The drama, which stars actress Amanda as the fierce Dr Lydia Fonseca, returns for its second season on ITV tonight and fans are eagerly awaiting the next round of adventures for the Indian hospital and its team.
Viewers will remember that the first instalment left off with English doctor Ruby Walker (played by Amrita Acharia) finally settling in to her new life in Kerala, India, and Lydia going public about her relationship with barman Greg McConnell (Neil Morrissey).
Yet while creator Dan Sefton has promised “a harder edge” to the storylines this time around, network executives at ITV were reportedly unhappy with some of the scenes, despite the show airing after the watershed.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, 60-year-old actress Amanda spoke about one moment particularly wistfully.
She said: “I have to amputate in the field in one of the episodes and yeah I get a little bit too happy with a saw.
“It was so real, it was brilliant, the prosthetics team are amazing and I thought they did a brilliant job.
“But apparently,” she shared, “It was a little bit too gory so ITV have gone and had to cut quite a lot of it.”
Laughing, the New Tricks star admitted that the scenes would be quite hard to stomach for some viewers.
Mimicking a sawing-motion with her hand, she agreed: “It was really gory.”
Amanda went on to say that if she met her character in real life, she’d be a firm friend because of her unwillingness to be politically correct.
The actress explained: “I admire her passion, I admire that she loves her job – she is tough but in this day and age with everything so PC she says it absolutely like it is and how she sees it and she doesn’t care if there are any [consequences].
“And you see more of it in this series, she doesn’t care about the application around it at all. It’s nice to get someone who’ll say, ‘This is absolute horse s**t, you’re talking PC rubbish’.
“She’s not always right, by a long shot, but I love that, the fact that she’s fallible and she does screw it up. And then gets very upset when she screws it up,” she added with a laugh.
In terms of there being an arc for Lydia in season two, Amanda revealed that her character will grow through the various situations she’ll encounter at the Good Karma Hospital.
“There’s not an arc honestly, you see her getting on with what she gets on with in the hospital,” she continued. “It’s more this time how she reacts to the various patients that come in.
“The domestic violence thing is a very big deal for her, and you see more of Lydia and understand more of her through the actual stories.”
The Good Karma Hospital season two airs tonight at 9pm on ITV.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/the-good-karma-hospital-season-2-amanda-redman-reveals-itv-axed-one-scene-too-gory/feed/0I'm A Celebrity 2017: Ant and Dec SLAM Amir Khan amid 'bullying' row: 'Too harsh'
https://briefnews.eu/im-a-celebrity-2017-ant-and-dec-slam-amir-khan-amid-bullying-row-too-harsh/
https://briefnews.eu/im-a-celebrity-2017-ant-and-dec-slam-amir-khan-amid-bullying-row-too-harsh/#respondThu, 07 Dec 2017 23:44:45 +0000http://briefnews.eu/im-a-celebrity-2017-ant-and-dec-slam-amir-khan-amid-bullying-row-too-harsh/
Ant and Dec decided enough was enough and called out Amir for his behaviour toward Iain in tonight’s episode.
The comments came as the boxer was once again making cruel remarks toward the radio host.
Dec stated: “There’s loads of celebrities down here who will have done stuff they don’t want to be reminded of.”
He continued to jibe: “Remember the guy who shouted, ‘I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!’ in the first trial?”
“Amir,” Ant replied.
Ant continued to list off several of Amir’s failings, noting how hypocritical he had been toward Iain.
Fans of the show took to Twitter to express their delight in the hosts’ comments.
One viewer wrote: “Ant and Dec slagging Amir off is the best thing to happen yet this series #ImACeleb.”
“Still find it funny that Ant and Dec don’t like Amir either, they’ve literally just spoken for the whole nation #ImACeleb,” said another.
Amir told Iain he had “f****d up a lot of things” when he entered the jungle a few days later than the original contestants.
Iain confessed in the Bush Telegraph that Amir’s comments made him feel “uncomfortable.”
