The new BBC drama Babies has been met with a wave of critical acclaim.

Directed by Stefan Golaszewski (the creator of hit shows like Him & Her and Marriage), the series has been described in early reviews as a “bittersweet” exploration of fertility struggles, weaving moments of humour throughout its more hard-to-watch sequences.

Babies primarily focusses on a couple in their 30s – played by Paapa Essiedu and Siobhán Cullen – who face repeated setbacks in their journey to become parents, with the show exploring how this affects their relationship and those around them.

It also features a cast of talented performers that you most likely recognise from a variety of film and TV projects.

Here’s a quick guide to where you’ve seen the stars before…

Paapa Essiedu first rose to prominence after appearing in Michela Coel’s I May Destroy You, which earned him an Emmy and Bafta nomination.

He also since appeared in in Gangs Of London, the Channel 5 miniseries Anne Boleyn and the Sky’s trippy sci-fi offering The Lazarus Project.

In 2023, he appeared as Gaap in the Demon 79 episode of Black Mirror, before starring opposite Keira Knightley in the crime drama Black Doves.

Most recently, he appeared in seasons two and three of The Capture as Isaac Tuner, an MP who is deepfaked on national television, and becomes embroiled in a news feed tampering conspiracy.

Later this year, he’s due to appear as Severus Snape in HBO’s new adaptation of the Harry Potter novels.

Irish actor Siobhán Cullen is probably best known for playing Caroline in ITV’s Irish comedy-drama The Dry, as well as her work in the 2024 Netflix comedy Bodkin.

Siobhán first found fame playing a supporting role in the BBC drama Paula, and appeared in two episodes of the divorce drama The Split.

Following this, she took the lead in the ITV crime drama The Long Call, and had a minor role in the Dalgliesh episode Shroud For A Nightingale.

Siobhán is currently filming the new Highlander movie, alongside Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe.

Charlotte Riley has been on our screens for almost 20 years since making her debut in the BBC Three sitcom Grownups back in 2007.

She later made a splash when she appeared alongside her future husband Tom Hardy in ITV’s 2008 adaptation of Wuthering Heights, before going on to appear in three episodes of DCI Banks as the murdered Lucy Payne.

Following this, Charlotte starred in all eight episodes of Ken Follett’s adaptation World Without End and played Arabelle Strange in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

She has also appeared in seasons two and four of Peaky Blinders as the wealthy widow May Fitz Carleton, and starred in Danny Boyle’s John Paul Getty miniseries as lawyer Robina Lund.

On the big screen, you may recognise Charlotte from Edge Of Tomorrow, Swimming With Men or London Has Fallen.

More recently, Charlotte has had roles in Apple TV+’s comedy-drama Trying and in Amazon Prime’s thriller Malice.

You can next see her in Master Of The Universe alongside Nicholas Galitzine, where she’s set to play Queen Marlena Glenn.

Jack is most recognisable for playing Sam Thursday in Endeavour and taking the lead as Alfred in the recent Pennyworth TV show, based on the iconic DC Comics character.

His other TV credits include Medici, The Darkness and the recent Netflix medical drama Pulse.

In film, he played Alan Turing’s friend Christopher in the 2014 biopic The Imitation Game, appeared as a young tanker in Fury and starred as Felix in the 2016 British coming-of-age drama Kids In Love, alongside Cara Delevingne.

He is currently filming the upcoming Tomb Raider series alongside Sophie Turner, although his role has yet to be specified.

Nadine Marshall, who plays Stephen’s mother, first captured viewers’ attention when she was cast as Sally in the sitcom The Smoking Room and has been a regular on our screens since the early 2000s.

Over her 25-year career, she has appeared in a variety of projects, from the sketch show Little Miss Jocelyn to the kids’ TV show Old Jack’s Boat alongside Bernard Cribbins and Robbie Coltrane, as well as the Channel 4 drama National Treasure.

In recent history, you might have seen Nadine as DS Shola O’Halloran in Sky drama Save Me, DSU Marianne Hamilton in Trigger Point or DI Sarah Torres in Silent Witness.

Gary appears in Babies as Stephen’s dad, but you’re most likely to know him for playing Paul Trueman in more than 300 episodes of EastEnders.

Although best recognised for the BBC soap, he has also appeared as Clem in Andor, Elyas Machera in Amazon Prime fantasy The Wheel Of Time and as Thick Rick in the Netflix spin-off The Gentleman.

Elizabeth Rider has been a television stalwart since the early 1980s.

As well as playing DCC Andrea Wise across five episodes of Line Of Duty, she has had minor roles in numerous TV shows, including Casualty, Heartbeat and Doctors.

Soap fans might also recognise for her playing Ashley Peacock’s biological mother in Coronation Street, or for her 10-episode EastEnders arc as nurse Jill Green.

