The latest Ghost Story for Christmas from writer/director Mark Gatiss was filmed in just four days – a remarkable achievement, but the tight schedule meant that one Easter egg doesn’t quite make the final cut.
Lot No. 249, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1892 Gothic horror short story, sees young academic Abercrombie Smith (Kit Harington) encounter the strange and exotic Edward Bellingham (Freddie Fox), whose arcane research into Ancient Egypt could be inspiring something terrible…
Gatiss couldn’t resist slipping in a nod to his beloved Doctor Who – having a prop scroll made featuring the character Scaroth from the 1979 story City of Death.
In that serial, the Doctor (Tom Baker) battles Scaroth (Julian Glover), the last of the alien Jagaroth, who is ransacking the art treasures of history to rescue his people – in one sequence, Scaroth’s visage is seen depicted on an Egyptian scroll.
Given the Egyptian slant of Lot No. 249, Gatiss planned to feature a replica scroll in the drama – and though it was constructed, a tight shooting schedule means it’s never quite visible on-screen.
“The downside, always, is time,” he told RadioTimes.com. “Bellingham’s room… the design is beautiful and I wanted so many cutaways… we just didn’t have time.
“There’s a cutaway which will pain you because I actually commissioned it – I had the scroll made from City of Death with Scaroth in it. You can see it just behind Kit’s head.
“Things like that really pain me, especially when you’ve actually gone out of the way to do it!”
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Gatiss has suggested that Lot No. 249 may be his final Ghost Story for Christmas, due to the difficulty in securing funding for his one-off, 30-minute stories.
“If you talk to anybody, it’s scary how scarce the resources are.
“I don’t want to sound like a bleeding heart, but people love them and I really hope we can find a way. But I think it’s perilous, because, as I always say, it’s such an unusual slot… it’s just really hard to scrape the money together.
“I’m hoping for an eccentric billionaire [to fund it]!”
A Ghost Story for Christmas: Lot No.249 airs on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Eve (Sunday 24th December) at 10pm.
Find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our Fantasy hub for more news and features.
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]]>The Winter King author Bernard Cornwell has explained what differentiates Arthur Pendragon (Iain De Caestecker) from The Last Kingdom‘s Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon).
Comparisons between the two shows were bound to happen, as both are adapted from Cornwell’s novels, although notably they are produced by entirely different creative teams and do not inhabit a shared universe.
In addition, The Last Kingdom had somewhat more of an action focus, whereas The Winter King contains more political intrigue – partly as a result of Arthur’s high status in ancient Britain.
While appearing as a guest on ITVX’s official The Winter King podcast, Cornwell compared and contrasted his two heroes, outlining precisely what sets them apart.
“He has greater responsibility than Uhtred,” he began. “One of the things that I tried to stress in the books is that there never was a ‘King Arthur’. I mean, nothing in the records suggests he was ever a king.
“He was called a warlord, the leader of battles. And that’s what Arthur is in the books and in the series. He’s a warrior. But he’s a very thoughtful warrior and a very responsible warrior.”
Cornwell continued: “And he has responsibilities that Uhtred doesn’t have. Uhtred’s loyalties are towards Bebbanburg and his own people. He doesn’t have to make decisions that affect the fate of the whole nation; Arthur does.”
The Last Kingdom fans will recall that Bebbanburg is Uhtred’s ancestral home, which was unjustly taken from him at a young age and became a key location in the show as the warrior attempted to reclaim it.
Meanwhile, Arthur is the illegitimate and outcast son of Uther (Eddie Marsan), the king of Dumnonia, who is called back to save the land when it is left vulnerable to attack.
The author added: “So Arthur is a more thoughtful person. But he’s just as effective a war leader because I’m quite sure that’s what Arthur was – a leader of battles.”
Cornwell revealed that he hasn’t met The Winter King star Iain De Caestecker, but thought he worked “perfectly” in the lead role, while he also voiced his support for the diversity in the show (which has come under attack since its debut).
The Winter King is available to stream on ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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]]>Marvel fans are ready to be swept up by another set of wacky multiversal adventures in What If…? season 2, which imagines alternate versions of the characters we know and love.
The first season, released back in 2021, had a notable influence on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter going on to bag a live-action appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The character will return in What If…? season 2, where she’ll be faced with the twisted return of her lost love Steve Rogers in a storyline that mirrors Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
That episode will also build on the franchise’s Indigenous American representation – which began with Alaqua Cox’s debut as Echo – by introducing a new, original Mohawk character named Kahhori.
If you’re excited to see everything that Marvel’s What If…? season 2 has in store, read on for details on when each episode arrives on Disney Plus.
In a break from their usual strategy, Marvel Studios is releasing episodes of What If…? season 2 daily until Saturday 30th December 2023.
The move represents a willingness to experiment as the franchise attempts to reconnect with viewers, which is also reflected in Echo’s binge-watch drop in January.
Here’s the full Marvel’s What If…? season 2 release schedule:
Marvel’s What If…? season 2 is expected to drop on Disney Plus at the usual time of 12AM PT, 3AM ET and 8AM GMT.
We’ll update this page if the streaming service adopts a different approach as it recently has with the likes of Ahsoka and Loki season 2.
Matching the first edition, Marvel’s What If…? season 2 will consist of nine episodes in total.
The previous run featured largely self-contained stories with some overarching plot threads, all of which converged in an epic finale as a ragtag team of heroes faced an Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Ultron.
It’s quite possible that this latest outing will follow the same narrative structure – although details are scarce at the time of writing.
Marvel’s What If…? is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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]]>The PDC World Darts Championship 2024 is approaching the Christmas break with a host of big names on the slate for Friday.
Players will rest after tomorrow’s action, with every victor from this stage onwards set to play in the second phase of the tournament.
Raymond van Barneveld is the star attraction on Friday evening as he faces Radek Szaganski in a bid to reach the third round, while Chris Dobey wraps up the night with a showdown against William O’Connor.
The world cannot advance to the next calendar year without the triple thud of a 180 at Ally Pally, with the PDC World Darts Championship holding a special place as the sporting event of the hazy week between Christmas and New Year.
Settle down, sink into your sofa, don’t worry about what day it is or when to put the bins out, and savour every moment of world class darts action live from Ally Pally.
RadioTimes.com brings you the daily schedule and order of play for the PDC World Darts Championship 2024.
All UK time.
From 12:30pm (Sky Sports Arena)
R2: Brendan Dolan v Mickey Mansell/Xiaochen Zong
R2: Jose de Sousa v Jeffrey de Graaf
R2: Krzysztof Ratajski v Jamie Hughes
R2: Dirk van Duijvenbode v Boris Krcmar
From 7pm (Sky Sports Arena)
R2: Dimitri Van den Bergh v Florian Hempel
R2: Martin Schindler v Jermaine Wattimena
R2: Raymond van Barneveld v Radek Szaganski
R2: Chris Dobey v William O’Connor
From 12:30pm (Sky Sports Arena)
R2: Kim Huybrechts v Richard Veenstra
R2: Callan Rydz v Ricardo Pietreczko
R2: Jonny Clayton v Steve Lennon
R2: Daryl Gurney v Steve Beaton
From 7pm (Sky Sports Arena)
R2: Ryan Searle v Tomoya Goto
R2: Josh Rock v Luke Woodhouse/Berry van Peer
R2: Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce
R2: Nathan Aspinall v Ricky Evans
REST
REST
REST
From 12:30pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 7pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 12:30pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 7pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 12:30pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 7pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 12:30pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 7pm (Sky Sports Arena)
REST
From 12:30pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 7pm (Sky Sports Arena)
From 7pm (Sky Sports Arena)
Coverage of the PDC World Darts Championship 2024 will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Arena and Main Event.
You can add the Sky Sports channels from just £18 per month combined or pick up the complete sports package for just £25 per month.
Sky Sports customers can live stream the tournament via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices including most smartphones and tablets as part of their subscription.
You can also watch matches via NOW without signing up to a contract.
NOW can be streamed through a computer or apps found on most smart TVs, phones and consoles. NOW is also available via TNT Sports.
If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.
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]]>With All Creatures Great and Small now having aired its Christmas special for 2023, fans will naturally be wondering if they will get to see James, Helen and the rest of their favourites at Skeldale House again in a fifth season of the show.
While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, it certainly seems that the cast would be up for returning, based on comments made when they spoke with RadioTimes.com and other press ahead of the Christmas special.
When asked whether they would be interested in another season, Mrs Hall star Anna Madeley said: “I think there’s loads of stories aren’t there, that are still fantastic to tell.”
Meanwhile, Siegfried Farnon star Samuel West added: “I think we’re all still having a very nice time. And there’s lots and lots of things that we would still love to film. We seem to have made our home in the Dales now, they’re getting on with us better, aren’t they?”
Nicholas Ralph responded saying that the Yorkshire Dales are “our home away from home now”.
The Channel 5 series, which is based on the series of books written by Alf Wight under the pen name James Herriot, has now been airing since 2020, with fans having now seen four seasons and four Christmas specials.
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Earlier this year, as the series was awarded the Stress Buster Award at the Radio Times Screen Test Awards 2023, writer and creator Ben Vanstone explained what he thinks the appeal of the show is.
Vanstone said: “I think, and I’d hope, it’s the humanity in it. I think that its values are about kindness, and about coming together. And I also think that it deliberately eschews huge dramatic stakes sometimes – the very small things become very big, which I think is relatable for most people.
“I don’t think everyone’s in life and death situations everyday, but they might have a problem with their pet, and we find our stories operate in that space rather than high drama. And, you know, there’s obviously space for all of that in the TV landscape, but we’re really happy to be telling stories about people and a community with heart and kindness.”
You can watch all episodes of All Creatures Great and Small, including this year’s Christmas special, on My5. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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]]>Spoiler warning for Friday 22nd December’s episode of EastEnders, released at 6am on BBC iPlayer and airing at 7:30pm on BBC One.
EastEnders has aired some dramatic scenes for The Six in the last episode ahead of the big Christmas Day episode.
The BBC One soap is building towards the scene of the six Walford matriarchs – Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), and Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) – standing over a mystery male body on Christmas Day in the Queen Vic pub.
On Friday, the action continued following detective Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) discovering that Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) is alive and planning to run away with lover Suki after framing evil Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) and his bad boy son Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) for her murder.
Jack then agreed to lover Stacey’s request to hide this secret until Eve and Suki got away from Walford, but we later saw Jack furious to still find Suki on the Square – having delayed her and Eve’s departure to make Christmas arrangements for step-grandson Davinder “Nugget” Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury). Suki threatened to expose Jack’s tryst with Stacey to Denise and his children, buying her and Eve another 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Jack’s love life got even worse after a furious row with lover Stacey, while his wife Denise refused to forgive him for emotionally blackmailing her into staying for the sake of his daughter Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd).
As Stacey interjected amid a row between Jack and Denise, the detective was left out in the cold and acted out – calling the police to let them know that Eve was alive – securing the release of villainous Nish and Ravi.
Elsewhere, Linda was still reeling following her text apparently from her presumed dead husband Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), prompting her mum Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) to reason that it was someone playing a game with her – Dean Wicks (played by actor Matt Di Angelo), the man who raped her in 2014.
Asked to meet the message sender at the location where she married Mick in 2016, Linda travelled there and found Dean, who asked her for forgiveness for his actions amid the worrying prognosis for daughter Jade Masood (Elizabeth Green), blaming his actions.
