Month: March 2025

Adolescence, obviously.

The Netflix drop starring and co-written by Stephen Graham has been absolutely amazing viewers with its ‘impossible’ filming, powerful storyline and truly brilliant acting. Not to mention leaving plenty of us heartbroken.

But it’s also given some people an absolute throwback as fans realise just where they recognise Graham’s ‘wife’ in the show from.

In case you’ve not managed to watch Adolescence, the series follows a young lad named Jamie who is accused of stabbing a young girl to death.

Graham plays his dad, Eddie, while Jamie’s mum, Manda, is played by Christine Tremarco.

Just like the rest of the cast, she gives a powerful performance in the Netflix hit as it deals with some pretty harrowing stuff sure to shake up parents.

But Tremarco has spent plenty of time on our screens before now, having started her career at the age of 15.

And many of us will best recognise her (even if you hadn’t realised) as Davina Shackleton in Waterloo Road.

Appearing in the series from 2007 to 2009, Davina started off in the show as the secretary to headteacher Jack Rimmer, eventually dating him.

When he left the school, she became a teaching assistant and started studying to become a fully-trained teacher.

She ended up dating the beloved teacher Tom Clarkson, but ended up leaving the school in season four when she thought he was having an affair with Rose Kelly.

Adolescence viewers were taken aback when they realised who Manda was played by. One wrote on X: “It took me to the end of the last episode to see that the mum is Davina from Waterloo Road ngl.”

Another echoed: “Watching a show and saying how this girl looks familiar, turns out she plays Davina in Waterloo Road.”

Tremarco is also well known for playing Linda Andrews in Casualty, Rose Jackson in Emmerdale and Sinead Kovac in Clink. The Liverpool-born star also previously starred alongside Graham in Little Boy Blue.

It’s no surprise Adolescence has been praised by many as one of the best shows and is sure to go down in British TV history.

The popular pair are going to be on our screens once again as they play Liam and Noel Gallagher in Oasis: The Reunion: The Movie for Comic Relief.

But the ‘Live Forever’ singers getting back together isn’t the only hotly anticipated reunion James and Joe spoke about.

Oh yes, in quite an exciting chat for fans of The Inbetweeners, the Jay and Simon stars gave an update on returning to the iconic comedy.

And Joe even joked it would be ‘bigger’ than Oasis getting back together.

Kitted out in the staple parka, comically bushy brows and serving up questionable Manchester accents, the stars admit it’s been ‘weird’ to be working with one another again.

But they’re both ‘used to it’ and each other’s weirdness as they chatted to LADbible on the set of their special Red Nose Day sketch.

While they’ll be joined by the likes of Vernon Kay, Hugh Dennis and Roisin Conaty, it’s James and Joe being together again that’s the real treat for fans – and the stars themselves.

“I love how weird you are, and any excuse to do something with you, I’m always up for,” James told his co-star who added: “We don’t really get an opportunity to.”

And the Jay Cartwright actor continued: “I don’t know why that is, people are always going, ‘Please do some more, do some more’.”

As the Simon Cooper star said: “We will. And we’ll save lives.”

There’s no denying plenty of people would love to see them reunite with Simon Bird and Blake Harrison, with it being over 10 years since it all came to an end with the film, The Inbetweeners 2.

But will they follow in the footsteps of Oasis and get the Inbetweeners band back together? It seems only time will tell.

“We’ll see how it goes, I suppose. Maybe we’ll use them, Oasis can be the canaries down the mine and if it works out well for them, then maybe we’ll do the proper reunion, the one that everyone actually wants,” James joked.

“We’ll need a bigger stadium than Wembley for our reunion,” Joe quipped. “I mean I really like everyone involved, and I’d always do more, but we don’t. It’s not in our power, we don’t write it so it’s just not something that’s in our hands, unfortunately.”

Well, even if we do have to keep waiting for those with the sacred power to bring The Inbetweeners back, at least we’ve got two of the four together for the upcoming Comic Relief sketch.

The four-part series leaves viewers questioning how they did any of it all the way through, such as the final episode being filmed nearly entirely while Stephen Graham was driving his van.

