SOMETIMES real life is stranger than fictional television stories.
That seems to be the case with BBC police drama, Better.
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BBC police drama Better has been axed after stars Andrew Buchan and Leila Farzad were revealed to be having an affairCredit: BBC
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Buchan’s wife Emmerdale actress Amy Nuttall is said to be devastatedCredit: Getty
I can reveal that despite the saga having many more ropes, it was discontinued after one series.
The five-part thriller starred Andrew Buchan as suave but ruthless Irish gangster Colonel McHugh and Leila Farzad as corrupt detective Inspector Lou Slack, who regularly received tips and bribes from McHugh.
But it was much more about the relationship of the main actors off-screen.
They hit the headlines when it was announced they were having an affair, leaving Buchan’s wife, Emmerdale actress Amy Nuttall, devastated.
A TV insider said: “Better did well, averaging nearly four million viewers per episode, and there was an appetite to learn more about the tangled lives of McHugh and Slack. But the BBC wants to bring in loads of new shows, which means, unfortunately, some popular dramas have to make way.”
Actor Andrew also couldn’t make things work at home.
A source told The Sun last August that he and Amy had tried to patch things up, but he has now moved out of the family home.
It happened six months after we first discovered that he left Amy for Leila.
Then in July we told how Amy had given Andrew an ultimatum, with strict rules if they wanted to get back on track.
Amy became suspicious when shortly before Christmas she found sexy underwear that was not her size.
Crisis-hit BBC agrees to Giovanni Pernice despite three Strictly stars in tears at summit over his behavior
Meanwhile, the Beeb says there’s plenty of drama brewing on screen, despite Better’s death.
New orders include Jenna Coleman starring in thriller The Jetty, the return of Blue Lights — with Casualty’s Derek Thompson joining the cast — and crime drama This City Is Ours.
Con as kind as Tom
CONNOR Swindells falls in love in Noel Fielding’s comedy about legendary outlaw Dick Turpin.
The actor who rose to fame as Adam Groff, the thug-turned-lover of Eric Ncuti Gatwa in the Netflix series Sex Education, will appear as sword-wielding nobleman Tommy Silvesides.
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Connor Swindells kisses a co-star from The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
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The actor challenges Dick Turpin to a double in the series
A fast-paced newcomer bursts onto the scene to challenge Dick to a duel in the Apple TV+ drama.
He seems to have a crazy charisma that women find irresistible. . . but there’s something unmistakable about the coveted highwayman.
A new episode of The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin will be available to stream this Friday.
Anj head of the police
ANJLI Mohindra is used to playing villains in BBC crime dramas.
In Vigil, she was a submarine medical officer who falsified reports, and in Bodyguard, she was a ruthless jihadist.
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Anjli Mohindra has played many villains in BBC crime dramas Credit: Getty
Now she’s sticking to the law – as Detective Grace Narayan in the thriller series The Red King, on Alibi later this month.
See her investigation into the case of a missing teenager in Wales.
Executive producer Davina Earl said: “Often with the main character in a procedural drama, think of a maverick cop who doesn’t play by the rules. But Grace is a cop who plays by the rules. This causes conflict as she struggles to know when to do the wrong thing for the right reason.”
Anjli added: “She’s like a dog with a bone, she just won’t give up.”
Swear fest
NEW black comedy thriller The Traveler finds itself in hot water for having too many f-bombs.
Wunmi Mosaku, who plays Riya Ajunwa in the show, which airs from March 24 at 9pm on ITV1, said: “I added a few too many at one point and we were informed, ‘we’re only told nine k*** on the page’.”
Ross’ role is a curse
ROSS KEMP’s children are taking on his EastEnders customs.
The soap actor, who played tough Grant Mitchell in the BBC One series for ten years, recently showed his rough side in front of twin daughters Ava and Kitty, six, – and is paying the price.
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Ross Kemp says his kids are picking up his EastEnders habits Credit: Justin Lambert
He told The Sunday Times Magazine: “I have to be very careful with my girlfriends because they pick up on things very quickly – one of them called me an aw****r the other day.
“Apparently she heard me say that while I was driving.”
And after he returned for the funeral of Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor, he won’t rule out a return to the soap.
He says: “EastEnders finds its way into most days, often someone calls me Grant.
“Would I go back? Never say never. I went back twice.”
Coping with phobia in the clinic
Dogs, rats, sheep and SAUSAGE birds will be featured as weird and wonderful phobias tackled in a new Channel 4 series.
The six-part Fear Clinic takes people with debilitating phobias to a controversial new clinic.
The series, which is currently in production, shows them being treated for 48 hours by specialist Dr. Merel Kindt in her clinic in Amsterdam.
Cameras will capture the Dutch scientist and her team of phobia psychologists as they help neutralize fear memories by confronting phobias head-on with the use of a single fear-blocking pill.
Anna Miralis, senior presenter at Channel 4, said: “This series offers hope to some extremely brave individuals who are willing to face their biggest phobia.
“It’s going to be a rollercoaster of emotions as we watch them potentially break free from something that may have debilitated them for most of their lives.”
Coming to the screens
THE TEAM behind Fleabag are launching a new BBC comedy drama.
The six-part Dinosaur series will tell the story of Nina, an autistic woman in her 30s – played by Ashley Storrie – and Evie’s sister, Kat Ronney.
The coming-of-age story will be broadcast on BBC Three and iPlayer later this year.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education