Simona Brown, who plays Bella in Babies, is best known for starring in the 2021 Netflix miniseries Behind Her Eyes.

She also had leading roles in the ITV series Him, the 2019 Florence Pugh BBC drama The Little Drummer Girl and the Channel 4 cyber thriller Kiss Me First.

Babies is currently available to stream in full on the BBC iPlayer, with episodes also airing weekly on Monday nights on BBC One.

When we look back at 2026 in the future, we’re probably going to be saying that the year belonged to Zendaya.

The woman of the hour has no fewer than three upcoming movies in the year ahead – not including one that’s in cinemas now – and she’s also set to reprise the TV role that put her on the map in the first place.

Outside of her work, she’s also been at the centre of rumours that she and her long-time partner Tom Holland quietly tied the knot in secret, after confirming last year that they were engaged.

Here’s your quick guide to everything Zendaya currently has in the pipeline, from her divisive new romantic drama to the return of Euphoria…

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson play a couple about to celebrate their big day in The Drama.

However, the pair’s relationship slowly begins to unravel when a dark revelation about the bride-to-be’s past during a drinking game leads both of them to ask themselves some big questions.

The latest film from Sick Of Myself and Dream Scenario director Kristoffer Borgli, The Drama holds a big secret that is being kept under wraps for the time being to avoid spoilers – but the movie was already sparking backlash and debate before it had even been released, with early reviews suggesting the movie could be one of 2026’s most uncomfortable and controversial.

It’s been a long time coming, but the third and final season of Euphoria is finally coming later this month.

In the final outing of Sam Levison’s acclaimed teen drama, its central characters are all grown up, but no matter how far they’ve come, there’s clearly only so far that any of them can run from their pasts.

Zendaya reprises her two-time Emmy-winning role as recovering drug addict Rue in the new episodes, which also see the return of cast members Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Colman Domingo and recent Oscar nominee Jacob Elordi.

Meanwhile, the new season will be one of the final on-screen roles for Eric Dane, who died earlier this year at the age of 53.

Christopher Nolan is taking a big swing when it comes to his return to cinemas following the mammoth success of his Oscar-winning epic Oppenheimer.

For his latest ambitious project, he’s taking on the classic The Odyssey, marking his first time ever shooting an entire film with IMAX cameras.

The star-studded ensemble is led by Matt Damon as Odysseus, with a cast including Nolan regulars Anne Hathaway, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page and Robert Pattinson, as well as Mia Goth, Himesh Patel, Travis Scott and Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong’o.

Reports have claimed that Zendaya will be playing the Greek goddess Athena, with her rumoured husband Tom Holland playing Matt Damon’s on-screen son Telemachus.

Just two weeks after the long-awaited release of The Odyssey, Zendaya and Tom Holland will be reunited once again in the newest film in the Spider-Man canon Brand New Day.

Four years on from the events of No Way Home, the world has seemingly forgotten that Peter Parker ever existed, including his long-term girlfriend MJ, who a recently-released trailer revealed had moved on with someone new, much to our hero’s chagrin.

Joining Tom and Zendaya in their latest Marvel adventure will be Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, Severance favourite Tramell Tillman and MCU fixture Mark Ruffalo, playing Bruce Banner, the alias of The Incredible Hulk.

Rounding off a huge year for Zendaya will be the third (and final!) instalment in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune series.

Based on the novel Dune Messiah, the film will see Zendaya back with series regulars Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem and Rebecca Ferguson, alongside some exciting new additions.

Remarkably, Dune: Part Three will also be the Challengers star’s third time sharing the screen with Robert Pattinson in the space of a year, following The Drama and The Odyssey.

No parent wants to sit back and watch their child experience anxiety over any situation, whether it’s going to a new dance school, a football game, trying new food or meeting new kids at school.

And while most parents have the best intentions, many actually come to their child’s rescue during moments of distress – which can be hugely detrimental to their child now and as they grow up, therapists told HuffPost.

The best way to help your child grow through anxiety and learn to manage it isn’t exactly a natural instinct. Here’s what to know:

“I think, in particular with anxiety … the biggest mistake that we make as parents is that when we see anxiety in our kids, we jump straight into that ‘I want to protect this child from this experience.’ So, we go straight to protection mode,” said Cheryl Donaldson, a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Parents don’t want their kids to feel anxiety, of course, but swooping in to take them out of an anxious situation or fix it for them isn’t a way to empower kids, Donaldson noted. It’s actually doing the opposite.

Research suggests that accommodating anxiety makes it worse, said Hannah Scheuer, a licensed clinical social worker with Self Space in Washington state.

“I’m both a child and family therapist and a mom, and I’m just gonna say that watching our child struggle and suffer is one of the hardest things,” Scheuer said. “And if we accommodate and give in, we will make it worse. Accommodation is essentially allowing avoidance, and avoidance feels really, really good in the moment, even to adults.”