One viewer in particular who was left questioning how the series achieved an ‘impossible’ shot is Jeremy Clarkson, the former host of Top Gear and The Grand Tour.

The Clarkson’s Farm star found himself watching the second episode in which the police detectives investigating the case visit the school Jamie – the young son of Graham’s character – attends.

Towards the end of the episode the camera goes from a normal shot to one done by a drone, leading Clarkson to tweet: “Adolescence. The camera at the end of show 2. How on earth did they do that? It’s impossible.”

The video started by explaining the section prior to the drone shot in which Ashley Walters’ character chases a child who runs away when he goes to speak to him, showing camera men figuring out the route by running it themselves.

The camera then had to, following this chase, make its way back to the school.

Philip Barantini, the show’s director, spoke in the video saying Matthew Lewis, the Director of Photography called him up and said he had ‘found a way to make the camera fly’.

Lewis then speaks, saying: “If the camera could float away by itself then it couldn’t possibly be attached to a person it feels more ethereal.”

The footage then describes the camera going from being held by two operators to being attached to a drone which flies over to the murder site nearby to the school.

Barantini then spoke of the scene, saying: “It was an example of the technical meeting the story and finding a fusion which is actually better than anything the story had come up with on its own.”

In addition to this, one of the actors who claimed to appear in the episode responded to Clarkson, saying: “Hey Jeremy! Actor that worked on the show. It was indeed attached VERY carefully to a powerful drone. They only got the take in the bag on the final day.”

The post from Netflix explaining the episode’s incredible drone shot led many to praise the show even more than it already has been.

Adolescence has been a huge hit for Netflix, landing a perfect 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a whopping 8.4 on IMDb.

The series has seen calls for all the main actors to receive Emmys for their performances, in particular Graham, Erin Doherty, and young actor Owen Cooper, who acted for the first time in the show.

One fan responded to the explanation of how they filmed the ‘impossible’ scene in Adolescence, saying: “This show won’t just sweep the acting awards but every award for production, cinematography etc.”

The Welsh star, real name James Lee Williams, died from a cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine, according to their relatives.

The 32-year-old was found dead at their home in Cheshire in January, sending shockwaves through the entertainment world and devastating fans.

The beloved performer’s sister, Chanel Williams, said that their family ‘continue to be completely devastated’ by the loss of the star.

The Vivienne’s sister told the BBC: “Ketamine is an extremely dangerous drug that is becoming more and more prevalent in the UK.

“If we can help raise awareness of the dangers of this drug and help people who may be dealing with ketamine addiction then something positive will come from this complete tragedy.”

Talk To Frank explains that ketamine is a ‘very powerful anaesthetic that can cause serious harm’, warning that using it ‘can be fatal, particularly if it is mixed with other drugs’.

It explains that the substance can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, as well as bladder problems, abdominal pain and even liver damage.

An inquest is set to take place in June into The Vivienne’s death.

The Williams family decided to share the details of what led up to The Vivienne’s death in the hopes of ‘raising awareness’.

The star had opened up about their history with substance abuse during their time on the world-renowned show RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The Vivienne’s close friend and manager, Simon Jones, added: “I hope by us releasing this information we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do to your body.”

The decision has been praised by campaigners, including Wales-based specialist detox and rehabilitation centre, Adferiad Mental Health and Addiction Support Services.

Adferiad’s spokesperson Donna Chavez said they were ‘incredibly grateful’ to The Vivienne’s family for their support.

“Their courage in sharing James’ story will help raise vital awareness of the devastating impact substance use can have,” Chavez said.

“We are seeing a worrying rise in the number of people using ketamine, often unaware of the serious risks it poses to their physical and mental health.

“By opening conversations and challenging misconceptions, we can help prevent further tragedies and support those in need to find hope and recovery.”

Tributes poured in for the popular drag queen on social media following their shock death, with stars including Michelle Visage saying they had been left ‘heartbroken’ by the news.

The Vivienne’s former husband of six years, David Ludford, also shared a poignant post saying he will miss the star ‘more than people will ever know’ in the wake of their death.

The drag star – whose stage name was inspired by their love of Vivienne Westwood clothing – gained a legion of fans across the world after winning the first season of RuPaul’s hit series in the UK in 2019.

