For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Ahead of the release of season two of highly-anticipated Korean drama series Squid Game, show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk opened up about what the audience can expect to see in season two of the hit dystopian thriller.

In a new interview, Hwang described how he approached the second season and the motivation behind Player 456 Gi-hun’s return to the game that nearly took his life.

South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae played Gi-hun in the first season and will reprise his role in the forthcoming seasons.

“Honestly when I was creating season one I didn’t plan in any detail that there would be a second season,” Hwang told The Hollywood Reporter at a For Your Consideration awards event in Los Angeles on Sunday.

“However, I did have something in mind that if there were to ever be a second season, I had this idea of what story I would tell; I thought it would be the story of Gi-hun turning away from where he was at the end of season one and going back into the games in order to put a stop to the game,”

He added that “throughout seasons two and three, it’s going to be about that very journey by Gi-hun that you’re going to be following, both physically and emotionally.”

Squid Game follows a group of cash-strapped contestants fighting to the death for a life-changing sum of money.

open image in gallery

The official description for season two states: “Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 remains determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport. Using this fortune to fund his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway. But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organisation proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it.”

The sequel series will arrive nearly three years after its 2021 nine-episode debut, which broke records for Netflix. It currently ranks as the most-watched season of television in the company’s history.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

Advertisement

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

At a panel conversation held after a screening of the new season’s first episode, Hwang said: “Gi-hun has experienced too many things, witnessed too many deaths, for him to return to the way it was before, no matter how hard he tries. The way you see Gi-hun in season one and the state that you see him in in season two are very different.”

To describe season two in a nutshell, Hwang simply said: “Season two is crazy.”

It became the first non-English language drama series to receive nominations in several major categories at the Emmy Awards, including Best Drama. Lead star Lee Jung-jae became the first Korean to win the Best Actor award.

open image in gallery

Hwang also became the first Asian director to win in the Outstanding Drama Series category and the first ever director to win for a non-English language series.

Season two will be followed by a third and final season arriving sometime in 2025.

In late October, it was also revealed that David Fincher was reportedly in talks with Netflix to develop an English-language adaptation of the show.

Season 2 of Squid Game will be released on Netflix on 26 December.

I’M A Celebrity star Tulisa enjoyed a two hour pampering session at a nail salon after being spotted out and about days before entering the jungle.

X Factor judge and N-Dubz star Tulisa, 36, is making an epic TV comeback on I’m A Celeb.

5

Advertisement

5

After a 12-year health battle, the star is hoping to revive her career as a household name through the show.

She was recently spotted getting some jungle life prep in my enjoying a boxing session, which she shared videos of with fans.

But now, Tulisa has opted for a more relaxing run up to jungle life, and popped into Skylar Nails in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, for a couple of hours.

The stunning music star could be seen in a white fleece and black leggings strolling into the salon, clutching her keys in her hand.

The 36-year-old scraped her hair back into a pony tail and walked briskly to the nail venue after a run, with headphones in.

She looked beautiful as she continued her jungle prep, and was also pictured pulling up a seat in Skylar Nails for a pre-camp treatment.

Ahead of Tulisa’s jungle appearance, a source said: “Tulisa has been on ITV’s hit list for a while but until now she’s never wanted to consider it.

“This year is a decade since she left The X Factor so she felt the time was right to return to the TV spotlight — the amazing reception to the N-Dubz reunion tour really helped build her confidence.”

I’m A Celeb hosts Ant and Dec broke their silence and shared a playful reaction video to the full I’m A Celebrity line up, after it was confirmed on Friday.

After frantic swaps behind-the-scenes, Ant and Dec have decided on their star-studded jungle cast.

The Sun already revealed wag Coleen Rooney will be bunking down with critters in Australia next month after securing the biggest deal in I’m A Celeb history.

And she has an incredible list of stars joining her in the jungle, from McFly star Danny Jones to Love Island royalty, Maura Higgins.

Ant and Dec have now shared their thoughts on the celebs heading into the jungle with them.

I’m A Celebrity 2024

As the hit ITV show enters into its 24th series, a brand new batch of famous faces look set to enter the Aussie jungle once again to face terrifying Bushtucker Trials and living amongst the critters in camp in order to come out on top and be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle. The Sun’s Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars heading Down Under this year…

Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name heading into the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, will be making a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to head into the camp this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.

Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge looks set to be making a triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.

Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he will be hoping to become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities when he gets into camp.

Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. He has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.

GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brand such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.

Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.

Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She origianlly found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.

Danny Jones – The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle, after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom. A jungle insider said: “As well as bringing some of the star appeal of the group with him, he’ll be supplying some serious guy candy for the campmates and viewers at home.”

Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.

Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist will be braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.

Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry will become the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to breast cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”

Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is set for I’m A Celebrity — and is ready to let rip at his old employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, 62, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year.An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”

In a video captioned: “If we had to describe this year’s lineup in 10 words,” the two presenters reacted as they found out who’d be joining.

