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Paul Daniels from hell despatches its victims with style but feeble plotting means film adds up to not a lot

We all understand that Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger et al are the flamboyant prima donnas of their respective horror franchises, so it seems fitting that the eponymous bogeyman of this new slasher flick plies his murderous trade with a showman’s flair. Rather than springing out of the shadows, the jester (Michael Sheffield) – already the star of three shorts well-received on YouTube – is always front and centre, starting with a dapper intro sequence with him in his tangerine suit and nightmare mask, twirling his cane and primping his tie.

It’s just a shame the non-homicidal portions have none of the same sprezzatura. Writer-director Colin Krawchuk saddles us with a poorly written, lead-footed plot delivered in stodgy lumps between killings. After the apparent suicide by hanging of her estranged father...

Believe it or not, but in the time before the internet it was possible for media to actually disappear. In that dark era, nothing felt more temporary than television.

While film existed on reels, books in print, and music on vinyl, television was but a mere signal that broadcast into your living room. Like a ghost, it was right in front of your face one second and gone forever the next. Without a world wide web to obsessively catalog it, so much of television felt like it was purely a one-time experience. And for folks of a certain age (i.e. the absolutely ancient creatures running this website) this often meant having a surreal TV memory that you were sure you were the only one in the world to have ever witnessed…until the internet came along to assure you otherwise.

Whether it was an obscure scary TV movie you...

Fresh from directing several episodes of 2022’s best TV show and Briana Middleton, it’s a twisty, devious little poker game of a film, about trust and betrayal and mysterious sexual politics.

Now that the first trailer has just landed, Caron spoke to Empire to break it down in forensic detail and unveil a few of its delicious secrets — while holding plenty back, too.

Catch me if you Stan

When we first meet Sebastian Stan’s Max, he’s trying to con his new billionaire stepdad Richard (John Lithgow) out of a thousand dollars. This is the film in microcosm, says Caron. “Deception is probably the defining feature of this movie,” he tells Empire. “Sharper is probably less interested in crime specifically and more interested in how people talk, flirt, lie, impersonate, and connive in order to get what they want.” Everyone in this film seems to be engaged in...

Mark Harrison Aug 24, 2017

When have tabloid rumours been spot on about Doctor Who, and when have they been, er, less accurate?

“Look Who's the Doc's new assistant!” On Tuesday, the Mirror's front page trumpeted an exclusive reveal that Bradley Walsh would be Jodie Whittaker's companion in the new series of Doctor Who.

See related Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 6 questions answered Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 7 review: The Dragon And The Wolf

The one-time Sarah Jane Adventures guest star would be the first companion actor to have hosted a quiz show with the same name as a 1960s serial, but beyond trivia, the report has been fairly well received as far as we can see – Walsh is a decent actor, who's worked with incoming executive producer Chris Chibnall before on Law & Order UK, and a fun screen presence. But given the source, might it all be a load of bobbins?...

Jenny Morrill Dec 20, 2016

Russ Abbot, Bullseye, Noel Edmonds and a film we all watched in the same room. Christmas TV was more exciting in the 80s...

Cast your mind back to when Christmas Day wasn't about Doctor Who followed by sticking something on Netflix until it was time to go watch the annual fist fight outside the pub.

See related Looking back at Martin Scorsese's The King Of Comedy The Wolf Of Wall Street review The Wolf Of Wall Street & Scorsese's confrontational films

In the 80s, Christmas was about seeing which fantastic fare the TV had decided to bless us with. Of course, the more prepared among us knew this well in advance, having eagerly pored over the Radio Times/TV Times to check that Jimmy Cricket's Family Laugh 'n' Waz would be shown. There it was – right after Reflections On The Eucharist With The Reverend Paul Leyland.

Paul Daniels' son is dashing home from Brazil to be with his seriously ill father. The popular magician has been diagnosed with an incurable brain cancer and his heartbroken son, Martin, has flown back to the UK to be with his farther after his condition worsened. Martin told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: ''The news has come as a huge shock to ­everybody and the family's focus is now on being there for Paul and supporting him through this time.'' Paul's illness was earlier confirmed in a statement that appeared on his official website. It read: ''We can confirm that one of our greatest ­magicians...

