Lloyd Webber set to star in Hollyoaks

After successfully making the transition from the world of theatre to the small screen through talent shows such as How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do, musical legend Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed that he is to appear in the hit teen soap Hollyoaks.

The 59-year old composer will appear in the Channel 4 show as himself in three episodes to be broadcast in January next year.

According to an insider on the show, Lloyd Webber’s storyline will involve theatrical student Summer Shaw, who is played by the niece of another West End star, Bonnie Langford.

“Summer is convinced that she is good enough to succeed if only she has the opportunity so she decides that stalking Andrew Lloyd Webber is her best option,” the source told the Liverpool Echo.

“Summer finally gets her wish and the chance to audition for her idol, but with the spotlight on her not everything goes to plan.”

Mr Lloyd Webber also told the newspaper that he is excited by the opportunity, having never acted on national television before.

“Bless Hollyoaks for asking me,” he said.

The three episodes will be screened on Channel 4 on January 29th, 30th and February 1st next year

Christmas TV schedules full of turkeys, viewers say

For many Britons, the ideal Christmas television feast would comprise of classic comedies such as Only Fools and Horses, Morecambe and Wise, The Vicar of Dibley as well as a couple of top soaps and a Harry Potter film to round things off, a study has found.

The research carried out by YouGov on behalf of the media firm ANT Software also found the Queen’s speech and a special Christmas episode of Top of the Pops sat alongside newer fare such as the Simpsons in the list of ‘most-wanted’ TV.

However, despite plans for the majority of these shows to be broadcast over the festive period, more than half of those questioned in a separate study claimed that Christmas TV is “not as good as it used to be”, with 24 per cent claiming that the schedules are “completely overrated”.

In comparison, just nine per cent of those questioned by Utalk said that the Christmas schedules represented “excellent festive entertainment”. 

“The chocolate box image of families crowded around their TV sets next to a roaring log fire simply doesn’t exist in today’s Britain,” explained Utalk’s founder Niall McKinney. 

“The internet has transformed the way we spend our time and, Christmas Day or not, many of us still like to feel connected by going online to check in with distant friends.”

Katherine Jenkins admits to Blue Peter romance

The Welsh opera diva Katherine Jenkins has admitted that she is dating TV presenter Gethin Jones.

Rumours of a budding romance have been circulating ever since the couple met when the singer performed on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, on which the Blue Peter presenter was appearing.

Since then the pair have also been spotted at a Take That concert in London.

Now Katherine has revealed that they are dating, though stressed that it is still “early days” as they both have busy schedules at the moment.

While Gethin is still in the running for the Strictly Come Dancing crown, Katherine is currently touring her Viva La Diva show around the UK alongside former ballerina Darcey Bussell.

Commenting on the announcement, PR guru Max Clifford told the Daily Mirror: “Neither of them need a romance for their careers, so the hope and belief is that it’s genuine.

“Gethin is a great looking lad and Katherine is stunning and a very successful girl.

“It’s a breath of fresh air to see two people get together for the right reasons,” he added.

Bannerman’s woes continue as police investigate new altercation

Former Eastender Marc Bannerman may well think he would have been better off staying in the Australian jungle.

Following on from a Sunday tabloid reporting that he took cocaine with prostitutes while living with his actress girlfriend Sarah Matravers, Bannerman has now been held by police after being involved in an altercation with paparazzi.

The actor was released on bail along with another man pending further investigation into an incident which took place in the car park of the Ship Inn in Wales.

The altercation came as he tried to leave the country pub with singer Cerys Matthews, with whom he is thought to be having a relationship.

“One minute everything was fine and they were having a meal and when they tried to leave they couldn’t get out,” the landlord of the ship reported.

“There were around 15 photographers around the car blocking them in the car park and they refused to let them out.”

After leaving the jungle set of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Bannerman admitted that he had “developed feelings for someone in there and I’ve got a missus at home”.

“I’m a rat,” he concluded.

Hollyoaks Round Up

Tina’s offer to be a surrogate mum for Jacqui and Tony has given Jacqui new hope. Tony on the other hand isn’t so sure. He is worried about having his brother’s wife as a surrogate, and even more worried that Mercedes may reveal their secret. Later in the week, when Tina refuses to consider an abortion, Dom heads off to confront Tony.

Finding a dishevelled Darren slumped in her doorway, Jessica turns down his request for cash and board but when they spot a drunken Louise stumbling into Evissa they follow her in, and find £3,000 of Evissa’s takings. Jessica is soon feeling guilty about the money she and Darren stole from Louise, but he insists they are going to use it to make amends to Jack.

Elsewhere, Elliot arrives back after Christmas, but it’s clear something is troubling him. And Newt returns to the Osbornes’ to a warm welcome, an apology from Jack and a bracelet as a belated Christmas present.

