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Disney has been delivered a crushing blow in its lawsuit battle with former The Mandalorian star Gina Carano.

The actor, 41, is suing the studio, alongside Lucasfilm, for discrimination and wrongful termination after the former MMA fighter was dropped from the Star Wars spin-off in February 2021 for sharing a social media post in which she appeared to compare the Republican experience in the US to that of Jewish people during the Holocaust.

Carano filed a complaint in California federal court, with help from X/Twitter owner Elon Musk, accusing the entertainment companies of damaging her reputation and discriminating her based on her gender. As part of the lawsuit, Carano questioned why the studios did not give similar treatment to her former co-star Pedro Pascal over posts he shared on topical subjects.

While Disney attempted to have the lawsuit thrown out, stating that Carano’s decision “to publicly trivialise the Holocaust by comparing criticism of political conservatives to the annihilation of millions of Jewish people was the final straw”, a judge has denied the studio’s appeal, and the trial will move ahead in September 2025.

US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett said:“Having considered the parties’ submissions, the relevant law, and the record in this case, the Court DENIES the Motion.”

Carano said in response to the decision: “I am obviously very pleased with the opportunity to keep moving forward with the judicial process and into discovery. While I wish this was not necessary as it is not my desire to be in this battle in court, I will not shrink away from it because it is hard or uncomfortable.”

The Independent has contacted Disney for additional comment.

In a section of the lawsuit titled “Social Media Posts from Carano’s Co-Stars”, Carano questioned Disney and Lucasfilm’s lack of response to posts shared on X/Twitter by her former co-star Pascal, with whom she previously claimed to reach an agreement with over their opposing beliefs.

The lawsuit reads: “Carano respects the rights of her co-stars to express their views on social media, even if they differ from her own, and she remains personally fond of each of them. However, Defendants’ treatment of Carano stands in stark contrast to Defendants’ embrace of her male co- stars and other male employees, so the following examples are provided to demonstrate the discriminatory treatment Carano endured at the hands of Defendants.”

Carano’s lawyers then cited posts in which Pascal supported Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ rights, stating: “On June 27, 2020, Pascal posted two Disney-owned Muppet characters, Bert and Ernie, as activists waving a transgender and LGBTQ+ pride flag and promoting ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘Defund the Police’.”

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Another post shared in the lawsuit shows Pascal comparing Donald Trump to Hitler.

It reads: “Upon information and belief, Pascal was not disciplined, required to review documentaries on any of these topics or speak to individuals with contrary points of view, or pressured to apologise for any of his posts. His employment was not terminated, and Defendants made no public statements about his social media posts, much less refer to them as ‘abhorrent’.”

Carano is seeking a court order that would force Lucasfilm to recast her and at least $75,000 (£57,500), plus punitive damages.

ITN has faced criticism from senior journalists and staff after a report on how it deals with internal complaints raised concerns about “low trust and psychological safety”.

The media company has been told to review its use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and improve its whistleblowing processes after allegations that it used NDAs to cover up gender pay discrimination, harassment and bullying.

The summary of a report by the law firm Simmons & Simmons, seen by the Guardian, found issues around “low trust and psychological safety within parts of ITN and that this continues to have an impact on the willingness of some individuals to raise concerns”.

The report was commissioned by ITN, which creates news for Channel 4, Channel 5 and ITV. It recommended that its CEO, Rachel Corp, “oversee [a] review of existing NDAs/confidentiality provisions and consider revisiting them with the individuals concerned, if appropriate”. ITN said it will introduce an enhanced “speak-up” service for confidential complaints.

For the report 45 current and former ITN staff and freelancers were interviewed about their experiences from 2018 to 2024. While the report did “identify material legal concerns” about the use of NDAs, it found that “the internal and external messaging by ITN was, at times, unclear and inconsistent and that this contributed to wider concerns in some cases”.

In a town hall meeting on Thursday, senior figures, including Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the main anchor on Channel 4 News, criticised the company’s management of complaints and its impact on staff trust. “If this was a public-sector organisation, we would say, looking at this report, I’m surprised there have been no resignations or firings,” he said. Guru-Murthy declined to comment.

Corp, who was editor of ITV News before she was appointed ITN chief executive in 2022, said in a letter to staff that “it is clear at times we have not met the high standards we expect of ourselves when people have raised concerns, and I apologise for that”. She added: “I fully accept that where we have fallen short, we must do better.”

In a letter to staff, Kyla Mullins, chair of the ITN board, said it was “determined that ITN learns from this review”. She thanked those who had given evidence, saying: “We know that this was not always easy.”