Paul Daniels' son is dashing home from Brazil to be with his seriously ill father. The popular magician has been diagnosed with an incurable brain cancer and his heartbroken son, Martin, has flown back to the UK to be with his farther after his condition worsened. Martin told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: ''The news has come as a huge shock to ­everybody and the family's focus is now on being there for Paul and supporting him through this time.'' Paul's illness was earlier confirmed in a statement that appeared on his official website. It read: ''We can confirm that one of our greatest ­magicians...

Paul Daniels has been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour. The great British entertainer and magician, aged 77, has been given the sad news by doctors that he has terminal cancer of the brain, his family has announced. His wife and stage assistant Debbie McGee has taken to Twitter today (20.02.16) and posted the words ''with sadness'', beside a link to a statement on the home page of Paul's website. The statement reads: ''We can confirm that one of our greatest magicians and entertainers of all times, Paul Daniels, has sadly been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour. ''On behalf of Paul, Debbie and their families, we thank you for...

Learning about Towie, Take Me Out and Paul Daniels is all in a day’s work for the Cop Car star. Just don’t ask him about moustaches

Hi Kevin! What are you up to today?

I’m on my way to a rehearsal for a play that I’m doing up in Hartford, Connecticut. It’s an adaptation of a short story by Cornell Woolrich that the movie Rear Window was based on.

Continue reading...

The BBC’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell isn't a silly, childish, Harry Potter rip-off. So why do people keep saying it is?

As described in a 1974 essay by author Ursula K. Le Guin, Americans are afraid of it, the French haven’t had it for centuries, Germans have a good deal of it, and the English “have it, and love it, and do it better than anyone else”.

That thing? A literary tradition of adult fantasy. Our national bookshelf (with thanks to Ireland, Scotland and Wales for the lend of Swift, Stoker, Lewis, Stevenson and more) is packed with the stuff, from epics to folklore, the Gothic and the satirists to the Romantics, Victorian moralists and Edwardian golden agers, to Tolkien and the twentieth-century conjurers, all the way up to today’s imaginative tale-spinners.

Such an august library should speak for itself. With all that precedence, you’d think the...

Jeremy Clarkson may be out of a job, but at least he won’t face criminal charges. At least, not if “Top Gear” producer Oison Tymon — who Clarkson reportedly physically attacked during an altercation earlier this month — has anything to say about it. Tymon — whose run-in with “Top Gear” host Clarkson led to Clarkson’s firing from the BBC show this week — has chosen not to press charges against Clarkson, Tymon’s attorney said Friday. “Mr. Tymon has informed the police that he doesn’t want to press charges,” the producer’s attorney, Paul Daniels, said in a statement. “The events of.

Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon has decided not to press charges against Jeremy Clarkson.

A BBC report stated earlier this week that Tymon took himself to hospital after he was subjected to a 30-second assault by Clarkson, causing bleeding and swelling to his lip. Tymon also received verbal abuse, including threats to fire him, during the fracas.

Tymon has since told police that he does not want to take the case any further.

His lawyer Paul Daniels issued a statement, saying: "Mr Tymon has informed the police that he doesn't want to press charges.

"The events of the last few weeks have been extremely unpleasant for everyone involved. The matter has taken a great toll on Oisin, his family and his friends.

"Quite simply, Mr Tymon just wishes to return now to the job at the BBC he loves, as soon as possible. Further, the BBC have, in his view,...

It's crazy to think now, 10 years on, that the reputation surrounding Doctor Who before the broadcast of series one episode 'Rose' - starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper - in 2005, was not what it is now.

In fact, in the pre-2005 Who landscape, it's safe to say that in terms of the general public and especially in the media, the series was regarded as a bad joke. And not even a very good bad joke at that.

The press just didn't take it seriously. In the aftermath of the initial 2003 announcement of the show's return, tabloids suggested that people like Paul Daniels and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen were in the running to be the new Doctor Who. Remember, they're not even actors.

But before another lazy journalist had the time to type "wobbly sets" for the 13th time that hour, a masterstroke was pulled - the BBC presented Christopher Eccleston as the...

The producer whose verbal and physical assault by Jeremy Clarkson led to the Top Gear host being axed by the BBC has made a statement.

Oisin Tymon has expressed his gratitude for the speed and thoroughness of the investigation headed by BBC Scotland chief Ken MacQuarrie, which published its findings today.

"I respect Lord Hall's detailed findings and I am grateful to the BBC for their thorough and swift investigation into this very regrettable incident, against a background of intense media interest and speculation," Tymon said.

