Category Entertainment News

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is being released this week and despite the subtitle of the film, it’s already been teased that the story may not be over for fans just yet

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale fans are expecting to bid farewell to characters from the beloved franchise when it’s released on Friday. The third film in the series, it follows on from Downton Abbey (2019) and A New Era (2022).

Focusing on the Crawley family and their staff as they navigate how to lead Downton Abbey into the future, the film sees the story enter the 1930s. It’s previously been teased that it will “close off” the stories that began on the ITV show, which ran for six seasons from 2010 to 2015.

Despite being billed as the “grand finale,” it’s been suggested that fans may not have to say goodbye just yet. There’s been hints about potential spin-offs already and it’s now teased that a prequel series could be underway in the future.

READ MORE: Downton Abbey Mrs Patmore star Lesley Nicol admits cast divide as she gushes over one bondREAD MORE: Downton Abbey’s final film features unexpected cameos from relatives of iconic star

Allen Leech, known for his role as former chauffeur Tom Branson, has teased that the story may not be over despite the marketing of the film. He’s suggested that a future prequel could delve into the backstory of Violet Crawley, played by the late Dame Maggie Smith.

Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, was a matriarchal figure in the franchise but was killed off in the second film, released three years ago. Cast member Maggie then herself died, aged 89, just last year.

Allen, 44, said on Virgin Radio this week that Violet’s history could be explored in a prequel project. He shared that it could be in the pipeline moving forward, following rumours last year of a spin-off about Violet’s younger years.

Speaking on the Ryan Tubridy Show, he said: “I was chatting to the director, yesterday, Simon [Curtis], over lunch and he was saying there is a great poignancy about this movie, not just for Downton fans but for anyone. It’s about letting go and it’s about moving on.”

Asked about the potential for more stories, he said: “From what I hear, the plan is if they’re ever gonna do anything with it, they’re either gonna go back in time and [do a] prequel [about Violet] in her younger years, which would be very interesting.”

Allen added that a project set in the 1970s at the property could be on the cards instead. He said: “Or they’re gonna go seventies [and] all the debauched madness that happened in the house then. I think it’d be kind of interesting.”

The upcoming film has previously been described as a “last tributing” to Maggie. Speaking on the radio station last year, her on-screen son Hugh Bonneville, 61, said about the latest film: “It’s very much set in the house and saying goodbye to all these characters and we obviously say goodbye to Dame Maggie, which was very poignant on screen and now in real life. She’ll be sorely missed. But the final film will obviously be a great lasting tribute to her.”

Maggie had been among the cast when Downton Abbey first aired in the UK in 2010. It later proved popular in the US and its six seasons have been followed by the film continuations. As well as receiving critical acclaim, the show is said to have boosted tourism to villages like Bampton in Oxfordshire and Highclere Castle in Hampshire.

Speaking ahead of the third film’s release, creator Julian Fellowes, 76, told the Writing Studio: “It feels quite complete. I’m not saying we’ll never see Downton Abbey in any other form – one should never say never, but I think it feels natural and right that we have made the journey with the original concept and the original cast, so I’m rather pleased about that.”

He has however suggested that several characters could be worthy of spin-offs. Discussing the prospect of one centred on Thomas Barrow, played by Rob James-Collier, Julian told RadioTimes: “I think you could make a case for many of them.”

Fans eager for more Downton Abbey don’t have long to wait as ITV will also be releasing a special about the franchise on the day of the film’s release. It’s teased that the doors to the iconic property will be “opening one last time” for Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale as the cast reunite to share memories and secrets from the last 15 years.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is released on Friday in the UK. Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale will be available on ITVX then too and the special will later air on ITV3 on Saturday at 9pm.

In this Wednesday’s Mirror Daily Digest, we’ve pulled together the biggest stories of the day from Poland’s shooting down of Russian drones to King Charles paving the way for a reunion with Harry

Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we pull together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Sport teams and more. This Wednesday, we’re featuring everything from Poland’s shooting down of Russian drones to the latest on Prince Harry’s reunion with King Charles and one dad’s plea to the government.

