News

Exclusive: Slow Horses star Gary Oldman is stepping back on stage in April 2025 for the first time after an absence of nearly four decades to star in Samuel Beckett’s celebrated one-man play Krapp’s Last Tape for a limited season at the British theatre where the actor began his professional career in 1979.

Oldman, who won an Oscar for Darkest Hour, is in London shooting season 6 of the acclaimed Apple TV+ spy drama Slow Horses. He will play Beckett’s famous old-timer, struggling to listen to a tape he recorded 39 years ago, at York Theatre Royal in North Yorkshire from April 14 through May 17.

There are no plans to transfer the production to London’s West End or Broadway, Douglas Urbanski, the actor’s longtime business partner and manager, told me when I tracked him down in the early hours of Wednesday in London.

In performing Beckett’s 1958 classic, Oldman retraces...

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and international producer and longtime collaborator Michael Harrison announced today the creation of a new musical theater partnership to find and develop new musicals, and create new productions from Lloyd Webber’s catalog.

The venture will be called Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals.

“I am excited to announce that I am entering into a production partnership with Michael Harrison,” Webber said in a statement. “Michael is easily one of the world’s leading young theatre producers. Our partnership will build on our relationship which has already produced Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The London Palladium.

Webber said he “will now concentrate on composing knowing that I have a first-rate producer to collaborate with in the future.”

Harrison said he hopes the new venture “will be a major force in producing musical theater across the world,” and that he looks forward “to producing new interpretations” of...

Exclusive: The cultural phenomenon that is Netflix’s hit drama Bridgerton will impact London Palladium pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk with the casting of Louis Gaunt — he played dashing Lord Lumley in Season 2 of the frothy Regency-era drama — who will take on the title role of the farm lad who trades in the beloved family cow for magic beans.

Lord Lumley was one of the young blades in Bridgerton who made the acquaintance of Charithra Chandran’s Edwina Sharma, while also being at the beck and call of Jonathan Bailey’s Lord Anthony Bridgerton. In one scene Lord Bridgerton spots Lord Lumley escorting Edwina to the races. He quickly gets rid of him by ordering him to fetch lemonade.

‘Bridgerton’ Reveals Season 3 Opening, Premiere Episode Title

Jack and the Beanstalk also stars Dawn French (The Vicar of Dibley), Julian Clary, Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers and Gary Wilmot. Natalie McQueen and Rob Madge,...

Stars: Paul Stainthorpe, Richard Laverick, Steven Landles | Written and Directed by Paul Stainthorpe

A documentary featuring a couple of lads who have decided they want to find out the history behind the name of one of their local pubs? My initial thoughts were ‘Think I’ll pass’… I love it when I’m wrong!

After the unexpected success of their first documentary The Little Count, Paul Stainthorpe, Richard Laverick and Steven Landles – three local Durham lads – move on to the next quest… what is the history behind the name of local boozer The John Duck? Legend tells the story of a local character known as Durham’s very own Dick Whittington. Our gang of truth seekers (and world class dancers) seek to find out more about the local legend you probably didnt even know your favourite Durham pub was named after.

I’ll be honest, I’m somewhat of a documentary whore.

Winners of the 42nd annual edition of the Olivier Awards were revealed in ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall on April 8 hosted by Catherine Tate. Unlike the Tony Awards, which are showcased live on CBS, the Olivier Awards gets only a clips package on ITV later that evening and a live feed on BBC Radio 2.

“Hamilton” won a record seven Olivier Awards, including Best Musical and for both leading man Giles Terera and supporting player Michael Jibson. “The Ferryman” took home Best Play as well as the combined award for directing (Sam Mendes) and Best Actress (Laura Donnelly).

See Dish the Tony and Olivier Awards with theater insiders in our notorious forum

Musicals

Best Musical

An American In Paris

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Girl From The North Country

X – Hamilton

Young Frankenstein

Best Musical Revival

42nd Street

X – Follies

On The Town

Best Actor (Musical)

Ciarán Hinds...

Hamilton‘s revolutionary run is recording more milestones in the UK, with the Lin-Manuel Miranda show collecting seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.

On the drama side, Jez Butterworth’s Northern Irish drama The Ferryman was named Best New Play. It also snagged a Best Director Olivier for Sam Mendes and took Best Actress honors for Laura Donnelly.

Miranda and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire received the Outstanding Achievement in Music prize. Other Hamilton wins included Giles Terera (who plays Aaron Burr) for Best Actor in a Musical, Michael Jibson (King George III) as Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, and honors for lighting, sound design and choreography.

While Hamilton has had capacity crowds on Broadway for years, some newer titles recognized tonight included Tony Awards contender Angels in America, which won for Best Revival. Angels star Denise Gough won for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Best...