"I've worked on Top Gear for almost a decade, a programme I love.

"Over that time, Jeremy and I had a positive and successful working relationship, making some landmark projects together.

"He is a unique talent and I am well aware that many will be sorry his involvement in the show should end in this way."

Oisin's lawyer Paul Daniels from Slater Gordon added:...

Should you be watching Matt Berry comedy show Toast Of London on Channel 4? In the words of Stephen Toast... Yes!

Did you know that musical star Michael Ball has double the amount of blood in his body as that of the average human? It's what allows him to belt out those big notes.

If you watched Series 1 of Toast Of London then you'll already know that's true.

But if you didn't know and didn't watch, then that's entirely not your fault. After a strong pilot, Channel 4 took the first series of Matt Berry and Arthur Matthews' comedy about failing actor Steven Toast (Berry) and buried it in the late hour soil of Sunday nights, in a time slot so obscure you'd need a TV guide, compass, shovel, and remote to find it.

Fortunately the Rose D'Or committee still managed to unearth it on 4Od - no doubt...

Ah. So here we are again.

The Big Brother house has been Hoovered, the Diary Room has had a lick of paint and Emma Willis has bought a new frock.

Tonight, a whole new bunch of desperate fame-hungry celebrities will be waving their way down the aisle and over to the slidey doors of doom as they enter this series of Celebrity Big Brother.

Paul Daniels? Maybe. White Dee? Possibly. Someone we've literally never heard of from a soap? Definitely.

Tune into Channel 5 from 9pm with Digital Spy, as we watch the CBB circus roll into town...

23:13Thanks for joining Digital Spy, and remember - don't have nightmares. G'night!

23:13So, did you recognise all of the housemates? Most of them? Three of them? None of them? We have to admit, it doesn't look great. But the main thing is, there's potential. And who knows what the next four weeks will hold.

Ah. So here we are again.

The Big Brother house has been Hoovered, the Diary Room has had a lick of paint and Emma Willis has bought a new frock.

Tonight, a whole new bunch of desperate fame-hungry celebrities will be waving their way down the aisle and over to the slidey doors of doom as they enter this series of Celebrity Big Brother.

Paul Daniels? Maybe. White Dee? Possibly. Someone we've literally never heard of from a soap? Definitely.

Tune into Channel 5 from 9pm with Digital Spy, as we watch the CBB circus roll into town...

23:13Thanks for joining Digital Spy, and remember - don't have nightmares. G'night!

23:13So, did you recognise all of the housemates? Most of them? Three of them? None of them? We have to admit, it doesn't look great. But the main thing is, there's potential. And who knows what the next four weeks will hold.

Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee in the hot tub with Gary Busey; Helen Flanagan weeping relentlessly in the Diary Room; and David McIntosh parading around in Those short shorts.... the possibilities for this series of Celebrity Big Brother are endless.

So, as we eagerly await for the mystery(ish) celebrity guests to enter the famous house in Elstree, we've decided to reminisce with our favourite ever star contestants below:

1. Jackie Stallone

"Yeah, Jackie," were the only two words uttered from the side of Jackie's heavily siliconed mouth as she entered the house, draped in fur and dripping in jewels. Her entrance soon became one of the most memorable moments from the entire series.

It was part-Jackie's presence, part-Jackie's face that really shocked Brigitte Nielsen back on the show in 2005 when her former mother-in-law entered the house on day five.

Fellow housemates had to refer to Jackie as the Queen Mother,...

Dynamo intends to ''reinvent the live magic show''. The 31-year-old magician has announced that the fourth series of 'Dynamo: Magician Impossible' will be the last, with the Bradford-born trickster set to make the move into the live arena. He explained: ''I think there are so many opportunities in the live arena for what I do, so it will be a great chance to kind of reinvent the live magic show. ''I can think back to David Copperfield and Paul Daniels, but I think in this day and age, there aren't that many magic shows in theatres so I think it will be...

BBC bosses have reportedly banned ''token oldie'' contestants from 'Strictly Come Dancing'. Station executives are said to have told casting agents for the ballroom dance contest to only sign up celebrities with a ''chance of winning'' and, having seen the likes of Tony Jacklin, Paul Daniels, Johnny Ball and Edwina Currie fail to impress on the dancefloor, they have advised staying away from older stars. A source told The Sun newspaper: ''Bosses say signing so-called 'old duffers' is a waste of time because they never have a chance of winning. They are never very good. ''The critical detail now will be that each...