Linda reminded Dean that she never did anything to deserve his monstrous actions, arguing with him and finally getting him to admit that he raped her. Once this happened, Linda went to leave and he was angry she wouldn’t react more positively to his apology. Linda accused his apology of being about him and not her, with Linda calling Dean a coward.
Dean tried to stop Linda from leaving by grabbing her, prompting her to hit him in the face and then she kicked him while he was on the ground before finally leaving.
Back at the Queen Vic, Sharon comforted her best friend Linda who continued to eye the alcohol in close vicinity following her recent relapse.
Unbeknownst to Sharon, her fiancé Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) ignored his sister Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) who asked him for financial help and a home in light of the consequences of his staged kidnapping attempt of Sharon’s son Albie. Keanu later rejects giving Bernie a place to live, fearing it will cost him his new life with Sharon.
However, Sharon herself continues to hide that Keanu is not Albie’s dad – instead, it is her ex-husband, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).
Finally, Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) continued to resist the attempts by her estranged ‘husband’ Tom “Rocky” Cotton (Brian Conley) to reconcile, full of heartache over his fiery insurance scam that claimed her cafe and almost killed her grandsons.
As the episode closed, the residents of Walford gathered at the carol concert which featured lead vocals from Howie Danes (Delroy Atkins).
Amidst this, Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) finally listened to an emotional Christmas video message left by his late wife Lola Pearce-Brown (Danielle Harold) in the car lot.
A final montage showed The Six all looking angry and haunted by their various situations before the episode ended with a moody final shot of an empty Queen Vic at Christmas – where the body of a mystery man will soon be lying dead.
This is the last early BBC iPlayer release before Christmas Day as fans will have to tune in live at 9.45pm on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer if they want to see the truth.
However, fans will be able to catch the Boxing Day instalment from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can visit Refuge for more information and contact 0808 2000 247 for support. Help can also be found at The Hideout and Rape Crisis.
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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]]>Zack Snyder’s epic sci-fi film Rebel Moon might not have fared very well when it comes to reviews from critics – but the good news for the director and his loyal fans is that he doesn’t need to worry too much about the future of his new franchise just yet.
That’s because the next instalment, which is titled Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, was filmed back to back with the first film, and will be arriving on Netflix in just a matter of months.
As the title suggests, the upcoming entry is intended as the second half of a two-part film with the first, and so it will pick up the stories of the various characters we met in the newly released Part One.
It’s not yet been made clear whether The Scargiver will also be given a cinematic release a week earlier, as was the case with A Child of Fire, but that seems very likely – we’ll update this page as and when that’s confirmed.
Not too many plot details about the second film have been made clear at this stage – which isn’t all that surprising, given the first one has only just arrived.
We do know based on some teases by Snyder that the film will apparently go further into the backstories of several of the characters, including the series lead Kora, who is given the nickname of the film’s title.
Meanwhile, it seems likely that Noble – the villain played by Ed Skrein – will be out for revenge after he was seemingly defeated by Kora and her allies in the first film, and it’s also probable that we’ll see much more of his boss, Fra Fee’s Regent Balisarius.
When any more details are made available, we’ll post them right here, so do keep checking back for all the latest news.
Most of the ensemble cast for the first film is set to return in the next instalment – so expect to see more of Sofia Boutella as Kora, Djimon Hounsou as Titus, Charlie Hunnam as Kai, Michiel Huisman as Gunnar and Doona Bae as Nemesis.
Also reprising their roles will be Staz Nair as Tarak, Cleopatra Coleman as Devra Bloodaxe, E Duffy as Millius, Anthony Hopkins as the voice of Jimmy, Alfonso Herrera as Cassius, Jena Malone as Harmada, Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble and Fra Fee as Regent Balisarius.
Meanwhile, it’s not clear whether Ray Fisher will be back as Darrian Bloodaxe, after his character appeared to be killed off in the first film – is he really dead, or could he be back for more?
There is indeed. Thanks to Justice League, there are few filmmakers working today more synonymous with the term ‘Director’s Cut’ than Zack Snyder, so it’s perhaps not surprising that Netflix has announced it will also be releasing extended editions of the Rebel Moon films.
It’s not yet clear when the first Director’s Cut will arrive – beyond a vague release window of early 2024 – but we do know that Snyder reckons it’s a whole different prospect than the already released version.
Speaking to AP Wire, he said: “It’s not an ‘extended cut’ of this movie. It’s almost like a different movie. It’s almost a different universe that lives in than this movie.”
When we hear more about when the Director’s Cut will land on Netflix, we’ll update this page accordingly.
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Film coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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It was an eventful Christmas Day for both Helen and James in the All Creatures Great and Small festive special.
At the beginning of the episode, Rachel Shenton’s character had begun to experience cramps, indicating that her baby’s arrival was imminent, which was far from ideal given that she was planning to visit James, who’s away completing his RAF training.
After her husband, Mrs Hall and Siegfried advised Helen against travelling, she decided to stay put, but she wasn’t happy about the decision, with James also frustrated, which prompted him to ask FO Woodham if he could pay her a visit.
When his request for leave was denied, he decided to sneak out regardless, even though it was a court martial offence, and made it to within one mile of Darrowby with help from some very kind strangers.
But a disgruntled Woodham suddenly appeared and transported him back to base, with that appearing to be very much that.
After James managed to get the group’s kestrel back in the air, however, Woodham softened to the vet’s predicament and dropped him at his home personally, where he was permitted to stay for two days.
Unfortunately, he had just missed the birth of his son, also named James, but at least the three of them were able to share a moment together, which wasn’t on his Christmas bingo card.
Read more:
Yet with James required back at camp in just two days as the war effort continues to ramp up, where he will then be transferred for bomber training, it was a bittersweet moment.
And he also doesn’t know how much longer he will be away from his family – or if he’ll return at all.
Speaking ahead of the Christmas special, Nicholas Ralph, who plays James, said: “He’s probably been away now for about four months, so it’s a long time to be away from your significant other.
“And he misses Helen hugely, and she’s pregnant, and like he says before he leaves, things are a lot different now than when he signed up.
“When he signed up, Helen wasn’t pregnant, things were very, very different. And if she was back then, who knows what decision he would have made?”
Callum Woodhouse’s Tristan Farnon was also absent from the Christmas special after the character was called up to serve in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
“Tristan’s away at war, so he doesn’t feature this year,” Ralph told RadioTimes.com. “And within the world of All Creatures Great and Small, we miss Tristan a lot.
“And James in particular, he’s his best friend. He’s his brother in the surrogate family, so he’s hugely proud of him for becoming his own man, spreading his wings and getting out from underneath Siegfried’s watchful eye.”
Speaking about Woodhouse’s absence on set, Ralph said: “The character James misses Tris, but also we missed Cal on set and hanging out. He’s a wonderful, wonderful actor.”
Shenton added: “He’s still in the WhatsApp group sending pictures of the dogs [laughs].”
There’s been no word on All Creatures season 5, but fans will certainly be hoping to see all of their favourites present and correct if it does get the green light.
All Creatures Great and Small is available to watch on My5. If you’re looking for something else to watch, visit our TV Guide or take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage.
You can order James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small from Amazon.
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Season 4 of All Creatures Great and Small marked the show’s first outing without Tristan Farnon, after he was called up to serve in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in last year’s Christmas special.
It was a disappointing development for fans of the show, with many expressing their hope that he’ll return sooner rather than later.
But sadly, actor Callum Woodhouse didn’t feature in this year’s festive episode (Thursday 21st December) – and it was also hinted that we probably won’t see him for quite some time, given that Siegfried, who was clearly missing Tristan, has offered new vet student Richard Carmody his brother’s old room.
“He shan’t be using it for a while,” he said.
The newcomer had grown on the patriarch of Skeldale House, but in typical Siegfried fashion he refused to admit anything of the sort.
“Because it’s convenient,” he added. “You can answer the night calls. But keep your hands off my whisky, especially the good stuff.”
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It’s unsurprising that Tristan isn’t due back anytime soon, given that the Second World War hasn’t yet reached the halfway point, but Woodhouse did share a photo on Instagram of his last day of filming, which was captioned, “Over and out for now,” which indicates that we’ve not seen the last of him.
But it looks unlikely that he’ll appear in the currently unconfirmed fifth season.
Speaking previously about the impact of Tristan’s absence on the characters, Nicholas Ralph, who plays James, said: “We miss Tristan a lot.
“And James in particular, he’s his best friend. He’s his brother in the surrogate family, so he’s hugely proud of him for becoming his own man, spreading his wings and getting out from underneath Siegfried’s watchful eye.”
And naturally, the cast also missed working alongside Woodhouse.
“The character James misses Tris, but also we missed Cal on set and hanging out,” Ralph added. “He’s a wonderful, wonderful actor.”
Rachel Shenton, who stars as Helen, said: “He’s still in the WhatsApp group sending pictures of the dogs [laughs].”
All Creatures Great and Small is available to watch on My5. If you’re looking for something else to watch, visit our TV Guide or take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage.
You can order James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small from Amazon.
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]]>Brand new drama Finders Keepers is coming to Channel 5 early next year, and RadioTimes.com has an exclusive first look at what viewers can expect.
The series stars Neil Morrissey as Martin, a history enthusiast and detectorist who unearths a hoard of Saxon treasure when out with his daughter’s fiancé Ashley, played by Jay Buckley.
However, when they decide not to report the find, one wrong decision sends them spiralling on a path of deceit and suspicion of murder, as they are caught between local ex-con, Rocky (Shane Attwooll) and the tenacious DS Doyle (Rakhee Thakrar).
The duo end up being pushed to breaking point and forced to experience the dark side of human nature, and Martin’s attempts to navigate out of the mess have devastating consequences for himself and his loved ones.
You can watch the exclusive first-look trailer for Finders Keepers here:
The series also stars Fay Ripley as Martin’s wife Anne, while Jessica Rhodes plays their daughter and Ashley’s fiancée Laura. Downton Abbey‘s Brendan Coyle rounds out the cast, playing Denys Elland.
First-look images have also been released for the series, showing Martin and Ashley metal detecting, as well as giving glimpses of the rest of the characters.
Morrissey, who is known for roles in series such as Men Behaving Badly and Line of Duty, was most recently seen in The Good Karma Hospital, which he starred in for four seasons until it ended on ITV.
Meanwhile, Buckley is best known for playing Jay in The Inbetweeners, a role he said earlier this year he would not want to return to.
Buckley said of a potential return: “No, it would be [sad and creepy]. Yeah, no, I think… see, the thing is, I think we all are on the same page with The Inbetweeners. In that, I think if we could have all stayed 19 forever, and if it would still be funny, we would have done it forever. It was the best job in the world.”
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Finders Keepers will air on Channel 5 and My5 in 2024. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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]]>Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) was left pleading for his life in tonight’s Emmerdale (21st December 2023), as ex Chloe (Jessie Elland) and her gangster father Damon Harris (Robert Beck) left him at their mercy.
Damon kidnapped Mack and tied him to a chair in a disused factory, while at his home, the oblivious Chloe quizzed her dad on the hold up over the fake passports for her and baby son Reuben. When she tried to head out, Damon insisted on doing everything for her to keep her safe.
Paying Mack another visit, Damon taunted him with food before allowing him to drink some water. When Mack urged the man to let him go, Damon said he would only do so if Mack vowed to stay away from Chloe and Reuben for good.
