Thank you for Tara Conlan’s excellent article about the working conditions of television crews (‘I fell asleep driving around London’: TV workers on fear, danger and fatalities in an industry in crisis, 3 October). Recently, as a freelancer still trying to recover from the financial catastrophe of Covid-19, I worked two seasons of a reality TV series back-to-back. It was three months’ work and, frankly, I desperately needed the money. The terms were 12-hour days, six days a week. With travel time, that was an 80-hour week. For three months. It took weeks for any of the crew to receive money; and the wage slips took even longer.

Under their whistleblower policy, I contacted the production company’s HR department to report, among other things, the alarming and widespread drug use by the crews, my concern as a supervisor of female staff and them potentially being in an abusive working environment, and the unsafe working hours and conditions. Ironically, we were given compulsory Covid tests each day before being allowed on site. If this had been applied to testing for cannabis and cocaine, I seriously doubt that the show could have operated each day.

I reported my concerns at the time to my on-site supervisor, but subsequently wrote a multi-page, highly-detailed report for the production company’s HR that resulted in a cursory, disinterested and short Zoom interview that produced no further action, other than me learning from an insider that my services would never be used by them again. Subsequent correspondence to the production company has been ignored. I have been “ghosted”.

This is why people have died. It’s a catastrophe wrapped in glamour, and the industry calculatingly feeds on the hopes, dreams and needs of aspiring professionals, making a cruel and complete mockery of these companies’ “modern day slavery” declarations.
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THIS is the awkward moment Strictly’s Pete Wicks addresses romance rumours with Maura Higgins AND Jowita Prystal.

The former Towie personality appeared on the So Wrong It’s Right podcast hosted by fellow reality TV personality, Olivia Attwood.

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However, if the Strictly Come Dancing contestant thought he was going to be in for an easy ride, he had another thing coming!

Olivia, 33, is known for her sharp mind and the former I’m A Celebrity star was keen on probing her pal.

“Your dating life. Maura Higgins,” said Olivia as she wanted the real tea behind the rumoured romance.

“Me and Maura have known each other for a long time,” began Pete Wicks, 36, as he wanted to seemingly clear up any confusion.

Olivia was keen on hearing more as she interrupted him by saying: “You’ve had a kiss, we’ve seen it!,” Olivia.

But Pete denied there was anything more than friendship between the duo, replying: “No, you haven’t seen it.”

However, Olivia seemed insistent on getting to the bottom of the story as she continued to press her pal.

Doubling down, she stated: “We’ve seen a picture of it,” as Pete continued to deny the existence of such an image.

So Olivia moved the conversation along as she shifted the topic to Jowita Prystal and the hot chemistry he supposedly shares with her.

Pete has been seen looking extremely close to his professional and the duo previously further fuelled romance rumours after she made a very flirty comment.

Earlier this month the pair even seemed to have shared a passionate kiss during the live show.

More snaps taken behind the scenes of Pete’s rehearsals showed the pair getting steamy once again.

The former Love Island star asked: “Next thing I need to know, are you and your dance partner romantically involved?”

Pete couldn’t help but laugh, stating: “My God!”, as he was creased over his chair.

Strictly 2024 pairings

Here’s who is matched with who this series…

“You don’t get awards by not asking the questions!” said Olivia.

“One of the biggest problems is my b*******.” Pete then explained with a cheeky smile.

“Well I’m having to wear like Spanx … because otherwise Shirley will end up with a couple of black eyes.

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Sir Trevor McDonald has hit out at the cast of Mrs Brown Boys for a “crude, offensive, and insulting” joke reportedly made during filming.

Earlier this week it was reported that work on the episodes were “halted” after Brendan O’Carroll made a “clumsy” joke where a “racial term was implied” during rehearsals. The term has not been officially disclosed.

A Black crew member on the show has reportedly resigned following the incident.

The 69-year-old Irish writer and actor told PA: “At a read-through of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied.

“It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”

McDonald said that the joke “couldn’t have been said without a desire to hurt and insult, really. It’s not even funny” in an interview with the Daily Mail.

One of the most familiar faces on TV, the broadcaster became ITN’s first Black reporter in 1973.