Dynamo has confirmed that the upcoming fourth series of Magician Impossible will be the last.

Speaking at the launch of the new episodes last night (August 12), the magician - also known as Steven Frayne - explained that the time feels right to bring a close to his hit Watch show.

"It will be tricky to top this series, so I think it's always good to leave the audience wanting more," he said.

After joking that he had worked his production team too hard, Dynamo continued: "I genuinely do think that in regards to television magic, I've pushed the boundaries and reached a level that I think would be difficult to top at this moment.

"I just think there's so many other things magically that I'd like to try and go into. This is the last of Magician Impossible, but it's not the last you'll see of me."

Dynamo also suggested...

Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee are rumoured to be entering the Celebrity Big Brother house next week, and we are more than excited at the prospect.

The 75-year-old magician and his 55-year-old wife and former assistant - who have been married for 26 years - are reportedly in last minute talks with Channel 5 producers to take part in the summer series on August 18.

Let us not forget that the couple are no strangers to reality TV - having previously appeared on ITV's The X Factor: Battle of the Stars, Channel 5's The Farm and Wife Swap on Channel 4.

Daniels also competed on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing in 2010.

They could join fellow rumoured housemates including Helen Flanagan, Gary Busey, Stephanie Pratt and Lauren Goodger.

So, as we anticipate the possibility of Paul and Debbie in the house, we thought we'd celebrate with a selection of classic pictures of the...

If, like us, you're stuffed full of Easter chocolate and unable to move, never fear - at least there's lots of telly on the box. Take tonight, when Tommy Cooper gets the ITV biopic treatment in two-hour film Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This. With a biopic about Cilla Black on the way as well, DS couldn't help but wonder what other legends we'd like to see get the BAFTA-worthy drama treatment. Read on for our picks, while we polish our shoes ready for the inevitable awards ceremony call...

Gary Numan - Electric Friend (Tom Eames, Entertainment Reporter)

A film about the godfather of electro pop and industrial paranoia is crying out to be made, and maybe a TV film would be the best platform. Electric Friend would chart the story of a shy, socially awkward youth who would often get into trouble at school, turning to the...

It's game show heaven on television right now. Not only do we have all sorts of new formats making their way to screen, but some old favourites are getting a second lease of life, too - from Fifteen to One (airing daily on Channel 4) to the second series of the revived Catchphrase (Sundays on ITV.) But it got us thinking - what other game shows would we like to see return to our living rooms?

Well, we asked that very question to Fifteen to One's Sandi Toksvig and Catchphrase's Stephen Mulhern - and then had a bit of office debate about our own favourites...

You Bet! - Stephen Mulhern (Host, Catchphrase)

"This is an easy question: You Bet! It was one of my favourite TV shows and Matthew Kelly was one of my favourite presenters. I love it.

"I can give you some great examples that still amaze me to this day.

Kate O'Mara has died at the age of 74 after a short illness.

The acting world has responded to the sad news, and Digital Spy rounds up just some of the tributes below.

Tragic news about Kate O Mara , we had great fun on Dynasty when she played my sister Caress who Alexis insisted on calling Cassie ! Rip

— Joan Collins (@joancollinsobe) March 30, 2014

Oh my goodness. Kate O'Mara is no longer with us. Sad sad news. A delightful, committed and talented lady and actress. We are the poorer

— Colin Baker (@SawbonesHex) March 30, 2014

Just heard that Kate O'Mara has died......a lovely lady.

— Frazer Hines (@WhoFrazer) March 30, 2014

Kate O'Mara is no more. Only 74! I loved every encounter I had with her. Today doesn't seem so sunny.

— graham norton (@grahnort) March 30, 2014

So sad to hear that the wonderful Kate O'Mara has gone. Treasured memories xxx pic.twitter.com/GP4jZX851H

— Bonnie Langford (@bonnie_langford) March 30, 2014

R.

It's been a whopping 30 years since Spitting Image first hit our screens on ITV in 1984. The satirical puppet show quickly became one of the most-watched shows of the 1980s and early 1990s.