One of the women who gave evidence to the legal review said: “Krishnan says if this were a public-sector broadcaster people would be fired for how appallingly staff in Channel 4 News have been treated. Channel 4 is a public service broadcaster. It has said and done nothing in years about this.”

Rohit Kachroo, ITV News’s global security editor, said the company was in a cycle “where ITN has a review or some sort of initiative, glossy things go up on the intranet, and then in the years between nothing happens, the issues are left to languish”.

ITN has faced allegations that it used NDAs to cover up misconduct by former staff members for several years, with a former employee of Channel 4 News telling the Guardian in 2022 that she was left ​ feeling “traumatised” and “gagged” after signing a settlement agreement containing a confidentiality clause with the company.

The Conservative MP Maria Miller, a former culture secretary, wrote that year to Deborah Turness, then CEO of ITN and now the BBC’s CEO of news and current affairs, expressing her concern about “the apparent use of NDAs to cover up wrongdoing”.

Zelda Perkins, a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein and co-founder of the anti-NDA campaign group Can’t Buy My Silence, said the latest response from ITN was “mealy mouthed” and insufficient. “ITN has been making the same platitudes for years,” she added. “NDAs should not be used to hide alleged misconduct on any level. If you want to stop misconduct, you have to take away the tools that hinder transparency.”

An ITN spokesperson said: “We fully accept the findings of this independent review into our handling of complaints which found that at times our management processes fell short, and for this we apologise.

“We are committed to a culture of openness and trust and will implement the review’s recommendations to make sure that any time a concern is raised, it is addressed promptly, thoroughly and fairly.”

The spokesperson added that the company recognised that there had been a “lack of clarity” around NDAs and confirmed “that no one at ITN will have confidentiality provisions imposed upon them which would prevent them from talking freely about their experiences working at the organisation”. Furthermore, any confidentiality clauses would “only apply to any financial settlement amount and commercially sensitive matters”.

WILD rumours are circulating about a fix in the Big Brother house concerning an on-screen romance – with some saying it was all plotted before they even entered the house.

Big Brother fans are convinced that Nathan and Baked Potato (AKA Rosie) knew each other before.

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One fan took to X, formerly Twitter, to say: “I’ve just heard a conspiracy theory that Baked Potato and Nathan knew each other before Big Brother…. her reaction to seeing him on launch night and the whole “they know about us”…

Another fan said “This is the weirdest romance in the history of Big Brother,” to which another fan replied: “…Nathan’s playing a game that involves a four year plan.

Someone else said: “I’m actually so confused by his romance, literally the most unlikely romance in Big Brother history.”

Nathan King, 24, is a pork salesman who in another life used to serve in the Royal household, as the reigning monarch’s butler.

Meanwhile, Rosie Williams is a dental assistant who has promised to donate her winnings to help fund her friend’s IVF treatment.

Housemates have been told they must call Rosie Baked Potato for the foreseable future after a dare in the first week.

Fans were surprised when the pair revealed saucy feelings for one another during Thursday night’s show.

Nathan confessed he felt attracted to Rosie just minutes before she walked into the Big Brother house.

But another contestant, Lily, leapt in with a surprise kiss.

The romance blossomed between Nathan and Rosie after a fire alarm evacuation where cameras recorded a secret chat.

The pair discussed dating each other when they get out, with Nathan asking Rosie if she’d like to visit a winery together when they emerge from the house.

But viewers have been speculating that it is all little too pre-planned and organised – and there must be more than meets the eye.

Big Brother is presented by Will Best and AK Odudu and is on its second series on ITV and ITVX, formerly being shown on Channel 4 and presented by Davina McCall.

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The Strictly competition is heating up as contestants enter the fifth week of the contest.

There are 12 couples remaining after Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk’s exit on Sunday night, making them the third pair to be eliminated from this year’s competition.

This Saturday night’s show does not have a theme so viewers can expect a wide but eclectic variety of dances, including Paul Merson dancing a Samba to Rose Royce’s “Car Wash” and Pete Wicks dancing a Rumba to Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back in Anger”.

This week’s dances include two Sambas and two Quicksteps, plus a couple’s choice routine for Montell Douglas and her pro partner Johannes Radebe.

Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell will dance a Waltz to “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers, while Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola will dance a Samba to “Do It Do It Again” by Rafaella Carrà.

Last week’s show saw Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri top the leaderboard with pro partner Aljaž Škorjanec, dancing the Charleston in a performance that earned 39 points from the judges. EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and opera singer Wynne Evans also scored well, amassing a total of 34 points each.

