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Ken Bruce has revealed he was intoxicated when the idea for PopMaster came to him.

The quiz, in which competitors answer musical trivia questions, was first broadcast in 1998 as part of Bruce’s Radio 2 show and later became a six-part TV series for More4 when he left the channel.

The radio host, 73, admitted he had been drinking wine with two of his BBC colleagues, Colin Martin and Phil Swern, as they brainstormed ideas for the radio quiz show.

Bruce said the group came up with a “great format” and “drank up” before heading home. However, when they woke up the next day, they realised they’d forgotten the idea they spent the evening working on.

“None of us could remember what we decided,” he said.

The radio presenter said when he, Martin and Swern met for another lunch they didn’t drink any alcohol until they had written their idea down.

Speaking on the Fingers On Buzzers podcast, he said: “We wrote it down, and then we had our two bottles of wine. And it’s been the same ever since.”

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When the presenter left Radio 2 in 2023 after 45 years at the BBC, it was announced that PopMaster would go with him.

The More4 TV treatment of the programme followed the same format as the radio series, where contestants were quizzed on music ranging from the 1950s to the present day, before being asked three top chart hits for a specific artist or group.

Bruce said: “After all these years we are finally bringing PopMaster to the telly where we’ll be challenging music lovers from around the country to not only recall a range of facts and stats about chart toppers and beyond over the decades but to do so under the glare of studio lights and with the added pressure of television cameras.”

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Radio 2 lost a million listeners after Bruce left the station. Meanwhile, Greatest Hits Radio has doubled its listenership since he joined to an audience of 4.1 million.

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In a new interview with The Times, Bruce hit out at BBC management over their choice to change the slot for his radio show. He was taken off the mid-morning slot and forced into an unfamiliar late-night timing which he says annoyed him.

“I thought, I haven’t done anything wrong here and it’s all working. It was a political decision,” he said.

LOVE Island’s Malin Andersson has fuelled rumours that she’s SPLIT from life coach boyfriend two months after going public with their romance.

Back in July The Sun revealed that the reality star had found love again with a Swedish hunk called Jim Sundgren.

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However the pair have raised a few eyebrows and have sparked split rumours after unfollowing each other on Instagram.

There are also no traces of their relationship on their social media profiles.

The Sun have contacted Malin’s rep for comment.

Malin – who shot to fame on Love Island in 2016 – and Jim are in a long distance relationship as he lives in Sweden.

Back in July the couple took part in a retreat called The Utopia Frequency in the Nordic country.

A source previously told us:

A source said: “Malin has spent the past few years really working on herself.

“She is in such a great space and Jim came along at the right time.

“They have really connected over their healing journeys and love doing sound baths together.

“Jim lives in Sweden so they are trying a long distance romance.

“Malin is really happy and everyone is so pleased for her.”

Mum Malin – who is now a wellness coach – has had a number of relationships in the public eye since her time in the Love Island villa.

She dated ex Jared between 2021 and 2023 – and share their daughter Xaya.

Malin was also in a relationship with Tom Kemp in 2018 and they split four weeks after the death of their daughter Consy, reconciled and then split in 2019.

The star took part in the second season of Love Island in 2016.

She was dumped on day 25, but made a shock return to ask her ex Terry Walsh had moved on so quickly.

The fitness fanatic recently admitted her regrets on spending thousands on cosmetic procedures after the show.

Over the years she’s had veneers, liposuction and breast augmentations.

Speaking to The Mirror, Malin has spoken of her regret, and said: “You think those types of treatments are minor – a quick £200 or £300.

“But I took out loans to pay for them and they were like small pockets of debt. I wasn’t worried about the money at the time. 

“I didn’t care. It wasn’t like I was spending £10,000 on big surgery. But that’s the dangerous part of getting Botox and filler.”

She added: “If I didn’t have my mum’s money to fall back on, I don’t know what I would have done.”

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HOUSE of the Dragon fans are eagerly awaiting details about the show’s third season, but according to one of its stars, they may be waiting for a while.

During an appearance at New York Comic Con on Sunday, Matt Smith admitted that he is completely in the dark about upcoming plot points on the Game of Thrones prequel.

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Matt, who plays Daemon Targaryen in the hit HBO series, revealed that he has yet to see any scripts for the upcoming season.