I wasn't able to fully appreciate the series when it was first on TV. When I watched it in the early '90s as a child, I found it funny mainly because of the silly puppets, even if I didn't quite understand what was going on. But in retrospective viewings, it still holds up as a genuinely hilarious satire of politics, entertainment, sport and general UK culture of the era.

It's quite incredible to think that Spitting Image hasn't been on air since 1996. To put that into perspective, the Spice Girls had only just been unleashed, Tony Blair hadn't been elected yet, and Lorde had only just been born.

As a show that is heavily reliant on topical...

After six years in 'retirement', Staines's finest is set to return in Ali G: Rezurection, on Fox network's Fxx comedy channel

Ali G is back in da house – at least, if your house is in the Us and you subscribe to the Fox network's Fxx comedy channel, which has persuaded Sacha Baron Cohen to revive his breakthrough comic character.

It's been six years since Baron Cohen officially "retired" Ali G, along with his Kazakhstani counterpart Borat, though the Staines wide boy made a surprise appearance at last year's British comedy awards to accept Baron Cohen's lifetime achievement award.

However, the 42-year-old comedian will record his first new material as Ali G – real name Alistair Leslie Graham – in a decade for a series of introductions that will precede old episodes of Da Ali G Show on Fxx as part of a season dubbed Ali G: Rezurection.

Reading on mobile?...

A nice hot bath will never be the same after viewing this chilling legal thriller that shows David Tennant at his best

David Tennant's character, Will Burton, leads a charmed existence. A brilliant, so far unbeaten defence barrister, he is The Escape Artist (BBC1), so called for his ability to get people off and out of jail. He's Houdini when everyone else is Paul Daniels. Generally adored too, except by the prosecution. And by Maggie Gardner (Sophie Okonedo), another barrister, who's been in Will's shadow since way back in law school. She's good too – not Paul Daniels, more like David Blaine. Or Cristiano Ronaldo to Burton's Lionel Messi in the Ballon d'Or of law.

Will's charmed life continues at home. There's a lovely wife, and a lovely son – though no Ballon d'Or there, I'm afraid, he misses an open goal in a school match (both parents are there of course,...

Fancy watching some poor punter getting a back, sack and crack from Rustie Lee? Want a waxing from Helen Flanagan? Is Arg from Towie delivering pedicures what you've been waiting for all these years? Well, wait no more people. Celebrity Super Spa has arrived.

I've already had the joy of watching episode one of Super Spa. I've seen the awkward and cringeworthy hosts. I've seen Helen Flanagan prancing around without any trousers on. I've seen Rustie Lee cackling. 867 times.

And I'll probably watch it all over again tonight (September 13) when it airs on Channel 5. Firstly, because I'm a glutton for terrible television. Secondly, because I'm fairly convinced it may be the most desperate celebrity reality show ever concieved. Even by Channel 5's late night standards, this is awful. It makes The Bachelor look like The Sopranos.

So where does the show fit in the history of degrading and embarrassing celebrity reality shows?...

The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is right around the corner and, with mere months to go before the celebrations kick off in earnest, Digital Spy wants to know the answer to a very important question - who is your favourite Doctor?

Join us every day from August 28 to September 6 as we take a look back at a half-century of Who and - in a new daily blog - weigh up the merits of each Doctor, from William Hartnell to Matt Smith, before finally revealing DS readers' favourite Doctor of all time on Monday, September 9.

We've reached Doctor Who's modern era now and the man who brought the series storming back to our screens in 2005, only to depart after 13 weeks... It's Christopher Eccleston!

Shane Richie, David Hasselhoff, Paul Daniels... the kind of names being touted by the tabloids for the role of the ninth Doctor once the news broke...

BBC One and ITV have attempted to bring magic back to primetime on a number of occasions in recent years, but without fail it's always bombed. Why they haven't got their chequebooks out for Dynamo and snaffled him away from UKTV remains almost as big a mystery as some of the Bradford lad's tricks.

The third series of his Magician Impossible show launched this week and if I could only watch one show again from the last seven days, I'd make it this.

One of the biggest problems with magic tricks is that they are all variations on a similar theme. Dynamo's repertoire is no different and the majority of his skits in this opening episode can probably all be explained with a similar methodology.

But it's his down-to-earth Yorkshire charm and the swanky production that means I don't care if he's basically pulling off the same trick with...

Britain's Got Talent magician James More has warned Digital Spy that "there is a risk [he] could die" in his semi-final performance.