5

Advertisement

5

Reactions included the words: “Good. Very good. Really good. Brilliant. Yes. Yes. Yes. YES.”

The TV favourites could be seen sitting alongside each other while being told the cast reveal.

Those watching the video can’t hear whose names they’re reacting to, but the happy duo seem delighted as they shout “yes” and clap their hands.

For one of the sign ups, they can be heard gasping, and for another they burst into laughter.

5

MAFS fans have been left horrified by Sacha’s commitment ceremony confession after a huge row with Ross.

Ahead of the commitment ceremony, it was revealed that Sacha and Ross had had yet another row.

4

Advertisement

4

4

And they revealed what they’d argued about as they sat down with experts Paul, Mel and Charlene during Tuesday night’s episode.

But viewers of the hit reality show were horrified as Sacha explained what had happened, telling the three experts that her beau Ross had “thrown his food.”

She said: “When Ross gets a temper he has an attitude and tone, food gets thrown at the wall, I get called names.

“He was calling me a little fake b****.”

“He doesn’t feel remorseful when he reacts how he reacts.”

Ross responded: “It can’t be just me, I’m not flipping for no reason.”

To which Sacha told the room: “He picked up his food and threw it at the wall.”

Ross admitted: “When it comes to an argument we don’t know when to stop. I’ve had enough of it honestly.”

The experts gave the couple their advice, but Mel was quick to add: ““No throwing themes, no name calling, no disrespectful behaviour at all.”

And fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their disbelief that Ross had thrown his food.

One person penned: “Don’t need advice from experts to know not to throw food at the wall, that’s terrible Ross.”

Another said: “Why is everyone ignoring Ross’ behaviour? Throwing food at the wall is not normal.”

A third penned: “So Ross breaks things and throws food at the wall? Get out Sacha.”

Another viewer echoed: “It doesn’t matter what Sacha does or doesn’t do, it’s on Ross to not throw food at the wall.”

The pair tied the knot just seconds after meeting each other down the aisle as part of the E4 show.

It appeared that the experts made a perfect match at the start of the experiment, but in recent weeks, the two have clashed a number of times.

During home stay week it was apparent that neither of them want to move away from their friends and family.

Sacha is based in Birmingham, while Ross lives in Manchester.

This evening’s episode of Married At First Sight saw the remaining couples sit in front of the experts one last time for the last ceremony.

And it was definitely an emotional one between Sacha and Ross.

Mel pointed out that the two didn’t look happy – and Ross told her that the moving situation has been affecting them both.

During their emotional chat, Sacha broke down in tears as she spoke about how much she valued their relationship.

She said while sobbing: “One of the questions you [Ross] asked me was ‘do you fall in love easy?’

“I said ‘absolutely not!’

“But when I met you, you were everything that I wanted.

“So I thought the universe had blessed me and I really wanted to so everything I could to make you happy.

“You do make me happy.”

Sacha continued to sob as she said: “

“I do feel like I’ve bent over backwards in this process to do everything that I can for you.

“And I’ve never done that for anyone like I am with you.

“I’ve never been that way.”

At the end of the chat, Ross wrote stay, while Sacha decided to pick leave.

The two agreed that they will work on their relationship.

4

Advertisement

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sam Quek, the latest Strictly Come Dancing star to be eliminated, was left “gutted” by the result, which has been branded a “travesty” by viewers.

With the 20th series of the BBC dancing competition at its halfway mark, certain celebrities who were expected to make it far are now finding themselves being sent home.

After an emotional episode that saw professional dancer Amy Dowden in tears over her temporary replacement’s show-stopping performance with JB Gill, Sunday’s results show episode (3 November) saw Gladiators star Montell Jordan end up in the bottom two alongside hockey player Sam Quek.

However, it was Quek and her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin who were sent home by all four judges after performing the dreaded dance off.

Quek couldn’t hide her disappointment, telling host Tess Daly after that she was “gutted” by her elimination. Explaining precisely why this was, she added: “I’m gutted because I do feel like I still have more to give.”

In a follow-up post discussing her departure from the show on Facebook, Quek continued: “Losing a dance off isn’t great. In fact, the competitor in me hates it, but Montell is a better dancer than me and this is a dance competition after all – so fair do’s.”

She credited the show with bringing “that spring in my step back” after what she said has been a “quiet” few years, but said it “was tougher than I imagined” as she “sacrificed everything I needed to and still ended up towards the bottom of the leaderboard” each week.

Quek wrote: “I must stress, I knew what I was signing up for. And when I commit to something, I give it everything I have for as long as I have to. I have no regrets about what I put into this process. That’s why I cannot be too sad about leaving. I gave everything I had. I fell short and that’s ok, because there was nothing more I could have done.”

During the results show, Quek also pointed out what she has admitted was a misconception she previously had about the show when she was watching along as a viewer, telling Daly: “I’m guilty of watching the competition and thinking ‘how do they have that relationship as a celebrity and a dancer?’

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Advertisement

Try for free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

“All I can say is, the time you spend with each other and what you bring out in each other. It really is, and it sounds dead cheesy, magical.”

