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Strictly Come Dancing viewers have been left stunned as an early favourite to win the 2024 series ended up in the bottom two.

Following an episode that left viewers in tears with comedian Chris McCausland’s emotional dance, which ended with a “sweet” interaction with his professional partner Dianne Buswell, the results show threw a curveball into the mix.

In the episode, which aired on Sunday (20 October), it was revealed that former Arsenal footballer Paul Merson, who was ultimately sent home, was in the dance off alongside JB Gill.

The JLS singer has been one of the early favourites to win the show, receiving high scores for his performances alongside professional partner Amy Dowden, who has returned to the BBC series for the first time since recovering from treatment for stage three breast cancer.

All judges voted to send Gill through to the next round, but noted that his performances was not up to scratch. Despite this, his placement has come as a surprise to viewers who were convinced he would sail through the competition.

“JB and AMY?!?! In the bottom two? What’s going on?” one fan asked, with another chiming in on X/Twitter: “JB AND AMY! WHAT? Wow, shocked at that. I thought he was great last night.”

Others highlighted the shock on dancer Nikita Kuzmin’s face when he discovered Gill was doing the dance off, with one stating: “Nikita’s reaction was so me, what do you mean Amy and JB are in the dance off?!”

Gill topped the leaderboard in week one, was in third place in week two, fourth in week three and fifth in week four.

The only other remaining contestant, alongside Gill, to have competed in the dance off so far is Shayne Ward.

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Merson, speaking about his time on the show,said of his elimination: “It’s been really good. For anybody I talk to, I would say you’ve got to go on this show. It’s amazing.

“There’s a Tottenham fan over there called Lincoln and even he’s nice! It’s been amazing – honestly amazing. I loved every minute of it.”

He called his professional partner Karen Hauer a “great teacher”, adding: “She’s been amazing and I couldn’t wish for a better coach. I’ve loved every minute of it.

“I can dance now. I’ve won because I can dance – I couldn’t dance before and I can half dance now. It’s a bonus.”

Hauer praised Merson, telling host Tess Daly: “You’ve been a joy. I’ve never giggled this much. My abs are really tight now. I am so proud of you. Every week you have showed up, you have improved.

“You’re what Strictly is about and I want to thank you for bringing such joy and just showing everyone that it is possible with a little bit of work and lots of giggles.”

The remaining 11 couples will next perform during Strictly’s Halloween episode on Saturday (26 October).

A STAR of an iconic horror movie looks worlds away from his film debut – 25 years on from starring in a movie that had fans ‘vomiting’ in the cinemas.

Michael C. Williams found fame back in 1999 when he was signed up to play one of the leading parts in the terrifying movie.

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The Blair Witch Project had its viewers rattled back in the late 90s thanks to its scary content and unique way of being filmed and produced in order to give off the effect the movie was a real recording from a handheld camera.

Michael played a ‘fictionalised’ version of himself in order to tie-in with the movie’s marketing campaign of the film being about real people who had gone missing or died.

25 years on from the release of the film and Michael looks worlds away from his time on the big-screen.

Once sporting a freshly-shaven look, he now sports a grey-bearded face after ditching his acting career in favour of a more ‘normal’ role.

For those who have yet to see the horror classic, the movie will be aired in all of its glory on BBC One at 11:50pm.

It comes amid reports that the movie’s distributor is working on a reboot after setting the wheels in motion by securing a deal with horror movie giant Blumhouse Productions.

Michael failed to replicate the success of his time in The Blair Witch Project with other roles and soon switched career’s to become a qualified guidance counsellor in a school in the States.

At the time of the movie’s cinema release in 1999, audiences were left being sick in the cinema as a result of the “motion sickness” gained through watching the movie filmed on handheld cameras.

There were reports of cinemagoers vomiting and collapsing whilst watching the film in Atlanta and Dallas with US cinemas soon forced to place up warning signs for those brave enough to purchase a ticket.

Controversy followed for Michael and his co-stars after the film’s release after they felt they were underpaid for their contributions to the movie after it became a runaway success.

Having initially been made on a tiny $60,000 budget, the film’s total costs went on to become closer to the $250,000 mark after post-production was accounted for.

However, it soon blew that figure out of the water when it raked in a humongous $250 million at the box office – leading it to become one of the most successful independent films of all time.

Michael – along with his two co-stars Heather Donahue and Joshua Lenoard – were each paid $1,000 to both star and record the film on handheld devices.