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” took home seven awards at the U.K.’s Laurence Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London Sunday, winning for best new musical, outstanding achievement in music, best actor in a musical, and best actor in a supporting role in a musical.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire took home the trophy for outstanding achievement in music, with Giles Terera winning best actor for his work as Aaron Burr and Michael Jibson winning best actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of King George III.

“Hamilton’s” other awards include the Delta Live award for best sound design, the White Light award for best lighting design, and best theatre choreographer for Andy Blankenbuehler.

Coming in with three awards was “The Ferryman,” including best new play, best director for Sam Mendes, and best actress for Laura Donnelly.

Bryan Cranston won for best actor for his role in “Network,...

Stage and screen actor best known for his roles in Only Fools and Horses, The Vicar of Dibley and Harry Potter

The talented and idiosyncratic character actor Roger Lloyd Pack, who has died of pancreatic cancer aged 69, achieved national recognition, and huge popularity, as Colin "Trigger" Ball, the lugubrious Peckham road sweeper in John Sullivan's brilliantly acted comedy series Only Fools and Horses. He appeared alongside David Jason's Del Boy and Nicholas Lyndhurst's "plonker" Rodney from 1981 for 10 years, with many a seasonal "special" for another decade.

This success cemented a career in which, up to that point, he had played important roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and the Almeida theatre in north London – he was a notably anguished Rosmer in Ibsen's Rosmersholm at the National in 1987, opposite Suzanne Bertish – without recognition any wider than usually appreciative reviews.

His enhanced status led to another...

From the Nutcracker to American Psycho, from Mary Poppins to Kurt Vile, our critics pick their must-sees of the festive season

If you wish it could be Christmas every day

Nutcrackers, various

You know it's Christmas in the ballet world by the number of Nutcrackers touring the world's stages. In the UK alone, there are close to a dozen doing the rounds, but the top three remain the Royal Ballet's exquisitely traditional version, the sparky family friendly production by Birmingham Royal Ballet, and English National Ballet's – with the best snow scene of them all. Royal Opera House, London (020-7304 4000), 4 December to 16 January; Birmingham Hippodrome (0844 338 5000), to 12 December; London Coliseum (020-7845 9300), 11 December to 5 January.

Father Christmas

Does Father Christmas use the loo? Does he secretly long for summer? Does he have strong views on the size of chimneys? You bet he does. Raymond Briggs's gorgeous picture book gets a heartwarming makeover for under-sixes.

News Ryan Lambie Jan 9, 2013

Michael Bay offers an update on Transformers 4, with a new cast member and the revelation that it'll mark the start of a new trilogy...

Having completed one triptych of Transformers action disaster movies, Michael Bay's all set to make (or at least be involved in the production of) yet another trilogy based on Hasbro's shape-shifting robots. That's what we've learned from an update Bay himself wrote on his official website, which also states unequivocally that "Transformers 4 is not a reboot".

"This movie takes place exactly four years after the war in Chicago," Bay writes, referring to his 2011 billion-dollar blockbuster, Dark Of The Moon. "The story makes a very natural transition, and reason as to why we have a whole new cast. This Transformers will feel very different then the last three. We are embarking on a new trilogy."

We already know that Mark Wahlberg...

The first photos of Britain's Got Talent stars Ashleigh & Pudsey and Stephen Mulhern in pantomime have been released. The three will appear in Dick Whittington at Woking's New Victoria Theatre over the festive season. Ashleigh is set to star as the titular character's love interest Alice, while Mulhern portrays sidekick Idle Jack. Ashleigh told Digital Spy that Pudsey will be "dipping in and out" of each performance so that he doesn't get too tired, meaning that she will face the new challenge of contending with the crowd on her own. "It'll be great fun and something a bit different," the teenager said. "I've always been into singing and drama so I'm really looking forward to it. "Everyone I've spoken (more)...

Stephen Mulhern has confirmed that he will return to host Britain's Got More Talent next year. Speaking to Digital Spy, the presenter debunked "nonsense" reports that he had quit ITV2's Britain's Got Talent companion show and said that a deal to front its seventh series is already "done". Mulhern, who is preparing to star in Woking's Dick Whittington pantomime later this year, clarified: "There was this rumour that I was quitting, but I'm not. In fact we finish the panto on the sixth of January and we start auditioning again [for Britain's Got Talent] on the seventh." Asked if he ever worries about being axed from More Talent by Simon Cowell, Mulhern pointed out that attempts to mix up the presenters (more)...