This morning, many would have awoken to growing WW3 fears after Poland shot down Russian drones after ‘violating its airspace’ during an attack on Ukraine. Elsewhere, King Charles has been spotted back in London, paving the way for a reunion with Prince Harry and a dad has made urged the government to consider a new ban after he live blogged his own suicide.

Poland-Russia: Millions warned to take shelter after Putin’s ‘act of war’

WW3 fears grew this morning after it emerged that Poland had shot down a Russian drone after the country’s forces “repeatedly violated” its airspace during an overnight attack on Ukraine. The NATO nation used its air defence system to blast the drones out of the sky amid what it described as an “act of aggression that posed a real threat to the safety of our citizens”.

People living in the Podlaskie, Mazowieckie and Lubelskie regions of Poland, home to approximately 8.7 million people, were told to take shelter early this morning. Russia claimed its strikes had hit “designated targets” in Ukraine and insisted its drones would not have been capable of reaching Poland.

Tensions are also rising in the Middle East after Donald Trump condemned Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar’s capital of Doha, which killed at least five members of the militant group yesterday. A spokesperson for the Israeli military said that the county’s defences were “operating to intercept” the retaliatory strike which was launched from Yemen.

Read the full story here.

King Charles spotted in London paving way for Prince Harry reunion

As Prince Harry continues his four-day UK visit, our Royal team broke the news that King Charles has been seen arriving at Clarence House in London – potentially paving the way for a reunion with his estranged son. The monarch was seen leaving the RAF Northolt in West London at around 3pm today after travelling back to the capital from Balmoral, where he has been spending the summer.

After driving from the private airbase with a police escort, the King set off for Clarence House, arriving at the royal residence at 3:46pm. Harry visited Imperial College London today where he dropped in on the Centre for Blast Injury Studies, which he opened 12 years ago before heading out for another visit this evening – meaning there is a potential window of opportunity to meet.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to attend an event, linked to the Invictus Games, elsewhere in London this evening, giving the father and son a small window of opportunity to meet. He is in the UK this week having attended the WellChild Awards in London on Monday night, before making a trip to Nottingham for a day of engagements on Tuesday.

Read the full story here.

‘My son live blogged his suicide then I bought the poison he used – it needs to be banned’

The knock on the door came at 5.30am, and it changed David Parfett’s life for ever. “I looked out and there was a police car outside,” he recalls. “At that moment, I knew.”

What David knew was that his son, Tom – who loved sing-alongs in the car and his family – had taken his own life at the age of 22. David had been worried about Tom, who was autistic, lived with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder and had been sectioned for talking about suicide.

But the day before he died, in October 2021, Tom had told his dad he was planning to seek help. “I believed him,” David says. But instead, Tom checked himself into a Premier Inn in Surrey and ingested a lethal poison he had bought from a pro-suicide website.

Read the full story here.

Strictly’s future called into question after two decades of scandals on show

Strictly Come Dancing has faced its fair share of scandals since it first aired on BBC back in 2004. Looking back at the hit show’s controversies, our Showbiz team have been trying to discern whether the show can continue amongst the drama.

Between the dreaded ‘Strictly curse’, horror injuries, sexism scandals, bullying rows, misconduct, stars being axed or suspended for their behaviour, and decisions to include some rather unpopular contestants, the iconic dance competition has been sending tongues wagging for over two decades now.

Despite rehearsals being in full swing ahead the new series this month, a dark cloud has already settled over Strictly’s star-spangled launch.The latest debate surrounding the show involves far-right Apprentice star Thomas Skinner who furiously stormed out of a scheduled roundtable interview on Tuesday before snatching a reporter’s phone.

Read the full story here.

M25 ‘road rage brawl’ as woman drags motorist from car by hair

A woman was seen dragging another motorist out of their car by their hair, as six people were captured on camera having a “road rage brawl” on a motorway. The group of people – two men and four women – can be seen throwing punches at one another before a woman drags another woman out of a car by her hair.