Forbes went on to estimate that the trio’s total earnings in the aftermath of the film’s release would not have totalled more than $375,000 with most of that money being related to other settlements as opposed to profits of its success.

The publication claims that had the actors been paid in accordance with their original contract agreements, it is likely they would have pocketed the equivalent of $2.5 million for their work.

The magazine further adds that production companies on the film were able to conceal the full earnings thanks to “classic Hollywood accounting”.

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CNN anchor Jake Tapper got into an awkward argument with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson about the odd comments that Donald Trump made about former professional golfer Arnold Palmer during a rally on Saturday.

With just days to go before the election on 7 November, Trump used a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Palmer’s birthplace to speak for 12 minutes about Palmer’s manhood.

“This is a guy that was all man,” Trump said. “He took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, ‘Oh my God, that’s unbelievable.’ I had to say it.”

“I had to tell you the shower part because it’s true,” he added.

Speaking to Johnson after the rally, Tapper questioned why Trump used a good chunk of his rally to talk about Palmer in such a manner, asking the Speaker of the House: “Is this really the closing message you want voters to hear from Donald Trump stories about Arnold Palmer’s penis?”

Johnson tried to ignore the question and attempted to pivot to a debate about Kamala Harris but Tapper refused to let the issue go.

“I’m sure that you think that a policy debate would be better than a personality debate, but if President Biden had gone on stage and spoke about the size of a pro golfer’s penis, I think you would be on this show right now saying you were shocked and appalled and you would suggest it was evidence of his cognitive decline,” Tapper propositioned Johnson, asking: “Why is he talking about Arnold Palmer’s penis in front of Pennsylvania voters?”

“Jake, you seem to like that line a lot,” retorted Johnson.

Tapper protested this, claiming that he didn’t like talking about Trump’s comments but that he had because “Donald Trump is out there saying it.”

Johnson did eventually address Trump’s comments about Palmer, saying: “ I get it. There are lines in a rally. When President Trump is at a rally, sometimes he’ll speak for two straight hours.”

Johnson then went on to attack Biden and Harris again and put forward why he believes Trump will win in November.

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The 52-year-old concluded by saying: “He says things that are off the cuff. But I’m telling you, I’ve been in those events. I’ve been in those arenas, and people have a great time at those arenas.”

Social media users were quick to mock Trump for his Palmer anecdote.

“According to the most recent NYT/Siena poll, the top three issues for swing voters include: 1. Inflation 2. abortion 3. The size of Arnold Palmer’s schlong,” podcast host Dan Pfeiffer wrote on X.

“But don’t call them weird,” author Jennifer Taub posted, alluding to Kamala Harris’s moniker for the former president and his running mate, JD Vance.

Sky reported a doubling of its annual losses last year as the media and telecoms company spent more on programming and costs relating to its broadband services and hardware such as mobile devices and Sky Glass TVs increased.

The company, which earlier this year cut 1,000 jobs, reported an operating loss of £224m for 2023.

Sky, which was bought by the US media company Comcast for £30bn in 2018, reported an operating loss of £111m in 2022. The company’s total revenues remained flat at £10.23bn.

The direct-to-consumer business, which includes its pay-TV, mobile broadband and streaming operations, grew revenues by almost 1.6% to £8.5bn. The company attributed this to the revenue growth of its internet-enabled smart TV Sky Glass as well as mobile, broadband and streaming services, fuelled by price increases for consumers.

Sky said the modest improvement was offset by a decline in the popularity of its Sky Q box as consumers move toward streaming and smart TVs for their viewing.

The company also recorded a slight fall in advertising revenue, from £1.27bn to £1.2bn, which it said had “held up well in spite of the market squeeze driven by the cost of living crisis”.

The company will face increasing market pressure when Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) launches its streaming service, Max, in the UK in 2026. WBD, which owns brands including HBO and franchises including Harry Potter and superhero franchises such as Superman and Batman associated with DC Comics, has a deal in place for all its content to run through Sky which is up for renegotiation next year. Without the WBD content and the US company as a rival, Sky’s revenues could come under even more pressure.

Emphasising the difficulties media companies face in managing collaborative deals, Sky also registered a £327m impairment due to the performance of its loss-making streaming service SkyShowtime, a joint venture with the US media company and Channel 5 owner, Paramount.

