Tag: BBC

NME

Extended cuts of two episodes of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson’s sitcom Bottom will be airing on television for the first time.

Bottom, which ran for three seasons on BBC Two from 1991 to 1995, followed the lives of two unemployed, crude flatmates living in London.

Known for its nihilistic and slapstick comedy, Bottom was developed as an extension of their characters in previous sitcoms The Young Ones and Filthy Rich & Catflap.

Now, two episodes from the second season of the comedy show will be aired on Gold, but as extended edits, with some extra footage being aired on television for the first time.

The two episodes, titled Holy and Digger will air on Friday April 19, running in a double bill from 9pm. Each episode will have a 50-minute time slot to allow for advert breaks.

The extended version of Holy (34 minutes 41 seconds) was actually included on the previous series two DVD release, but the cut scenes from Digger have never been released as part of the whole episode.

The longer version of Digger contains about five minutes and 40 seconds of extra footage, while Holy will be extended by approximately three minutes and 10 seconds. Both contain extra scenes, more comical dialogue between the pair and a humorous scene involving a Christmas tree in Holy.

The exclusive airing will take place the night after the brand new one-off documentary, Bottom: Exposed, in which Edmondson provides an insight into the show’s creation, and his collaboration with partner Rik Mayall.

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Kung Fu Panda star Jack Black is set to read for CBeebie’s Bedtime Stories, followed by Joanne Froggatt, Justin Fletcher and Tom Hardy.

Black will kickstart the Easter weekend editions of the show on Friday, March 29, with a reading of Pom Pom Is Super, written by Sophy Henn.

Per an official description, the book “tells the story of Pom Pom the panda, who is excited to have his friends come round to play. When they arrive in superhero costumes, Pom Pom thinks he would like to be super too – but he’s not quite sure what he’s super at! With the help of his friends, he soon finds his talents.”

Following on from Black on Saturday, March 30, Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt will read Like A Girl by Lori Degman and illustrated by Mara Penny. The story “follows 24 women who took risks, broke barriers and transformed the world – from civil rights activist, Rosa Parks to astronaut, Sally Ride”.

CBeebies favourite Justin Fletcher will then take over on Easter Sunday (March 31) with a reading of Bunnies In A Boat, written by Philip Ardagh and illustrated by Ben Mantle.

To finish off the weekend, Tom Hardy will return to Bedtime Stories on Monday, April 1, with a reading of I Am A Tiger, written by Karl Newson and illustrated by Ross Collins. Described as a cheeky tale for April Fools’ Day, it tells the story of a little mouse with a big attitude, who tries to convince his friends he’s a tiger.

CBeebies Bedtime Stories airs each weekday at 6.50pm on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.

On reading for the show Froggatt said: “Storytelling has always been my passion and I couldn’t be more excited to be reading for CBeebies Bedtime Stories. The story is so beautiful and empowering and would be a lovely way to spend a little of the Easter weekend. I hope you enjoy it.”

Black is currently busy promoting Kung Fu Panda 4, which is set for release in UK cinemas on March 28.

In a recent interview, the actor declared his interest in making a School Of Rock sequel, should the opportunity arise.

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NME

Coldplay, Vampire Weekend and Beabadoobee are among the names that have been added to the huge line-up for BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2024.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Coldplay: “This is our period of having no fear”

This year’s edition of the festival is set to run between Friday, May 24 and Sunday, May 26, and will be held at Stockwood Park in Luton.

The names for the first two nights had already been announced, and now the line-up for Sunday has been confirmed, with Coldplay topping the bill on the Main Stage.

“We wouldn’t be anywhere without Radio 1 and we’re super excited to come to Luton this year and play Big Weekend,” the band said about their inclusion on the line-up.

Rounding out the Main Stage bill on Sunday will be Declan McKenna, Olly Alexander, Sabrina Carpenter and Vampire Weekend.

Tickets for the weekend go on sale at 5pm tomorrow (March 21), and will cost £29.50, plus a £4.50 booking fee. Full information on how to get yours can be found here.

