Category Entertainment News

BBC Radio 1 presenters were forced to halt competition calls from listeners after experiencing ‘technical difficulties’ during their Radio 1 Big Weekender ticket giveaway

BBC Radio One’s Big Weekend event plummeted into chaos after the phone line competition application system completely crashed. Fans rushed to call the number in order to win tickets for the Big Weekend event but found phone lines had gone down, leaving them devastated.

Explaining the technical issues, Nat O’Leary told fans: “We are experiencing technical difficulties with our phone lines at the moment unfortunately so we cannot run the competition at the moment.” In addition, Ore Olukoga added: “We can’t but we will let you know as soon as we have the phone lines up and running again and we’ll get the competition on very soon.” Later in the show, the phone lines were back up-and-running again.

On the Radio One Big Weekend website, it instructed fans to call the competition phone line 03700 100 100 during a ten minute registration window.

Radio One phone handlers were set the task to receive calls from hopefuls and conduct “eligibility checks” which included asking entrants “how much do you want to win this prize?”

On the back of their answer, the handlers will then score the entrants’ answers based on their “passion for the prize.”

Following the initial elimination process, those with the highest scores will then appear on air to play the game “name the artist” music quiz.

And this involved fans identifying the music artist in a short clip with only five seconds to answer.

If then lucky entrant failed to answer within the allocated time, or answered incorrectly, they failed to win tickets to the coveted event.

The celebrity artists that are due to take part in the annual event include rapper Aitch, AJ Tracey, Inhaler, Wolf Alice, who will perform on May 24.

Back in January, BRIT award winner Sam Fender was announced as the headliner on the main stage, along with Myles Smith and Blossoms.

The annual music event will take place at Liverpool’s Sefton Park over two days between May 23 and May 25.

Other artists performing on Friday 23rd include Tom Grennan, Biffy Clyro, Nia Archives, Confidence Man, Barry Can’t Swim.

Myles Smith described performing at the annual event as “unreal”. He added: “Big Weekend was always a dream of mine, and to be on the line-up again is insane.”

Messy singer Lola Young, who has achieved global recognition, is also set to perform at the annual weekender and described that it was going to be a “messy” affair, which is a nod to her hit song.

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The former Sky News presenter, 67, said he wouldn’t name names but it was clear which famous newsmen he was referring to – while he didn’t spare John Sergeant for his dodgy dance moves either

Dermot Murnaghan has launched an acerbic attack on his former newsreader colleagues who have taken money for appearing in adverts he says are ripping off customers.

The veteran broadcaster, who left Sky News in 2023 after 15 years at the helm, refused to name names when he slammed “former news people” who are flogging overpriced gold sovereigns. But he was clearly referring to former fellow colleagues Michael Buerk and Nicholas Owen, who have both appeared in commercials selling gold coins for Hattons of London.

Speaking to the Mirror, Dermot, 67, said: “When you’re a live newsreader you’re banned by Ofcom from advertising anything, because you have a degree of credibility. But once you stop, you can, and some of my former colleagues do. Some of the things they advertise, well, I’m going to leave it there, I wouldn’t”.

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But went on: “I may be cutting off a lucrative revenue stream for myself, but gold sovereigns at four times the price that they actually do cost, yeah, I wouldn’t do that.

“Let me say to anyone who sees this, you can get gold sovereigns, if you want them – I don’t have any, but just look up the price – cheaper than those being pumped towards you by some former news people.”

Hattons of London, a website which sells commemorative gold coins and sovereigns, proudly claims Michael Buerk is their “most recurring presenter” who has helped them sell products since 2020, including the 2020 VE Day 75th Anniversary Gold Sovereign Range and the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Tribute Gold One Eighth Sovereign.

Buerk, whose reporting of the Ethiopian famine in in 1984 inspired Band Aid, was anchor of the BBC News at Ten until his retirement in 2024.

Nicholas Owen, who worked for ITV Evening News and BBC news role before retiring in 2019 after a career spanning over 50 years, has also worked for Hattons, advertising their St George and the Dragon Bi-Metallic Gold Sovereign Range in 2022.

Since his own retirement, Dermot has carved a different career path as the presenter of several popular true crime series on Crime+Investigation. He’s back on screens next week with the fifth run of Killer Britain with Dermot Murnaghan, which delves into some of Britain’s most chilling murder cases.