Naturally, Mack refused, still as desperate as ever to be with his little boy. Damon, however, pointed out that he held all the cards. With a weapon in hand, Damon laughed as Mack lost patience and blurted out that he regretted being with Chloe at all, and made the mistake of branding her a “psycho”.
Using the weapon to strike Mack, Damon made another demand that he must forget about Reuben in exchange for his life.
Meanwhile, Chloe got a voicemail from Mack’s worried wife, Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins), who was sure something had happened to Mack. When Damon returned, Chloe forced him to admit what he had done, and took her to see Mack.
A cool and calm Damon read out a document declaring that Mack would waive his rights to Reuben, and tried to convince Chloe that they had to make Mack sign it, or make him disappear – permanently.
A bloodied Mack tried to reason with Chloe, who finally revealed that she knew all about him leaving her for dead, and sleeping with Charity long before he walked away from her!
With Mack’s fate now in her hands, Chloe picked up the piping Damon had been using as a threat, and tried her best to look menacing. But her mask soon slipped as she got emotional during a private confrontation with the father of her child.
Mack promised that he had never wanted rid of Chloe, and urged her to think about Reuben before she took action.
“Let me go, because I’m not getting out of here alive unless you do,” he told her.
What will Chloe do next?
Read more:
Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Soaps hub.
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]]>As the wait continues to find out exactly who has been killed on EastEnders‘ Christmas Day special, and who has done the killing, we’re taking a closer look at all the possibilities.
The male victim, we feel, has to be a character with a history of misdemeanours – though of course, that might just be what the BBC soap wants us to think!
Still, in keeping with the above, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) is certainly high on the list. His life is never quiet, and he’s got a big secret to keep under wraps at the moment – and more to discover…
So read on as we go through all the clues that point to Phil being the lifeless body on the floor of The Queen Vic…
In a shocking twist in November, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) discovered that her son Albie was not actually the son of her partner Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) and is instead her on-off lover and ex-husband Phil.
Ahead of Christmas, the only people aware of this secret are Sharon herself, her brother Zack Hudson (James Farrar), her best friend Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), and, more recently, Phil’s current wife Kat (Jessie Wallace).
While Phil has been protective of Albie already out of a love for Sharon and her late son Dennis, Phil will likely be shocked to discover Albie is his son, be angry it was hidden from him, and want answers from Sharon.
Having shown a toxic temper towards Sharon and women before, could a furious Phil lash out towards Sharon in the Queen Vic, prompting her or the other women in the Six to protect her?
Alternatively, could learning that he is not the father prompt Keanu to strike out and kill Phil in a jealous rage?
Phil harbours a dirty secret – he had a fling with Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit), mother of the late Lola Pearce-Brown (Danielle Harold). After shutting down those in the know, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), Phil married Kat.
But cheating doesn’t stay under wraps in Soapland, so we’re expecting this particular bombshell to be dropped before the end of the year; or maybe even on Christmas Day itself!
There are six Walford women present when the dead character is found, and Kat isn’t shown as one of them – but what if she is there when the killer move is made?
Kat confessed that Phil has made her feel safe at last after a turbulent life, so what if she hears of his betrayal and an argument gets out of hand, resulting in Phil’s death?
Perhaps Kat isn’t involved at all – but the fact that Phil has been a naughty boy in the lead-up to the festive season, dishing out threats to protect himself, surely can’t be a coincidence? We’ve written about how Sharon Watts may have been close to the dead party before…
Due to his iconic status and long length on the Square, Phil has close bonds with most of the women or has at least had run-ins with them.
Three of the Six have children with him – Kathy, Denise, and Sharon – while he was also married to two of them, Kathy and Sharon.
Meanwhile, Phil has supported Linda through their shared experience of alcoholism, while he is now related to Stacey through his marriage to her cousin Kat – despite Stacey previously feuding with and assaulting him with a wrench!
Finally, Phil has been a business rival and occasional adversary to Suki and the Panesars, so he has ties with all of the ladies.
Top of the list is the most recent development in this story. On his wedding day to Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Phil was given a pair of amber cufflinks by Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). Jack had acquired them in a poker game earlier this year, but the original owner was Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry).
Now, these cufflinks are on the dead body, as seen in the Christmas flashforward when Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) checks the man’s pulse and proclaims him dead. Of course, anything could happen between now and then, so this doesn’t confirm Phil as the victim.
But these cufflinks have been the most consistent clue, and we can’t ignore that they are now firmly in Phil’s possession – although we’ll be watching closely to see if he hands them over to another local, or back to a previous owner.
However, now Billy and Alife have been sharing their own batch of amber cufflinks, these original ones feel less important…
There may not be a clear reason why Phil could be murdered – at least, not when we factor in The Six as potential killers. But a lot can happen between now and Christmas Day, or those characters may not be responsible.
The thing is, Phil has come pretty close to death so many times, it’s almost a running joke by now. He’s survived shootings by two ex-lovers, car crashes, liver disease, a gas explosion, multiple beatings and more!
The jury’s out on whether this makes Phil lucky or not, but we have to consider that EastEnders may decide the time has come to kill Phil for real. Even if the very thought of it feels wrong…
It would be a choice to get rid of Phil for good, unless, of course, Steve McFadden has decided it is time for him to leave EastEnders for good…
On-set photographs published by The Sun showed Steve McFadden filming on location with other actors as part of the Mitchell family in what are reported to be scenes to mark the death of Phil’s relative Aunt Sal Martin, whose actress Anna Karen died last year.
Hollywood actor Alan Ford has reportedly been cast in the story and has been photographed filming with McFadden in scenes that would appear to be coming in 2024.
However, could this be an elaborate ruse to hide Phil’s true fate?
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
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]]>Christmas is getting closer, and that can only mean one thing where Soapland is concerned – not long to wait until EastEnders unveils its whodunnit murderer – and the victim!
While the only thing we currently know for sure is that the character set to be killed during the festive season is male, there are plenty of clues stacking up.
Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) hasn’t exactly been making friends since his shock return to Walford last year, and it’s only natural that we suspect the victim to be someone who’s up to no good.
So read on as we delve into all the clues that might see Keanu meet his maker come Christmas Day…
Arguably the relationship on the biggest rollercoaster this year has been ‘Sheanu’, with Sharon and Keanu initially denying their passion, getting together, getting engaged, and splitting after Sharon helped Lisa Fowler (Lucy Benjamin) leave the country with Keanu’s daughter Peggy, before they eventually reconciled.
However, the pair’s romantic reunion and subsequent engagement see them both hiding secrets, but Keanu’s is criminal.
Keanu staged the kidnapping of his ‘son’ Albie Watts to stop him and his mum from moving to Abu Dhabi, even letting Sharon think he had been taken by sick and twisted criminals.
In reality, Keanu and Karen had hidden Albie at the house of her sister Kandice, with Phil giving Sharon the steep ransom money that in reality had been demanded by Keanu for Albie’s safe return.
Eventually, Sharon had Albie back and reunited with Keanu, but remained unaware of the truth.
However, Phil soon discovered the Taylors in possession of his money and confronted them – but Keanu let his mother Karen take the whole blame, feigning ignorance, and driving her to flee the Square.
With this horrific secret hidden from Sharon, will the truth out on their wedding day and drive Sharon to murder?
The tagline was, after all: “Men – may they get what they deserve!”
Keanu also committed a cardinal soap sin – he mistreated his mother!
Karen Taylor departed Walford with partner Mitch Baker, her grandchildren Mia and Mackenzie, and Mitch’s daughter Bailey, taking the ransom money for Albie from Phil with them.
This occurred after Keanu scapegoated his mother for his unhinged staged kidnapping and let her take the fall for him.
With sister Bernie aware of his betrayal, will this come back to haunt Keanu and could be another reason why his fate is sealed?
Sharon is also hiding a secret of her own from Keanu following Albie’s kidnapping – he is not Albie’s father, instead, it is her ex-husband and his former love rival, Phil Mitchell.
Keanu has put aside his family, morals, and previous good character in a bid to secure a future with Sharon and Albie at any cost.
If Keanu learns that Albie is not his child and that Sharon has lied all this time, could Keanu’s temper explode and lead him to lash out at Sharon, prompting her or one of The Six into action?
This is a timebomb waiting to explode.
Keanu spilt Phil’s cheating secret to Alfie Moon (Shane Richie). But with Alfie distracted by his cancer diagnosis, he agrees to keep quiet so long as Phil protects his new wife Kat (Jessie Wallace) and the sons she shares with Alfie. But Phil later threatened to kill Keanu if he told Kat.
Now, just because there’s a group of female characters, dubbed ‘The Six’, stood over the dead body in the flashforward scene, that doesn’t mean one of them is the killer. Perhaps by Christmas, Kat has learned about Phil’s infidelity, leading Phil to hunt Keanu down and end his life out of revenge.
Leaning into this theory, Keanu is then found by Sharon, explaining our early thoughts that she is connected to the murdered soul.
Recent weeks have seen Keanu clash with two other top suspects for the body: Dean Wicks and Nish Panesar.
Dean has publicly made digs about Keanu and his family, while Keanu has publicly called out Dean’s rape of Linda – exposing his sick behaviour to his dying daughter, Jade Masood.
Meanwhile, Nish’s humiliation of Bernie in the Queen Vic saw Keanu’s temper flare up, highlighting past issues when Keanu was involved in the Panesar family’s criminal enterprises.
With this in mind, if Keanu does turn out to be the body on the floor, could either Dean or Nish be framed for his murder?
On-set images published by The Sun from on-location filming at a church with Danny Walters and co-star Jacqueline Jossa and then of Walters alone at an airport, seem to show Keanu alive and well after Christmas, perhaps depicting him fleeing the country.
However, given that EastEnders has utilised on-set images as red herrings before, could this be an elaborate ruse?
Well, either way, we cannot see Keanu staying in Walford for much longer…
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
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]]>It’s now a matter of weeks until Christmas, which means EastEnders is gearing up to its festive special. For 2023, this means a whodunnit on a scale the BBC soap has never done before.
Back in February, a flashforward showed Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) dressed up for a wedding.
But they were standing over a dead body – an unknown male character whose identity we’ve spent the last few months trying to guess. And vile Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis) is certainly dispensable enough to be killed off!
Let’s dive into all the clues below…
Yes, the blood on Stacey’s hands heavily hints that she could be the killer – although that’s pure speculation, and other members of ‘The Six’ have evidence on them too. But the fact that Stacy’s hands are covered does suggest that she may have a very active role in what transpires.
Theo has been making Stacey’s life hell for months now; befriending her family and tutoring her teenage daughter Lily (Lillia Turner) while secretly paying for her online videos. He began harassing her, and finally revealed himself as Stace’s tormenter in recent scenes.
Theo is a strong contender for victim of the moment, as he’s got a shelf-life in EastEnders. The character has since pleaded guilty for his crimes against Stacey after she persuaded him to do so under false pretences. However, having threatened him on the phone while he awaits sentencing, has she secured his eventual release?
We may have already seen the last of Theo, but is this just to hide the fact he could return on Christmas Day?
That suit of armour, or ‘Knight in shining armour’ is stood behind Stace, and you can read our speculation over just who might try to be her saviour.
But this tells us that Stacey could be the central character among The Six, and if so, it’s Theo who we should be looking at closely for the fatality.
