High-Profile Figures Rally Behind Beleaguered BBC Following Licence Fee Freeze & Scrap Plans; BBC And Sources Say Negotiations Not Over Yet

Gun salutes rang out in London and Edinburgh on Monday to mark the official start of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year, as the 95-year-old monarch prepared for a busy season of public duties.

Nobody was more shocked at Boris Johnson’s alleged Downing Street parties playing Abba’s music than Abba themselves. It was recently claimed that Mr Johnson’s wife Carrie Johnson hosted a Winner Takes It All party at their Downing Street flat after Dominic Cummings resigned on November 13, 2020. Sources claimed Abba’s iconic hits were heard blasting from the gathering by aides. Benny Andersson has now addressed the reports and told PA: ‘You can’t call it an Abba party. It is a Johnson party where they happened to play some Abba music.

Nick Cannon got a practical gift for Valentine’s Day after receiving a vending machine full of condoms. The Wild N Out host is currently awaiting the arrival of his eighth child after confirming model Bre Tiesi is pregnant with his child. Clearly one of Nick’s celebrity pals has a brilliant sense of humour as he received a hilarious – yet thoughtful – gift at the studios of his talk show earlier. In the hall waiting for him was a vending machine with a large red bow on top and filled with condoms in shiny gold wrapping. ‘Looks like somebody just sent me an early Valentines Day gift!! Vending Machine full of Magnums

Zendaya will be honoured at Madame Tussauds London with her waxwork joining a star-studded line-up, it has been announced.The Emmy Award-winning star of HBO TV series Euphoria has been sculpted using measurements and references taken during her 2015 sitting with the attraction’s artists.The Hollywood actress – known for her roles in Spider-Man, Dune, and The Greatest Showman – will be taking up permanent residency in the Award Party zone at the London tourist attraction.The lifelike figure of Zendaya, wearing a neon pink suit paired with a chic updo and subtle jewellery, will be unveiled at the Baker Street attraction on Friday, February 11.The 25-year-old will join A-List celebrities including Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Kate Winslet, Brad Pitt and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the red carpet.Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, George Clooney, Dame Helen Mirren, Colin Firth and Angelina Jolie also appear in the Awards Party zone.In January, the popular tourist attraction released previously unseen photographs of singer David Bowie’s session for his waxwork in June 1983 as it announced a second figure for the music icon.Tim Waters, general manager at Madame Tussauds London, said: ‘Zendaya just exudes cool.‘Not only that, she uses her celebrity status to join conversations, thoughtfully, on important social issues.‘She is unapologetically herself – and we, along with her fans, love that about her.‘With rumours circulating that Zendaya is soon to become a Londoner herself, the timing to pay homage to her at Madame Tussauds London could not be better.‘We know her fans will be lining up for the chance to ‘meet’ their idol when Zendaya’s figure arrives in our Awards Party zone.’Zendaya is currently dating her British

Pete Davidson has made his romance with Kim Kardashian truly official now after referring to her as his ‘girlfriend’ for the first time. The Saturday Night Live comedian has been coy about their relationship since they began dating in October, but it has been obviously sizzling with the pair spending an increasing amount of time together as the weeks go on. Neither had properly addressed the nature of their relationship until now with Pete finally putting us out of our misery. The 28-year-old recently spoke to People (The TV Show!) host Kay Adams about what he gets up to in his spare time and it was truly insightful. ‘Well, I don’t really have Instagram — I don’t have Instagram or Twitter or any of that stuff. So, most of my daily life is getting into cars and showing up to a set,’ Pete said. He then dropped the all-important G-bomb, adding: ‘Or, if I’m off, I just either hang with my friends or chill with my girlfriend inside.

K.J. Yossman BBC Studios has unveiled the line-up for its annual Showcase and it includes creatives such as “Happy Valley” creator Sally Wainwright and the hosts of “Top Gear.” The three-day event, which will again be virtual for 2022, will be fronted by talent including “Strictly Come Dancing” co-host Claudia Winkleman, Clara Amfo and Anita Rani, as well as BBC Studios execs.BBC Studios is the commercial arm of broadcaster the BBC and among those appearing at the Showcase will be the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie, BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell and BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore.

