Archive May 12, 2025

Strictly Come Dancing picked up an award at the 2025 TV BAFTAs thanks to a public vote after being snubbed in other categories but Chris McCausland was noticeable by his absence

Winner Chris McCausland shared why he didn’t attend the BAFTAs – and it was nothing to do with being convinced Gavin & Stacey would win!

The drama surrounding Strictly Come Dancing did not appear to put off the public who voted Dianne Buswell and Chris’ waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone as the most memorable moment in TV. But he wasn’t there to pick up the award, leaving his partner to do the honours.

Dianne was at the ceremony to pick up the gong – which recognised a special dance routine with her celebrity partner, blind comedian Chris.

The winning couple’s “blackout” dance, which went viral on social media, saw him place his hands over her eyes as the room faded to black, mimicking his everyday experience.

When the lights returned, the 47-year-old was spinning around with Dianne on his shoulders as pyrotechnics flared in the background.

On stage last night, she gushed: “In one minute and 30 seconds of a dance, I feel like this told such a story. A story of hope, determination, resilience and vulnerability. This moment meant so much to the both of us, so I’m just so thrilled that we have this.”

Chris wasn’t there for his big moment and explained why. He was thrilled to take home the trophy – and teased that the pair could fall out if they both don’t get one! Taking to Instagram, he told his followers why we was absent and couldn’t accept the BAFTA.

He said in a video: “We only went and won a BAFTA! I’m very proud of her representing the two of us. Her speech was amazing. I’m actually in Warrington, I’ve had two shows here today and these are the shows I cancelled to do Strictly…. I couldn’t exactly cancel a second time to go to the BAFTAs, could I?

“And to be honest I thought Gavin & Stacey could win! Thank you so much for voting. I just hope we get two of them or me and Dianne are going to fall out trying to share that thing aren’t we!” The clip, filmed in the theatre, ended with cheers from the team.

The moment won over scenes that aired on The Traitors, Rivals, Bridgerton, Gavin and Stacey and Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Strictly is normally up for the Best Entertainment Programme but has been snubbed this year for the first time ever in the show’s history.

Instead, the Entertainment Programme is made up of nominees The 1% Club (ITV1), Michael McIntyre’s Big Show ( BBC One), Taskmaster ( Channel 4 ) and Would I Lie To You? (BBC One).

Last year, Amanda Abbington, 51, alleged she was subjected to “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying” in a “toxic environment” while she was a contestant on Strictly in 2023. The BBC upheld “some, but not all” of the allegations made by Amanda about her dance partner Giovanni Pernice – who has always denied the accusations.

The Bafta TV Awards show began in Traitors style with Alan Cumming wearing the well-known dark cloak in the Scottish Highlands castle. Cumming, who described himself as the “devilishly handsome” host of the US Traitors, was summoned to the Traitor turret and asked to host the Bafta TV Awards this year.

Taking on a new sinister role for Paramount+ in The Game, Robson Green had a great time filming for the thriller in Spain. His son, Taylor, 25, was even able to join him.

Robson Green flew abroad for his latest project. But amid his hectic filming schedule, he managed to find some downtime with his son, Taylor, 25.

The actor, 60, it portraying a mysterious newcomer in Paramount’s new thriller The Game alongside Sunetra Sarker and his former Being Human co-star, Jason Watkins.

Here, Jason plays Huw, a retired detective still tormented by the case he never cracked – the Ripton Stalker. Years earlier, the serial killer narrowly evaded capture, leaving Huw with nothing but the memory of their voice – and a haunting sense of failure.

Despite the series’ dark subject matter, the shoot itself was anything but grim. Filming in Spain felt like a summer adventure for the cast, with daily group drives to set and plenty of off-camera laughs.

“It felt like going to summer school,” Sunetra says, “We were living like students.” A lively WhatsApp group kept the fun going. Robson Green jokes: “I’m glad you don’t have eyes on it!”

The Basque Country provided another major perk: incredible food. “Many a Spanish meal was had in the Basque Country,” Robson says, “I was certainly well looked after.”

He even got to share the experience with Taylor, who visited him during filming. “We spent time in San Sebastian and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao,” he says, “He’s a history nut so he loved it!”

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Robson shares Taylor with his ex-wife Vanya Seager, to whom he was married from 2001 to 2013. And though Taylor is rarely seen in the public eye, Robson has often said they share an “extremely close” bond.

More than anything, Robson was thrilled to work with Jason again. When his agent mentioned Jason’s involvement, he signed up immediately for The Game.

