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Interviews

A range of interviews with actors, authors, musicians and politicians  

BBC News •

Richard Osman: I'm terrible at playing detective

In just four years, Richard Osman has transformed himself from a TV presenter and producer into a best-selling author. But despite having a knack for writing cosy crime, he admits to the BBC he is "terrible at playing detective". "My grandfather solved crimes for a living and my mum would watch any Sunday night crime drama, and within five minutes know who done it. "I think I'm brilliant but I'm always wrong. My wife and I think we know who did it and then at the end we both don't get it right,"...
BBC News •

Jacqueline Wilson: 'Delighted to be viewed as a gay icon' after coming out

Jacqueline Wilson has been described as many things over the years, but one title that still surprises her is "gay icon". In 2020, the British children's writer announced that she was in a long-term relationship with a woman.The beloved author, who is known for her nuanced depictions of childhood struggles, has found a new and unexpected audience after opening up about her sexuality. "I'm very touched to be thought of as a gay icon, it's an absolute delight," she tells the BBC.Aged 78, she can't...
BBC News •

Idris Elba: I know what heartbreak feels like

Luther actor Idris Elba told the BBC he knows what heartbreak feels like as he spoke at the opening of a new play he is promoting.Shifters, starring Heather Agyepong and Tosin Cole, tells the story of Des and Dre, two young black people who meet again after years apart.The drama of first love is described by The Guardian in a four star review, external as having "giddy kisses, real heart and soul" while also showing the "everyday tragedy of long-lost first loves".Speaking after the show at Londo...
BBC News •

Chloe Ayling: Drugged and kidnapped model says people still call her a liar years on

Model Chloe Ayling was kidnapped after being lured to a fake photo shoot in Milan. She was released six days later, but her ordeal was far from over - seven years on, she is still being called a liar."Headlines really stick in people's minds, even years later," Ms Ayling tells the BBC, explaining that she still receives online abuse from people questioning her account.Her story is being told in a new six-part BBC series, Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story. The series, which follows Chloe's experi...
BBC News •

Blake Lively says It Ends With Us is both tragic and inspiring

For many young women, there have been very few film adaptations as hotly anticipated as Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us.The 2016 book became an internet sensation a few years ago - it took TikTok's #booktok by storm with more than one billion tags and sold 20 million copies as the number one New York Times bestseller.While on the surface the film appears to be a standard romantic comedy, it comes with a dark twist. Starring Gossip Girl star Blake Lively, it tells the story of Lily Bloom, a youn...
BBC News •

The Bear star Ayo Edebiri on having her directorial debut on show

Ayo Edebiri may be best known for her acting and comedy, but it seems she is also just as capable behind the camera as in front of it. The Bear star tells the BBC about her experience stepping behind the scenes to direct episode six of the new season of The Bear."I had a total blast and I learnt so much from it," Edebiri, who plays sous chef Sydney, tells the BBC."I love our cast but being able to collaborate with them from a different vantage point gave me so much more appreciation for them but...
BBC News •

Why Anjana Vasan is done people pleasing

The actress Anjana Vasan has a lot in common with her character Amina in We Are Lady Parts.Both refuse to be people pleasers, both say no when necessary, and both have non negotiables.Vasan, 37, told BBC News that just like Amina, she is in her "villain era" now.Her character is the unlikely lead guitarist of a Muslim female punk band and in the second season of Channel 4's comedy written and created by Nida Manzoor we see her and her bandmates facing a set of new challenges. "This season is all...
BBC News •

Inside No. 9: Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith on proving TV bosses wrong

From bone-chilling thrillers to hilariously dark comedies, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's anthology has managed to shock and surprise viewers for the past decade.Ahead of the ninth and final season of Bafta award-winning Inside No. 9, they have been reflecting on the show's history, and it wasn't always plain sailing."There have definitely been times where TV executives have thought we can't achieve certain things, but we've always proved them wrong," explains 56-year-old Pemberton.The p...
BBC News •