The festival has also confirmed the line-up for the New Music Stage on Sunday, May 26, with Beabadoobee taking top billing. Also performing on the day will be CMAT, Everything Everything, Fizz, Olivia Dean, Sea Girls and Teddy Swims.

The first wave of names for the festival included the likes of Becky Hill, who will headline the Friday night, Chase & Status, Ella Henderson, Diplo, Kenya Grace and Rudimental, who will be performing on the opening night.

That news was followed by the announcement of the Saturday acts, which will see Aitch close out the day on the Main Stage. Other performers that day will include RAYE, The Last Dinner Party, Charli XCX, Caity Baser, Shygirl and Mabel.

Coldplay were also recently confirmed to be headlining this year’s Glastonbury Festival, although fans are still uncertain about the band’s future, after Chris Martin said that they would stop making music in 2025.

“Well I know I can tell you: our last proper record will come out in 2025 and after that I think we will only tour,” Martin said during an interview in 2021 with Jo Wiley. “Maybe we’ll do some collaborative things but the Coldplay catalogue, as it were, finishes then.”

Vampire Weekend, meanwhile, are preparing to release their fifth album ‘Only God Was Above Us’ on April 5. They also just announced plans to livestream a concert during a total solar eclipse, which will take place in Austin, Texas on April 8 and will be available to watch online for free.

Speaking about the overall line-up for this year’s Radio 1’s Big Weekend, the station’s Greg James said: “It’s set to be one of our very best Big Weekends ever. The line-up is a celebration of some of the biggest artists we’ve supported for years alongside the most exciting new ones on the planet. It’s my favourite line-up for years.”

Ahead of this year’s instalment, BBC Radio 1 have also said that they are “working closely with Luton Council to ensure that Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2024 is a safe and secure environment for all those attending the festival”.

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The BBC has announced that it will be broadcasting a series of special programmes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ABBA‘s Eurovision Song Contest victory.

• READ MORE: ABBA Voyage live in London: an epic avatar mega-mix from a brave new world

Among the programmes are When ABBA Came To Britain and More ABBA At The BBC.

The former – an hour long documentary – will feature previously untransmitted interviews with ABBA and will include “a wealth of BBC and non-BBC performances, as well as long forgotten news footage, which all show how ABBAmania took hold in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s”, according to a press release.

Footage of ‘So Long’, which they sang live on Top Of The Pops in 1974, is also set to be screened as part of the celebration next month.

Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Pop Music TV said: “When ABBA came to Britain is a love letter from this country to the beloved Swedish super-group, celebrating the special relationship we have as a nation with Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Anni-Frid. We focus on the stories of individuals who were lucky to be caught up in their world. A must watch for pop fans of all ages.”

Mark Robinson of Wise Owl Films who produced the documentary added: “There can be fewer bands, if any, who have straddled generations of British music fans in a more impressive way than ABBA.

“Their original fans might now be in their 50s and 60s, but their children, and even their grandchildren, will be just as familiar with their biggest hits thanks to the likes of Mamma Mia! and Voyage.

“This film shows the enduring and often emotional impact that ABBA have left on British fans and musicians across the decades, but we will also chart the key role that Britain played in the band’s history – from the music of groups like The Beatles to playing host to defining moments in their career.”

BBC Radio 2 will also launch a vote to discover ABBA’s ultimate song, while an Eras: ABBA programme, which will chart the group’s rise, revival and how they changed music along the way, will also air on BBC Sounds on April 6 following previous programmes on The Beatles and Kylie Minogue.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will also share her love for the band in ABBA, My Supergroup on the same date. Find out more about the BBC’s run of special ABBA programmes here.

Meanwhile, ABBA’s Voyage concert boosted London’s economy with nearly £323million in spending turnover within a one year period, according to a recent report.

The avatar concert experience is set to continue to run until at least November 2024 at the 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

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The Smile headlined the third night of the BBC 6 Music Festival last night (March 9), alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra – check out the video below. 

• READ MORE: The Smile – ‘Wall of Eyes’ review: a masterclass in pushing rock forward 

The COVID-formed, loose experimental band, comprised of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, alongside Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner, played a lengthy set at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse, the main body of which saw them joined by the classical orchestra. 