The illusionist, who in yesterday's (May 26) show was seen 'impaling' himself on a blade, said that Simon Cowell "might regret" pushing for more dangerous stunts if the escapism act he is planning goes wrong.

Speaking to DS about his initial audition, More explained: "This is always an element of danger in what I do. I was never going to die, but I could have injured myself.

"With my semi-final, yeah, if something goes wrong in that, there is a risk I could die. I don't want to give too much away, but basically I'm doing something where I have to escape, and if I don't get out in time, I will be killed.

"Simon wanted his danger and he's got it, but he might regret it. It has to...

The TV BAFTAs are back this Sunday (May 12) and we're jolly excited. The BAFTAs are the closest that Britain has to its own Emmys, allowing our TV talent to put on their best suits and glad rags and slap each other on the back for a couple of hours.

Graham Norton blends a sharp wit with professionalism as the host, the nominations shortlist pulls off the tricky balance of populist choices with critics' favourites and, most importantly of all, Ant & Dec don't win every single year.

The TV BAFTAs may not always get it right (Towie? Really!), but they take TV seriously and even if they are occasionally a bit stuffy or they get it wrong with a winner, it still gives us a chance to all have a right good row ("So and so was robbed!" "How did that win?!") while sat on our sofas at home.

Who should...

Interview Rachel Bowles 28 Mar 2013 - 08:00

We spoke to wonderful TV writer David Renwick about bringing back Jonathan Creek, scrapped sitcoms, One Foot in the Grave and more...

Working in television writing since the seventies, and with a string of well-loved hits behind him including Not the Nine O'Clock News, One Foot in the Grave, and of course, Jonathan Creek, we spoke to David Renwick about bringing Creek back to the BBC, walking away from projects, and killing off Victor Meldrew...

So onto Jonathan Creek, first of all I was going to ask you about the three other episodes that have been announced for later this year...

Hopefully, hopefully.

Hopefully? Is it still dependant on something?

Well it might not happen if I fail to write something good. I shouldn’t be spreading doom and gloom and doubt and insecurities, although that’s my role! We hope to go into...

It's hard to see the wood for the trees in this fairytale starring a Bond girl, an Avenger and a witch who looks like Paul Daniels

Reading on a mobile? Click here to watch

2012 might have slunk away ungraciously, but that doesn't mean that its presence can't still be felt. This is especially true when it comes to one of last year's least appealing movie trends – the gradual Asylumification of mainstream cinema. You know the sort of thing; tiresomely schlocky zero-expectation genre flicks that are made on the cheap and exist solely to trade on a kitschy title. Strippers v Werewolves. Cockneys v Zombies. Abraham Lincoln: Zombie Hunter. Fine if you stumble upon them on TV when you're drunk at 2am; less so if you're paying in full for a cinema ticket.

But with a new year comes new expectations. Perhaps, despite all signs to the contrary, Hansel and Gretel...

Paul Daniels has posed as a topless David Beckham for a new photoshoot. The magician wore drenched trousers and fake tattoos for the image, which appears in this week's Closer magazine. Daniels, 74, and his wife Debbie McGee have posed as David and Victoria Beckham in the past, famously replicating their 2009 Armani billboard. Asked what he had in common with the La Galaxy footballer, Daniels said: "We've both got lovely wives. Although I'm sure he's very jealous of my manly physique." Of meeting David in 2005, Daniels said: "He was with the kids and his missus, and surrounded by all this security. But he was very charming and very normal "We called our (more)...

He may no longer be involved with the Hunger Games franchise, but it would seem that writer-director Gary Ross is happy to stay in business with Summit Entertainment. He’s now in negotiations to handle a new planned film about Harry Houdini.Back in 2009, Summit snapped up the rights to William Kalush and Larry Sloman’s book The Secret Life Of Houdini, The Making Of America’s First Superhero, which hit bookshelves in 2006 and caused ripples by adding to claims that the escape expert was an undercover agent for various organisations. The pair claims that he not only worked with British Intelligence, but the Us Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies.The idea behind the new movie will be to position Houdini as a blend of Sherlock Holmes, Indiana Jones and Paul Daniels. Okay, maybe more David Blaine.Various studios have been looking to exploit Houdini’s story, but...

