Archive May 17, 2025

TV star Rylan Clark has been involved in hosting duties of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest along radio presenter Scott Mills and he’s now shared a glimpse of his Doctor Who episode

Eurovision’s Rylan Clark has shared epic behind-the-scenes glimpses from a special Doctor Who episode. The TV star took to his Instagram page to post a series of snaps and videos as he showed his fans a sneak peek from the one-off episode.

Alongside the post, he wrote: “It’s out. The biggest dream come true @bbcdoctorwho Love you all xx.” The photos started with a photo of himself on camera as he wore a red and black suit jacket.

Rylan then showed a clip where he was strapped into a harness as he pretended to fly for the episode. Another clip featured him alongside an alien as they stroked his face and Rylan tried to act casual.

Another snap featured Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa, while another video gave an inside glimpse of the Tardis set. It’s thought that Rylan is playing the part of a host as the episode is inspired by Eurovision, but instead is called The Interstellar Song Contest.

Eurovision legend Graham Norton will also make a guest appearance in the series. The synopsis of the episode reads: “The Doctor’s quest to get Belinda back home to Earth leads to a space station hosting the famous song contest. But a harmless night of fun soon becomes a battle to survive.”

The special episode will air on BBC One at 7:10pm, with Eurovision starting 50 minutes later on the same channel at 8pm. Rylan has since said that, despite his role in Doctor Who being announced two months ago, he tried to keep it a secret for almost a year.

Speaking to PA news agency, Rylan said: “It was so hard to keep the secret, and I’ve been sat on it for a year.” He said ahead of the episode airing this weekend: “I told a few key people who had to know, but we’ve really kept it super private.”

Rylan has said that despite playing himself, he has also added parts of the Hunger Games character Caesar Flickerman, who was played by Stanley Tucci in the film. Rylan said: “I played myself but also added a bit of Caesar from the Hunger Games for good measure.”

Speaking about Eurovision and Doctor Who coming together, Rylan “People can expect to see everything they love about Doctor Who. Also, from working on actual Eurovision itself, there were so many similarities – the attention to detail was amazing.” He added: “Expect the unexpected – it’s probably the most twisty one of the whole season.”

Tragedy struck, not once, but twice for Eurovision 2025’s official BBC host, Graham Norton, after he lost two of his beloved companions.

With UK’s country-pop girl group Remember Monday set to represent the nation with their original song What the Hell Just Happened? during Eurovision 2025, all eyes will be on the musical extravaganza.

This year, the Eurovision Song Contest will once again see comedian and talk show host Graham Norton sporting the hat of ‘official commentator’ during BBC One’s live broadcast of the grand finale on May 17.

Norton will be entertaining audiences straight from Basel, Switzerland and people are eagerly awaiting his scathing remarks and witty observations during the four-hour broadcast; something that Norton has hilariously criticised on several occasions.

As everyone waits with bated breath for the cultural phenomenon that doubles up as the biggest music competition of the year, let’s take a closer look at the offscreen life of the song contest’s BBC host.

READ MORE: Eurovision fans go wild as Celine Dion ‘rehearses’ to perform at the grand finalREAD MORE: Fans slam ‘ridiculous’ new Eurovision policy that will ban some flags from stage

Everyone suffered in a myriad of ways during the Covid-19 pandemic and Graham Norton was no exception. Appearing on The Late Late Show in October 2020, the comedian spoke about spending his summer and a chunk of the lockdown in Cork, Ireland.

Having attended Bandon Grammar School, Norton spent most of his childhood in the southern Ireland city and was happy to be isolating there, instead of in London.

Speaking to host Ryan Tubridy, Norton detailed his time in Ireland: “It was lovely. I had such a gorgeous summer. London was quite stressful so as soon as I could, I got out of there and quarantined for two weeks and never really stopped to be honest.

“You are in the middle of nowhere, you don’t see anyone anyway. It has been lovely. It is things like having the dogs, the sea, and trees. They don’t know that the world has gone to hell in a handbasket.”

However, tragedy struck – not once, but twice for Norton as he lost two of his beloved companions, Bailey and Madge, both while he was in Ireland, albeit at different times.

While talking about his beloved 15-year-old labradoodle, Bailey the Bear, Norton called him his ‘significant other’ and shared that his pet had tragically passed away.

The famed broadcaster spoke of his heartbreak and shared: “He was 15. He was Bailey the Bear, he had a lovely last day down drinking his fill out of the stream.”

Shining a light on Bailey’s last days, Norton revealed: “He was on his last legs, he wasn’t very mobile or anything. He had a seizure, and I took him up to the emergency place up in Cork and we said goodbye. I was so glad we got him back here.

“It was dramatic and awful and yet anyone who has done this knows, that moment when you get to give your dog that gift is kind … it’s kind of the greatest act of kindness you can do for that animal.”

Bailey’s passing came on the heels of the death of Norton’s other dog, a rescue named Madge, who also passed away during Norton’s time in Ireland.

Less than a fortnight before publicly speaking about Bailey, Norton had revealed that Madge had also passed: “My little terrier, Madge, she went at Christmas, but again, lovely that they got back to Ireland which is their favourite place in the world. When I used to bring them back to London, they looked at you kind of going ‘we know you have a better house than this, we were just there’.”

EXCLUSIVE: Elle Mulvaney has been on the ITV soap since she was seven years old and has no plans to leave anytime soon as she opens up on her time on the cobbles

Coronation Street star Elle Mulvaney is eyeing up her on screen grandad Bill Roach’s world record as she pledges her future to the soap. On the ITV show since she was just seven, 22-year-old Elle recently celebrated 15 years on the cobbles. She’s got a while longer to go to match Bill’s 65 years as her telly grandad Ken Barlow, but she says in it for the long haul.