The 32-year-old, who also came third in Dancing on Ice in 2023, was described as an ‘incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person’ by Jones.

Cheshire Police issued a statement in January explaining they were called to an address near Chester and that there were ‘no suspicious circumstances’.

Usually, Lee Mack and quiz show is the perfect combo, matched with a Chinese takeaway on a Saturday night – what more do you want?

But on this occasion, the comedian featured in a 2023 episode of Inside No.9 and viewers got a little more than they bargained for when a contestant’s head exploded.

The one-off episode was hosted by the Would I Lie To You panelist as he welcomed mother and daughter team Margaret and Catherine Oakwood in the final round.

Not off to the best start, Margaret found herself locked in a soundproof booth to allow both her and Catherine to answer independently of each other.

After Margaret failed to get the final question correct, the family lost out on the big money prize, and that’s when things went weird.

All of a sudden, the mum trapped in the booth, and began screaming and banging on the glass to be let out, then… her head explodes.

No, that’s not a phrase to say she was confused or stressed.

Her head literally exploded off her shoulders, spattering blood all over the glass booth in the process.

It really does make for quite horrifying viewing – but for those not in the know – you’ll be pleased to know it wasn’t actually from a real quiz show, and was in fact an episode of Inside No 9, the marvellously macabre series from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton.

While fans had been expecting an On The Buses tribute episode titled ‘Hold On Tight’, they instead got ‘3 by 3’, the first episode of Inside No 9 not to feature Shearsmith or Pemberton on camera.

As the episode progressed, it became clear that something was ever so slightly off with the Oakwoods, or more specifically Margaret (Gemma Page) and Catherine (Saskia Wakefield).

Cricket-loving dad Stephen (James Tucker) was frozen out early on and never returned.

Catherine seemed to know the answer to every question despite revealing she’d basically no experience with entertainment or much of the outside world.

It’s really to everyone’s credit that Inside No 9 managed to keep up the pretence for so long, while weaving in so many brilliant clues as to what was really going on.

But in one very unfortunate case, it sadly somewhat cost this man his penis as he suffered permanent disfigurement. And a whole lot more than a few bucks, it cost Starbucks a whopping $50 million (£38.5 million).

Michael Garcia sued the chain after a scalding hot tea spilled into his lap at a drive-thru in California.

Working as a Postmates delivery driver on 8 February 2020, he arrived at a Los Angeles branch to pick up three ‘medicine ball’ teas in size Venti (that’s large in regular speak).

His attorneys say he was given a cardboard carrier with the drinks at the drive-thru window when one of the cups fell directly into his lap.

One of the lids popped off the top, as video provided by the legal team shows the moment the tea spills onto him.

In court, Garcia’s attorneys argued that the employee at the window failed to properly secure that drink in the carrier before handing it to him.

And this led to the delivery driver suffering third-degree burns to his penis, groin and inner thighs, his team say he therefore ended up with ‘hospitalisation and multiple skin grafts’.

Nick Rowley (his attorney) said in a press release that the man’s ‘life has been forever changed’ as he added: “No amount of money can undo the permanent catastrophic harm he has suffered, but this jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility.”

The team said that Garcia had to have two skin grafts to his penis and that any friction to the area causes him pain.

As his attorneys say he has suffered permanent and life-changing disfigurement, the Los Angeles County jury awarded the man $50 million.

“This jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility,” Rowley said.

Starbucks said while it sympathises with Garcia, it plans to appeal the decision as it added it has ‘always been committed to the highest safety standards’ in its stores.

“We sympathise with Mr. Garcia, but we disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive,” the coffee giant continued in a statement.

He’s become a minor celebrity in his time due to the sheer size of it, but Jonah Falcon has insisted that it’s all not glitz and glamour, despite what a lot of men may think.

The 54-year-old isn’t the first man with an unusually large penis to complain about its negative repercussions though, as Brit Matt Barr has explained how his day-to-day life is affected by his parts.

Falcon though, has claimed that his penis measures eight inches (20cm) when flaccid, and a whopping 13.5 inches (34cm) when erect, explaining that it’s ‘thicker than his wrist’.

The American is a podcast host and actor, and has even made an appearance on ITV’s This Morning to talk about his situation.