According to a witness the fight involved occupants of a white Audi A3 and a larger black car on the M25. The scrap took place on Sunday evening on the southbound lanes of the motorway, in Surrey and near the J12 Thorpe interchange with the M3.

Surrey Police confirmed that four people were arrested on suspicion of affray and assault – three have since been released under investigation and one has been released with no further action. An eyewitness who drove past at the time said: “It looked like a road rage brawl.

Read the full story here.

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Margot Robbie has debuted a new, muted blonde hair transformation, and I was desperate to copy this colour myself, says beauty editor Laura Mulley. Here’s how…

If she wasn’t already my ultimate girl crush, Margot Robbie’s new hair colour has certainly now put her at the top of my list.

While promoting for her new film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which also stars Colin Farrell, Margot debuted a new hair hue, swapping bright Barbie blonde for a cooler-toned, lived-in, ‘mushroom’ shade that’s perfect for autumn.

Desperate to copy the look myself (and to be honest, look even a little bit like the Wolf Of Wall Street actor), I headed to my favourite salon, Haug London Haus, to see if my highlighted hair could be made to look anything at all like Margot’s.

After showing her my inspo photo of Margot above, the salon’s co-founder and award-winning colourist Siobhan Haug explained that the star’s new look featured a lived-in, rooty effect featuring tones of taupe and beige, with brighter pieces around the front to shape and flatter the face.

On my hair, this could be achieved in two ways, she explained: either by leaving some of my natural colour at the roots around the crown and blending my existing full head of highlights into it (which would be a lower-maintenance method in the long run), or by taking the highlights all the way up to my roots, then cleverly creating the ‘rooty’ look with two different toners. As my hair is naturally very fine, it really benefits from the little added volume that bleaching my roots gives, and so I opted for this (Siobhan also explained that with this second technique, once the toner fades, I would still feel ‘blonde’, rather than my usual dark mousey brown shade coming completely through).

Following a full head of foils, Siobhan then applied a darker toner to my crown and lengths at the back-basin, and a lighter, beige-toned one to the front sections, followed by a bespoke hair mask and hot towel draped over the head. It’s worth mentioned here that Haug London Haus’s hair treatments are the best I’ve ever had; usually after having a full head of highlights my hair is incredibly knotty for months afterwards, but after the bespoke mask that they apply at Haug, my hair feels soft and easily detangled for weeks – a feeling that even lasted throughout a holiday during which my hair was subjected to plenty of chlorine, sun and seawater.

I was thrilled with the result: a gorgeous new tone for autumn – natural, neutral and grown up, yet still undeniably blonde and fresh. Now if only every other part of me could look like Margot too…

Joel Dommett, returning to screens tonight to host the 30th National Television Awards, swiftly clarified his comments after causing confusion live on air

The National Television Awards presenter Joel Dommett mistakenly insisted that he and wife Hannah Cooper had split, while discussing their wedding anniversary on Tuesday. Before hosting the live ITV ceremony for the fifth consecutive year tonight, the 40-year-old appeared on Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston’s Heart Breakfast Show to chat about the annual bash.

During their conversation, Joel said it had been “the maddest week” due to preparations for the awards ceremony, marking his wedding anniversary and his baby son’s birthday.

Amanda and Jamie went on to offer their congratulations on his anniversary, but what Joel said next caught them off guard.

“Do say congrats, but we’re not together,” he responded, before chuckling: “It’s ended right now today.”

Quickly clarifying his words, he continued: “That sounded like we’ve got divorced.”

Offering him an opportunity to set the record straight, Jamie asked: “Just so we’re clear, you are still together?”.

“Yes we are definitely still together guys,” the NTAs presenter reassured.

Amanda playfully remarked: “That’s a shame, that would’ve looked good on our socials.

“What a forum to announce it on,” Jamie additionally quipped.