“I love reconnecting with people I’ve worked with before,” Robson says, “Watching their careers and journeys from afar, it’s a joy.” Even the demanding schedule – which initially worried Robson – turned out to be a blessing. “We shot a huge showdown with Jason in just half a day,” Robson says, “What I thought would be stressful was actually joyous.”

In the original script, Huw was a keen runner – but Jason quickly vetoed that. “I can’t really run anymore because of my attempts at professional football as a teenager,” he says.

“My knees aren’t what they should be. So I made it quite clear early on that I wouldn’t be running, only cycling and playing golf.” Robson still can’t get over his pal’s skills, grinning: “He’s got a very good swing!”

Sunetra Sarker, on the other hand, plays Huw’s long-suffering wife Alice – and she couldn’t be more different from her on-screen character. “Alice was the voice of reason,” she says, “It’s very different from the real Sunetra.”

Alice and Huw start the series close, but his obsession with Patrick drives a wedge between them. It’s not the first time Huw’s struggled. “He was sectioned for a couple of weeks,” Sunetra says, “They’ve rebuilt things but his obsession triggers her trauma too.”

Sunetra loved working with Jason and Robson – and her mum was impressed too. “She couldn’t believe I was working with Robson Green,” she says.

Both actors are veterans with long careers filled with iconic roles, from Touching Evil and Wire in the Blood for Robson to The Crown and Line of Duty for Jason.

Behind the scenes, Sunetra and Jason built up Alice and Huw’s bond by staying in character, even off camera. “They’ve got these pet names and in-jokes,” she says.

“Jason and I did the same whenever we could.” Jason adds: “But the more Huw tries to convince Alice he’s right about Patrick, the more insane he seems. He wants peace in his retirement but he can’t let this case go.”

ITV Lorraine presenter Ranvir Singh was forced to pull out of hosting the show on Friday after she was rushed to hospital and underwent surgery for a ruptured appendix

TV presenter Ranvir Singh has received an outpour of support from fans after revealing a recent health ordeal landed her in the hospital for emergency surgery. The 47-year-old, known for filling in for Lorraine Kelly on ITV’s Lorraine and for hosting Good Morning Britain, took to Instagram with an update and pictures showing her pre- and post-surgery contrasts.

In one photo, she looked chic in a white suit at the ITV studios, while others show her in a hospital bed connected to medical gear, including an IV drip. She captioned the post, explaining: “Had a fab time as always hosting @lorraine last Wednesday wearing this gorgeous linen white pinstripe suit, felt a bit drained and foggy in the morning but nothing a couple of coffees couldn’t sort out.”

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Her story continued with a shocking turn: “I’m off air – all good – at 1030am I feel this sudden stomach ache. I stay in bed all day. Turns out I had a ruptured appendix and had urgent surgery at midnight on Thursday!

“Woke up 5am on Friday morning, high on anaesthetic and certain I could get into work to host the show as normal [laughing emoji]..

“Pretty nasty few days, the bacteria had spread and infected my blood etc and told to take this week off by @jadeens I’m sore and shuffling around, can’t drive for a week, and no exercise for 4 weeks (! ) so really it’s the boredom that will kill me! Ps. Anyone else have this horrendous shoulder pain afterwards? It’s mad isn’t it!”, reports the Express.

Some of her pals and colleagues were quick to show their support for Ranvir. In the comments, GMB’s Alex Beresford penned: “Awwww wishing you a speedy recovery xxxx.”

Emmerdale’s Bradley Riches chimed in with: “Sending my love xoxoxo,” as I’m a Celeb’s Melvin Odoom dropped an ok-sign emoji. Fans also sent their good vibes, with one posting: “Wishing you a swift and full recovery.”

Another said: “Get well soon! Take it easy!” A third shared: “Hope you feel better soon.”

ITV’s Lorraine saw an unexpected presenter change on Friday after Ranvir had to opt-out at the last second – and now we know why. Regular viewers got quite the surprise when they switched on to find Andi Peters steering the ship after Ranvir was out due to sickness.

He relayed a message to the audience, announcing: “First thing’s first, I’ve just got to say get well soon to Ranvir, who can’t be here today.”

With a bit of a laugh, he quipped, “Which is why they’ve brought in a bloke in a blinding orange shirt – just to ensure you’re wide awake this morning.”

Further, he expressed heartfelt sentiments, “Get well soon Ranvir, we’re sending all our love your way.”

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