A trailer dropped recently which put the focus on Stacey in the Christmas special, with the tagline ‘In a flash, everything changes’. We see Stace looking scared as a mirror cracks, with those words written across it in her lipstick.
Clearly, the festive season is a terrifying experience for Stacey, so is this all down to Theo? He’s moved into the flat next door to the Slaters’, so he’s refusing to go anywhere. Does he break into Stacey’s home again, only this time she’s forced into violent action when he follows her to The Vic?
Star Turner has spoken to RadioTimes.com about her alter ego’s past, revealing that she’d rather not have her become a serial killer! And the fact is, Stacey has murdered before – she bludgeoned Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb), the man who raped her, with The Queen Vic bust.
But does Stacey’s history of ending the life of a man who violated her mean she could do so again? If she’s going to be the one to do the killing, it’s surely going to be someone who is hurting her, rather than someone unconnected. Enter, Theo…
We’ve theorised this already, concerning another potential victim, Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo). But Stacey, Suki, Linda, Sharon, Denise and Kathy have all experienced forms of abuse from men.
So, The Six have a reason to band together in the face of Theo’s evil – might they help Stace to stop his reign of terror?
Theo Hawthorne has now been found guilty for his actions against Stacey and is awaiting his sentence, with Jack Branning revealing that he is staying with friends in Scotland under the monitoring of the police.
However, Theo is unstable, so could he risk his entire future on revenge against Stacey?
Viewers who identify with Stacey’s story can contact the National Stalking Helpline on 08088020300, or visit suzylamplugh.org. You can also visit Safeguarding Hub.
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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]]>Another day, another chance to go over the clues for the EastEnders Christmas whodunnit. A male character will be killed during the festive season, and we’ve been speculating over it for months.
While our list features all kinds of characters at this point, one of the frontrunners for the victim has to be vile Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), who is as controlling as he is menacing. And he does it all while portraying the charming family man to everyone outside his home.
So, is Nish set to meet a grisly end at The Queen Vic? Let’s examine the evidence…
Nish Panesar has killed before – a man whom he thought Suki was having an affair with, though we and he now know that it was his wife whom she had feelings for.
Since then, Nish ordered Ravi to murder Suki’s soulmate Eve Unwin (Heather Peace), though she was let go by Ravi and later framed Nish and Ravi for her murder.
We can’t imagine his end will be that simple and he won’t be letting Suki be happy if he returns to the Square.
Will Nish attempt to kill Suki and die in the attempt?
Aside from being the abusive and murderous husband of Suki Panesar, Nish has had run-ins with all members of The Six.
Nish has made an enemy of Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) as both a harsh landlord and through his murderous treatment of her best pal Eve, with Stacey aiding Eve and Suki in her affair.
Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) also saw Nish’s nasty side when he had the Queen Vic vandalised after she turned down his offer of co-ownership for one with her mother, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe).
Elsewhere, Nish issued nasty threats to Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) and his family, prompting Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) to threaten Nish in turn.
Denise Fox (Diane Parish) has also clashed with Nish after she exposed Ravi’s murderous actions against adopted father Ranveer and caused issues among the Panesar family.
Finally, Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) sold her cafe to Nish and then after discovering he had bullied her husband Rocky (Brian Conley) with debts and drove him to desperate measures. Nish also revealed that he planned to demolish Kathy’s cafe and build flats there, adding insult to injury.
There’s therefore no shortage of ladies with a score to settle.
We always had a hunch that Nish might own the amber cufflinks seen on the lifeless body – and we were later proved correct. But since then, Nish has lost the cufflinks in a poker game, and they ended up first in Jack Branning’s (Scott Maslen) possession, and now Phil Mitchell’s (Steve McFadden).
But given that the most recent appearance of this fashion accessory included a mention that they belonged to Nish, does this hint that the cufflinks may be back with him by the end of the year?
Now a lot of cufflinks are doing the rounds in Walford – anyone is up for grabs.
Heart of Glass by Blondie was playing in The Vic when ‘The Six’ toasted to the men in their lives “getting what they deserve”.
The lyrics to this song point to the kind of toxic, abusive relationship Nish shares with wife Suki (Balvinder Sopal).
“Soon found out I was losing my mind” and “Love is so confusing there’s no peace of mind” suggest that one of ‘The Six’ is trapped in an endless cycle, and Suki is suffering coercive control from Nish.
While the song was playing, we also heard Suki toasting to “the ones who try to keep us in the shadows”. Does all this imply that Nish could be the victim, while Suki may or may not be his potential killer?
When the camera pans to Suki during the EastEnders flash-forward, she looks a mixture of shocked and conflicted. If Nish is the dead man, this would make sense, since she loved him once.
There’s also another, possibly even more notable, moment – Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) looking particularly alarmed as she looks at Suki. This hints that either Suki is responsible for the murder, Suki knows the victim – or both!
And with Kathy also a victim of coercive control, to the point where her ex-husband Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas) forced her to fake her own death for years, this could be why Kathy is standing next to Suki – and why this moment makes us suspect Nish is the character with a shelf life ending on 25th December.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can visit Refuge for more information and contact 0808 2000 247 for support. Help can also be found at The Hideout.
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
]]>We know what you’re all thinking – EastEnders‘ Martin Fowler (James Bye), murdered? What’s he ever done to anybody?
There’s a lifeless body due on the floor of The Queen Vic come Christmas, and we’ve been working our way through the potential victims. And one fan has shared a particularly chilling TikTok video which hints at Martin’s involvement.
He’s a legacy character and a beloved one at that, but we’d be remiss to overlook Martin! So read on as we dive into all the clues below.
No, Martin Fowler is not the dead body at Christmas in EastEnders.
Actor James Bye has been confirmed for scenes as Martin Fowler in EastEnders in January 2024, including scenes on the New Year’s Day episode with best pal Zack Hudson (James Farrar).
So, the Fowler favourite lives to fight another day!
Evilest six theory ever I feel sick #EastEnders pic.twitter.com/IqucncjPEs
— Martin Fowler’s Festive Fruit and Veg (@martinfowlers) September 19, 2023
Remember back in 2019, when Martin Fowler was doing Ben Mitchell’s (Max Bowden) bidding? When Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) found out that Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) had been having an affair with Phil’s then-wife Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), he wanted the younger man dead.
So Ben paid Martin, who was desperate for cash, to shoot Keanu dead. The above clip links the final scene on Christmas Day 2019 to the events of the upcoming festive season, because of a crackling fire.
Back then, Martin was seen burning evidence, while Christmas 2023 sees a similar fire roaring in the background as The Six surveyed the dead body. Martin turned his life around and later reclaimed his family’s fruit and veg stall, but perhaps EastEnders is keen to remind us of that surreal time in his life!
Of course, we know that Martin didn’t actually kill Keanu – it was all staged! But more on that as we explore the rest of this theory below…
While East 17’s Stay Another Day was most recently heard in the show’s flashforward sequence, it has been used as a covering track for EastEnders’ Christmas episodes before. Yes, that’s right, at the same time that Martin was ‘covering his tracks’ back in 2019! See what we did there?
Is there a connection here? Martin recently had a brief reunion with his ex, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) – and they only split because of outside forces, both heartbroken to call it quits once more. If Martin ends up dead, this music certainly fits the bill, as Stace will be devastated!
When RadioTimes.com looked a little closer at the flashforward, we heard some voices just as Sharon bent to check the pulse on the body. Our theory was that these were flashbacks of voices from her past, given Sharon’s connection to The Vic.
We wondered whether Sharon could be close to the victim, but until now, we hadn’t factored in that that person could be Martin! Sharon was best friends with Martin’s big sister Michelle, and the pair are like siblings themselves.
This would explain the possibility of a past ‘presence’; and then there’s the sound of a clock which stops ticking as the death is confirmed. Signalling the end of an era with the death of legacy character Martin? We really hope not, but at this point, we’re not ruling anything out!
As well as Martin being Stacey’s ex-husband, co-parent and best mate, and being like family to Sharon, he’s also Kathy Cotton’s (Gillian Taylforth) godson and nephew, through her marriage to Martin’s late uncle Pete Beale (Peter Dean).
Now onto some looser – but nevertheless, present – connections to the women involved in this whodunnit. Before Martin faked his killing of Keanu, it was a drunk Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) who stumbled upon the two men, where she intervened, shooting Keanu herself to cause a minor injury, so Martin could use the video footage as proof of his ‘deed’.
The following year, Martin was attacked by Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota), and this was covered up by Vinny’s mum Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal). Finally, Denise Fox (Diane Parish) is now linked to Martin, as her stepson Ricky Branning (Frankie Day) has fathered a baby with Martin’s stepdaughter Lily Slater (Lillia Turner).
So, Martin has links to all of The Six. But why would any of them want him dead? Well, could Suki want rid of him if he finds out that Vinny was his attacker, not Suki’s other son Jags, whom she set up to take the fall before he was killed in prison? Kathy is looking Suki’s way as they all stand near the body…
Remember, the victim could be caught in the crossfire, rather than an intended target. We’ve discussed elsewhere that Jack or Phil might step in to help Stacey against stalker Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis) on Christmas Day, seeing as a ‘knight in shining armour’ is spotted near her.
But what if it’s protective Martin who looks out for her instead? He’s a likely candidate, and this could result in his death if Theo gets violent.
We’re starting to scare ourselves here, and if EastEnders actually does kill Martin we predict a riot – but let’s face it, not many locals are going to want Martin dead, so this is one of the only ways in which he could be the victim.
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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]]>If there’s one character who’s weaved himself a complex web this year, it’s EastEnders‘ Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara).
He showed a more genuine side when he fell in love with Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams), and it’s clear he loves his son Davinder “Nugget” Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury). But Ravi is a ruthless killer, and it’s only a matter of time before his crimes catch up with him.
So, given that the BBC soap is set to kill off one male character during the festive season, naturally, our thoughts keep going to Ravi. The hints about him read like a list of his crimes, after all!
Looking for all the clues as to why, listed together in one place? RadioTimes.com has everything you need below…
Ravi has recently run into trouble with the law (again!) after Nish ordered him to kill Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) in revenge for her affair with Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal).
In a woodland area, Ravi had Eve dig a shallow grave and prepared to execute her, but a talk with Eve saw him decide not to go through with his evil father’s murderous orders, instead telling her to flee and not return – or he would hurt those she loves most, including Suki and the Slaters.
However, since then, Eve has framed Ravi and Nish for her murder and made a covert return to Walford after Ravi and Nish were arrested.
The situation positions Ravi against two of the Six – Stacey and Suki – but they aren’t the only ones…
We spent quite some time wondering whether Ravi’s stepmother Suki would only find out about this secret on Christmas Day itself. But thanks to the suspicions of Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Suki is now aware that Ravi killed his adoptive father Ranveer (Anil Goutam), not her!
While Suki has already begun a revenge plan, her hopes of getting Ravi locked up, and therefore freeing her son Kheerat (Jaz Deol) who took the blame for her, have been dashed so far.
She has, however, left Ravi’s son Nugget terrified by telling him the truth, leading Nugget to run away, albeit she later lied she was wrong to get Nugget to come home. Might the biggest showdown between Ravi and Suki be left until the festive season?
Denise shared a few kisses with Ravi before he went on to date her daughter Chelsea. When Denise then stopped their liaison, Ravi blackmailed her, saying he would tell her husband Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) if she didn’t get him the evidence that copper Jack was compiling against Ravi for his dodgy dealings.