Joel and wife Hannah Cooper married at a beach ceremony in Mykonos, Greece, back in 2019. Four years on, they welcomed their first baby together, a son called Wilde.

Just days prior to the birth, Joel presented the 28th National Television Awards and had prepared an “escape route” incase Hannah went into labour.

Speaking to Amanda and Jamie, he recalled of the moment: “If the baby was born on that day, then I would’ve just had to not be there, or halfway through I would’ve had to go.

“And basically I would’ve had to have looked down at the 100 celebrities there and be like, ‘Anyone want to finish this off?’ So, it’s mad, but genuinely I love hosting the show.”

During their conversation, the trio also touched on this year’s nominations.

Amanda, who is a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, expressed scepticism about the programme’s chances of winning, highlighting its repeated losses to Strictly Come Dancing in the Talent Show category.

She did, however, suggest that Claudia Winkleman might become the first presenter to eventually end Ant and Dec’s lengthy winning run in the Best Presenter category.

Gary Lineker is also in contention for the accolade for the first time, hoping to defeat Ant and Dec, Claudia, Alison Hammond and Stacey Solomon.

Should Stacey fall short of claiming the prize, she has additional opportunities of triumph in the Factual Entertainment category.

Two of her programmes, Sort Your Life Out and Stacey and Joe, her BBC series with husband Joe Swash, encounter rivalry from; The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, Gogglebox, and Clarkson’s Farm.

Workouts, luxury menswear and lymphatic drainages – these stars share how they are prepping for the NTAs

Olivia Attwood is leading the celebrities in getting their glam on ahead of tonight’s glamorous annual National Television Awards ceremony.

The Love Island star turned TV personality is one of a long list of celebrities sprucing themselves up ready to hit the red carpet for the glitzy ceremony at the O2 Arena in London tonight.

Television stars are heading to the venue to celebrate television’s biggest night of the year, which will be broadcast live on ITV for fans to watch from home.

Olivia shared a photo of herself on her Instagram story before she jumped into hair and makeup. The Bad Boyfriends star had been posting a series of pictures throughout the day to her Instagram stories, so when the time came to get ready for tonight, she captioned her selfie: “Now to get ready for the @officialntas”.

Meanwhile, newly-engaged Tom Clare and Molly Smith looked as loved-up as ever as they hit the gym hours before the event.

“It’s NTAs day!” Love Island All Stars winner Tom Clare wrote on his Instagram stories as they shared their pre-awards ceremony prep. And they’re not the only ones. Several other stars have taken to the platform to share how they are preparing for tonight’s celebrations.

Tom and his fiancée Molly Smith took a pre-workout mirror selfie together and posted the snap to their stories captioned with the words: “It’s NTAs Day! Little workout before the chaos begins.”

In the picture, Tom flexed his muscles whilst Molly, who regularly posts gym content to her secondary Instagram account (@mwmplan), took the picture.

Meanwhile, Jess Harding, who also won a Love Island series reposted a story from her makeup artist, Ciara Bateman. Ciara had posted, “NTA Day, see you soon @jesshardingox” alongside a pic of the M6 stretching ahead of her car.

She also reposted a before and after picture of her body after having a lymphatic drainage done for the ceremony.

Elsewhere, Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks, who will be hosting the red carpet tonight, posted on Sam’s story a picture of the two of them, holding bags from luxury menswear brand Mr Porter. “Ready to host the @officialntas red carpet with my brother,” Sam wrote.

Presenter Charlene White posted a pic of all her makeup, which Olivia Attwood later did as well, to thank Charlotte Tilbury for providing the beauty products for the day.

There are several stars who won’t be sharing any NTA prep on social media tonight – everyone on Strictly Come Dancing. The Strictly stars are all unable to attend as the ceremony clashed with the filming of their launch show. However, the show and two of its stars – Claudia Winkelman and Amy Dowden – are still nominated for awards.

Strictly is nominated for best talent show. If it wins, this will be the tenth year in a row that the dance show has taken home that award.