London, Feb 10: Comedian Tim Vine's gag - ''Conjunctivitis.com - that's a site for sore eyes'- has won him this year's funniest joke award at the Loaded Laftas, which was held in London.

The 44-year-old's joke beat competition from Jimmy Carr and magician Paul Daniels.

Jon Richardson, best known for his appearances on '8 Out of 10 Cats', was named funniest man, the BBC reported.

Andi Osho, who has appeared on 'Mock the Week' and 'Celebrity Mastermind', emerged as the winner in the funniest woman award category.

Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer picked up the gong for funniest double act for the fourth year running.

Paul Daniels has opened up about accidentally sawing through two of his fingers on New Year's Day, saying that he feared the accident represented "the end of magic". The 73-year-old was making a safety guard for his circular saw when said blade cut through his index finger and the tip of his ring finger on his left hand. "The pain was terrible," he told the Daily Mail. "Thankfully, I don't panic. I go completely the opposite - icy cold mentally - and everything goes in slow motion. "I yanked my hand out and clenched my fist, slamming it to my chest just in case it was gushing blood. I didn't look at it. I couldn't. Coupled with the fact it hurt like hell, my first thought was, 'This could (more)...

Beloved British magician Paul Daniels has accidentally cut off two of his fingers while using a saw at his home in Berkshire, England.

The TV trickster, who is famous for appearing to saw women in half as part of his stage routine, was using the tool to create props for his act on New Year's Day when his hand slipped, causing him to slice off his index finger and the top of his ring finger.

The magician tells Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper, "My head was full of pain (at) the possible end of the magic."

Daniels drove himself to a nearby hospital and has since undergone surgery to reattach his fingers.

He adds to the BBC, "It's all healing up now and it's coming along really well; the surgeon's really pleased, the sensation's there, it's all bending. I will have to adapt when I get all the bandages off for the handling of some of the stuff I do."...

Paul Daniels lost his left index finger and the tip of his ring finger after accidentally cutting them off while using a circular saw. The magician, who competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, was making new props for his stage show when the accident occurred. Daniels, who was trying to fit a safety guard to the tool when his hand slipped, drove to Townlands Hospital in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, before being transferred by ambulance for emergency surgery at Wexham Park hospital in Slough, where the index finger was reattached. "I had no idea what had been damaged or lost or where I was or anything. My head was full of pain and the possible end of the magic," he told The Mirror. "I could hear phrases and words around me - like 'bone shattered', 'ground up', 'nail gone' and 'might be able to save the (more)...

Paul Daniels has lost one of his fingertips after accidentally cutting it off using a circular saw. The magician, who competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, was making new props for his stage show when he sliced the top of his ring finger and damaged his forefinger and little finger. Daniels, who was trying to fit a safety guard to the tool when his hand slipped, drove to Townlands Hospital in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, before being transferred by ambulance for emergency plastic surgery at Wexham Park hospital in Slough, Berkshire. "I had no idea what had been damaged or lost or where I was or anything. My head was full of pain and the possible end of the magic," he told The Mirror. "I could (more)...

More lists, taking in Gregg Wallace's happiest feelings and Rihanna chucking up ribbons

8 movie characters you wouldn't want to fuck with, by Jordan Rizzle Kicks

1 Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills (in Taken)

Literally slaps up most of Paris in 96 hours.

2 Brad Pitt as Mickey O'Neil (in Snatch)

One-hit wonder.

3 Gary Oldman as Stansfield (in Leon)

No one plays gun-toting villains like Gary Oldman.

4 Vincent Cassel as Jacques (in Mesrine)

He holds up a judge at gunpoint. Enough said.

5 Keanu Reeves as Neo (in The Matrix)

Can literally do anything.

6 Denzel Washington as Eli (in The Book Of Eli)

Can batter people while wearing a backpack.

7 Samuel L Jackson as Jules (in Pulp Fiction)

Just wants to be the shepherd.

8 Ben Kingsley as Don Logan (in Sexy Beast)

Doesn't take no for an answer.

Rizzle Kicks' single Mama Do The Hump is out on Boxing Day

Alistair Darling's finest...