]]>https://briefnews.eu/im-a-celebrity-2017-ant-and-dec-slam-amir-khan-amid-bullying-row-too-harsh/feed/0Holly Willoughby left red-faced as Gino D'Acampo exposes 'too much' on This Morning
https://briefnews.eu/holly-willoughby-left-red-faced-as-gino-dacampo-exposes-too-much-on-this-morning/
https://briefnews.eu/holly-willoughby-left-red-faced-as-gino-dacampo-exposes-too-much-on-this-morning/#respondTue, 21 Nov 2017 13:49:49 +0000http://briefnews.eu/holly-willoughby-left-red-faced-as-gino-dacampo-exposes-too-much-on-this-morning/
The blonde beauty and co-host Phillip Schofield introduced the chef to viewers only to see find him slumped on the sofa looking rather unimpressed.
As the camera panned towards him, Gino asked: “Is this a good position?”
While Phillip insisted it was fine, he protested: “No that doesn’t look good. Plus you can see too much willy.”
His cheeky remark left Holly Willoughby red-faced as she stuttered: “Oh… gosh… brilliant.”
But her fellow presenter was rather amused by his comment as he joked: “Well, I’m not sure about that actually.”
Gino went on to note that the blue sofa was “the most uncomfortable” seat he had ever sat on leaving the presenters irritated.
Phillip pulled the 41-year-old out of his seat and placed a cushion behind his back to prop him up.
Holly meanwhile could be heard instructing Gino: “Just relax. Sit forward.”
]]>https://briefnews.eu/holly-willoughby-left-red-faced-as-gino-dacampo-exposes-too-much-on-this-morning/feed/0'Too interested in ourselves?': Media confused with Macron's tweet amid his criticism of narcissism
https://briefnews.eu/too-interested-in-ourselves-media-confused-with-macrons-tweet-amid-his-criticism-of-narcissism/
https://briefnews.eu/too-interested-in-ourselves-media-confused-with-macrons-tweet-amid-his-criticism-of-narcissism/#respondWed, 06 Sep 2017 21:58:48 +0000http://briefnews.eu/too-interested-in-ourselves-media-confused-with-macrons-tweet-amid-his-criticism-of-narcissism/
Emmanuel Macron has criticized French journalists for being “not enough” interested in the country but rather in themselves. However, his comment left the media somewhat bewildered, as it was accompanied by a tweet in which dozens of kids are seen running toward the president, cheering his name.
The recently elected French leader was confronted by French reporters earlier this week, with journalists wondering why the president has decided to give very few interviews.
“I’m not interested in journalists, I’m interested in the French people, that’s what you need to understand,” Macron replied, before bringing down criticism on the reporters by accusing them of not being interested in the state of affairs in France, unlike him.
“Journalists have a problem. They are too interested in themselves and not enough in the country,” he said while visiting a school in eastern France, accompanied by the press.
The comments backfired when the president chose a video from the very same school visit, to share with his nearly 2 million followers on Twitter. It showed dozens of pupils cheering, “Macron,” and hugging the president.
The tweet made the media raise their eyebrows.
“Like all modern heads of state, Emmanuel Macron posts on Twitter videos of his public activities. So, a few moments after he had knocked journalists for professional narcissism, he posted [this video], whose high informative value about the country, its energy, and its hope shines through,” French weekly L’Obs wrote.
BFM TV channel has called Macron’s actions “contradictory,” while Paris news magazine Le Point also questioned the president’s criticism of “our beautiful profession.”
“When he was running for president, he was basically walking on water, they could not have enough of him and he could not have enough of the journalists, and it was a complete love fest,” a Paris-based columnist at the Telegraph, Weekly Standard and the Sun, Anne-Elizabeth Moutet, told RT of Macron, who has been estimated to have three times more coverage than his opponents at the height of the presidential campaign.
“And then he decided that he was going to frame his own message and frame what he was going to say and journalists are not going to be a part of this at all. So suddenly the press was pushed back in every possible physical way,” she said, adding that “the honeymoon” and “the good times are over, this is it.”