Sally Wainwright, Daisy May Cooper and the hosts of Top Gear, along with senior BBC execs, will address next month’s BBC Studios Showcase, as the commercial outfit unveils a packed lineup for the online-only event.

Gary Lineker has said that he still follows fashion tips given by his ex-wife Danielle Lineker, seven years after the pair called it quits.The former professional footballer married Danielle back in 2009 before announcing their split in 2016. But even though they've gone their separate ways, Gary insists that he still shares close ties to the model, who has gone from being his partner to becoming his styling consultant and close pal."I still get fashion advice from my ex-wife," the 61-year-old wrote in a new piece for The Times today. "I've never been particularly flamboyant or edgy. "I've always been kind of safe, but luckily my second wife, Danielle Bux, is very stylish and even now she guides me."The Match of the Day star continued: "I definitely like another opinion and she'll do that for me. "I'm getting better, although maybe I'll look back in 20 years and think, 'No, I wasn't.'"Back in September 2019, Gary went into detail about the friendship he and Danielle have developed since ending their relationship.The ex-athlete said he's remained on such close terms with his former flame that they still spoke up to "three times a day". "Danielle and I are best mates; we still speak three times a day, we text all the time," he revealed.Shortly after their breakup, Danielle started a new life out in sunny Los Angeles while Gary stayed back in London. She fell in love with American lawyer Nate Greenwald, whom she went on to marry in 2018.The pair welcomed their baby girl Romy Wren Greenwald to the world in August 2017.Gary inserted that despite all, he and Danielle are still the best of friends, adding that whenever she's in London, he welcomes her to stay at his pad and vice versa."When she comes to London she stays with

Piers Morgan cheekily takes a swipe at the BBC as he goes to dinner at Gary Lineker's incredibly home.The 56-year-old took to Instagram to reveal how the former footballer hosted him for a home-cooked meal as he hit out at the "BBC license fee."Piers shared his night at Gary's, 61, as he was seen wearing an apron cooking prawns and steak.The TV presenter was seen smiling next to his pal in the kitchen holding a glass of wine as he prepared the food.Piers shared several snaps of Gary preparing the food and it being plated up to each.The former Good Morning Britain presenter used the gathering as a chance to throw shade at the BBC due to his pal Gary being the long-standing host of Match of the Day.Piers said: "Decided to finally get my BBC licence fee money out of Gary Lineker at his home last night," the TalkTV host captioned the Instagram post."I have to say, Chef Gaz delivered a quite delicious feast including Gambas al Ajillo and Fillet steak au poivre. Did everything himself and it was all perfectly cooked."Then he proudly showed off his golden boots, before the shock late Leicester result came through to ruin his evening.

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Piers Morgan has taken a cheeky swipe at the BBC while enjoying having dinner cooked for him by his ex-footballer pal Gary Lineker.Taking to Instagram, the ex-newspaper editor, 56, shared a series of snaps from the Match of the Day presenter's kitchen last night while aiming a thinly-veiled jibe at the BBC.In view of his 1.8 million followers, Piers shared a series of tongue-in-cheek snaps as Gary, 61, served him up prawns and a steak.Standing next to the Match of the Day star who donned an apron with "Chef Gaz" written on it, Piers grinned as he clutched a glass of wine.In the caption, the former Life Stories presenter told how he was getting his money's worth from his BBC licence fee.Piers penned: "Decided to finally get my BBC licence fee money out of Gary Lineker at his home last night.."Have to say, Chef Gaz delivered a quite delicious feast including Gambas al Ajillo and Fillet steak au poivre."The columnist went on to praise Gary's standard of cooking before hitting out at the broadcaster.He continued: "Did everything himself (for 5 of us) and it was all perfectly cooked."Then he proudly showed off his golden boots, before the shock late Leicester result came through to ruin his evening."All in all, a most enjoyable soirée - and definitely worth 43p!" he ended his post.Following the set of snaps, Piers' followers couldn't help but comment on his evening last night.One person in particular who was unhappy to have missed out on the event was his eldest son, Spencer.Tagging his friend and Gary's son George Lineker in the comments, Spencer revealed that they hadn't been "f***ing invited" to the soiree.However, George reassured him that he had organised a night out for all four of them soon.He replied: "Don’t worry I

PIERS Morgan has made a cheeky swipe at the BBC as he was spotted having dinner together at his incredible London home. The television presenter revealed how the former footballer Gary Lineker hosted him for a home-cooked dinner as he hit out at the "BBC licence fee". Piers, 56, took to Instagram with a series of snaps from his night in with Gary, 61 - who donned an apron as he cooked up prawns and a steak.

Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don has taken to Twitter to address the future of his BBC shows following the news that the BBC licence fee is set to be frozen at £159 for the next two years.The presenter of Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens, 66, explained that his shows are now "less likely" to be made in the face of the freeze after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announced the changes yesterday.In view of his 246,800 followers, the star explained what the licence fee freeze meant for the future of his programmes.Monty wrote: "Although there is a debate to be had over the extent and duration of the licence fee, the government freeze will save payers the grand sum of 15 pence per week over the coming year."However it will mean that programmes like Adriatic Gardens will be much less likely to be made," he warned his fans.Following the news, many of the horticulturalist's followers took to the comments to weigh in on the news.Jo Mirzoeff told the gardening star: "Adriatic Gardens is an absolute joy and worth the licence fee all on its own."While Jo and Sky Woodhouse commented: "I think that will be a tragedy and it’s the thin end of the wedge, it’s not just the wonderful tv, like your Adriatic series, but also the radio, think of Radio 4 for example."Joyce Jordan chipped in: "I would rather pay the licence fee than risk losing quality programmes like Adriatic Gardens."And many other shows I love on the BBC especially GW." (sic)Jo Barlow added: "Which is a tragedy as Adriatic Gardens is just a delight x."Joseph Wicks replied saying: "That would be a great shame. Loving Adriatic gardens and all the BBC does.

BBC director general Tim Davie has said that the freezing of TV licence fees will cost the broadcaster £285million.Davie said the new settlement, set to stop the cost of licence fees increasing for the next two years, “will affect our frontline output” and prompt cuts across services and content.Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said of the decision yesterday (January 17): “The BBC must support people at a time when their finances are strained, make savings and efficiencies, and use the billions in public funding it receives to deliver for viewers, listeners and users.”“Inevitably, if you don’t have £285million, you will get less services and less programmes,” Davie subsequently told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday (January 18).“Now, I still think the BBC can offer extraordinary value for £13 a month.”Regarding potential cuts to accommodate for a stagnating licence fee until 2024, Davie continued: “We go first to those cuts where we don’t affect our output…We are not at the place where you can never make cuts, but this will affect our frontline output. There’s no doubt about that.”He went on to acknowledge the BBC “[needs] to reshape ourselves for a digital age”.“The media market is moving extremely rapidly,” he added.

Dan Walker has defended the BBC after it was hinted that the license fee would be scrapped. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries tweeted about plans to overhaul the funding model for the BBC, revealing that the next announcement about the fee would "be the last".The annual payment usually changes on April 1 of each year, however, reports suggest that it will be frozen at the rate of £159 for the next two years.

EXCLUSIVE: As the BBC dominates the headlines and the future of the licence fee is placed in doubt, another major British public broadcaster Channel 4 looks set to have to wait longer to discover the fate of its own future-defining government decision on privatization.

BBC Director General Tim Davie has said yesterday’s licence fee settlement will leave the public broadcaster with a shortfall of £285M ($390M) in 2027/2028 and needing to save around $1.5BN (£2.1BN) across the next five years.

Boris Johnson’s sudden move to freeze the BBC licence fee, and possibly abolish it altogether, have been branded an act of “cultural vandalism” to distract from the partygate scandal engulfing his government.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has confirmed the Conservatives ' snap plan to abolish the BBC licence fee, in what was branded as a "pathetic" attack on journalism.

The BBC licence fee will be frozen for the next two years by the UK government before returning to an inflationary rise, which will likely cripple the corporation’s programming budgets.

The next announcement about the BBC TV licence fee "will be the last", the Culture Secretary has said, amid reports it will be frozen for the next two years.