Graham Linehan's stage adaptation of The Ladykillers succeeds where the Coen brothers failed: it's actually funny

Graham Linehan's new stage adaptation of the classic 1955 Ealing movie The Ladykillers, directed by Sean Foley, is up and running in London's West End. My colleague Michael Billington has delivered his verdict and I went to see it the other day. The questions this production throws up – apart from "Wasn't that brilliant?" and "When for goodness' sake can I see it again?" – are "How has Mr Linehan bucked the trend of film-to-play adaptations being so cynical and awful?" and "How has he succeeded where the Coen brothers failed?"

Joel and Ethan Coen produced their own remake of The Ladykillers in 2004. The original had a wacky criminal gang, led by Alec Guinness's loopy professor, renting a room in a tumbledown old house in London's King's Cross from a sweet old lady, whom...

Sooty shocked the nation earlier this year when it was revealed that the lovable TV favourite had hospitalised TV magician Paul Daniels with a pizza. But Digital Spy has a fresh exclusive on the story that will shock fans of the yellow bear. This wasn't a first time offence. We caught up with comic legend John Shuttleworth, who recently guest starred on The Sooty Show, to get all the pizza-flying details. Are you well, John?

"I'm not very well. I'm adequately well....I've just about recovered from having a pizza thrown at me." This is the question everyone wants answered...

"I know. It felled Paul Daniels, didn't it? Well, I feel sorry for him Alex. Those pizzas are overdone. It's a good job I had my glasses on and that the frames are anti-shatter. I got hit square in the nose and right in (more)...

Children's TV favourite Sooty has apologised for injuring Paul Daniels with a pizza. The 73-year-old magician sought medical treatment after getting a lump of food thrown in his eye during filming of the yellow bear's Citv series. Speaking through his master Richard Cadell, the 63-year-old puppet said: "Sooty's very sorry for what happened. He never intended to knock Paul out, but he hopes Paul enjoyed the pizza. "He didn't know his own strength," Sooty continued to Orange. "But no one (more)...

After a few years out of the limelight, Sooty grabbed the headlines again this week following his now-infamous assault on fellow magician Paul Daniels with a slice of cold pizza. Daniels was quick to play down the incident, no doubt out of professional courtesy. Of course, those of us who have tracked Sooty's mischievous ways down the years wouldn't have been in the least bit surprised when they heard the news. We mark Sooty's return to public life with ten fast facts. 1. Sooty was discovered on July 19, 1948 when Harry Corbett bought the famous puppet for 7s6d as a present for his son Matthew while on holiday in Blackpool. Known originally as 'Teddy', Harry quickly incorporated the new arrival into his magic show. 2. The bear was first seen on our screens in 1952 with an appearance on the BBC's Talent Night, filmed (more)...

Paul Daniels has claimed that the pizza-throwing incident on The Sooty Show has been blown out of proportion. The TV magician was alleged to have been left dazed by a pizza chucked by glove puppet Sooty during filming for the children's TV favourite's latest Citv series. Daniels spoke to Sky News Radio this morning, playing down the story and insisting that his only injury was a small amount of pizza in his eye. "That was over a month ago, I wasn't hospitalised, I got pizza in my eye," he said. "It stung." He continued: "So on the way home I stopped off at a wonderful village hospital and the nurse said, 'Oh no, this will sting a minute', put (more)...

Paul Daniels was reportedly taken to hospital after being hit with a pizza by Sooty the puppet. The bizarre accident occurred as the TV magician was filming a segment for ITV's The Sooty Show last month. According to The Sun, the scene saw the much-loved puppet throw a pizza at Daniels's head. However, the second take saw puppet operator Richard Cadell put too much force into the throw. A dazed Daniels received medical attention and was taken to A&E to be treated for suspected head injuries and a black eye. "Paul was such a good sport and so professional," a source told the paper. "He's insisted they use the scene where he got injured, not the first one. "Well, he did suffer for his art, so it would be a shame to waste it. And after all, it's (more)...

Paul Daniels was reportedly taken to hospital after being hit with a pizza by Sooty the puppet. The bizarre accident occurred as the TV magician was filming a segment for ITV's The Sooty Show last month. According to The Sun, the scene saw the much-loved puppet throw a pizza at Daniels's head. However, the second take saw puppet operator Richard Cadell put too much force into the throw. A dazed Daniels received medical attention and was taken to A&E to be treated for suspected head injuries and a black eye. "Paul was such a good sport and so professional," a source told the paper. "He's insisted they use the scene where he got injured, not the first one. "Well, he did suffer for his art, so it would be a shame to waste it. And after all, it's (more)...