Denise ended up confessing to Jack, but now she’s back in Ravi’s orbit after watching his murderous footage and using it to break up Ravi and Chelsea. Denise is full of hatred for Ravi but is wary of getting in too deep with Suki’s plotting.
But with Denise in possession of a broken bottle of champagne during the flashforward scene, is she forced to strike against Ravi in self-defence, killing him?
Kheerat was in a relationship with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) before he chose to leave her, confessing to Ranveer’s murder back when Suki believed she was the culprit. But when Stace inevitably learns that Ravi is the murderer, might she want to help Suki and Denise get even with Ravi?
She seemed to get the measure of Ravi when he made a pass at her while she was with Kheerat. So could Stacey, who has been killed before, take a stand against injustice, leading to Ravi’s demise?
Although Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) is no longer engaged to Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), we can’t dismiss that there is bad blood between her and Ravi, after the latter attacked Keanu earlier this year. Sharon reported Ravi to the police, and it was Keanu who got Ravi out of trouble.
But if Sharon has further reason to go after Ravi – whether it’s hearing about the above crimes, or through another misdemeanour – she might just be prepared to stand by her friends’ sides against him. Has Ravi crossed too many Walford women to escape with his life?
Ravi has proven to be a dynamic and popular character since his introduction, showing a breadth of complexity, with actor Aaron Thiara finding critical acclaim.
Additionally, Ravi has shown himself capable of redemption – being unable to kill Eve and previously protecting Suki from his father.
Finally, we have only just been introduced to Ravi’s ex Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) and their daughter Avani (Aaliyah James), so would they remove this family unit so quickly?
Read more:
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
]]>Now this would be a bleak ending but very EastEnders.
He’s been confirmed to exit EastEnders, and we’ll miss his cheeky persona – but could Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) be the soap’s Christmas Day victim?
Since February, when a flashforward promised a massive whodunnit mystery, we’ve been pondering all the clues, watching for new developments week after week. And now we can’t help but wonder whether Rocky is set to meet a grisly fate.
While he’s not the most unlikely candidate – you’ll find others when you explore our other clue-sets – Rocky wouldn’t have been our first guess as the identity of the dead body. But now that the situation has shifted, let’s dive into this possibility below.
As we mentioned above, Rocky is due to depart Albert Square. Some viewers have speculated that this could impact the Christmas whodunnit, but even if it does in some way, we’re not convinced EastEnders will change direction purely because of this exit.
If Rocky is indeed the body on The Queen Vic floor, it will be part of the plan. It was confirmed that Conley made the decision to leave the show some time ago. So not such a hasty exit, as initially rumoured. The team may have had plenty of time to factor in Rocky’s shelf life.
Or, perhaps the star’s announcement simply plays into EastEnders’ game plan, meaning Rocky was actually doomed to die all along? Whatever the truth is, Rocky’s imminent farewell means he could well be leaving in a body bag…
Of course, Rocky’s chief crime in the run-up to Christmas has been his insurance scam to pay off his debts, including to the villainous Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry).
The fire saw Kathy’s livelihood destroyed and almost killed her grandsons Bobby (Clay Milner Russell) and Peter Beale (Thomas Law) before Kathy herself almost faced prison time.
When the truth came out, Rocky was shunned by the Beale family and Kathy ended their marriage. However, Kathy showed mercy by not wanting the police involved.
This would suggest she would not feel strong enough to kill him, as Nish became more of the target of her ire.
However, will Rocky’s deal with the devil come back to haunt him in an even darker fashion?
Rocky’s ex-wife Jo (Vicki Michelle) has made several trips to Walford, targeting him with a blackmail plot in her last visit after falsifying their divorce documents – just as Rocky was about to marry Kathy (Gillian Taylforth).
Kathy’s son Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) got rid of Jo by impersonating a police officer, but Jo had already conned the couple out of £50,000 by then! Also, Jo left while making a secret phone call, promising a mystery someone that there was more to “take” from Rocky.
Maybe her next comeback coincides with the festive season, and a showdown ensues which leads Jo to leave Rocky for dead…
The tear on Kathy’s dress was noted by the writer of the flashforward episode – Daran Little. Does this mean it’s significant? We can’t imagine that Rocky will ever do anything to physically hurt Kathy, but he certainly could commit another blunder.
Whether the latter occurs or not, if Jo’s actions result in an altercation, what if a severely injured Rocky tries to cling onto his beloved Kathy, ripping her outfit as he falls to the floor and ultimately perishes?
You’ll know by now that a knight stands in the background of the Christmas murder scene. We’re linking this to Rocky because of a memorable quote from Conley, as he previously told RadioTimes.com: “I proposed to my wife dressed as a knight in armour.”
With Rocky an honourable man, if not always an honest one, could he be trying to help someone – whether it’s another member of The Six, or his own wife Kathy? Like our other possible ‘knights in shining armour’, might Rocky then get caught up in the chaos of an evil character, and pay with his life?
Read more:
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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]]>It’s another unthinkable concept – the idea that one of EastEnders‘ most iconic characters could be killed off in the BBC soap’s upcoming Christmas whodunnit.
Yes, we’re looking at Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), the show’s longest-serving local. But how likely is it that the wannabe entrepreneur is set to meet a fatal end?
Well, at this point, it’s as possible as any other theory, and EastEnders isn’t afraid to knock us off our feet.
So, join us as we delve into just how Ian might find himself at the centre of a murder mystery he can’t come back from…
No, Ian Beale will not be the body on the floor on Christmas Day in EastEnders.
The character has now been confirmed for scenes in January, meaning that Mr Beale has once again escaped the clutches of death.
Though with Cindy around, we’re not too sure how long that will last…
When Ian walked away from Albert Square in 2021, after nearly being poisoned to death by Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), we spent the next two years under the impression that we may not see him again.
Although it was never officially claimed that star Woodyatt had left for good, there was also nothing to suggest he would be back.
Enter: a very much alive Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) and the soap return of the year! And given how out of the blue Ian’s comeback has been, could it be that EastEnders has brought him in only to end his story for good?
He’s been his usual annoying self, and has arguably got worse after throwing mum Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) out. Is Ian about to face the ultimate punishment for his selfishness?
Son of Kathy, ex-fiancé of Denise Fox (Diane Parish), best friend (and ex-husband) to Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and ex-in-law to Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Ian is closely linked to many of The Six.
Ian has also had run-ins with Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), and may still end up clashing with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) given his and Cindy’s feud with her mother Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) and her fiancé George Knight (Colin Salmon).
Given George’s suit of armour is in the background in EastEnders’ flash-forward of the murder scene, what if George steps in to defend Linda against Ian – but things go too far?
Or might Ian’s truce with Sharon be an act, resulting in a revenge plot over her previous attempt to kill him, which leads her to end his life for real mid-showdown?
Perhaps relations between the Beales and Panesars sour once more, and Suki has reason to strike against Ian? However outlandish these theories might seem, Ian’s links to these women are certainly worth considering.
Last month, Ian was dealt a punch to the face by Cindy’s daughter Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) after he badmouthed her sister Anna (Molly Rainford).
With Ian ending up on the floor of the pub – the location of that lifeless body come Christmas Day – one fan felt that this could be a hint as to his future fate.
I really hope Ian Beale being on the floor of the vic is a flash forward hint to him being the body at Christmas #EastEnders
— Aleigh B (@AWB90) September 8, 2023
Are they right? Might Ian’s moment of humiliation be a serious clue that he’ll be resting on that same floor soon enough, with no chance of recovery? Anything could be a clue at this point, so we’re not ruling it out.
This isn’t the first time RadioTimes.com has pondered Cindy having a leading role in the festive storyline. There could indeed be a seventh member of the all-female group, and that person could be Cindy.
With Cindy having tried to kill Ian decades ago, the pair appear to have put the past behind them. But what if she ends up rewriting history – only to actually succeed in bumping off Ian this time around?
The chemistry between Cindy and ex-husband George is very much sizzling, and it feels like an affair is imminent. Would Cindy resort to murder to get rid of Ian so she can reclaim George, or might something else lead her to kill Ian? Let’s face it, Cindy isn’t a completely reformed character…
Read more:
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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]]>His name cropped up just before EastEnders aired its game-changing flashforward scene of a murder on the way; and we’ve not been able to forget about Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) since.
The evil character departed the soap in 2016, after evading justice for raping Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and attempting to rape Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons).
Then in October 2023, Linda got a horrible surprise on Halloween when Dean returned to Walford and revealed he was moving back to the area as the new business partner of the Beales at Beale’s Eels.
Adamant he was innocent of previous accusations against him, Dean has tormented Linda with his presence ever since.
Well, there are few reasons he could be…
Just before we were given that memorable glimpse of EastEnders at Christmas 2023, Linda was in distress in the present, telling Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) that she had seen a photo of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), posted by Shirl’s daughter Carly Wicks (Kellie Shirley).
The image featured Dean in the background, despite Shirley having previously disowned Dean for everything he’s done. Linda couldn’t believe what she was seeing, and it seemed intentional that in the same episode, Linda was seen toasting that men who hurt women should “get what they deserve”.
Then, just two months before the big Christmas death, Dean returned to Walford and has been tormenting Linda ever since.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, executive producer Chris Clenshaw confirmed that one reason Dean was throughout back was his lack of comeuppance during his last stint.
Clenshaw revealed: “Yeah, we always kind of knew we were going to bring him back for Linda’s story this year.
“You know, he’s a character that has such a historical connection to the show. As we know, he didn’t get his comeuppance.
“Yeah, I think Linda’s going to really struggle in the kind of wake of his return.”
Teasing how long Dean will be around, Chris notes: “I mean, obviously, you know, we’ve got the Six storyline, and we’re kind of building up to quite a spectacular Christmas, and it will probably, therefore, come as no surprise that Dean is a potential body at Christmas.”
Linda is seen in the flashforward sequence sporting a split lip, suggesting she has been in a fight or has been attacked. She’s also the last of the six women to arrive at the bar, and looks the most frightened when we get a close view of her.
There would certainly be no mourning for Dean amongst viewers, and EastEnders loves to look back on its history and has done a superb job of exploring the long-term effect Dean’s actions have had on Linda and his recent actions have certainly gotten everyone talking.
Thread ~ 🧵
— 🌹🩵C🩵🌹 (@rose_symphony3) September 20, 2023
My theory on why Dean wicks is the Christmas body #Eastenders pic.twitter.com/EbxD4TmIwI
Kathy’s response when Linda confided in her was to assure her that there is an army of supporters backing her all the way. One fan’s theory also reminds us why Linda might find such allies here.
The women present on Christmas Day have all been abused – Kathy and Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) are also survivors of rape, while Kathy was coercively controlled by her husband Gavin.
Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her first husband Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), while Denise Fox (Diane Parish) has also been plagued by abusive husbands.
Meanwhile, Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) is being abused by her husband Nish (Navin Chowdhry) and was almost raped by Ranveer Gulati (Anil Goutam). So if there’s one reason why The Six might band together to cover a murder, it’s because of men like Dean.
Let’s not forget that Dean also has links to most of these characters. He used to date Stacey, years after he spiked her drink when she was a teen!
Dean is also the former stepson of Denise, and Sharon has reason to hate him as Linda, the woman he sexually assaulted, is her best friend.
As the viewer’s theory points out, it was Kathy who noticed Dean’s controlling behaviour towards Roxy, having gone through the experience herself.