Apparently, the bloke’s slept with a few A-List celebrities as well, claiming: “I’ve slept with celebrities including Oscar nominees and Oscar winners. But I can’t talk about that.

“I can’t even say if it was men or women – it’s a very limited list so I don’t want to narrow it down too far. It wasn’t Meryl Streep – I’ll just leave it at that,” he stated.

Falcon has complained about the same things that people want him to do with it, such as measure it in front of them, which can get annoying, but above all, his dream career has been taken away from him.

Despite receiving offers to be part of the adult industry, he has turned them down over the years in favour of an acting career.

More specifically, in TV shows and feature length films, but the attention he has received for his penis size has stopped him from being cast.

He claimed that when directors or producers look him up online, they see articles and videos about his manhood, and are instantly turned off from hiring him.

Even though he is against getting into porn, Falcon has admitted that he has been offered money for pictures of his penis, and sex with people who are interested.

The American claimed that he accepted $500 (£385) to pose in underwear for some snaps for a woman, and that another paid $1,000 (£770) to have sex with him, things that he claims ‘feeds his ego’.

However, Falcon admitted that he prefers to hide his bulge, adding: “I tend to wear baggy or pleated pants to go ‘incognito’.”

And apparently, it hasn’t stopped growing, as he explained: “For some reason, it’s gotten thicker to the point that I can’t receive oral sex, and intercourse requires a very slow entry.

“It’s [also] harder to get absolutely fully erect – though that’s a function of age, I think.”

He has also previously revealed that he wants to donate his penis to the Icelandic Phallological Museum following his death.

And while the reality is we’ll all one day meet our end (yeah, I know, happy Monday), we can still have a good crack at going for as long as we can.

We all know Bryan Johnson is desperately working away at that. But it seems like spending millions and shocking your penis aren’t the only options in helping extend your life.

Nope, it can apparently be as simple as the foods you eat.

That’s because scientists have discovered a secret to the long life of the ‘world’s oldest person’ who ate the same thing three times a day.

Maria Branyas Morera lived to a whopping 117 years and 168 days before her death last August, having been named the oldest person in the world by Guinness World Records in January 2023.

And the US-born Spanish woman credited a lot of her longevity of life to luck which seems pretty fair enough.

“Luck and good genetics,” she had said, and it now seems that she was absolutely right.

Before Maria died, scientists had begun studying her microbiome and DNA. It’s now reported they determined her inherited genes allowed her cells to basically feel and behave as if they were a whopping 17 years younger.

Plus, according to the research led by University of Barcelona genetics professor Manel Esteller, her microbiota mirrored that of an infant child.

Maria had followed a pretty healthy lifestyle, and researchers pointed out that this helped her to take advantage of her rather unique genetic makeup. It’s pretty well known that the woman followed a Mediterranean diet, and this included her eating three yoghurts every day.

She totally avoided smoking and drinking alcohol, and her daughter, Rosa Moret, previously said she believed Maria lived so long because she was never ill.

As per local newspaper Ara, Estellar said that Maria’s ‘microbiome of a child’ and ‘privileged genome’ helped to cut her biological age, aiding in explaining just how she managed to live for so long.

The ailments she did battle with during her latter years were pretty much limited to joint pain and hearing loss.

It’s also said her enjoyment of going on walks and always surrounding herself with family and loved ones helped to prevent both physical and mental declines that could have cut down her over 117 years on Earth.

It’s hoped that the study into Maria helps to provide information in developing medications and treatments for age-related illnesses.

Ellis Matthews, 32, is currently being held in Mothers and Children Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok with her four-year-old son Cairo.

Thailand is well-known for handing out harsh prison sentences to those who overstay their welcome in the country and Ms Matthews is the latest Brit to find herself victim of the rules.

We’ve even seen the Asian country hand out death sentences to visitors over the years, particularly over drug-related crimes, but some have managed to escape from the horrible conditions they are subject to.

Ms Matthews has found fame as a Tik Tok star who has amassed thousands of followers thanks to her somewhat controversial content where she brags of how her lifestyle in Thailand is funding by British taxpayers.

