Jason Manford defends ITV Starstruck co-star Sheridan Smith as he tells 'haters' to 'chill out'

The Masked Singer judge Jonathan Ross spoke fondly of the fellow star, who he has declined to name, but shared that the pair had bonded over European cinema before the other man in question made his move.

Love it or loathe it, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps had a mighty fanbase by the time it finished up in 2011.

Scotland was hit with terrible weather over the weekend, with storms Eunice and Dudley reaping havoc over the country.

Jason's latest tweets come days after ITV defended the show against more miming accusations.After the first episode aired last week, Twitter users expressed their concerns with other viewers.Express.co.uk contacted ITV for a comment, with a spokesperson shutting down the claims and explaining: "There is no truth in it whatsoever."The singers all sang live."Starstruck follows the format from the 90s hit TV show, Stars in Their Eyes, which saw ordinary people become their musical idol for the night.After groups of singers perform together, the judges decide who they think is the best tribute and advance them into the sing-off, where the audience then votes for their favourite.The show is hosted by X-Factor contestant Olly Murs, who is joined by Sheridan Smith, Jason Manford, Beverly Knight and Adam Lambert as judges.

Showbiz can be a cut-throat business, with ambitious wannabes all vying to be the next big thing. And it’s fair to say that the pop doppelgangers impersonating their favourite stars on Starstruck are all hoping for a big break. But when it comes to the judges rating their performances, along with the viewing public, there’s no rivalry.

Jason Manford offered Michelle Keegan some useful advice after she posted a bikini snap.

ITV viewers have spotted a major blunder in the new drama No Return with the car number plates. Fans tuned in for the latest instalment of the drama starring Sheridan Smith as Kathy Powell, a mother of one who becomes entangled in a murder investigation while on holiday with her family in Turkey. The gripping new series began with Kathy’s 16 year old son, Noah, played by Andy Serkis's son Louis Ashbourne Serkis being accused and arrested for murder of another young boy.

It would be a huge understatement to say that Sheridan Smith is a versatile actress. In recent weeks alone, she’s been on screens as a mother desperate to free her son in ITV’s No Return, as well as a teacher accused of sexually assaulting a pupil in aptly named Channel 5 series, The Teacher.

Death in Paradise star expressed regret for leaving the show, saying he "regretted" leaving the show for Hollywood.Ralf played Johnny Keogh for six series of Two Pints, with the first series running from February 2001.During an interview with This Morning in September 2007 Ralf said that he would not be returning for the next series due to an overwhelming schedule.Due to this, his character was subsequently killed off the show.Speaking on The Two Pints podcast, with former co-star Will Mellor, Ralf expressed regret for not staying on the show.Hosts Adam Rowe and Dan Nightingale asked Ralf how he felt when he Two Pints and it carried on.Ralf replied: "It was gutting actually, a bit difficult."It's a weird one really."I look back now and I'm like yeah it feels like a mistake."Adam asked Ralf: "Was it your call?"Ralf hastily replied: "Yeah."Will interrupted telling the hosts "he went to Hollywood!"Ralf then continued to say that he did have "regrets" of the way he left the show.He continued: "We did some mad things on Two Pints and I don't think if I'm really honest that I appreciated how good it was at the time."Ralf recently made sure to jump to former co-star Sheridan Smith's defence after viewers joked she is “on TV more than the adverts”.On Saturday night, Sheridan made her debut as a judge on ITV’s new singing competition, Starstruck, where contestants transform into their favourite stars for the chance to win £50,000.As well as Starstruck, ITV drama, No Return, and Channel 5’s The Teacher were also on screens recently.The discussion began when fellow Starstruck judge, Jason Manford, condemned those who blasted Sheridan for being on TV so much.The comic wrote: "Seen a few comments about Sheridan being on TV a lot this

Sheridan Smith fans who tuned in for ITV's No Return have been left frustrated.

The explosion of shows featuring her in a prominent role demonstrated that 40-year-old Sheridan has come a long way since her early days as Janet Keogh in Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps.Many viewer comments suggest that, in spite of criticism, she has been largely successful at winning over the hearts of the public.One fan tweeted: @Sheridansmith1 thought I might have been all Sheridaned out after "Four Lives" and "The teacher" which were both awesome BTW but just finished watching "No Return" what a brilliant actress you are, such heartfelt and emotional scenes, keep up the good work."(sic)Meanwhile, another added: "She's on literally every channel at the moment and I'm here for it @Sheridansmith1."Recently the focus has been on Starstruck, the new contest which began last Saturday, seeing guests compete to become stars for one night only in front of the judging team.As the would-be stars undergo an epic transformation to embody their stage idols for the night, they are judged by a panel including not just Sheridan and Jason, but also Queen frontman Adam Lambert and show-stopper Beverley Knight.ITV summarises: "Leaving their day jobs behind, members of the public will be transformed into their most beloved music star for one night only."But they won’t be on stage alone."Instead, they’ll be teaming up as trios who all share the same love of a music icon to give the performance of a lifetime."With an expert glam team to oversee their extraordinary transformation, impressive staging and a spectacular sound and light show, our singing stars will be getting the complete ‘superstar experience'."Each episode will culminate in an exciting finale which sees the winning trio compete against each other for a place in