“I would probably have very harsh words with the person who said that,” he said when asked how he would handled the situation.

“And said the society and the community in which we live regards that sort of stuff as unnecessarily crude and offensive.”

However, he said he wouldn’t cancel the production, which has split audiences with its presence on the annual Christmas schedule for years.

The Independent’s Nick Hilton gave the previous New Year’s Day special a zero-star review, writing: “Observing that it’s unfunny is like observing that the sea is wet.”

The show is still popular, with more than four million tuning in last Christmas, but there have still been calls to reassess the programming in recent years, since critics say it is outdated, nauseating and unfunny.

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A BBC spokesperson said: “While we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism, and we have robust processes in place should issues ever arise.”

It comes as a resurfaced clip from O’Carroll’s interaction with Tyler Perry from 2018 was branded “racist”.

While appearing on The One Show in 2022 alongside Perry, O’Carroll said that Mrs Brown’s Boys had never had anyone of Perry’s “colour” feature on the show before.

Bret Baier started off his Wednesday evening interview with Kamala Harris with a barrage of combative questions about immigration, designed less to elicit substantive answers than to prove what a tough guy the Fox host could be.

His aggressive approach was understandable, in a way, since Baier had been under pressure for days from the Donald Trump faithful; they were convinced he was going to go easy on the Democratic nominee for president, and maybe even allow her campaign to edit the interview or see the questions in advance.

So, Baier came out guns blazing, barely allowing the vice-president to finish a sentence before jumping in with objections and arguments.

After 10 minutes of playing immigration “gotcha”, Baier pivoted to the obvious next subject, airing a video clip in which Harris expressed support for transgender people in prisons.

Immigrant hatred. Transphobia. And later, Joe Biden’s age. Baier was running through the Fox News greatest hits playlist.

This was grievance theater, not political journalism.

But Harris got in her licks. She had her moments.

Chiming in afterwards in what some saw as corporate damage control, Baier’s colleagues on Fox News gushed their approval. Martha MacCallum termed Baier’s performance “masterful”, while Dana Perino analyzed the interview as “super good”.

I can’t imagine that too many viewers agreed. If they came to it expecting to learn more about Harris’s policies or get a true sense of her character, they would have been disappointed. That wasn’t the game plan, and it wasn’t the result.

But Harris accomplished something anyway.

Merely by sitting down with a Fox host, she made a few statements.

First, that she is unafraid and is willing to speak to all voters. It’s hard to imagine Donald Trump, these days, submitting to an interview with, say, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC; just this week, he turned away from a CNBC interview, and earlier canceled a CBS News 60 Minutes agreement.

Second, Harris did manage to introduce a few snippets of reality to dedicated Fox viewers who probably haven’t been exposed to some of the most troubling criticisms of Trump.

“That he’s unfit to serve. That he’s unstable. That’s he’s dangerous,” was how she characterized what millions of Americans are feeling. “And that people are exhausted.”

She even was able to mention, at some length, the harsh view of the former commander-in-chief from Mark Milley, who served in two top military roles – including chair of the joint chiefs of staff – during the Trump administration.

Milley has called Trump “fascist to the core” and has said that no one has ever been as dangerous to the United States.

So maybe this was what one leading expert on Fox News, Brian Stelter, called the Harris campaign’s “Google strategy”. On CNN, Stelter speculated that viewers might hear these comments and go searching online for more, thus piercing the information bubble they’ve been living in.

No doubt, the vast majority of regular Fox viewers have their minds made up – they’re sticking with Trump. No matter his mental decline. No matter his felony convictions. No matter the threats he makes or the threats he poses.

But there may be a small percentage of the millions who tuned in who – despite all the noise and interruptions – managed to hear a reasonable, intelligent and stable alternative to Trump. Maybe some of them live in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, where the interview was recorded, or in Wisconsin or Michigan.

In this coin flip of an election, even that tiny adjustment might make all the difference.

THE Masked Singer has been commissioned for another TWO series – and a surprise new spin off programme.

TV presenter Joel Dommett is set to take to TV screens once again to front the sixth series of the hit ITV competition.