Ashleigh & Pudsey have signed up to star in a pantomime production this Christmas. The Britain's Got Talent winners will appear in Dick Whittington at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking for the festive season. Ashleigh Butler will play Dick's love interest Alice Fitzwarren, while Pudsey will be her loyal steed. Britain's Got More Talent presenter Stephen Mulhern will also appear as Idle Jack in the panto. "We are so excited to be performing in our first pantomime," said Butler. "Drama and dance have been a big part of my life for (more)...

Frock by frock, gong by gong, gaffe by gaffe coverage of the 2011 Oscars, in which The King's Speech reigned victorious

News: The King's Speech crowned

Full list of winners

11.23pm: Welcome to the 83rd Academy Awards. The main action kicks off at 5pm Pst, 1am GMT, but before then we have the small matter of the red carpet histrionics to attend to. Please stick with us as we celebrate the winners and usher the losers on a one-way trip to Palookaville. It's an Oscar tradition that losing nominees are forced to lick the red carpet clean following the show so we'll stick around to see that too.

We'll be bringing you all the action from the Kodak theatre, Los Angeles as the Academy doles out its annual accolades. Will The King's Speech extend its dominion or will The Social Network have more friends? Is Black Swan the dark horse or...

Veteran actress Joan Collins has pulled out of several performances of a traditional British pantomime this week (begs27Dec10) after falling ill.

The Dynasty legend has been playing the role of Queen Rat in a seasonal run of family show Dick Whittington at the Hippodrome in Birmingham, England over the festive season.

But audience members this week have missed out on seeing Collins in the production, after she was struck down with a severe cold.

Venue boss Stuart Griffiths tells Britain's Daily Mail, "We are taking each performance as it comes and hope Joan will be back soon."

The show is set to run until 30 January.

The first trailer sets sail for the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides, which you can view within…

Screenwriter Terry Rossio described it as “a completely different beast.” Johnny Depp has elsewhere said it’s “a fresh, clean slate” – and we’re hoping, too, that Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides returns the franchise to the brilliance of the original movie.

While Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End made colossal amounts of money, and contained some sporadically entertaining moments, neither movie captured the focus or magic of The Curse Of The Black Pearl.

That Stranger Tides is based on the 1988 novel On Stranger Tides, a work that won numerous fantasy awards, at least affords the possibility that its story will be a compelling one, and we’re intrigued to see where director Rob Marshall takes the series as he takes over from Gore Verbinski – Marshall is,...

Former EastEnders actress Barbara Windsor has admitted that she misses the team spirit that came with being part of the soap's ensemble cast. Windsor made the decision to leave EastEnders earlier this year after playing matriarch Peggy Mitchell for 16 years, and her final scenes on the show aired in September. The actress will next appear as part of the cast of pantomime Dick Whittington. She claims that the job has helped her move on from her days as a soap star. "We started rehearsal on Monday (more)...

Although the new season of "90210" premieres tonight, remember the days of Brenda and Brandon Walsh? Take a look back at some of your favorite characters from the past and find out what they're up to now!

For a complete calendar of all the fall TV shows, click here!

Original Cast of 'Beverly Hills 90210': Where Are They Now?Shannen Doherty

Brenda Walsh aka Shannen Doherty was most recently seen on season 10 of "Dancing with the Stars.

Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry will appear in pantomime in Milton Keynes this Christmas. The Hollywood star will appear alongside Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page and Britain's Got Talent finalists Stavros Flatley in the production of Dick Whittington at the Milton Keynes Theatre. Perry is cast as the dastardly King Rat and will appear in the show for five weeks. "This will be my first pantomime and I feel privileged to be taking part in something that is such a great British institution," he said. "My children are going to love seeing me being booed off the stage! I've loved my live theatre experiences on Broadway (more)...

EastEnders star Barbara Windsor has announced that she is to appear in a Bristol pantomime at Christmas. The 72-year-old actress will play the part of Fairy Bowbells in a production of Dick Whittington at the city's Hippodrome theatre. Windsor's panto role is her first confirmed project since she revealed that she is to bow out as Albert Square's Peggy Mitchell later this year. Speaking to the Bristol Evening Post, Windsor commented: "I am thrilled to be returning to (more)...

Former I'm A Celebrity... star Carly Zucker has married her footballer boyfriend Joe Cole. The fitness trainer, 25, tied the knot with Cole in a lavish ceremony at the Royal Hospital Chelsea's chapel yesterday afternoon, reports the Daily Mail. The Rev. Dick Whittington, who conducted the hour-long service, said: "It was a traditional English wedding with traditional English vows. "The bride looked beautiful. Joe was composed, absolutely focused on the ceremony." Zucker is believed to have walked down the aisle in a £10,000 wedding dress by designer Ana Cristache, who also dressed her four (more)...