Meanwhile, a poll carried out in France in the end of August showed that Macron’s approval rating had nosedived to 30 percent. Despite his overwhelming presidential and parliamentary wins, after his first 100 days in the office fewer than one in three French voters said they were content with the performance of the 39-year-old president.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/too-interested-in-ourselves-media-confused-with-macrons-tweet-amid-his-criticism-of-narcissism/feed/0Coronation Street boss HITS BACK at viewer backlash over 'too dark' Bethany Platt story
https://briefnews.eu/coronation-street-boss-hits-back-at-viewer-backlash-over-too-dark-bethany-platt-story/
https://briefnews.eu/coronation-street-boss-hits-back-at-viewer-backlash-over-too-dark-bethany-platt-story/#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 01:22:45 +0000http://briefnews.eu/coronation-street-boss-hits-back-at-viewer-backlash-over-too-dark-bethany-platt-story/
The 38-year-old programme producer has addressed Ofcom complaints following Lucy Fallon’s portrayal of Bethany Platt’s abuse.
Kate explained that she doesn’t think the backlash has been at all justified, telling the Radio Times: “Not at all. A lot of the criticism came when people had watched one or two episodes that had been particularly dark and challenging.
“But this is a serial drama and there was light, heart and optimism as part of that longer journey. For me, this was a feminist story because Bethany took the power back.”
She also spoke about killing off many female characters during her time on Emmerdale, saying she now hopes to bring a beacon of hope to the women of Weatherfield.
Kate said: “The presence of strong women was the backbone of the show as Tony Warren created it. The tone and content of the stories have moved on, and so have the female characters, but that strength has still to be there for it to be truly Corrie.
“On Emmerdale, I was uncomfortably aware that I’d been responsible for the deaths of a number of women characters and I didn’t want to repeat that. I did feel like I was punishing the women.
“When the sense of the downtrodden is relentless, the audience starts to disengage. So on Coronation Street, I wanted to see the characters face trauma, but to come out the other end. There had to be journeys of triumph and strength.”
Kate’s latest storylines have seen an element of hope following life changing ordeals.
Michelle Connor came to terms with the stillbirth of her baby, and Bethany reported her “boyfriend” Nathan to the police for grooming her and allowing her to be abused by his friends.
The full interview can be found in the latest issue of Radio Times, which is available now.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/coronation-street-boss-hits-back-at-viewer-backlash-over-too-dark-bethany-platt-story/feed/0Eurovision 2017: The song contest that became 'too political'
https://briefnews.eu/eurovision-2017-the-song-contest-that-became-too-political/
https://briefnews.eu/eurovision-2017-the-song-contest-that-became-too-political/#respondSat, 13 May 2017 10:17:56 +0000http://briefnews.eu/eurovision-2017-the-song-contest-that-became-too-political/
Less a singing contest and more a patriotic spectacle in gold lamé and Lycra, Eurovision is unique.
But while the lyrics are not supposed to be political, the fallout often is.
Established in 1956 to unite European countries after the devastation of the Second World War, it quickly became clear that it had united some areas more than others. And 2017 is no exception.
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I don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s a major musical event
Sir Terry Wogan
It wouldn’t be Eurovision without at least one country entering a political minefield and this year it was heavy-hitter Russia. Relations between Moscow and this year’s host Ukraine have been in the freezer since 2014 when Russia invaded the Crimea.
The Ukrainians got some measure of satisfaction last year when their entrant Jamala won the contest with 1944 – a little ditty about the deportations of Crimean Tatars to Central Asia by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. This appeared to breach the ban on political lyrics but sneaked through on the grounds it was “historical”.
It succeeded in riling Russia’s president Vladimir Putin nonetheless.
GETTY
Sir Terry Wogan stepped down as Eurovision host because the song contest had become ‘too political’
In March this year, Ukraine had another opportunity to get its own back on Moscow. The Russian contestant, wheelchair user Yuliya Samoylova, was refused entry for visiting Crimea, which Ukraine says is illegally occupied. Russia retaliated by withdrawing from the contest.
Moscow had been, indirectly, at the centre of another controversy in 2009 when the European Broadcasting Union, which produces Eurovision, banned the Georgian entry We Don’t Wanna Put In, on the grounds that “Put In” was a verbal dig at President Putin.