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A host of secret star names are set to take to the stage once again in the ultimate primetime guessing game.

The popular singing programme, which sees celebrities hidden under elaborate character masks, has also secured a seventh season.

On top of this, it will also be getting a new spin off series called The After Mask, hosted by Kiss radio star Harriet Rose.

It will feature interactions with the celebrity panel, host Joel, and unmasking interviews with contestants.

Rose will also provide extra gossip from behind-the-scenes, including insights into the show’s production.

The show will be available across on-demand, social, and digital channels including ITVX and YouTube.

A host of secret star names are set to take to the stage once again in the ultimate primetime guessing game.

Recording for the series of The Masked Singer kicked off on September 24 at Bovingdon Airfield in Hertfordshire, the same location as Dancing On Ice.

The likes of Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Jonathan Ross will return.

Filming for the show will take place across eight dates after the commercial broadcaster confirmed there will be another Christmas special.

Four celebrities will once again battle it out in front of the star-studded panel for the holiday crown.

Last year saw McFly singer and guitarist Danny Jones storm to victory as the Piranha.

He beat out the likes of Alex Brooker and noughties star Lemar after Davina McCall correctly guessed the identity of the star name.

This comes after The Sun revealed that there will be a huge change to the panel for the upcoming series.

Last year saw the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Olly Murs and Jennifer Saunders fill in for Rita Ora on the show as she had other filming commitments in the US.

Rita has been a judge on the celebrity competition programme since its inception in 2020.

Instead, Love Island host Maya Jama is poised to join the panel after Rita Ora quit the show after five series due to a mystery film project.

A TV insider said: “This is a huge deal for Maya, who’s now one of telly’s fastest- rising stars. It puts her in front of a huge Saturday night audience every week on a show watched by everyone from kids to pensioners.

“Up to now she’s had a following which is very young due to Love Island, but signing for The Masked Singer would take her career into a whole new league.”

Rita previously appeared on the panel of The Masked Singer US when she filled in for Nicole Scherzinger.

The former X Factor judge was in the London production of musical Sunset Boulevard.

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Comedian David Baddiel has called out the “fake outrage” over Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as the new England manager.

The German coach was officially named as the new Three Lions boss on Wednesday (16 October), replacing Gareth Southgate, who resigned after failing to win last summer’s European Championship in Germany.

Tuchel, who managed Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, is the third foreign manager to take charge of England, following in the footsteps of Fabio Capello and Sven-Goran Eriksson, who died earlier this year after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

The 51-year-old will not start in the job until 2025 but the news has already ignited a debate about another foreign coach managing England, especially due to the nation’s longstanding football rivalry with Germany.

Baddiel, who famously sang “Three Lions”, has called out some of the fury surrounding Tuchel’s arrival after appearing to be trolled due to his Jewish faith.

The 60-year-old said: “Re: Thomas Tuchel and some people’s fake outrage. My mother was born in Nazi Germany and had to flee for her life – I’m OK with it. So f*** off.”

Baddiel also highlighted one user who asked if international managers should coach the nations that they are from. In response, he said: “Were people saying all this during Sven and Capello? Or is just something about a German that brings it out? In which case I refer you back to my original tweet.”

In response to the Tuchel news, former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville said: “I do think we are damaging ourselves by accepting that Thomas Tuchel is better than any of the other English coaches. With the English coaches that have managed in the upper echelons of the league with Eddie Howe at Newcastle and Graham Potter, I do think there are outstanding coaches that could have been appointed that were English.”

“I’d have given the job to Lee Carsley,” the former England stirker Gary Lineker told The Rest is Football podcast. “I have seen enough to suggest to me the players really trust him.”

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“And he is imaginative enough to produce something that is a joy to watch, is entertaining and front-footed football. I’d have gone for Lee Carsley (but) it is not my job to pick people like that.

“‘I really liked him. But I could tell he knew he was not getting the job. I suspect between his first camp and sometime before the Greece game [he knew].

“I would have [appointed him] because I would have looked at the recent history of international football, the two winners of the last two international tournaments [Spain’s Luis de la Fuente and Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni] had no real experience of coaching outside the national set-up.”