He told panelists: “I’ve not heard hide nor hair. I don’t know about you guys. I’ve not heard a thing — have you?”

The actor was joined on the panel by co-stars Fabian Frankel (Criston Cole) and Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon II Targaryen), who echoed similar sentiments.

Tom quipped: “Not a jot, not a letter. The longer they take, the longer we don’t have to read anything for a while.”

However, Fabian hinted at some insider knowledge, teasing: “I’ve heard some things that I couldn’t possibly share here.”

The uncertainty surrounding the third season comes after the second season wrapped up in August, following an eight-episode run that left fans desperate for more.

Despite the lack of clarity on season three’s script, House of the Dragon has been renewed for two more seasons.

Production for the third series is slated to begin in early 2025, and it will be released in 2026.

Showrunner Ryan Condal revealed in August that the series will conclude after four seasons.

While Ryan confirmed that pre-production work will continue this autumn, there’s still no official word on how many episodes season three will feature.

He admitted: “I haven’t had discussions with HBO about it.

“I would just anticipate the cadence of the show, from a dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from season two on.”

Though the second season expanded the story beyond the Targaryens to include Winterfell and other key locations, fans have been left to speculate about where the narrative will head next.

Who stars in House of the Dragon?

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A prequel to smash-hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon premiered in August 2022. The show features an ensemble cast playing characters in the fictional setting of Westeros. Let’s take a look at some of the famous faces in House of the Dragon.

Paddy Considine: Actor, director and screenwriter Paddy received the role of King Viserys I Targaryen in House of the Dragon and led the ensemble in sesason one. Paddy’s film credits include Hot Fuzz and The World’s End, while his other TV work ranges from Peaky Blinders, The Outsider and The Third Day. He is also known for his collaborations with director Shane Meadows.

Matt Smith: Matt became the youngest ever actor to play Doctor Who, when he nabbed the role as a 29-year-old in 2009. Now a few years removed from the beloved BBC show, he is now playing the unpredictable Prince Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Matt also starred as Prince Philip in The Crown, receiving a Primetime Emmy award nomination for his performance.

Olivia Cooke: From Oldham in Greater Manchester, Olivia Cooke has enjoyed success on both sides of the pond. She had a starring role as Emma Decody in Bates Motel from 2013 to 2017. Prior to starring as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, Olivia also appeared in period drama Vanity Fair and the sci-fi film Ready Player One, which was directed by Steven Spielberg.

Rhys Ifans: Before playing Ser Otto Hightower, Rhys Ifans was no stranger to blockbuster franchises. He’s played Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and Marvel Comics villain Dr Curt Connors/Lizard. He portrayed Mycroft Holmes in CBS series Elementary. Rhys also starred in films such as Notting Hill, Kevin & Perry Go Large and Enduring Love.

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Emma D’Arcy: Before landing the role of Princess/Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Emma had appeared as a main cast member in Wanderlust and Truth Seekers. Their film credits include 2020’s Misbehaviour opposite a cast including Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Greg Kinnear, Keeley Hawes, Jessie Buckley, Phyllis Logan and Lesley Manville.

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Former professional footballer Paul Merson has become the fourth celebrity to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing this year and he has given his honest thoughts about his professional partner Karen Hauer and why he thinks he “won” the show.

The ex-Arsenal player has joined Nick Knowles, Toyah Willcox and Tom Dean in being eliminated from the competition after ending up in the dance off after week five, where he was surprisingly up against JLS singer JB Gill.

Merson was initially considered a “joke” contestant after his first few dances but sailed through week three of the competition after delivering a better performance than expected.

However, the 56-year-old who danced a Samba to Rose Royce song “Car Wash,” failed to impress the judges on the night, which saw several stand out performances from the likes of Jamie Borthwick, Chris McCausland and Montell Douglas.

Speaking after his elimination on Sunday’s results show, Merson said: “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.”

The Sky Sports pundit then said of Hauer: “Could have done better in the last dance if I’m being honest.” On a more serious note, he said: “No she’s been amazing. Couldn’t have asked for a better coach.”

He then called 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.

He then explained why he believed he had actually “won” the show saying: “because I can dance, I couldn’t dance before and I can half dance now so it’s a bonus.”

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Hauer then said that she was “proud” of Merson, adding: “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.”

