (51), M Collins for Cole (52), C Lawlor for Farrelly (61). KILDARE: M Hulgraine; R Sargent, L Lenehan, M Doherty; L Shaw, L Dunlea, M Aspel; L Murtagh, S Galvin; C Moran, C Wheeler, N Dooley; A Rattigan, A Prizeman, R Byrne. Subs: L Gilbert for Sargent (27), L Reilly for Moran (41), G Wheeler for Rattigan (42), E Dowling for Galvin (45), L Curran for Shaw (53), C Price for Murtagh (62), Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford).
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kentucky Oaks Wagering Up Four Percent From Last Year
Good Cheer captured the Lilies in the 151st running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks in a field of 13 and sloppy track conditions. Under mostly cloudy skies, more than 100,000 excited racegoers gathered to watch America's premier race for 3-year-old fillies. Wagering from all sources on the full Kentucky Oaks race day card was $73.9 million. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race was $22.7 million, up 4% from last year. (Editor's note: All-sources handle was down from $75.3 million last year.) Advertisement TwinSpires, the official betting partner of the Kentucky Oaks, handled a new record of $20.9 million in wagering on Churchill Downs races for the Kentucky Oaks Day program, compared to last year's record of $20.3 million, including all settled future wagers and affiliate wagering. Good Cheer, owned and bred by Godolphin, LLC, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Luis Saez, covered the 1-1/8th mile and sped to the finish line to win the Longines Kentucky Oaks by 2 1/4 lengths at odds of 6-5 and with a final time of 1:50.15. The Kentucky-bred filly, sired by Medaglia d'Oro, now has lifetime earnings of $1.7 million. 'Today we honor and congratulate the connections of Good Cheer,' said Churchill Downs President Mike Anderson. 'We thank our many fans, sponsors, horsemen, and horseplayers who all contributed to making today's 151st Kentucky Oaks a remarkable celebration.' CDI continued using Kentucky Oaks as a platform to raise money for women's health initiatives. We welcomed 150 breast and ovarian cancer survivors to walk the historic racetrack prior to the running of Longines Kentucky Oaks for the 17th annual Survivors Parade. Churchill Downs' Oaks charitable beneficiaries were Derby Divas, representing the Norton Cancer Institute, and Horses and Hope, representing the Kentucky Cancer Program. Since its inception, the Oaks Survivors Parade charitable initiative has raised over $1.5 million for women's health advocacy, providing preventative access to underserved women throughout Kentucky, including those who work in the equine industry.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Good Cheer Claims the Lilies for the 151st Running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks
Good Cheer Claims the Lilies for the 151st Running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN) (the "Company", "CDI", "we") announced Good Cheer captured the Lilies in the 151st running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks in a field of 13 and sloppy track conditions. Under mostly cloudy skies, more than 100,000 excited racegoers gathered to watch America's premier race for 3-year-old fillies. Wagering from all sources on the full Kentucky Oaks race day card was $73.9 million. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Oaks race was $22.7 million, up 4% from last year. TwinSpires, the official betting partner of the Kentucky Oaks, handled a new record of $20.9 million in wagering on Churchill Downs races for the Kentucky Oaks Day program, compared to last year's record of $20.3 million, including all settled future wagers and affiliate wagering. Good Cheer, owned and bred by Godolphin, LLC, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Luis Saez, covered the 1-1/8th mile and sped to the finish line to win the Longines Kentucky Oaks by 2 1/4 lengths at odds of 6-5 and with a final time of 1:50.15. The Kentucky-bred filly, sired by Medaglia d'Oro, now has lifetime earnings of $1.7 million. 'Today we honor and congratulate the connections of Good Cheer,' said Churchill Downs President Mike Anderson. 'We thank our many fans, sponsors, horsemen, and horseplayers who all contributed to making today's 151st Kentucky Oaks a remarkable celebration.' CDI continued using Kentucky Oaks as a platform to raise money for women's health initiatives. We welcomed 150 breast and ovarian cancer survivors to walk the historic racetrack prior to the running of Longines Kentucky Oaks for the 17th annual Survivors Parade. Churchill Downs' Oaks charitable beneficiaries were Derby Divas, representing the Norton Cancer Institute, and Horses and Hope, representing the Kentucky Cancer Program. Since its inception, the Oaks Survivors Parade charitable initiative has raised over $1.5 million for women's health advocacy, providing preventative access to underserved women throughout Kentucky, including those who work in the equine industry. About Churchill Downs Incorporated Churchill Downs Incorporated ('CDI') (Nasdaq: CHDN) has been creating extraordinary entertainment experiences for over 150 years, beginning with the company's most iconic and enduring asset, the Kentucky Derby. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, CDI has expanded through the acquisition, development, and operation of live and historical racing entertainment venues, the growth of online wagering businesses, and the acquisition, development, and operation of regional casino gaming properties. This news release contains various 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the 'safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'might,' 'plan,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'seek,' 'should,' 'will,' 'scheduled,' and similar words or similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions), although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors, that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include the following: the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks, public health threats, civil unrest, and inclement weather, including as a result of climate change; the effect of economic conditions on our consumers' confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit, including the impact of inflation; changes in, or new interpretations of, applicable tax laws or rulings that could result in additional tax liabilities; the impact of any pandemics, epidemics, or outbreaks of infectious diseases, and related economic matters on our results of operations, financial conditions and prospects; lack of confidence in the integrity of our core businesses or any deterioration in our reputation; negative shifts in public opinion regarding gambling that could result in increased regulation of, or new restrictions on, the gaming industry; loss of key or highly skilled personnel, as well as general disruptions in the general labor market; the impact of significant competition, and the expectation that competition levels will increase; changes in consumer preferences, attendance, wagering, and sponsorships; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; concentration and evolution of slot machine and historical racing machine ("HRM") manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; failure to enter into or maintain agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; inability to successfully focus on market access and retail operations for our sports betting business and effectively compete; online security risk, including cyber-security breaches, or loss or misuse of our stored information as a result of a breach including customers' personal information could lead to government enforcement actions or other litigation; costs of compliance with increasingly complex laws and regulations regarding data privacy and protection of personal information; reliance on our technology services and catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; inability to identify, complete, or fully realize the benefits of our proposed acquisitions, divestitures, development of new venues or the expansion of existing facilities on time, on budget, or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; cost overruns and other uncertainties associated with the development of new venues and the expansion of existing facilities; general risks related to real estate ownership and significant expenditures, including risks related to environmental liabilities; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other similar laws and regulations, or applicable anti-money laundering regulations; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card or debit card use; work stoppages and labor problems; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; highly regulated operations and changes in the regulatory environment could adversely affect our business; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; failure to comply with the financial ratios and other covenants in our debt facilities and other indebtedness; increases to interest rates (due to inflation or otherwise); disruption in the credit markets or changes to our credit ratings may adversely affect our business; increase in our insurance costs, or inability to obtain similar insurance coverage in the future, and any inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events; and other factors described under the heading 'Risk Factors' in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Investor Contact: Sam Ullrich Media Contact: Tonya Abeln (502) 638-3906 (502) 386-1742 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in to access your portfolio