So, the majority of the group have connections to Dean…
Finally, a rather clever clue was uncovered by the same theorist above. “In order to light a candle, you need a wick,” they note, showing us an image of several lit candles at The Vic’s wedding set up on Christmas Day.
So, is this a clue that Dean is set to pay for his crimes with his death after never suffering the consequences?
Anyone affected by the subjects mentioned above can find support by visiting Rape Crisis, or calling our 24/7 Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222. You can visit Refuge for more information and contact 0808 2000 247 for support. Help can also be found at The Hideout.
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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]]>The Winter King’s first season introduced viewers to the dangerous kingdom of Dumnonia as it faced threats from neighbouring kings, invading forces and nefarious characters within.
The story took our three lead characters – Arthur (Iain De Caestecker), Derfel (Stuart Campbell) and Nimue (Ellie James) – on a whirlwind journey, which came to its dramatic conclusion on the Isle of the Dead.
Nimue had been banished there following accusations of murder by the ambitious priest Sansum (Andrew Gower), who sought to set up a church on the grounds of Avalon, despite it being sacred to the pagans.
Ever loyal to his first love, Derfel staged a daring rescue – but can they escape the nightmarish prison unscathed?
Read on for a full breakdown of the season 1 ending, including commentary from screenwriter Kate Brooke, speaking to ITVX’s official The Winter King podcast.
After a colossal blowout with his protege Derfel in the penultimate episode, Arthur continues with his plan to forge a temporary peace with Saxon warlord Aelle (Craig Parkinson), which will buy them crucial time in the struggle against Gorfydd (Aneirin Hughes).
In Derfel’s absence, Guinevere (Jordan Alexandra) instead accompanies her husband to Aelle’s territory, both to translate with her understanding of the Saxon language and to offer political counsel – which proves to be vital.
Indeed, against Arthur’s initial wishes, Guinevere adds to the truce agreement instructions on how to capture Ratae, realising that weapons and materials alone won’t satisfy Aelle. Land is what he and his people truly desire.
After being teased earlier in the season, Aelle is the latest foe added to Arthur’s long list of worries, but The Winter King co-writer Kate Brooke explained she didn’t want him to be a cut-and-dried villain like Gundleus (Simon Merrells) or Gorfydd.
Speaking to ITVX‘s official The Winter King podcast, she said: “I think he’s interesting, because we talked about him as being actually quite similar to Arthur. There’s a civilised side to Aelle, which is surprising… his perspective is just a different one.
“It’s not like he’s a bad guy, he’s just there; he’s conquering, he’s got people to look after, his guys are going to die unless they conquer more land. And I hope that he feels like a surprise in episode 10. I wanted him to not be a toxic villain.”
Brooke continued: “The way that we did that was, rather than doing a physical confrontation – a big sword fight – the thing that Arthur and Aelle do is talk, and you feel like Arthur’s met his match in terms of a thinker and a thoughtful leader.”
If The Winter King is renewed for season 2, this is a character viewers can expect to see more from.
Once a fragile peace is achieved between Dumnonia and the Saxon invaders, Arthur endeavours to catch up to Derfel, who has bravely infiltrated the terrifying Isle of the Dead in search for Nimue.
He discovers her deep inside the isle’s cave system, although initially she refuses to believe that he’s real, having suffered to the point of delirium. Fortunately, he is able to convince her, pointing out the scar that bound them together much earlier.
However, before they can escape from the isle, they are backed into a corner by a horde of sinister figures – are they zombies? Vampires? Demons? Actually, none of the above.
Brooke detailed on The Winter King podcast how these are really just ordinary people, who have been turned “feral” by extreme mistreatment from Uther’s regime.
“We talked about, ‘How do you make the Isle of the Dead frightening enough? And what is ‘the monster’?’ And we decided that this is really just about people being so hungry that they become monstrous,” she explained.
“We really talked a lot about the kind of tribal nature of the Isle of the Dead – some people have gone into one area, and then these people have gone to the dark side.”
Fortunately, Arthur comes to the rescue of Derfel and Nimue, plunging his sword into a bricked up passageway, in an act that mirrors the traditional pulling off Excalibur from stone.
The warlord is reeling from the revelation that his late father, Uther (Eddie Marsan), specifically requested the treatment of the prisoners to be so barbaric.
“I wanted to return to Uther in episode 10 and get a sense of Uther’s influence – and it is shocking that we hear that he actually condoned this,” added Brooke. “It’s a moment where Arthur steps out of his father’s shadow.
“He’s obviously horrified by what he sees, and he has a humanity to understand that all of these people are humans and have just been treated absolutely atrociously. So that all tied in very nicely.”
As a result of the terrible suffering he’s witnessed, Arthur drops the Pendragon name in a bid to distinguish himself from his father, before making amends with Derfel and Nimue.
Readers of The Winter King book series by Bernard Cornwell – titled The Warlord Chronicles – will be aware that season 1 takes us only about two-thirds of the way through the first entry.
It is hoped that all three books will be fully adapted across five seasons of the series, although ITV is yet to announce whether the show has been renewed.
Brooke discussed on the official The Winter King podcast how she and co-writer Ed Whitmore came to the decision to base their finale on the Isle of the Dead.
“In episode 10, there are two story strands which we deliver,” she began. “One is the Isle of the Dead and one is Arthur making a deal with the Saxons. And we felt that that gave us a good, epic out for all three of our triumvirate of key characters.
“The challenge with the book is often they’re in different places… because the book is written, obviously, entirely from Derfel’s POV. We love the fact that, actually, in the book, in the Isle of the Dead, all three of them are there.”
Brooke added: “And we felt very strongly that, after all the conflicts between, for example, Nimue and Arthur… we really wanted to end up in a place that they were together.
“That their journeys have all brought them into a space where they are literally all physically together, but also they’ve all helped each other [and] learned from each other. That was really why the Isle of the Dead felt like the right place.”
The Winter King is available to stream on ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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]]>*Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Winter King season 1.*
The first chapter of The Winter King has drawn to a close on ITVX, leaving viewers to wonder whether we’ll see more from Iain De Caestecker’s Arthur – and the other inhabitants of ancient Britain.
The drama series introduced viewers to a number of complex protagonists, including druidess Nimue (Ellie James) and aspiring warrior Derfel (Stuart Campbell), across a suspenseful 10-episode run.
Their stories are only just getting started, with a wealth more material from Bernard Cornwell’s trilogy of novels – known as The Warlord Chronicles – to mine from in potential future instalments.
Here’s everything we know so far about the future of The Winter King on ITVX and MGM+.
It is yet to be confirmed whether The Winter King will return for a second season – but the creative team behind the show have lofty ambitions for a five-season run.
Whether that comes to fruition will depend on just how popular the series proves to be, with strong viewership being vital for a show with such a large cast and detailed sets. Those don’t come cheap!
ITV will likely be monitoring the show’s engagement closely in the coming weeks and months before announcing a decision. We’ll update this page when word comes in.
The Winter King season 1 left plenty of story on the table for future seasons to adapt.
The first 10 episodes ended roughly two-thirds of the way through the first book, leaving us right on the cusp of a major battle between Arthur, his allies and the nefarious forces of Gorfydd and Gundleus.
Speaking on ITVX’s official The Winter King podcast, screenwriter Kate Brooke also expressed a desire to include Derfel’s experiences at Benoic in a potential second season – which see the introduction of a distinct version of Lancelot.
These events have been shuffled slightly in the chronology of the story, with their placement in the book coming prior to the young warrior’s arrival at the Isle of the Dead (seen in season 1).
Once these pivotal elements of The Winter King novel are covered, the screenwriters can turn their gaze to the other two books in The Warlord Chronicles trilogy – those being Enemy of God and Excalibur.
If The Winter King were to be renewed for a second season, it’s likely we’d see the return of much of the cast – including Iain De Caestecker in the lead role of Arthur Pendragon and Jordan Alexandra as his wife and fellow strategist, Guinevere.
We’d expect to see him joined by co-stars Stuart Campbell and Ellie James, as Derfel and Nimue respectively, while Nathaniel Martello-White is also a probable candidate to return as the druid Merlin.
Other members of the supporting cast include: Valene Kane as Morgan, Simon Merrells as Gundleus, Ken Nwosu as Sagramor, Andrew Gower as Sansum, Matt Mella as Lanval, Aneirin Hughes as Gorfydd and Emily John as Ceinwyn.
Craig Parkinson could have an expanded role in later episodes as Saxon warlord Aelle, who features only briefly in the first season after some foreshadowing of his role.
Alas, it’s unlikely we’d see more from Steven Elder’s Bedwin, Billy Postlethwaite’s Cadwys, Daniel Ings’ Owain or Eddie Marsan’s Uther – owing to their fates in the first run of episodes.
Not just yet, but we’ll update this page when new footage arrives.
In the meantime, if you’re hungry for more The Winter King content, check out the official companion podcast wherever you listen.
The Winter King is available to stream on ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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]]>Forget Love Island – there’s a new dating show that has captured the nation’s hearts. My Mum, Your Dad takes a number of single parents of a certain age and puts them in a luxury country house retreat in order to get a second chance at love.
But as is the case with reality shows these days, there’s a twist. These singletons’ children will be watching their parents’ every move from The Bunker without the parents realising, which will no doubt lead to moments of heart, shock, and just plain awkwardness for both the parents and their children.
Read on for all we know so far about ITV’s My Mum, Your Dad season 2.
After a successful first season, the Davina McCall-fronted reality show is returning to ITV for another 10-episode edition in early 2024.
As with season 1, it’s expected to be back for hour-long shows airing over a two-week period as the singles experience the dizzying highs and lows of finding love a second time.
While the exact release date is yet to be confirmed, My Mum, Your Dad season 2 is expected to air early sometime in 2024.
Big Brother’s Davina McCall will be back to host another season, and we couldn’t be more excited – the show just wouldn’t be the same without her.
Read more:
With an all-new My Mum, Your Dad season, it makes sense for there to be a fresh batch of singletons looking for that special someone. We imagine the cast will be unveiled closer to the time in 2024, so be sure to keep checking back here for updates!
Not yet! Be sure to bookmark this page though, because when the trailer comes out, you’ll be able to find it here. Once the trailer drops, we’ll be able to get a proper look at the new cast and see what My Mum, Your Dad season 2 will look like.
My Mum, Your Dad season 2 will air on ITV1 and ITVX in 2024.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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]]>The Daleks made their very first appearance on 21st December 1963 in The Dead Planet, the first episode of a seven-part William Hartnell story written by Terry Nation.
Over the past 60 years, the Daleks have been through various iterations and were brought back for the modern series in the 2005 episode Dalek.
Nicholas Briggs, who started voicing the Daleks when Doctor Who returned in 2005, has celebrated the momentous occasion, exclusively telling RadioTimes.com: “60 years since they first appeared on television!
“They’re iconic because they’re just so incredibly evil and despicable and dastardly and sneaky and murderous and that makes them the perfect foil for the Doctor, a Time Lord who’s good through and through, and I think that the Daleks being so evil makes the Doctor even more heroic and brilliant.
“Also, they’ve got a fantastic design, a brilliant voice that you can imitate quite easily and a key thing for any villain is that they have to be in some small way or another slightly ludicrous. Even though the Daleks are incredible and look great and sound great, they also are a tiny bit silly and, viewed from a distance, you can laugh at them – until, of course, they say, ‘Exterminate!’
“Yeah, I reckon that’s the reason why the Daleks are iconic!”