Hanif Kureishi: Young people have nothing to be hopeful for

For novelist Hanif Kureishi, growing up in the 1970s was all about hope and optimism - feelings well-documented in his semi-autobiographical novel, The Buddha of Suburbia.Now, over 30 years after its publication, The Buddha of Suburbia is being adapted for the stage - and Kureishi, along with theatre director Emma Rice, have been reflecting on one of the book's main themes."There was a sense that you could do anything or be anyone," Kureishi, 69, tells the BBC as he thinks about his own childhoo...
BBC News •

Sir Ian McKellen: The actor on finally playing the role he always said no to in Player Kings

Over the past six decades, Sir Ian McKellen has taken on the role of almost all of William Shakespeare's male protagonists, but there was one particular character he was "never attracted to" and always turned down. In a new West End production of Shakespeare's Henry IV parts one and two, Sir Ian has decided now is the time to take on the role of Falstaff, a character he describes as "the ultimate gangster".Player Kings has merged and condensed the two history plays to create one epic story.It fo...
BBC News •

The Beautiful Game: Bill Nighy stars in film about tackling homelessness through football

On a cloudy Monday afternoon, Bill Nighy is standing in the middle of a football pitch in south London. "Come on you lot, let's go," the actor shouts at a couple of dozen men who have turned up hoping to be selected to represent their country.Nighy is channelling his most recent character - a football coach who takes an England squad to an international tournament.The tournament is the Homeless World Cup, and to promote his new film The Beautiful Game, the Oscar-nominated actor has turned up to...
BBC News •

Wicked Little Letters: Olivia Colman on why abusive notes were original trolling

In the spring of 1920, the House of Commons scheduled a debate on one of the most pressing issues facing the country at that time - who was behind the slew of profane letters being sent to well respected members of a community.For months, Littlehampton, a small seaside town in Sussex, had been alight with rumours over who was sending sweary and scandalous letters. A well-respected, pillar-of-the-community Christian, Edith Swan pointed the finger at Irish foul-mouthed neighbour Rose Gooding.The s...
BBC News •

An Enemy of the People: Matt Smith says audiences left in tears by new production

Audience members have been left in tears, walked out halfway through and had "full-blown" arguments with each other, Matt Smith has told the BBC of his new play.The Doctor Who actor is starring in a new production of Henrik Ibsen's 1882 drama, An Enemy of the People.During the play, audiences are invited to participate in a townhall discussion and ask "whatever they want".The FT called it a "brilliant idea that drives home the resonance of the play".In a four-star review, Sarah Hemming said, ext...
BBC News •

Skepta: I’m bored of the black James Bond narrative

Rapper Skepta says he has decided to create a film about a black undercover secret service agent after he "got bored of talks on who was going to play the black James Bond".Speaking about his debut film, Tribal Mark, Skepta tells the BBC he is set on making an anti-hero character for black actors. Known as one of the pioneers of British grime music, it is the first time the 41-year-old artist, real name Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr, has ventured into film directing, producing and acting.His new sho...
BBC News •

Saltburn director Emerald Fennell on Bafta nominations and infamous bathtub scene

Saltburn director Emerald Fennell says she thinks the film's infamous bathtub scene has had such a big reaction because it is "both diabolical and revolting, and unbelievably relatable".It was the "first scene I imagined when thinking about the movie," she said.The psychological thriller, which stars Barry Keoghan as a student who's fixated on a wealthy university friend, has caused a stir on social media.It received five Bafta nominations on Thursday, including best British film.The dark comedy...
BBC News •

Griselda: Colombian 'Cocaine Godmother' given Hollywood makeover by Sofia Vergara

"The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco." This is what infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar allegedly once said about the person who created one of the most profitable cartels in history.A woman who had people murdered because "she didn't like the way they looked at her", Blanco was a ruthless criminal mastermind whose name was one of the most feared in 1970s and 80s Miami.Now the notorious drug lord has had a Hollywood makeover as Modern Family's Sofía Vergara joins for...
BBC News •

ULEZ: I want to be on right side of history - Sadiq Khan

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he wants to be "on the right side of history" when it comes to implementing the capital's Ultra Low Emission Zone.Responding to Londoner's questions on BBC Radio London, Mr Khan was probed on the impact of the clean-air policy. He defended his position, saying there is "a silent majority who support" it.He also spoke about Jeremy Corbyn not being a Labour candidate at the next election and wishing he had "responded differently" to anti-Semitism concerns.

Mayor of...