Sky’s total operating expenses increased from £10.3bn to £10.45bn, with programming costs increasing marginally to £3.45bn. Direct network costs increased to £1.66bn in line with its growing number of mobile and broadband customers.

The group also took a £1.2bn write-down related to loans provided to its subsidiaries in Germany and Italy.

Sky’s employee costs increased from £843m to £887m as its number of staff grew from 9,528 to 10,036. The highest paid was unnamed director who received £3m.

An Aussie drama which was ITVX’s most streamed premiere, has been given the green light for a third series.

The Twelve is a courtroom drama which has has been getting UK fans in a frenzy.

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The aussie drama has been a huge hit in the UK, it has been streamed over 26 million times since it launched on ITVX in February 2023.

This makes it one of the platform’s most successful dramas to date.

Now it has been commissioned by the FOXTEL Group for a another series.

The show is produced by Warner Bros, International Production Australia and Easy Tiger, while FIFTH SEASON is the global distributor for the series and reportedly secured the new deal.

The new series sees the return of Sam Neill known for his roles in Peaky Blinders and Jurassic Park, as the formidable criminal barrister Brett Colby.

Watch as he dissects a cold case murder trial set in Margaret River in Western Australia.

Teasing the fans ahead : “With many twists and turns and surprises. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Seen through the eyes of twelve ordinary jurors who must weigh up the evidence and find the defendants guilty or not guilty. Each one is struggling with their own personal issues.

One trial involved two ex-lovers accused of murdering Bernice Price, played by Kris McQuade, after her body is found at the farm’s pump well. Kris is known for her parts in Rosehaven and horror movie Cargo.

The second season also starred Frances O’Connor as senior solicitor Meredith Nelson-Moore. O’Connor is also known for writing and directing the 2022 Emily Bronte film Emily, starring Sex Education‘s Emma Mackey.

The series also featured Tasma Walton, Amy Mathews, Erroll Shand and Fayssal Bazzi, Josh McKenzie, Anthony Brandon Wong, Stefanie Caccamo, Sharon Johal and Luke Pegler.

The Twelve is based on an adaptation of the 2019 Belgian miniseries De twaalf by Sanne Nuyens and Bert Van Dael.

Stream the last two series on ITVX. The third series is currently in production.

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Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland melted hearts with a four-word question to his professional partner after his most emotional dance yet.

The BBC show continued on Saturday (19 October) with an episode that saw several standout dances and a surprise contestant top the leaderboard.

One talking point was comedian McCausland, who performed an emotional Waltz to Liverpool football anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, which left Shirley Ballas in tears.

McCausland is a fan of Liverpool and, at one stage in the dance, the comedian, who is blind, walked alone before meeting pro Dianne Buswell in the middle of the dancefloor for a rousing conclusion to the performance.

After they had finished, as the audience were applauding, Buswell embraced McCausland and said “I’m so proud of you.” The sincere moment was picked up by the microphones, with the comedian asking in response: “Did I do OK?”

McCausland’s question left many viewers in tears, with fans expressing how sweet they find his off-screen friendship with Buswell.

Many posted McCausland’s question accompanied with crying emojis, while one viewer wrote: “Did I do ok? You did more than OK, Chris.”

Others branded the moment “sweet” and “heartwarming”, with an additional fan stating: “Absolutely burst into tears when he said that. And I’m not exaggerating.”

One more fan agreed, writing: “When he asked her that, I got a lump in my throat!!”

Buswell told McCausland in response: ‘You did good, yeah. Really, really good.”

McCausland is blind and lost his sight when he was 22 due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa.

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Ahead of the show, McCausland, who is married and has a 10-year-old daughter, explained that he can “still see light and space” and has “an awareness of the space around me, not in terms of objects and things, but in terms of the room and whether there might be something in front of me”.

He also once said that he does not want to “bang viewers over the head” with his blindness, stating: “It’s great that there’s people coming through who are able to represent disability while also having the experience to do the job properly. There’s no point fast-tracking performers on to TV before they’re ready.

“My attitude has always been to represent by not banging you over the head. I think the best way to represent a disability is to make people forget about it whenever possible. It’s always part of you.

“But if you can do a show where, say, 80 per cent of it isn’t about being blind, that makes it more impactful and funnier when you do talk about it. I believe in representation within the mainstream.”

Strictly Come Dancing continues with Halloween Week on Saturday (26 October).