This sort of nationalistic squabbling would sound all too familiar to the late Sir Terry Wogan, who stepped down as UK host in 2008 after 37 years, claiming that the event could no longer be considered a music competition. He specifically cited the voting habits of Greece and Cyprus, which share a common ethnicity, saying their back-scratching behaviour was, “ridiculous” adding, “But they still do it. They just don’t care.”
Sat, May 14, 2016
Eurovision 2015 is just around the corner, so to prepare, we’ve come up with a list of things that seem to happen during every contest, without fail. From wardrobe malfunctions and skimpy costumes, to Graham Norton’s slightly squiffy commentary, Eurovision has seen it all!
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There are skimpy outfits: Ani Lorak of Ukraine during the 2008 semi-final
Cyprus has awarded almost three times as many points to Greece as to its second most common preference. Greece has reciprocated by giving more than twice as many points to Cyprus as anyone else. Scandinavia tends to vote for its own too. As do the Balkan states.
Belarus – which split from the Soviet Union in 1990 – has awarded more than twice as many points to Russia as to any other country. And the massive preference for Turkey in Germany’s voting patterns is evidence of the size of that country’s Turkish population.
EPA
Greece and Cyprus always ‘scratch each others’ backs’
Yet Norway, despite benefiting from Scandinavian solidarity, is still the unluckiest country in Eurovision history, coming last a record 11 times and leaving the contest with “nul points” four times.
The UK’s record is not exactly glittering either. Our greatest allies are the Irish but their support is rarely enough to overcome other international alliances.
This year Ireland was knocked out in the semi-finals in any case. Our 2011 entry Blue said it was “often not really about the song but who your neighbours are” and a YouGov poll in 2013 showed that of all Eurovision nations the British have the strongest conviction that “it’s all political”.
Take the Armenia issue. An ongoing territorial dispute over Armenian land annexed by its neighbour Azerbaijan in the early 20th century spilled over into Eurovision in 2012. The Armenians claimed Poland and Iceland had withdrawn from the contest over it being held in an “authoritarian country like Azerbaijan”.
Fake news as it happened but Denmark did call for a hundreds of families had been evicted from their homes to enable construction of the Eurovision arena. In fact, there had been complaints about Azerbaijan’s violations of human rights the moment that Ell and Nikki, the country’s Eurovision act, won the 2011 contest, with Amnesty International asserting that it was inappropriate for the country to host the following year’s event according to tradition.
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Ukrainian entry Jamala won the contest last year with song ‘1944’
Sun, May 15, 2016
Our pick of the worst Eurovision outfits of all time, featuring the likes of ABBA, Lordi, Jedward and Bucks Fizz.
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Spain and Croatia during Eurovison 2016
Ancient alliances are not the only issues that cause people to kick up a fuss.
In 1969, Austria refused to take part in the Spanish Eurovision on the grounds that it objected to participating under the regime of General Franco. And when the Israeli singer Sharon Cohen, known as Dana International, became the competition’s first transsexual winner in 1998, five years after her sex change, conservative viewers were outraged.
Dutch singer Waylon, of the Common Linnets, was the troublemaker in 2014, labelling Belgium’s Axel Hirsoux “a second-hand Paul Potts” and referring to Denmark’s Basim as a “copy of Bruno Mars”. That year’s contest went on to be won by Conchita Wurst, a stunning bearded transvestite from Austria who attracted criticism from anti-gay groups in Eastern Europe.
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Israel’s entry Dana International was the competition’s first transsexual winner in 1998
A Russian petition to edit out her performance asserted that Eurovision had become “a hotbed of sodomy, at the initiation of European liberals”. The gay issue was front and centre a year later when “anti-booing sound reducers” were installed in the Vienna Eurovision arena because the contest was scheduled to take place on the same day that Ireland voted to legalise gay marriage.
Russia – with its poor gay rights record – was a controversial entry and booing was expected.
Sat, May 14, 2016
Broadcasted every year since 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has been won by 26 different European countries in the 59 years since its debut. There have been 62 winning songs, with one winner per year, excepting 1969 when the result was tied between Spain, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France.
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Bucks Fizz, Abba, Dana and Dana International were all big Eurovision winners
Perhaps the last word on Eurovision should be reserved for the inimitable Sir Terry: “I don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s a major musical event,” he declared just before he stepped down to be replaced by Graham Norton.