The trio then played a seven-song set alone, comprising largely songs from their first album, 2022’s ‘A Light For Attracting Attention’. 

The full set is available to watch via BBC iPlayer here, while clips from the show can be seen here: 

The night before, Gossip headlined the same venue, being joined by Alison Moyet on a version of Yazoo’s ‘Situation’, while earlier in the day CMAT had been joined by John Grant on ‘Where Are Your Kids Tonight?’. 

The Smile released their second album ‘Wall Of Eyes’ in January, including the singles ‘Bending Hectic’, ‘Wall Of Eyes’ and ‘Friend Of A Friend’. 

In a four-star review of ‘Wall Of Eyes’, NME wrote: “Where previously the comparisons to their Radiohead catalogue could warp expectations, the breadth of the material on offer here suggest that it could, eventually, flip that dynamic right on its head.” 

The Smile’s UK and European tour continues this week and throughout the rest of March. Check out the dates below. 

MARCH
10 – London, Eventim Apollo
13 – Copenhagen, K.B. Hallen
15 – Brussels, Forest National
16 – Amsterdam, AFAS Live
18 – Brighton, Brighton Centre
19 – Manchester, O2 Apollo
20 – Glasgow, SEC Armadillo
22 – Birmingham, O2 Academy
23 – London, Alexandra Palace 

Thom Yorke, meanwhile, has recently written the score for the upcoming film Confidenza, by Italian director Daniele Luchetti.  

The film stars Elio Germano, Vittoria Puccini and Isabella Ferrari, and follows Pietro Vella who works in a run down Roman high school. A synopsis reads: “He strongly believes he can help students strive for a better future and Teresa, and bright and rebellious student, is totally taken with him and his lessons. Then, a few years later, they meet up again and get romantically entangled. Teresa insists they must share their deepest secrets to bond for life. But as soon as Pietro really opens up, the relationship ends.” 

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CMAT was joined on stage by John Grant in Manchester last night (March 8) for a version of their collaborative song ‘Where Are Your Kids Tonight?’ – check it out below. 

• READ MORE: CMAT – ‘Crazymad, For Me’ review: Dublin’s answer to Dolly Parton 

The performance came as part of BBC’s 6 Music Festival, which is currently taking place across Greater Manchester this weekend. CMAT was playing the O2 Victoria Warehouse, in the slot immediately before headliner Gossip. 

CMAT played an eight-song set taking in material from her first two albums (‘If My Wife New I’d Be Dead’ and ‘Crazymad, For Me’).  

Sharing a clip on her Instagram, CMAT echoed the words she used to introduce him on stage: “My hero. I’ve loved him since I was 14 years old. We’ve never done this before. It’s John Grant!” 

See the full version of the song here:

Later in the night, Gossip were joined by Alison Moyet to perform a cover of Yazoo’s ‘Situation’, in Moyet’s first live performance in over a year. The 80s icon recently graduated from the University of Brighton in 2023 with a degree in Fine Art. 

Earlier this week, CMAT was nominated for the Choice Music Prize, the annual award for the best Irish album of the year. She lost out to Lankum, who went on to deliver a blistering acceptance speech that called for solidarity with the people of Palestine and direct action against Israel. 

The speech was initially left out of a podcast release of the night’s ceremony by RTÉ, causing CMAT to hit out at the broadcaster, although RTÉ later confirmed that it was a technical issue due to the broadcast overrunning.  

NME spoke to CMAT at the Brit Awards last weekend, where she was nominated for International Artist of the Year. 

She told us about how Kylie Minogue, who won the Brits Global Icon Award, inspired her as a child: “She is the love of my life and the most important woman. I do think we should have a religion dedicated to her,” she said. “She was omnipresent when I was growing up because I was five years old when the ‘Fever’ album came out. 

“We didn’t really have any music that wasn’t the radio, I wasn’t exposed to any alternative music or anything until I was much older. So when I was exposed to the radio I think my brain really clung onto anything that was weird — and Kylie’s music is inherently quite alternative and quite strange. 

She continued: “It’s structurally different, it doesn’t follow trends. Her music videos and visuals are so inspiring too because they’re so well thought out. So for me, she was just this beacon of weirdness. That’s the only way I can describe her.” 