As part of Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary celebrations, The Daleks was revamped. The serial was re-edited, with its seven 25-minute episodes recut as a 75-minute feature-length outing.
Phil Collinson, Executive Producer on Doctor Who, said: “It’s been my absolute pleasure to spend these past 12 months working with such a talented team to breathe new life into this classic adventure – a story that is literally the foundation stone of all that Doctor Who has become.
“The original is a masterpiece of 1960s television drama, and this new version stands on the shoulders of the pioneering spirit of 1960s Doctor Who.”
With Hogwarts Legacy now fully released with the Nintendo Switch port, many new players will be desperate to know how to find the Daedalian Key locations and all 16 House Tokens.
Well, today is their lucky day as that’s exactly what we’re going to be explaining (if you didn’t deduce that from the title of this article).
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We can’t say we can blame you for wanting a little extra help what with having to endure the Merlin Trials, find Demiguise statues and solve Herodiana Hall puzzles as well as making your way through the lengthy main story.
Once you have them all, you’ll get a very useful reward plopped in your Common Room House Chest and get the Good Samaritan achievement.
So without further ado, let’s get cracking!
This article is part of our free Hogwarts Legacy walkthrough guide – click to unlock your complete companion to the game.
You can start searching for House Tokens after talking to Nellie Oggspire in the Transfiguration Courtyard, who will explain Daedalian Keys to you. This will officially start the Daedalian Keys side quest, and the keys will now spawn across the map.
This side quest will be available after the ‘Welcome to Hogwarts’ main quest, meaning you can start hunting for House Tokens quite early on in the game.
However, the final House Token can’t be unlocked until after ‘The Caretaker’s Lunar Lament’ main quest (that’s the one tied to Demiguise statues), so you’ll have to advance quite far to fully complete this side quest.
Once you find a Daedalian Key, you’ll have to follow it to the locked House cabinet in the wall. Once there, you’ll have to complete a little minigame in which the key will fly around the lock. You have to ‘slap’ the key into place once it lines up with the lock hole – you’ll do that by pressing Square on PS5 or X on an Xbox controller. This minigame can really test your patience, however. You have been warned!
A useful tip is to cast an Arresto Momentum spell on the chest prior to launching the minigame. This will slow down the key, making the puzzle that bit easier.
Once complete, the House cabinet will open and you can collect a House Token. Collect all 16 House Tokens and you will be able to open the House chest in your common room, which will reward you with a Relic House Uniform (in your House colours of course!).
You’ll need to do a bit of lock-picking to access some Daedalian Keys, so you’ll need to brush up on Alohomora to access level 1 locks before you can complete this side quest!
House Tokens don’t show up automatically on the Hogwarts map, but luckily you can use Revelio to highlight the Daedalian Keys and House cabinets in blue. Daedalian Keys also leave a golden trail behind them, so don’t panic if you lose one!
All the Daedalian Keys are thankfully located in the castle. Here are the precise locations for each one:
Astronomy Tower – At the top of the Astronomy Tower, as marked by the quest marker after talking to Nellie Oggspire.
Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom – In front of the rhino skeleton at the bottom of the stairs.
Grand Staircase – Fast travel to the Grand Staircase, and then walk down the stairs until you find the Daedalian Key about halfway down.
Bell Tower Courtyard – Fast travel to the Bell Tower Courtyard, then turn left and go up the first set of stairs. Go through the small door, up another flight of stairs and you should see the Daedalian Key.
Great Hall – By the fireplace on the left-hand side as you enter the Great Hall. The cabinet will be up the stairs on the other side of the room.
Quad Courtyard – At the arched entranceway to the Hogwarts area, up the stairs from the dragon fountain.
Potions Classroom – Fast travel to the Potions Classroom, and then go straight through the double doors ahead to find this Daedalian Key.
Central Hall – Fast travel to Central Hall, turn to your right and go up three sets of stairs. The Daedalian Key will be floating underneath the next set of stairs.
Central Hall #2 – Fast travel to Central Hall, go down the stairs in front of you and then head north of the fountain. The Daedalian Key should be on your left when near the Greenhouse doors.
Library – Between two bookshelves in the west part of the library, opposite the restricted section.
North of Great Hall – Fast travel to the Great Hall, then turn around and head through the big double doors and then carry on through the next big gate in front of you. A Daedalian Key will then be flying around the stairs.
Transfiguration classroom – Fast travel to the Transfiguration classroom, then head towards the Hogwarts dungeon. The Daedalian Key will be behind the sleeping dragon statue.
Dungeon – Upstairs from the sleeping dragon statue, the Daedalian Key will be across from the armoured horse.
Faculty Tower – Fast travel to Faculty Tower, then head right through the fancy Faculty Tower door. The Daedalian Key should be floating upstairs. You will need Alohomora to get this Daedalian Key.
Hospital Wing – Fast travel to the Hospital Wing, then go down the spiral staircase. The Daedalian Key will be in the corridor to the right towards the Clock Tower.
Clock Tower – The lowest floor of the Clock Tower area.
If you’d prefer a visual guide of where to go, then you can check out this handy guide below:
Read more on Hogwarts Legacy:
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]]>With over 1,000 episodes to watch, not to mention the various films, specials, OVAs and shorts that are also available, it can be a pretty daunting task working out how to watch One Piece in order.
One Piece stars Monkey D Luffy, a boy whose body became rubbery after eating something special known as a Devil Fruit. With his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy hunts for the world’s greatest treasure (known as ‘One Piece’) to become the next Pirate King. And boy, has that search taken him a while.
Based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga of the same name, One Piece has aired continuously since the late ’90s, making it one of the most legendary anime shows of all time. And because of that, the series is more complex than you might think.
In total, you could stay up for two weeks straight and still not have time to binge through this entire saga of over 1,000 episodes. And that doesn’t even include Netflix’s recent One Piece live-action adaptation, let alone the anime reboot The One Piece that they’ve just announced.
In comparison, watching Dragon Ball in order would be significantly quicker, with just over 600 episodes.
That makes starting One Piece a somewhat daunting task, so that’s where we come in. Here’s everything you need to know about watching One Piece in order.
As there are over 1,000 episodes to watch, you might be tempted to jump in at a later starting point, but to really enjoy the full experience properly, we do recommend starting at the very beginning and watching One Piece in chronological order.
All of the specials, films, and OVAs are included in this list for the complete experience. And if it helps, we’ve divided the franchise into each individual arc and saga, just in case you do decide to skip the start and jump ahead. Also note that everything has been divided into two separate blocks which take place before and after the time skip, right up to the latest movie, One Piece Film: Red.
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So, settle in. Here’s how to watch every One Piece arc in order:
East Blue Saga
Alabasta Saga
Sky Island Saga
Water 7 Saga
Thriller Bark Saga
Summit War Saga
AFTER THE TIME SKIP
Fish-Man Island Saga
Dressrosa Saga
Whole Cake Island Saga
Wano Country Saga
And that brings us up to the present, at least for the anime. Based on the manga, after the Wano Country Saga concludes, we can expect One Piece to continue into the Final Saga with the Egghead Arc.
As much as you might want to watch all of One Piece in its entirety, we appreciate that people need to sleep occasionally. So, if this all feels too daunting, we’ve also included a list of One Piece filler arcs you could skip without losing sense of the main story. Here’s our One Piece filler list:
Alternatively, you could just skip the following filler episodes, instead. While the arcs mentioned above don’t add much to the One Piece storyline and canon, they are still entertaining. However, these episodes are slightly different. Anime often use episodes to recap past adventures and give the animators a chance to breathe, so you’re not really missing out if these particular episodes don’t make it onto your watchlist. Here’s a look at the One Piece filler episodes:
If you really want to whizz through One Piece for a taste of what it’s like, you could also focus solely on the 15 films that have been released to date. This isn’t ideal, though, as a lot happens in the regular episodes between each movie. Still, if that’s all you’ve got time for, here are all the One Piece movies in order of release, as well as how they relate to the main show.
Some One Piece movies are more important to the overall arc than others, so if you’re planning to speed things up even more, consider the following films to be unmissable:
The eight episodes of Netflix’s live-action series can be watched at any point, taking the events of the East Blue saga and turning them into their own.
As well as working as a standalone watch, the live-action One Piece is possibly best viewed after watching the first season of the anime. It’s an easy way to compare and contrast the changes, as well as backing up the brand new scenes with even more context.
One Piece is currently available to stream on Netflix.
It appears that Netflix have partnered with WIT Studio, the anime company behind the legendary Attack on Titan anime adaptation, to remake the beginning sagas of One Piece, beginning with the ‘East Blue’ saga which the live-action show similarly began to cover in its first season.
So fortunately, no, you don’t need to have seen the original One Piece anime in order to understand Netflix’s The One Piece – they’re the same story, just one will have a much more modern animation style compared to the original. Let’s hope The One Piece still has an element of hand-drawn animation though!
While not everyone has been on board with this news, it’s undoubtedly a fascinating experiment that we can’t wait to see play out.
The first teaser for The One Piece can be seen below, check it out now.
For UK fans of One Piece, the English dub of the show is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
One Piece is available to stream in the UK on the streaming service Crunchyroll.
On Netflix, the 2019 film One Piece: Stampede is available to stream. A live-action version of One Piece is also streaming on Netflix.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what else is on.
As Grantchester returns for its eighth season, the second to last one which will star Tom Brittney as Will Davenport, Robson Green has revealed how long he intends to stay on the show playing Geordie Keating.
The actor, who has led the show since its first season in 2014, will have seen two of his partners come and go in that time, as James Norton initially starred as Reverend Sidney Chambers – with Rishi Nair having been announced as joining in season 9, playing Vicar Alphy Kotteram.
However, it seems Green has no intention to leave himself, saying ahead of season 8 airing: “As I’m in the last third of my life, I want to work with people I love working with and do projects that make me genuinely happy and push me creatively.
“But in the end, I just really want to have fun doing what I love. And Grantchester caters for those needs.
“I’m an executive producer, and at the beginning we knew we had something special and that would float the audience’s boat, but we never realised how popular it would turn out to be and how well it would be received around the world.
“But as long as [creator] Daisy [Coulam] is at the helm with [executive producer] Emma Kingsman-Lloyd, and as long as we have cinematographers and lighting designers at the top of their game, and we’re all still enjoying it, long may it continue.”
Green also went on to tease the stories we can expect to see in season 8, saying: “There’s a murder every episode and the stories are really gripping.
Read more:
“We start with a case where a biker is found dead in a field after a charity motorbike race. Geordie and Will both realise this is a murder and not an accident. Then Will gets involved in a tragedy where somebody loses their life and Geordie desperately wants to exonerate Will.
“We have an episode directed by the wonderful Al Weaver, who plays Leonard, which was great. Later, Geordie gets into a tussle with Leonard over his halfway house. Leonard sees the good in everyone, but Geordie is old school and realises that not everyone can be rehabilitated.”
Grantchester season 8 will premiere on Thursday 11th January 2024 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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]]>First launched in 2020, the PlayStation 5 is now one of the most popular consoles of all time and a fan favourite with experienced and newbie gamers alike.
There are several different types of PS5 to choose from. Digital-only PS5 consoles are cheaper, but only permit you to play games that are available online, meaning that physical games are entirely out of the question. The standard disc drive PS5 comes with a higher price tag, but means you’ll be able to play any physical game you desire.