New Year

It’s New Year’s Eve in Hollyoaks and in a final showdown with Warren, Darren looks on in horror as he discovers that all of his money has gone. Meanwhile, Jessica (Jennifer Biddall) heads out of Hollyoaks village in a taxi, £200,000 richer!

O.B. and Summer count down the minutes until midnight, and as the fireworks go off above them, will the unlikely couple finally reveal their true feelings?

Danny and Lauren’s mother turns up in the village and insists she’s come to stay, but Lauren is less than impressed by Valerie’s parenting skills. Valerie, however, is quick to establish herself in the village, much to the embarrassment of Lauren.

Fletch is desperate to get back in to Sasha’s good books and asks Josh for his help in getting in to The Loft, but Josh is still fuming over Fletch’s haphazard attitude to drugs.

East Enders Round Up

’T’is the season to be jolly, unless you live on Albert Square of course, in which case it’s the season filled with bust-ups, heartbreak, revelations and recriminations - and this year proves no exception. At the top of the list for some unseasonal misery are newlyweds Stacey and Bradley. The couple are looking forward to spending their first Christmas together - until Stacey’s affair with Bradley’s dad Max finally becomes public knowledge on (when else?) Christmas Day. It isn’t long before fists are flying and bitter accusations being flung back and forth. As Stacey pours her heart out to Bradley, will he be prepared to listen to her?

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Ian builds some bridges with Steven, even if it is at the expense of his relationship with Jane. And the Square’s carol singing is a great success thanks to some last-minute input from Shirley.

Yolande is thrilled with her festive surprise from Patrick - a course of driving lessons. All she needs now is a car. And Kevin has car troubles of his own, as Darren tells him how worried he is about the dodgy motors on the car lot.

Roxy wants a night out and pressures Jase into taking her out for dinner, while Jack decides to try and make it up to Ronnie and asks her on another date - until she tells him she’s already had another offer.

New Year

Kevin has the police on his trail over the cut-and-shut cars being offered up for sale on the car lot and needs to act quickly if he is to avoid a spell at her majesty’s pleasure. With Pat managing to put the police off the scent (at least temporarily) can he get rid of the evidence of the dodgy cars quickly enough to escape the clutches of the cops?

Elsewhere, Heather turns detective and tries to find out more about Vinnie (Bobby Davro), Ronnie has developed a crush on Jack, and Roxy gives Jase a hard time for treating her badly on their date. Phil gets a glimpse of someone special from his past, and Steven moves in with the Beales, although Jane is quick to let him know exactly what she thinks of him.

Coronation Street Round Up

Christmas heartbreak looks on the cards in Coronation Street as Rosie gives John an ultimatum following their one-night stand. Rosie wants a proper relationship, and won’t take no for an answer. Either he tells Fiz what happened or she will. And the hapless John gets himself into further trouble on Christmas Day with a Christmas present mix-up. The sexy lingerie (clearly intended for a more petite woman) ends up with Fiz and the large pair of frumpy flannelette pyjamas ends up with Rosie. Fiz puts two and two together and makes five and storms over to accuse Sally of having an affair with John. And as the truth finally comes out, John finds himself in real trouble - not least at the hands of an angry Kevin.

Will Sarah and Jason be leaving the cobblestones of Coronation Street behind for the glamour of Milan? A scheming Sarah manages to get Stephen to offer Jason the job he was going to offer to David and the couple are soon planning to move away from the Street. But it seems that Sarah is more keen on la dolce vita than Jason (not least because it means she will have got one over on David, who has been unable to shake off her drug allegations). Will Jason ruin her best-laid plans?

Michelle is distracted as she wonders whether Ryan is her son or not. Unable to keep up her brave face any longer, she breaks down in Steve’s arms and decides that she needs to find a way to put an end to this. What will Michelle do?

Liz is upset when Andy calls to say he won’t be able to make the wedding. Vernon is getting angry at the amount of time Jim is spending around them. Meanwhile, Jim has some food for thought when Steve lets it slip that Liz had an affair. Will he make a play for Liz?

New Year

Liz has a serious case of cold feet as she gets set to wed Vernon - particularly with ex-husband Jim back on the scene. Jim has succeeded in wheedling his way back into her emotions, and on the morning of her wedding Liz breaks down and admits to Deirdre that she has been thrown into turmoil by Jim’s reappearance and is now wondering whether she’s about to make the biggest mistake of her life. Will she go ahead with the wedding or leave Vernon standing at the altar?

Elsewhere, Sarah and Jason are all set to catch the train on the first leg of their trip to Milan - until she admits that it was her who planted the drugs on David. A shocked Jason tells her she’s just as bad as David and leaves her standing at the station as he makes his way back to the Street to reveal the truth. Soon Sarah has to face up to a furious Gail.