For instance, if your teenager is anxious about driving on the highway, avoiding it when teaching them to drive only makes the experience scarier and more stressful when they eventually have to do it.

“It just makes it worse and worse, it leads to long-term negative outcomes,” Scheuer said. “That accommodation, that saying, ‘Oh no, you don’t have to do this thing that you’re upset about or scared of,’ it does temporarily alleviate that child’s distress. Then, what it reinforces is this perception that the thing that they don’t want to do actually warrants their anxiety, and so that gives them more reason to feel the anxiety.”

“Anxiety is our body’s mechanism to tell us that we either need to act in some way … or, in the case of kids, anxiety is telling them, ‘This is a new skill I need. This is a new experience. I need more skills. I need to know how to manage this,’” Donaldson said.

Supporting children through anxious moments takes a three-fold approach, said Laura Buscemi, a licensed professional counsellor at Thriveworks in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

“We have to validate, we have to regulate and we have to mitigate,” she said.

Validation looks like normalising the anxiety and sharing that it’s something we all experience, Buscemi said. Regulation means helping your child learn to manage their anxiety through a variety of solutions, like breathing exercises and movement. Mitigation helps a child understand that temporary discomfort, such as facing the situation that makes them anxious, leads to long-term relief.

“Facing fears ultimately decreases them – and we prove to ourselves that things aren’t as scary as we’ve built up in our mind, or that maybe we’re just braver than it was scary,” Buscemi said.

“The research evidence does also show that what we need to do as parents is to provide support and confidence,” Scheuer noted. “What that looks like is supporting and validating the feelings while also showing confidence in their child’s ability to actually do the thing to cope with the anxiety.”

For example, if your child gets really anxious about going to football practice and has meltdowns in the car on the way to practice, a parent could say, “Wow, I hear you. I know you’re feeling really scared and upset right now, but I also know that you can do really hard things and you’re going to be OK,” Scheuer suggested.

“It’s that mix of validation of the feeling, without accommodating the anxiety and providing confidence that they can do it,” Scheuer explained. This one sentence isn’t going to erase your child’s anxiety and stop the meltdown, but as this encouragement comes up week after week, soccer will feel less and less hard for your child.

“And continuing to inspire that confidence … is going to really make a big impact, and that’s how we build resilient kids,” Scheuer said.

Many parents will be able to manage their kids’ anxiety through different calming and exposure techniques, but some kids (and parents) may require additional support from a mental health professional – and that’s perfectly OK.

There are certain signs that a child’s anxiety requires support from a therapist or other professional.

“If the anxiety is getting in the way of them being able to be in a relationship with other kids, go to a friend’s house … being able to go to practices and do different things, you want to reach out for help,” Donaldson said.

If you notice your child frequently worrying or frequently in distress, those are also red flags.

“Also, with younger kids, they don’t really have the language to talk about anxiety, so sometimes we see it as like more physical symptoms,” Scheuer noted. This includes stomachaches, having trouble sleeping, and general restlessness.

“That is something that I would say, if that’s pretty common, maybe they need some extra support,” Scheuer said.

If therapy or counselling isn’t accessible, your child’s school should have a social worker or school counsellor who can provide support, Scheuer said. Talking to your paediatrician could also be a good idea.

Managing anxiety in kids often involves the parents, especially if the kids are younger.

“So, it’s not just saying, ‘Oh, fix the kid’s symptoms.’ It’s also … what strategies can we give to the parents to help really make sure that everybody has the tools to help this kid navigate these symptoms?” Scheuer said.

It’s also on the parents to consider how they react to anxious moments in their lives. Think about it: if mum or dad doesn’t know how to manage their own anxiety, they likely won’t be able to help their child, either.

Ask yourself what you feel when your child gets anxious. Does it make you anxious, too? If so, what do you do to calm down?

“Leading with your own leadership” is an important way to go about this, according to Donaldson. If you know deep breathing helps you feel less anxious, gently guide your child toward that. Or, if you know that getting out for a walk reduces your anxiety, gently encourage your child to try it.

“You want them to know that you’re partnering, that you have answers that are going to be really helpful for them,” Donaldson said.

If other techniques and interventions don’t work, “sometimes the kids need to go on medication,” Donaldson noted.

Watching your child experience anxiety isn’t a pleasant experience for anyone, but it helps build life skills and confidence that are tough to grow later in life. The ability to live with discomfort and manage anxiety is important throughout the lifespan, as someone takes a big test, gets their first job, experiences their first break-up, faces job rejection and more.

“I really like to emphasise with my clients that we’re trying to push through temporary discomfort to achieve long-term relief,” Buscemi said.