Latest news with #SirIanMcKellen
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Ian McKellen fights back tears during touching moment with Glastonbury crowd
Sir Ian McKellen fought back tears during a touching moment with the Glastonbury crowd. The Lord of the Rings actor performed alongside the Scissor Sisters to deliver his monologue from their hit Invisible Light, at the Somerset festival on Saturday (28 June). The 86-year-old was then captured by the BBC Radio 2 team backstage as crowds can be heard chanting. After the actor was informed they were indeed chanting his name, he became visibly emotional and covered his face with his hands.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Lord of the Rings star breaks down in tears after making surprise appearance on stage at Glastonbury
A HOLLYWOOD icon broke down in tears after his surprise appearance on the Glastonbury stage. The London -born Lord Of the Ring s actor stunned fans with his cameo in the Woodsies tent on Saturday evening, taking to the stage in a bold patterned longline jacket. 7 7 7 Sir Ian McKellen, known for playing Gandalf in the hit movie series, lent his signature deep voice and vocal talents to the Scissor Sisters setlist. During the track Invisible Light, the 86-year-old could be heard reading out the words as the electro pop group - led by frontman Jake Shears - danced around. After his surprise stint on stage, the group went on to delight Glastonbury-goers with their signature tracks including Take Your Mama. As he returned to his spot in the crowd, Sir Ian was met with chants of his name. The X-Men actor looked extremely bashful before holding his head in his hands and choking back emotion. In the sweet clip posted to BBC Radio 2's Instagram account, a caption read: "Sir Ian McKellen getting some well deserved Glasto love!" A fan then wrote: "Whyyyyyyy is he ALWAYS not sure why we love him love him. He is so humble. And supremely funny." A second put: "The man is a national treasure." A third then posted: "He's such a darling!!!" FAN FURY For those watching the Scissor Sisters set at home, they faced a barrage of technical issues. Sir Ian McKellen's Stage Accident Shocks Audience The highly anticipated sets were pulled off air due to technical blunders throughout the day, leaving many fans staring at error messages on their screens. The outage hit certain devices and platforms, sparking a wave of complaints online as users demanded answers. For those watching on iPlayer, the main Saturday feed also suffered huge technical difficulties. Those wanting to watch Scissor Sisters were greeted with an apology message emblazoned on the screen. Glastonbury 2025 - confirmed acts so far TICKETS to the 2025 festival sold out in just minutes before some of the acts were even confirmed. Here is who has been confirmed so far. Confirmed headliners: The 1975 will take to the Pyramid Stage on Friday. Neil Young will headline the festival for the second time after his last set in 2009 on Saturday after RAYE makes her return. Charli xcx will headline the Other Stage on Saturday night. On Sunday, Olivia Rodrigo is due to belt out her hits for her first appearance while Rod Stewart will perform in the legends slot. More acts to appear on the Other Stage include Loyle Carner and The Prodigy. Doechii will make her Glastonbury debut on the West Holts Stage on Saturday night. Other names confirmed include Noah Kahan, Alanis Morissette, Gracie Abrams, Busta Rhymes, Lola Young, Brandi Carlile, Myles Smith, En Vogue, Amaarae, Cymande, Shaboozey, Osees and Gary Numan. Writing on X - formerly known as Twitter - one expletive-filled fan fumed: "F****** hell @BBC you cut Blossoms short and now Scissor Sisters when it's just a black screen. "Sort it out." 7 7 7
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Ian McKellen joins Scissor Sisters live on stage in surprise appearance at London O2 concert
Fans erupted in cheers at London's O2 Arena on Friday, 24 May, as Sir Ian McKellen made a surprise appearance during the Scissor Sisters ' long-awaited reunion concert. The 85-year-old actor thrilled the audience by dramatically reciting his spoken-word monologue from the US pop group's 2010 track Invisible Light, just as he did on the original recording. The performance marked a highlight of the group's first live shows in 12 years, part of a UK and Ireland tour celebrating over 20 years since their debut. One fan wrote on X: 'Cried a little, just so blessed to see this.'
Irish Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Irish student leads Cambridge team to victory on BBC's University Challenge
Dubliner Oscar Despard (22) captained a team from Christ's College Cambridge to victory in the final of the long-running BBC student quizshow University Challenge on Monday night. In a thrilling comeback, the Cambridge team – which trailed University of Warwick for most of the final – moved into the lead in the final minutes and won by the smallest margin possible: five points. The winning trophy was presented to Despard and his team-mates by the actor Sir Ian McKellen. Despard and his team – Linus Luu (maths), Brendan Bethlehem (linguistics) and Anniko Firman (classics) – watched the broadcast, which was pre-recorded, on a big screen during a special event in their college lecture theatre. READ MORE [ University Challenge Irish finalist: 'There's always a Shakespeare question, so I read his complete works' Opens in new window ] At home in south Dublin, where his father William owns The Bretzel Bakery in Portobello, another screening took place at his former sailing club in Dún Laoghaire. Anniko Firman, Brendan Bethlehem, Oscar Despard and Linus Luu of Christ's College Cambridge on University Challenge. Photograph: BBC/ITV Studios/Lifted Entertainment/Rik Lowe Despard said he has been surprised – and delighted – by how many people have been following his team's progress. 'Lots of people who I didn't think would be interested have been very enthusiastic and have been wishing us well, which has been very nice to see and to have,' he said. 'You then find out who all the people are [who watch University Challenge], all the other weird people who decide the best thing they can do with their Monday evenings is watch eight university students answer questions.' [ When people hear I won University Challenge they want to know what Paxman was really like Opens in new window ] While University Challenge is open to UK university teams, Ireland was well-represented this year. Another Dubliner, Kevin Flanagan from Dundrum, captained the team from the University of Bristol. The pair faced off in the semi-final, but remain firm friends. Queen's University Belfast also performed strongly, reaching the quarter-finals. Despard said he has long had a love for quizzes. Growing up, he watched The Chase with his grandmother, while he and his mother – Prof Niamh Moran of the Royal College of Surgeons – 'always watched University Challenge and Only Connect in particular'. A stellar Leaving Certificate performance helped bring Despard to Cambridge. He was one of just two students to achieve nine H1 grades in the 2021 Leaving Cert, and in 2020 he won the Individual Award at the BT Young Scientist competition. Oscar Despard in 2020 when he won the Individual Award at the BT Young Scientist competition. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell/The Irish Times The 22 year old, who is studying for a PhD in molecular biology, hopes to 'continue in some form of academic research' after completing his studies.