The fallout from the Rosie – Fiz - John love triangle continues to be felt in the Street, with Rosie shunned by her family and Kevin due in court for his attack on John. Elsewhere, Carla has returned from her trip to Paris and is boasting about the possibility of going to the Maldives with Tony. And Michelle is getting increasingly worried about the DNA tests and is still keeping the truth about the stalker a secret from Ryan. As Ryan starts to ask uncomfortable questions, Steve urges her to tell him the truth.

Emmerdale Round Up

Framed for a murder he didn’t commit, Matthew is looking at spending Christmas (not to mention the next 30 years or so) behind bars, unless he can convince the authorities of his innocence. That looks as if it’s going to be easier said than done given the evidence against him, but - as the unfortunate Matthew points out to visitor Perdy - all of the evidence could have been planted by a third party, and he’s got a pretty good idea who that could have been: none other than Perdy’s partner Gray. Soon Perdy has discovered some pretty damming evidence of her own, all of it pointing to Gray. Rosemary is alive and kicking, and Gray has known it all along. Will Perdy stand by her man, or act to free an innocent Matthew from jail? 

Elsewhere, a war of words breaks out as the villagers are struck down with food poisoning. Viv blames the Woolpack, while Marlon blames the cafe. It looks like Viv and Bob, and Marlon and Diane are going to go head-to-head, until the four realise that they purchased their meat from the same source - the Dingles. Is Shadrach responsible for bringing the village to its knees? 

The panto is hard-hit by the food poisoning outbreak. Belle is left desperately searching for last-minute replacements for key members of the Cinderbella cast. Will it be alright on the night? Over at the pub, meanwhile, Diane is determined to make Christmas Day one to remember, desperate for Jack and the rest of the Sugden clan to put the past couple of months behind them. Just when it looks as if relations are starting to thaw, however, there’s a knock at the door. Could Billy be about to hammer the final nail in the coffin of Jack and Diane’s marriage? 

New Year 

Scheming Nicola’s plan to bag a fortune from ailing husband Donald have already taken one knock, what with him inconveniently failing to die. However, Plan B - divorcing him in order to get her share of his millions - doesn’t look like faring much better either. As she reveals to disgruntled lover David this week, Donald suffered a brain haemorrhage on the night of their wedding and the marriage was never actually consummated. Before she can divorce Donald, she’s going to have to become a proper wife to him. Donald, meanwhile, is enjoying playing games with Nicola. When she gives him details of private nursing agencies, he says that she’s described what seems to be a perfect marriage so he would like her to be the one by his side day and night. 

On New Year’s Eve in the pub, Lexi and Chas are lamenting the lack of single men in the village - until the arrival of policeman Ross. The two vie are soon vying for his attention - which works rather too well as he ends up making dates with both of them. Paddy is shocked to discover what Ross is up to and warns him he won’t get away with it. And it isn’t long before Lexi and Chas are planning revenge on the cheating cop. 

Elsewhere, when slates fall from the church roof, Ashley pushes Turner out of the way, but instead of hailing him a hero Turner accuses him of knowing the slates were loose. And after getting hold of one of Donna’s police jackets, Eli, Zak and Shadrach get ready to go out and about collecting on-the-spot fines from unsuspecting members of the public. But is yet another Dingle plan about to end in disaster?  

Corrie’s Kim vows her singing days are behind her

After a year of pop revivals, Coronation Street star Kym Ryder has pledged that she will not be returning to singing but instead will focus on her acting career.

The 31-year old actress originally found fame after winning the ITV reality show Popstars and landing a part in the pop group Hear’Say.

However, while she admits that she had some good times with the group, she sees her future in television, particularly after she was named the most popular newcomer at this year’s National Television Awards.

Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, she said: “I love singing, but hate the music industry. If I sing now it’s because I want to, not because I have to. I love my work and get to be with my family, too. I did so much travelling when I was a pop star.”

In separate news, it looks like Rydian Roberts is set to follow in Kym’s footsteps as he goes into the X-Factor final as the firm favourite.

The Welshman faces competition from the brother-sister duo Same Difference and young crooner Leo after Nikki Evans was voted off the talent show.

Blue Peter’s Gethin dating Welsh opera idol?

Blue Peter’s fox-trotting presenter Gethin Jones is rumoured to be dating Katherine Jenkins after he met the singing star when she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing.

The Welsh opera singer featured on the show – on which Gethin is a contestant - as she sang a duet with the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and since then, the pair have been seeing quite a bit of each other, according to reports.

Just recently they were spotted at a Take That concert in London while Katherine has also been seen in the crowd watching the Welsh hunk participate in the BBC dancing show.

“They’re old friends and they’ve been on several dates,” a spokesman for 27-year old Katherine told the Sun.

“Gethin and Katherine are both equally good-looking, so it’s no wonder they were drawn to each other,” he added.

Should the pair get together, they could usurp Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson as the first couple of Wales.

Just recently, fellow Blue Peter host Konnie Huq announced that she will be leaving the show in February after ten years.

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