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Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell also floored both judges and viewers with an intricate salsa, which scored 30 points.

Find the full list of songs and dances for week five below:

Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe will dance a Couple’s Choice to “Skeleton Move” by KG and Zanda Zakuza

Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez will dance a Viennese Waltz to “She’s Always A Woman To Me” by Billy Joel

Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin will dance a Quickstep to “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield

Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola will dance a Samba to “Do It Do It Again” by Rafaella Carrà

Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec will dance a Tango to “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine

Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell will dance a Waltz to “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers

Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas will dance a Pasodoble to “Malagueña” by Ernesto Lecuona

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JB Gill and Amy Dowden will dance a Jive to “Hey Ya!” by Outkast

Paul Merson and Karen Hauer will dance a Samba to “Car Wash” by Rose Royce

Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał will dance a Rumba to “Don’t Look Back In Anger” by Oasis

Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu will dance an American Smooth to “Get Here” by Sam Smith

Wynne Evans and Katya Jones will dance a Quickstep to “Mr Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One on Saturday at 6.25pm.

GRAND Designs host Kevin McCloud was left choking back tears during an emotional moment on the hit Channel 4 show.

The TV programme featured some candid emotion amongst the property renovations after being hit by a devastating cancer twist.

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In the episode, Kevin was left floored by the news that one of the owners of a gruelling renovation had been diagnosed with the disease.

Tony and Ara were hoping to create a perfect space for them to relax and find peace in a leafy part of Henley-on-Thames.

The couple spent four years demolishing the original dwelling and building something that was perfect for them which came with many hurdles along the way.

However, it was Ara’s admission that she was battling cancer amid the renovations and eventual completion of the house that left Kevin truly moved.

Ahead of arriving for a final sit-down with the pair after the completion of the property, it was clear that Kevin was already thinking about what was to come.

He said: “I’m approaching Tony and Ara’s house with a little trepidation.

“On top of the emotional, psychological, physical load this project has brought comes this latest news of Ara’s cancer, which is so sad.”

Later, Kevin sat down for an honest conversation with the couple where Ara opened up about how important having a home around her which she loved amid her illness meant to her.

Speaking to Kevin, she said: “Nobody could have predicted what was going to happen to me.

“Now the path is to do peace, contentment and gratitude. I have so much to be grateful for, I live in a little piece of heaven.

“It’s heaven round here.”

Kevin was clearly emotional as his eyes began to water before he choked back tears.

Almost stumbling for words, he said back to her: “It’s my turn to get a bit tearful now.

“I’m… in awe of the pair of you.

“Very tough and very wonderful of you to have got this far, I think it’s just a great thing.”

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The reviews for The Office Australia are in – and they are brutal.

Many have argued that the Amazon Prime remake is “unnecessary”, given the brilliance of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s 2001 original workplace classic, and the hugely popular US follow-up, which ran from 2005.

Aussie comedian Felicity Ward leads the cast of the Australian version, starring as Hannah Howard, the equivalent of Gervais’s tragic middle-manager David Brent.

In a two-star review for The Telegraph, Benji Wilson called the show “a heinously misguided undertaking” that “hasn’t paid enough attention to its source material”. He asked: “What is this for?”

The Guardian’s one-star review, meanwhile, headlined “An edgeless reboot doomed for the shredder”, saw Luke Buckmaster write: “Given The Office has already been remade a dozen times – including a brilliant long-running US version that (apologies to my British colleagues) surpassed the original – the key challenge for the Australian reboot was to bring something new to the table. The amazing thing is that the creators don’t seem to have even tried.”

Commenting on the performances, he added: “The cast do their best but look a bit dazed and glassy-eyed, like fish nearing their last breath.”

The Evening Standard was slightly more generous, awarding the show three stars and complimenting Ward’s “eccentric and needy” portrayal of Howard. Critic William Mata wrote that, while “or the first five minutes”, the show “feels a genuinely fresh and updated retelling of the story”, it soon resorts to “familiar ground”.

Pat Stacey, writing for The Irish Independent, didn’t like it at all. He wrote: “There’s not a spark of originality in this pointless and toothless dud.” The critic, who called the show “lazy”, asked: “Why did anyone think this series was necessary?”

In an interview with The Independent this week, Ward told Helen Coffey she knew that covering similar ground to two established and beloved shows clearly comes with its challenges. “I know that people are going to have very strong opinions about this regardless,” she said, but added: “When people ask, ‘Did you feel the pressure?’ I’m like, ‘No, not at all.’ This is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”