But on 3 March, the Lancashire mum was arrested by Thai immigration officials at her home in Pattaya after overstaying her visa which was cancelled on 21 February.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, she described how conditions have worsened for her during her time incarcerated.

She said: “This is hell on earth, it’s the worst prison that you can imagine. I’m locked up in a cell for most of the day with 16 other people and none of them speak English.

“It’s so hot and overcrowded that you can barely breathe. My skin is covered in rashes, both me and my son have got lice, terrible insect bites and there’s rats running around.

“We haven’t even got any access to medication. Nobody is helping me, and I’ve just been left here to rot.”

Ms Matthews has been told that once she buys herself a ticket back to the UK, she will be freed and deported safely, but the mum is fearful that her young son could be taken away by social services on her return to her home country.

And with no solution in sight, the 32-year-old is now refusing food in the hope that her conditions can change for the better.

She added: “I’m refusing to eat until I’m treated property and conditions here improve.

“I’ve not had any food for the past 48 hours and almost fainted on Sunday. But the guards don’t care, they have been shouting abuse at me and one of them even pushed me. My basic human rights are being denied and my hunger strike will continue until that changes.”

Given that she’s supposedly been fed ‘rat meat’ and rice that ‘makes you want to vomit’ in the prison, it’s perhaps no surprise that she’s gone off her food.

As one of his final acts as the 46th President of the United States, 82-year-old Biden issued a series of pardons intended to shield a slew of public figures from politically motivated attacks.

Among those handed absolutions were members of the team investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol and Covid response chief Dr Anthony Fauci.

Mark Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also granted a pardon alongside members of Biden’s own family – his brothers James and Frank Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens, and their respective spouses.

Why did Biden issue these pardons in the first place?

At the time, the Democratic politician claimed he was motivated by his relatives being ‘subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats’.

“Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” he explained, also issuing pardons for his sister-in-law Sara Jones Biden and his brother-in-law John Owens.

Meanwhile, Biden commuted the life sentence of indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, 80, who was convicted of killing two FBI agents nearly 50 years ago, as per a statement.

The act of clemency permits Peltier, who NBC News reports suffers from a decline in health, to finish the remainder of his sentence under home confinement rather than behind bars.

A spokesperson for Trump, 78, initially hit out at Biden’s pardons, describing them as the ‘greatest attack on America’s justice system in history’, as per the BBC.

“With the stroke of a pen, he [Biden] unilaterally shielded a group of political cronies from the scales of justice,” Taylor Budowich, Trump’s current Deputy Chief of Staff said via X.

“This is yet another dangerous and unreversible erosion of American norms.”

Now, Trump has declared all pardons issued by the former President to be ‘void, vacant, and of no further force or effect’.

Why did Trump annul Biden’s pardons?

Taking to his social media site, Truth Social, the Republican wrote: “The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen.

“In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!”

The businessman alleged that the ‘necessary Pardoning Documents’ were neither ‘explained’ nor approved by Biden, claiming he didn’t know anything about them or the people who may have committed crimes.

“Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level,” he scribed.

“The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!”

In another post, Trump claimed the person who ‘controlled the Autopen’ during Biden’s term in office was ‘the real President’.

This claim was preceded by an image depicting the last three portraits of America’s past and sitting Presidents, the first and third being pictures of Trump following his 2016 and 2024 victories, respectively.

Instead of Biden in the second image to mark his 2020 triumph, Trump replaced this with a picture of Biden’s autopen signature.

Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance have both shared the insinuating image on their respective social media accounts, with the former following it up with a bullseye and laughing face.

What is an autopen?

According to Business Standard, an autopen has been utilised by high-level officials since the 1950s.

It allows for mechanical signatures to be issued by authority figures when they are personally unavailable by tracing a pre-programmed signature template.

Biden, Barack Obama and Harry Truman are three former Presidents who have utilised the autopen, as per The Sun.

Previously, Former President George W. Bush tasked the Justice Department to review the legality of autopen signatures, with the government’s lawyers concluding it was legal, as per The New York Post.

However, it’s understood there is no definitive court ruling on whether a pardon signed by autopen without direct approval or knowledge is legally valid, therefore leaving Trump’s challenge open to legal scrutiny.