Quek’s elimination follows the departures of Dr Punam Krishan, footballer Paul Merson, singer Toyah Willcox, presenter Nick Knowles and Olympian Tom Dean.

With the 20th series of the BBC dancing competition at its halfway mark, certain celebrities who were expected to make it far are now finding themselves being sent home.

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 9 November on BBC One.

MARRIED At First Sight fans were left heartbroken after fan favourite couple Kieran and Kristina choose to LEAVE after the final commitment ceremony.

The pair, who said ‘I Do’ just moments after meeting, left the experiment during tonight’s instalment of the E4 show.

2

Advertisement

2

Kieran and Kristina hit it off immediately when they first locked eyes on the aisle.

The animal carer luckily found the mechanic’s practical joke funny as he surprised her with a set of false teeth on their wedding day – so it seemed they were the perfect match.

But as the weeks have gone on, cracks started to appear in their relationship.

Last week Kieran sobbed in the corner of the room after their marriage imploded, days after they locked horns in an explosive argument after he expressed fears he was “wasting” his time in their marriage.

Fans were previously quick to call out Kieran for “making excuses” after admitting he did not want to be “intimate” with his spouse.

Today the pair decided that enough was enough and called it quits – and there was not a dry eye in the room.

Kieran told Kristina: “I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving this your all.

“I just genuinely wish you the best for the future.

“Don’t change for anyone.”

Kristina replied: “Thank you for the most magical, amazing day of my life at our wedding.

“I’m gutted but I do only wish you the best.

“You’ll be in my life. Don’t worry.”

Those watching at home were also left in tears.

One wrote on X: “Not Kristina & Kieran. Love these guys!! So glad they have stayed friends. Was rooting for them.”

Another brutally said: “Kieran has known for weeks how he feels about Kristina. He’s just finding it hard to admit it to himself, Kristina, and his friends and family.”

A third chimed in: “Not sure Kieran knows what he wants anymore. This PMDD has really put him off and he’s making every excuse under the sun not to just say it’s that. Kristina deserves better.”

Cracks started to appear when Kristina was left devastated when Kieran gave co-star Polly a big kiss on the lips – after saying he didn’t want to be intimate with her because of a cold sore.

Days before Kristina was in tears when Kieran admitted he was struggling in their relationship.

Asked by the experts why his behaviour towards her has changed, he said:  “I am really questioning at the minute if I am able to sustain a relationship with someone who suffers with PMDD.”

Kristina suffers from Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which causes extreme emotional and physical symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

The Daily Show has poked fun at the Trump campaign’s obsession with Peanut the Squirrel, whose euthanization has caused uproar among Republicans.

During Monday’s (November 4) episode of the Comedy Central talk show, guest host and correspondent Jordan Klepper recounted Donald Trump’s final rallies before Election Day.

“Trump campaign, this is your last chance to get your message out. Surely there is someone who is staying focused on the important issues and not getting distracted like some idiot dog when it sees a squirrel,” the host joked.

Going on to play a clip of Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, asking North Carolina rallygoers if they’d “seen the videos of this squirrel,” Klepper cut in to add sarcastically: “F*** me. No, no, I haven’t seen the videos of the squirrel. Why is that an issue?”

He then showed a TV report about Trump supporters up in arms after Peanut the Squirrel – who became a social media star after being taken in by Mark Longo in 2017 – was seized by New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation and later euthanized for biting an official.

“I know Don’s fired up about Peanut the Squirrel,” Vance said at the North Carolina rally. “We were on the way down here from Cincinnati. He was like, you know, is it really the case that the Democrats murdered the Elon Musk of squirrels?”

Klepper asked his audience: “Everyone, we are mere hours before Election Day, and Republicans’ final message is, ‘We must avenge the death of Peanut the Squirrel.’

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Republicans finally care about police brutality. But here we are, with all of MAGA world mourning the death of Peanut the Squirrel.”

Earlier in the episode, Klepper recounted Kamala Harris’s star-studded final Pennsylvania rally, which saw performances from pop superstars Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

Advertisement

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

“If you still have their album on LimeWire, they’re probably endorsing Kamala Harris,” he quipped. “She’s coming for every last Soul Cycle vote.”

Klepper continued: “While Kamala’s ending the campaign on a note of joy and celebrity hype, Donald Trump’s closing argument is that he’s pissed at basically everyone.”

The host played clips of Trump slamming several Democratic politicians, including California Representative Adam Schiff, who’s currently running against Steve Garvey to fill the late Diane Feinstein’s Senate seat.

“To sum up: We are an hour from Election Day. We have a presidential candidate descending even further into madness, a legion of his supporters ready to follow him into battle, the Capitol’s all boarded up and ready for a final showdown, our kids’ teeth are about to fall out, the police are executing squirrels, and tomorrow is the climactic day when we discover whether Earth continues existing in its muddled mess or we all go screaming into hell,” Klepper concluded.

“I guess what I’m saying is, don’t forget to vote.”