Gemma Jones

Shaun Wallace says he would consider leaving ITV's The Chase if another Chaser were added, arguing that a larger panel would look overcrowded and ridiculous. Wallace has been part of the programme since its launch in 2009, alongside original Chaser Mark Labbett, while Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis joined over subsequent years. The article also reviews the different routes through which the Chasers were recruited and notes the show's international expansion.

Actor Nick Joseph has died suddenly at the age of 60, according to his close friend Rick Stanley and Joseph’s wife, Dee. Joseph was best known for playing Major Arhul Hextrophon in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, and also appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me and EastEnders, where he played Bert the milkman in 2019. Friends, relatives and fans paid tribute to him, remembering him as a kind, funny and much-loved family man who had been looking forward to Star Wars’ 50th anniversary.

ITV has cancelled the crime drama After the Flood after two series, despite positive reviews from viewers and critics. The series starred Sophie Rundle as detective Jo Marshall, alongside Philip Glenister and Lorraine Ashbourne, and followed investigations linked to deaths, flooding and moorland fires. ITV said it was proud of the drama but confirmed that commissioning decisions involved multiple factors and that there were no plans for a third series. The cancellation follows wider ITV budget cuts affecting other programmes, while After the Flood remains available on ITVX.

Elton John marked 36 years of sobriety by sharing an Instagram photo of himself raising a glass of his alcohol-free wine, Elton John Zero Blanc de Blancs. Celebrity friends including Alan Carr, Nicola Peltz, Susannah Constantine and Janet Street-Porter responded with messages of support. John entered rehab in July 1990 after years of serious alcohol and drug dependency and has remained sober since, while describing the severe health complications and lifestyle excesses associated with his past substance abuse.