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A Conservative MP has said that the depiction of Milton Keynes as a “slum” in a recent episode of EastEnders was “completely out of order”.

• READ MORE: EastEnders: the BBC soap’s most iconic storylines

In Monday’s episode of the BBC soap opera, the character of Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) returned for the first time since 2019, being shown in her new home in the Buckinghamshire city.

Some scenes showed characters “eating out of bins” and throwing a brick through a window, leading some residents to complain about the negative portrayal of the place.

And now, Ben Everitt, the Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North, has chimed in, saying that he would be contacting the producers of the show to highlight his displeasure.

Speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio, he said: “Like every city we got parts that aren’t as good as the others, but the characterisation is completely out of order.”

He went on to state that he would request that the writers also go out of their way to find a positive representation of the town as well. “I am quite positive about Milton Keynes and I want them to show the good side as well,” he added.

“It’s fiction, it’s a soap opera, it’s just the telly… I’m just not happy it’s Milton Keynes.”

The city’s tourism organisation Destination Milton Keynes also commented on the matter: “We’ll leave it up to a fictional soap opera to choose how they want to depict Milton Keynes.”

“But we know it to be a thriving, multi-cultural community with more than 6,000 acres of free green spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy and with a booming visitor economy worth over £230m a year.”

Last September, Charli XCX hailed the EastEnders writers for naming a baby after her on the show, writing: “Shout out my gays in the writers room!”

In the show, Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) and Ricky Mitchell (Frankie Day) named their baby Charli, causing Lily’s mum Stacey to assume it was a reference to her late uncle Charlie, only to be corrected that it was in fact after the popstar.

In other EastEnders-music crossovers, The Libertines’ Pete Doherty once claimed that he had been offered a role in the soap, something he claimed he later felt “disappointed” that he had turned down.

He said: “There are a few things that have fallen through over the years that I was a bit disappointed about – opportunities that came up that I didn’t take.”

“I was going to get a part in EastEnders at one point. It was around this time that the Libertines re-formed too.”

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The Traitors star Jasmine Boatswain has said that the “hate” that she has received on social media has left her scared to leave her house.

• READ MORE: In praise of ‘The Traitors’ and its terribly brilliant cover songs

The 26-year-old Londoner made it to the semi-finals of the recent season of the show, but in a new interview with the BBC, she has disclosed that the impact of the negative feedback online left her “really, really low”.

“I was exposed to a lot of hate on social media,” she said. “Seeing what people had to say about me definitely did affect how I felt about myself, which I felt was a bit of a shame really, because it was an exciting time.”

She went on to explain that after reading comments on social media, she assumed that everyone on the streets who recognised her would “hate” her.

“And I didn’t want to leave the house because of that. I genuinely couldn’t believe when someone said to me, ‘I really liked you on the show’. I just thought they were taking pity on me because I just really, really let these comments get to me.”

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the second season of the reality series saw 22 contestants compete for a prize fund worth up to £120,000 at a castle in the Scottish Highlands.

As they arrive at the castle, a small number are selected to be “Traitors” who have to eliminate the “Faithful” contestants to claim the prize. However, if the latter manage to work out and banish the deceitful contestants through daily roundtable meetings, they win the cash prize instead.

The BBC renewed The Traitors for a third season in November last year, although applications closed last month.

Since the conclusion of the show, Harry and Paul, two of the most prominent contestants of this year’s season, were called out by Matty Healy during a show with The 1975.

“Lots of people come to our shows [and] I’m very happy to have them here. Thank you to Rick Astley who famously came and did a video… thank you, Rick,” he said, adding that while he cares about everyone in the crowd, there is rarely anyone who leaves him genuinely “impressed”.

“But did anybody watch The Traitors? Because that’s Paul and Harry over there,” he said, pointing out the two, while they stood up, and the latter took his trademark bow.

Genuinely starstruck… I am genuinely starstruck by you two,” Healy added. “You guys are sick. Give it up for Paul and Harry, ladies and gentlemen. Come and have a drink with us. Despicable bunch.”

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