“TV has been renamed Smithbox.The licence fee has been scrapped, but we all have to pay a Sheridan Tax instead.”Dee typed: “Seen more of Sheridan Smith than my family recently.”David penned: “Hi, you’ve reached Sheridan Smith’s agent.“I can’t take your call right now but, whoever you are, she’ll do it.”Jason also took to the social media platform to defend his fellow judge, telling critics to “chill out”.He said: “Seen a few comments about Sheridan being on TV a lot this week.“It’s not [something] she is in charge of, she would have filmed those three excellent shows last year and some scheduler decided they went on this week.So, chill out.“Also, she’s excellent and you are lucky to have her.”

Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcaster ITV has recommissioned Argonon Group company Bandicoot Scotland to produce two more seasons of hit music reality show “The Masked Singer U.K.” Both seasons will have eight 90-minute episodes each.The third series concluded on Saturday with a season high of 7.8 million viewers, accounting for a 45% share of total viewing, with younger viewers — 46.6% of the available 16-34 demographic — also tuning into ITV for the show.

TAKING his place on the left-hand side of an all-star panel of judges, Jason Manford is firmly in the “Simon Cowell chair” for new ITV talent show Starstruck. But unlike the music mogul, the 40-year-old comic has no need for extra lighting, harsh put-downs or a cushion to prop him up — the similarities end at his seating position. And Jason insists that Starstruck — a revamped version of Nineties favourite Stars In Their Eyes which hits screens tonight — is nothing like “Mr Nasty” Simon’s most famous show, The X Factor.

Sheridan Smith's appearance on the show. The Doncaster actress was one of four who made up the judging panel on the show which has been likened to Stars In Their Eyes.

Death In Paradise actor Ralf Little, 42, has jumped to Sheridan Smith’s defence after viewers joked she is “on TV more than the adverts”. On Saturday night, Sheridan made her debut as a judge on ITV’s new singing competition, Starstruck, where contestants transform into their favourite stars for the chance to win £50,000.Some viewers took to Twitter to share their frustrations that three of Sheridan’s shows had aired in the space of a few weeks.As well as Starstruck, ITV drama, No Return, and Channel 5’s The Teacher were also on screens recently.Twitter user, Emily said: “Sheridan Smith is on TV more than the adverts.”Lee joked: “The year is 2031.Sheridan Smith is now on every programme on British television.TV has been renamed Smithbox.The licence fee has been scrapped, but we all have to pay a Sheridan Tax instead.”Dee said: “Seen more of Sheridan Smith than my family recently.”And David quipped: “Hi, you’ve reached Sheridan Smith’s agent.

STARSTRUCK judge Jason Manford has defended his new ITV show after fans claimed it is a rip off of Stars In Your Eyes. The comic made light of the comparison, calling anyone who didn't spot the similarities "thick".

SHERIDAN Smith has been furiously defended by her Starstruck co-star after backlash from fans. Some viewers last night pointed out the actress, 40, has dominated television in recent weeks.

SHERIDAN Smith fans think she is on every show on the telly at the moment – after she appeared as a judge on Starstruck. The 40-year-old joined Jason Manford, Adam Lambert and Beverly Knight on the panel for new the ITV singing contest, which sees four sets of superfans impersonating stars.

STARSTRUCK viewers were left baffled by the new ITV singing show - claiming it was a "rip off" of 90s classic Stars In Their Eyes. The singing programme, hosted by popstar Olly Murs, sees ordinary members of the public transformed into some of the world’s biggest music icons.

Ariana Grande song on ITV's Starstruck.The dad-of-six was reminded of the time he grew tearful with his four girls as they watched Ariana perform at the One Love concert in June 2017 - following the tragic Manchester Arena Attack.The comedian is a judge on the new ITV talent show, which sees super-fans take to the stage and emulate their biggest musical idols.Saturday night's (February 12) show, hosted by singer Olly Murs, saw trios take to the stage to cover hits from Lady Gaga, Queen, Marvin Gaye and Ariana Grande.However, when Team Ariana, made up of Connie, Ellis, and Abi, sung the US pop star's hit song One Last Time, Jason was visibly moved by the rendition.After they performed it, Jason opened up about what the song meant to him and his family.It was phenomenal. Absolutely brilliant.