But the veteran newsman admitted it’s still “incredibly frustrating” to just be a normal TV viewer and not in the interviewer’s seat. I’m throwing soft shoes at the television screen and knocking the radio over when I hear it, because that’s my obsession, I can’t give it up.

“If I hear another politician say ‘nothing’s off the table’ or ‘we’re doing this for the national interest”, I’m just screaming, ‘Of course you are, but what are you doing?! What the heckity-heck does that mean?’”

And he didn’t spare another fellow newsreader, John Sergeant, famous after his retirement for his cringy dance moves on Strictly – something else Dermot said he won’t do.

Dermot revealed he once had secret tests for the BBC show. He said: “I had some meetings with the producers and I did one of the secret squirrel test dances, where you get to dance with one of the wonderful dancers in a blacked out rehearsal room in central London, four or five months before the production

“I did mine and I turned to the producers sitting at the edge of the floor and said to them, ‘You can see I have no rhythm, I can’t hold the tune, and I certainly can’t dance. And they chucked and went, ‘Exactly.’ They obviously want someone just like that.”

But he said he couldn’t bring himself to embarrass himself on live TV. He said: “I don’t think I could do it. Every season has an old guy, you know. Although no-one goes as far as John Sergeant. Who could ever forget that? Dragging his poor dancer around the room like a coat at a party.”

• The new series of Killer Britain, presented by Dermot Murnaghan starts Monday 12th May on the Crime + Investigation channel

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have hit back at rumours that they’re living separate lives by attending Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour together. The pair were seen cuddling up to one another in a photo shared by the singer’s official tour website.

While in a separate video, the pair were seen watching Beyoncé perform – with Prince Harry bopping along to the music while Meghan belted out hit Texas Hold’Em. The royals dressed up for the theme as Harry wore a dark green hat along with dark jeans and a grey jacket. Meanwhile Meghan wore an off the shoulder denim dress.

The mum-of-two looked as stunning as ever as she wore her hair up but was seen wearing her husband’s hat through the night. Meghan and Harry are clearly fans of Beyoncé as this isn’t the first time they have gone to the star’s shows.

Back in 2023, the pair went to the Renaissance World Tour also at the SoFi Stadium. They had gone to the show to celebrate the 67th birthday of Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.

However, the couple aren’t just fans of the singer, they’re also good friends with her too. Beyoncé praised Meghan after the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah where Meghan claimed to have been subjected to racist treatment in the Royal Family.

Beyoncé posted on her website at the time: “Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership. We are all strengthened and inspired by you.” In one episode of their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, Meghan said she had received a supportive text from her friend.

She told the camera crew: “Beyoncé just texted, just checking in… I still can’t believe she knows who I am… she wants me to feel safe and protected. She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed.”

Harry and Meghan’s night out together comes after it was rumoured that they were living “separate lives”. Harry travelled to Ukraine last month while Meghan went to a Broadway show.

Heat reported that a source said: “Harry’s been riding tanks in Ukraine, doing his own thing, and looking to branch out – socially, professionally, everything. Of course, they downplay it all and say they’re just working in separate lanes, toward the same goals.

“But people are noticing – he’s away a lot more than anyone realised and it’s raising a lot of eyebrows.” However, it seems they have proved this theory wrong as they partied the night away together.

For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads.

Prince Harry appeared ‘distressed’ and ‘broken’ in his latest bombshell BBC interview, claims one expert, who says this is down to having to contend with two different problems

In his bombshell BBC interview, Prince Harry was clearly distressed after losing his legal battle over taxpayer-funded security – and his demeanour has left many people worried about the toll it has taken on him.

But one royal expert who works for Canadian-based CTV News said he has two different problems – and he can’t seem to separate them.

Afua Hagan, Royal Contributor for CTV News, says Prince Harry can’t separate the issues with the Royal Family and his security. “I don’t think he can separate the issues with his family from the issues of security, because it’s all tied up,” he told True Royalty TV.

“It is all the same thing. The reason why he is in the position he is now is because of the family, because he feels that they are instrumental in taking away that security from his nuclear family, from his immediate family.”

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And the royal expert noted that, while it may have been a very emotional interview with the Duke of Sussex, he did make some good points.

“Like you said, Sarah [Hewson], he was clearly broken. He was clearly distressed.

“You can see the toll that this has taken on him over the past five years, but there was also an element of him saying lots of the quiet parts out loud.

“And maybe he didn’t deliver it in the best way, but he made some very, very good points.”