While Merson was eliminated, Gill’s presence in the bottom two is considered a surprise considering he and his dance partner Amy Dowden were considered early favourites to win the series.

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

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

ONE Big Brother housemate was left begging for her co-star to be booted out of the house after finding themselves locked in a secret ‘feud’.

Emma Morgan could not hold back her thoughts as she slammed 20-year-old Chinese Takeaway worked Lily to multiple housemates.

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In footage shown on ITV tonight, Emma was seen making a series of scathing remarks about Lily ahead of Friday night’s eviction.

Lily could be seen screaming and “eeking” around the sofa area as Emma got more and more wound up.

Turning to fellow housemate Thomas, Emma seethed that she was hoping it would be Lily that got the chop.

Speaking out loud, she could be heard saying under her breath: “Please evict her!”

As Daze was ultimately axed from the house, Emma could be seen rolling her eyes at the thought of continuing to having to live with Lily.

In another shock comment, Emma could be heard saying in reference to Lily: “Shut up before I strangle you.”

As the shock feud was revealed, Emma could be heard moaning about Lily and her antics to other housemates as she admitted she was growing tired of her constant loud noises.

As news of the eviction settled in, Emma took herself off to have a chat with Big Brother where she made Lily the target of her words once again.

She confessed she wanted her dumped over Daze in order for the house to find some peace.

Unleashing another rant at her, she put Lily on blast as she ‘wished’ an illness upon her.

Emma said: “I hope she gets a doze of laryngitis for a few weeks.

“Then I might warm to her.”

Although the ‘feud’ appears to be new, it could have been bubbling for a few weeks after Emma said upon entering the house that she hoped she would be “bound and gagged” in order to keep her quiet.

Big Brother 2024 cast

A brand new batch of Big Brother housemates are living it up in the famous compound.

Meet the cast of the 2024 series:

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• Rosie, 29, dental assistant from Cornwall.
• Emma, 53, aesthetics business owner from Altrincham.
• Segun, 25, charity videographer from Watford.
• Nathan, 24, pork salesman from Dumfries.
• Daze, 24, climate activist from London.
• Khaled, 23, sales manager from Manchester.
• Martha, 26, NHS administrator from Scarborough.
• Lily, 20, Chinese takeaway server from Warrington.
• Ali, 30, Forensic psychologist from London.
• Thomas, 20 amputee footballer from Carlisle.
• Ryan, 28, marketing and events from Stockport.
• Hannah, 24, HR consultant from West London.
• Izaaz, 29, sales consultant from London.
• Sarah, 27, spa account manager from Shrewsbury.
• Marcello, 34, youth mentor from East London.
• Dean, 35, barber from East London

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BIG Brother viewers have claimed a kiss between two housemate was ‘forced’ and ‘absolutely rancid’.

Sunday night’s episode saw the Housemates dealing with the aftermath of the latest eviction.

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On Friday night, Daze was banished from the ITV2 house after the public vote.

The remaining Housemates comforted each other, but two of them took that to a whole new level.

Baked Potato (Rosie) and Nathan have been growing closer in recent days, and shared a three-way kiss with Lily.

But tonight, the lovebirds were seen sharing a snog on their own, but not before staring at each other for an awkwardly long period of time.

They finally broke eye contact to lock lips on the sofa while no-one else was around, but the moment left many Big Brother fans horrified.

Taking to X – formerly Twitter – one wrote: “Genuinely feel sick watching that kiss. It felt soooo forced as if they were forced to.”

Another added: “That kiss was absolutely rancid, truly evil personified.”

A third commented: “Baked potatoes has kissed Nathan which genuinely disgusts me and probably increase his chance of being in the final of this season of big brother like last year.”

Meanwhile a fourth tweeted: “This kiss seems soooo forced. They really do have 0 chemistry.”

Rosie is called ‘Baked Potato’ after she completed a series of dares, one of which included changing her name.

Others took issue with the fact that Nathan had cold sores when he kissed Baked Potato.

One wrote: “I cant believe she kissed him with those sores on his lips, i feel sick.”

Another commented: “Nathan has a massive cold sore and he kissed Baked Potato. Christ.”

A third shared: “Baked Potato kissed that square head with a big ole COLDSORE on his lip!!!! Nasty work.”

Big Brother airs on ITV2 and is available on ITVX.