“It’s quite the challenge to beat,” she laughs. “I am young enough to do it, I guess. It must be incredible for someone to be here 65 years. All the stories he must have done and all the people he must have met. Who knows what the future will bring? But right now I am loving Corrie more than ever and have no plans to leave, so long as they still want me.”

Playing the bolshy Amy Barlow, daughter to Tracy (Kate Ford) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), Elle has not been short of gritty storylines. Most recently her character was sexually assaulted and joined a cult. “I still can’t believe I have been there for 15 years,” beams Elle.

“It’s hard to describe because in one way it feels that long but in another way it doesn’t. I joined when I was just seven and I’m now 22. I was just a young kid. I am so fortunate though. I still love Corrie, where I work and everyone I work with. I am just really lucky.”

She calls her co-stars her “family”, after spending two thirds of her life with them. “Kate and Simon who play my parents have had an impact in my childhood and in my life,” says Elle. “Bill, we have spent 15 years together. They are more than colleagues, they do become a part of your family.”

Watching Corrie co-stars like Simon, 50, and Jack P Shepherd, 37, go off to reality shows, Elle says she has got her eye on one – I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.

“I don’t know if I could do Celebrity Big Brother,” Elle admits. “I’m not sure I could cope in the house or with all the big personalities. Jack is so chilled and lovely he took the right approach. He was just himself and was really good in that situation. I would like to do the Jungle at some point though.”

“Simon, who plays my dad, did it and loved it. Bev Callard, who played my nan, also did it so we have a family tradition. I’m alright with bugs and creepy crawlies and snakes. They don’t bother me. But I think I would really struggle with the food and the drink. I’d struggle eating or cooking the meal in camp, never mind the Bushtucker Trials. I’d have to stick to the rice and beans.”

Today Elle lines up for the Manchester Great Run, after catching the running bug. What started off as an opportunity to catch up with friends amid her busy Corrie schedule has turned into something much more.

“I love the way running makes me feel,” she explains. “I love the social aspect of it. The fact you can catch up with friends while also moving your body. I always feel better after a run. I find it helps my mental health a lot. I feel a lot less stressed and I can think a lot clearer about things.”

She says running has given her more confidence. “It makes me feel better, it makes me look better,” she said. “The hardest thing is the mental battle. Your mind wants to give up but you know your body is capable of more. That’s the amazing thing about running. You prove to yourself you are capable of more than you realise.”

Sign up to be one of the first to hear about places for Great Manchester Run 2026 at www.greatrun.org

Country-pop trio Remember Monday are repping the UK at Eurovision 2025 but fans may recognise them from The Voice UK, West End stages before their big Basel debut

They’re heading to the Eurovision stage to represent the UK but if you think the women of Remember Monday look familiar, you’re not imagining things – and also you have a good memory!

The country-pop trio, made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, have had quite the journey to the international spotlight, and they’re no strangers to a TV appearance. The girls are this year’s UK Eurovision hopefuls, performing their harmony-rich track What The Hell Just Happened, and they’ll be stepping out on stage in Basel, Switzerland, as part of the glittery grand final.

But it turns out this isn’t their first brush with a big singing contest.

The Voice UK

Way before Eurovision came calling, Remember Monday had their first taste of national fame on The Voice UK back in 2019. At the time, all three women were in their early 20s and auditioned together as a group.

Their rendition of Seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’ wowed the entire panel so much so that all four judges hit their buzzers. Every judge: Jennifer Hudson, Will.I.Am, Tom Jones and Olly Murs all turned around to try and win them over. They eventually joined Team J-Hud, and made it to the knockouts performing their original song Jailbreaker .

West End

The three-piece, who became friends at sixth form in Farnborough, Hampshire, started writing and rehearsing music on Mondays, hence the name. The group creates a unique mix of modern country, vintage harmonies and pop-rock flair. Think Nashville meets the West End.

Theatre fans of musical stage shows might recognise Lauren and Holly-Anne from London’s top productions. Between them, they’ve starred in Phantom of the Opera and Six: The Musical, adding some West End polish to their country-pop credentials.

Festival appearances

Since their time on The Voice, the group has been steadily making waves in the UK country scene. They’ve played at Country to Country and The Long Road Festival and even embarked on their own UK headline tour, selling out a London show in the process.

They’ve also built a loyal online following, boasting 77,000 followers on Instagram and over half a million TikTok fans. And they’ve caught the attention of a few famous faces along the way.

BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills is already a fan, having played them on his show, and earlier this year the trio made it across the pond to the Jennifer Hudson Show in the US. A clip from the appearance, captioned by the show “Reunited and it feels so good! @remembermonday_ has come such a long way since @iamjhud coached them on @thevoiceuk”, had fans reminiscing about their early days.

One viewer wrote: “I recently found out about this group and now I’ve learned that YOU were their coach! This is incredible.” Another chimed in with: “Going from watching you gals on the West End to now this. Proud as punch!!”

Eurovision shake-up

Their Eurovision entry marks a significant shift in tone from last year’s act, when Olly Alexander took to the stage with his synth-pop number Dizzy . That entry unfortunately finished near the bottom, with zero points from the public.

This time around, the UK’s Eurovision organisers are clearly betting on a fresh formula. A source told The Sun: “As ever behind the scenes competition has been fierce to represent the UK. This year, bosses have opted to shake things up and send a female trio, Remember Monday.”