Hagan’s comments come after Prince Harry’s jaw-dropping interview with the BBC last week, in which he said he couldn’t bring his family to the UK because it wasn’t safe after losing his legal battle.

But he also made a startling claim in relation to the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Referring to losing his legal challenge for taxpayer-funded security, he said: “I don’t want history to repeat itself – from the disclosure process I’ve discovered that some people want history to repeat itself, which is pretty dark.”

He may not have named names, but there’s little doubt that Harry was talking about the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 after being chased by paparazzi.

Although he has two different problems—his family and security—the two are hard for him to separate, as the ongoing battle has led to family disagreements. The Duke of Sussex told the BBC that King Charles isn’t talking to him, saying, “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”

However, he did make it clear that despite their differences, he would like to put an end to the drama, especially because of his father’s ill health.

“Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has… but it would be nice to reconcile. I would love reconciliation with my family, there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”

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If you’re envious of Meghan Markle’s lit-from-within look, she’s shared the exact product she uses to restore her radiance for always glowing skin

Meghan Markle has been sharing details on her favourite fashion buys and beauty products, telling fans where they can shop for the same skincare and makeup. Her enhancing skincare set is no exception, as she shares the exact kit she relies on to get her signature, luminous skin.

Available to shop at Lookfantastic and Victoria Health, Meghan’s go-to Sarah Chapman Radiance Recharge System is a ten-day radiance regimen specifically curated to restore your skin’s natural, youthful glow and promote vital luminosity.

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From the London-based facialist and founder of clinic and skincare brand Skinesis, and a good friend of the Duchess, Sarah Chapman’s set helps keep Meghan’s skin looking its best. Meghan likes to use Chapman’s carefully planned ten-day ‘Radiance Recharge System’ ahead of a big event, according to her online Fashion Closet, as it works to restore her fresh-faced glow.

This pro-inspired ten-day radiance recharge system combines a carefully prescribed series of single-dose active skincare shots into four formulas for a comprehensive radiance-boosting programme.

The ten-day programme includes key skincare steps, including a lactic micro peel, a micro-exfoliator that gently resurfaces, smooths, and brightens, and a powerful brightening formula, Radiance C20, which delivers high doses of potent antioxidant vitamin C to boost skin clarity and luminosity.

The set also includes the glow complex C B3, a blend of vitamin C, niacinamide, AHAs, and anti-inflammatory extracts that further boost the radiance regime. The last day of the regime optimises a HA Hydrator NMF, a deeply hydrating, low-molecular-weight hyaluronic formula that visibly plumps and restores a radiant glow.

Working to revive dull and tired skin, Meghan’s beloved radiance-enhancing set also strives to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while resurfacing the skin and improving its clarity.

The punk genius Wilko Johnson has been seen in a new film shortly before his death talking about his pride over a new play about his life – Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll – heading to the West End

DR Feelgood legend Wilko Johnson is heading to the West End…posthumously.

The guitarist, one of the forefathers of punk, died aged 75 in 2022. He once joked he would love to have made opening night of a play about him that was in the works.

Sadly, that was not to be, but he would be thrilled Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll is heading to the Leicester Square Theatre. He once told the play’s writer Jonathan Maitland: “I dunno if I will make opening night? I might be brown bread but there is nothing I can do about that – but otherwise I would be there applauding like mad. I just hope you enjoy the show.”

The play has had two well received runs already at the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch, East London, last year, and South London’s Southwark Playhouse this spring. It went down a storm with audiences and was snapped up for the West End by theatre bosses.

Producers say the play, which stars Johnson Willis as Wilko, “explores the extraordinary events when [he] was told he had one year to live in 2012” after being diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer.

It adds: “Refusing all treatment, he decided to spend his last months living meaningfully. Seeing the people, places and things which meant most to him during his life until a miracle happened.”

That miracle came when, against the odds, tests showed the cancer was not as aggressive first thought.

He had the tumour removed and was declared cancer-free. By then he had already gone on a farewell tour and bagged a role as the executioner in Game of Thrones.

Wilko, born John Wilkinson in Canvey Island, Essex, formed pub rock band Dr Feelgood with singer Lee Brilleaux in 1971. Early singles included She Does It Right, Back in the Night and Roxette. Their 1976 live album Stupidity topped the charts.

But in 1977 Johnson left the band after a bustup.

In 1980 he joined Ian Dury’s band The Blockheads and had a lengthy career touring with the Wilko Johnson Band. His wife Irene died of cancer in 2004. They had two sons. ?