There is also now the PS5 Slim, which first launched in November 2023. This console boasts all the processing power of the PS5, this time with a 30 per cent reduction on the console volume and 18 per cent weight reduction. For gamers without a large setup, this is a dream come true.
When it comes to PS5 deals, you’re sure not to be disappointed. While there may not be a lot of reductions on the console itself, the good news is that there are plenty of bundle deals as well as deals on controllers and accessories, and PS5 contract deals to help you save. We’ve rounded up both PS5 console deals and PS5 slim deals to give you plenty of choices.
Whether you’re looking for the ideal last-minute Christmas gift or you’re just here to treat yourself, we’ve got you covered. Here are the top PS5 deals in the UK today.
For more PS5 news, check out our roundup of the best PS5 games right now, as well as our answer to the ultimate question: is the PS5 worth it?
What’s the deal: The cheapest price we’ve found so far is at Very.co.uk, offering a discount of 99p on the console which takes the price from £479.99 to £479.
Why we chose it: 99p may not exactly be a massive saving on the PS5 console, but if you look after the pennies the pounds will look after themselves. Plus, as this order is over £30, you’ll get free standard delivery with Click and Collect.
Buy PlayStation 5 for £479 at Very.co.uk
What’s the deal: While there’s no price reduction on the console, this deal at Currys grants you free next day delivery, as well as the chance to save up to £250 when you trade in your old PS5 disc console. On top of that, you’ll also get three months free Apple Music, Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness+.
Why we chose it: The PS5 Slim is 30 per cent smaller in volume and 18 per cent smaller in weight than the PS5 console, making it a great choice for gamers with a tighter setup. Plus, the opportunity to trade in your old console, get free delivery and get free three month subscriptions to Apple services means that there are massive savings to be had here.
Buy PlayStation 5 Slim Console for £479 at Currys
If you’re not sure which console would be best for you, check out our guide to the differences between the PS5 and the PS5 Slim.
What’s the deal: Good news for Marvel fans: You can now snap up a PS5 console bundled with the God of War Ragnarök game with a hefty £120 discount.
Why we chose it: This bundle now has a 22 per cent saving, which is not to be sniffed at. God of War Ragnarök is a must-have for Marvel gamers, as the sequel to the original God of War features breath-taking landscapes through the Norse realms.
Buy PS5 and God of War Ragnarök Bundle for £539.99 £419.99 at Game (save £120 or 22%)
What’s the deal: Buy the PS5 console from EE and you’ll get a 24 month PlayStation Plus Premium subscription thrown in for free.
Why we chose it: PS5 contract deals are some of the best ways to save. A 24 month PlayStation Plus Premium subscription is worth £239.98, meaning that with this deal you’ll save £120.97. This is a limited time offer, so get it while you still can.
Get PS5 and PlayStation Plus Premium 24-month subscription for £599 at EE
What’s the deal: Pick up the new PS5 Slim console along with a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III for just £514. You’ll also receive free standard delivery with Click and Collect.
Why we chose it: With most retailers selling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III for £59.99, this bundle means you’ll save £25.98 on the game.
Buy PS5 Slim and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III bundle for £514 from Very.co.uk
What’s the deal: Save £40 on this bundle at Game, which includes the most exciting new football game on the market.
Why we chose it: EA Sports FC 24 has been receiving rave reviews since it was first released in XX, thanks to its hyper realistic player models and gameplay. This deal gives you the opportunity to pick up a copy for just £20 when bought with the PS5 console— it’s a no-brainer really.
Buy PS5 and EA Sports FC 24 bundle for £539.99 £499.99 (save £40 or 7%) at Game
What’s the deal: Make allies, battle dark wizards and explore the world of 1800s Hogwarts, all for 30 per cent less with this deal on the Amazon Exclusive edition of Hogwarts Legacy,
Why we chose it: This Amazon Exclusive edition of Hogwarts Legacy includes the Astronomer’s Hat exclusive downloadable content, adding an extra layer to the magical open-world game.
Buy Hogwarts Legacy for £49.99 £34.99 (save £15 or 30%) at Amazon
What’s the deal: Save £10 on Assassin’s Creed Mirage Launch Edition – that’s a reduction of 22 per cent on the original price.
Why we chose it: This game offers a modern take on the iconic features and gameplay that have made the Assassin’s Creed franchise the cultural touchstone it is today. You’ll also have the opportunity to pre-order a bonus quest, The Forty Thieves.
Buy Assassin’s Creed Mirage Launch Edition for £44.99 £34.99 (save £10 or 22%) at Amazon
What’s the deal: New Force abilities, stances and lightsaber combos are just some of the things you have to look forward to in the new Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. Not only that, you’ll also get three months free Apple services, including Apple Music.
Why we chose it: With Apple Fitness Plus costing £9.99 a month, Apple Music costing £10.99 a month and Apple Arcade costing £6.99 a month, this deal can save you up to £83.91.
What’s the deal: Save £43 on the latest installation of official WWE PS5 games – that’s 66 per cent off the original price.
Why we chose it: WWE 2K23 boasts expanded features and stunning graphics, giving you the ultimate WWE experience. It’s packed full of fan favourites and is available for a reduced price for a limited time only, so get it while you still can.
Buy WWE 2K23 Standard Edition for £64.99 £21.99 (save £43 or 66%) at Amazon
For more on WWE, check out our ranking of the best WWE wrestlers of all time.
What’s the deal: Save five per cent on the sleek DualSense Midnight Black wireless controller. This takes the price from £59.99 to £56.99.
Why we chose it: This controller boasts a range of enviable features, from a built-in speaker to 6-axis motion detection to the built-in rechargeable battery.
What’s the deal: Save £7 on the DualSense controller charging station. Not only that, you can also get three months free Apple Music, Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness+.
Why we chose it: This charging station holds two DualSense Controllers and has an external power supply so that you can use the USB ports on your PS5 for other accessories.
If you’re looking for more deals on the top gaming consoles, we’ve rounded up the best Nintendo Switch deals as well as the best Xbox deals to help you save.
]]>Lots has changed in FIFA. Not only the name of the world’s most popular football simulation game, now EA Sports FC 24, but lots of new modes and systems have been implemented to help make the experience feel fresh too. One of the most notable is Evolutions.
Anyone jumping into the game will quickly stumble upon the new Evolutions system found within EA FC 24’s Ultimate Team mode, which allows specific players to receive an upgrade of sorts by completing various objectives. It’s particularly great for anyone wanting to level up their favourite footballer from lower divisions.
In some ways, it’s very much like an RPG. Now that’s not to say it’s on the same level as Baldur’s Gate 3 or Starfield, but it’s an interesting move made by EA to further gamify the football experience. Is this the start of something new for Ultimate Team?
In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about EA FC 24 Evolutions – including the best players to invest in, their requirements and potential upgrades.
EA FC 24’s Evolutions system lets you upgrade Ultimate Team players by carrying out unique objectives and challenges. It’s a new feature for FC 24, so don’t worry if you find it confusing. Check out the video from YouTuber ELYYT if you’re more of a visual learner:
There are multiple Evolution trees with different levels (it all feels very much like an RPG) that you can assign players with the required stat to upgrade them. We think the feature is great because it gives players the chance to develop their favourite players beyond the base card. Unlike in previous FIFA releases, you won’t have to rely on EA’s decisions on who to give special cards to via the likes of TOTW and RTTK.
Unfortunately, not every player will be eligible because each Evolution has specific requirements. We’ll take a closer look at each available Evolution tree below.
There are currently six different Evolution lines available in Ultimate Team, each with its own set of requirements and upgrades.
Many of the requirements are quite generic, so there are too many players to list for each Evolution line. So we’ve picked a handful who are most viable in the current meta. As a rule, we’d suggest upgrading players who are as close to the top of the requirements as possible, to get the most out of the Evolution mechanic. The FC 24 meta still values speed above all else, so we’d especially be trying to hit the upper limits of those pace stats.
Best Players:
Requirements:
Challenges:
Upgrade:
Best Players:
Requirements:
Challenges:
Upgrades:
Level 1
Level 2
Best Players:
Requirements:
Challenges:
Upgrades:
Level 1
Level 2:
Level 3
Best Players:
Requirements
Challenges:
Upgrades:
Level 1
Level 2
Best Players:
Requirements:
Challenges:
Upgrades:
Level 1
Level 2
Best Players:
As this requires a previous evolution, the second Golden Glow Up requires some more planning. Here’s a list of players we’d recommend, and from which other Evolution.
Requirements:
Challenges:
Upgrades:
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Read more on EA FC 24:
EA Sports FC 24 is available across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
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]]>Now that Hogwarts Legacy is on pretty much every platform, an untold number of players will be trying to make it through the Merlin Trials.
So, for those struggling, we have all the locations and how to solve every puzzle in Hogwarts Legacy.
The Merlin Trials make up just one part of the sprawling game, which will see you scouring the gigantic map for Field Guide Pages and making potions.
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But the Merlin Trials will certainly keep you busy, as there are almost 100 of them in the game. For any completionists out there, we salute you!
But with so many to get through, we won’t keep you. Read on for a Merlin whirlwind!
This article is part of our free Hogwarts Legacy walkthrough guide. To unlock your complete companion to the game.
While there are many, many Merlin Trials, luckily they all seem to be variations of nine different main puzzles. Some of them can be rather frustrating to figure out on your own – looking at you, dice puzzle – but this handy video guide below will teach you the solutions to each Merlin Trial in Hogwarts Legacy.
Bear in mind that in order to start work on the Merlin Trials you fittingly need to complete the Trials of Merlin quest first, which thankfully is an unmissable part of the main quest. Each puzzle type also requires a specific spell to solve, so you will have to unlock the correct spell before you can complete those Merlin Trials.
You’ll also need Mallowsweet to activate each Merlin Trial, so get bulk buying at The Magic Neep in Hogsmeade (or make your own Mallowsweet in the Room of Requirement)!
However, if you’d rather have a written guide, here are the solutions to each different type of Merlin Trial:
Whichever type of puzzle you’re using, don’t forget to use Revelio – look for any blue items that appear on your radar as they are probably part of the Merlin Trial at hand. It’s easy to miss one of the torches or balls, for example, as they’re sometimes hidden in sneaky places.
There are a whopping 95(!) Merlin Trials scattered throughout Hogwarts Legacy, so you’re more than likely going to stumble upon plenty just by playing the game.
If you’re specifically looking for Merlin Trials, they can be seen on your map as the black-and-white leaf icon. Flying around on your broomstick and using Revelio is a great way to locate the Merlin Trials which are a bit more off the beaten track.
If you’re looking to cross off Merlin Trials by area, here is a list of how many of the puzzles can be found in each part of the Hogwarts Grounds:
For a visual guide of where each Merlin Trial is within each area, and how to solve every single one of the damned things, check out the impressively expansive video below:
Completing Merlin Trials in Hogwarts Legacy will reward you with additional inventory slots, allowing you to carry more of your best gear at once, without needing to sell anything.
After solving a certain number of Merlin Trials, you will receive an additional four slots of gear storage. These milestones are:
You will only receive the upgrades by claiming it from the Challenges tab in your Field Guide, so make sure to check the Guide whenever you complete any new Trials.
While you only need to solve 52 Merlin Trials to max out your inventory, you will get an achievement for solving all 95 Trials, if you’re quite the completionist.
Read more on Hogwarts Legacy:
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