“I love the Eurovision Song Contest and it will continue long after I’m gone. Just please don’t ask me to take it seriously.”
● The grand final of Eurovision is on BBC One tonight at 8pm.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/eurovision-2017-the-song-contest-that-became-too-political/feed/0Coronation Street fans DISGUSTED as Bethany sex ring plot goes 'too far' before watershed
https://briefnews.eu/coronation-street-fans-disgusted-as-bethany-sex-ring-plot-goes-too-far-before-watershed/
https://briefnews.eu/coronation-street-fans-disgusted-as-bethany-sex-ring-plot-goes-too-far-before-watershed/#respondWed, 15 Mar 2017 22:45:02 +0000http://briefnews.eu/coronation-street-fans-disgusted-as-bethany-sex-ring-plot-goes-too-far-before-watershed/
While his friend Mel encouraged Bethany to get a contraceptive implant, Nathan spoke to another friend about letting him “see a bit more” of his young girlfriend.
But viewers thought it marked a step too far for the 7.30pm programme.
One person commented on Twitter: “That storyline with the blonde on Coronation Street is grim. No need for that before 8pm on a weekday.”
Another wrote: “This story line with Bethany on coronation street literally makes me feel sick,” while a further disgusted viewer agreed: “Feel so uncomfortable watching Coronation Street now with the Nathan storyline.”
Last month actress Lucy admitted that she felt uncomfortable watching herself in the scenes, but said that child grooming was a crucial issue for the show to tackle at a time that would target young viewers.
Actor Chris, who is an ambassador for sexual abuse charity Voicing CSA, agreed that the popular soap had a responsibility to open communication about the subject.
Barnardo’s children’s charity, which provides support for young people facing sexual exploitation, praised writers for confronting the issue.
Referring viewers to the organisation’s specialist services, chief executive Javed Khan said: “This storyline makes for difficult watching but it’s important as many people as possible are aware of the signs of grooming, so we can prevent this abuse happening.
“Like Bethany’s character, the young victims of this crime mistakenly think these child sex abusers care for them because they’re often showered with presents and attention.
“But alcohol and mobile phones can be used to control and manipulate them into doing things they don’t want to do.”
Express.co.uk has contacted a Coronation Street spokesperson for further comments.
]]>https://briefnews.eu/coronation-street-fans-disgusted-as-bethany-sex-ring-plot-goes-too-far-before-watershed/feed/0Areoflot brands cabin crew: 'Too old, too fat and too ugly to be flight attendant'
https://briefnews.eu/areoflot-brands-cabin-crew-too-old-too-fat-and-too-ugly-to-be-flight-attendant/
https://briefnews.eu/areoflot-brands-cabin-crew-too-old-too-fat-and-too-ugly-to-be-flight-attendant/#respondWed, 22 Feb 2017 17:28:31 +0000http://briefnews.eu/areoflot-brands-cabin-crew-too-old-too-fat-and-too-ugly-to-be-flight-attendant/
GETTY
Russian national carrier Areoflot is in trouble with its female flight crew
One air hostess Yevgenia Magurina complained: “They told us all that only the young and thin will fly abroad for Aeroflot.”
Another complained at being weighed like cows by an airline which in Soviet times was the largest in the world, and the notorious for poor service and safety, but is now seen as as good as the best in the West.
A group of angry cabin staff has written to Vladimir Putin to complain about their alleged treatment, supposedly part of a “rebranding” exercise.
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Calling themselves STS – the Russian abbreviation for “old, fat, ugly” – they say they are being prevented from flying on international routes, and instead given unfashionable domestic flights.
This means the experienced and loyal crew lose money, and miss out on layovers in exotic foreign destinations.
Mrs Magurina told the Russian service of RFE/RL that she had been flying for 15 years and was a senior cabin crew member on international flights.
GETTY
Areoflot has banned as many as 400 ‘old, fat and ugly’ hostesses (FILE PIC)
They told us all that only the young and thin will fly abroad for Aeroflot
Yevgenia Magurina
But in August she was reassigned to internal routes because she was not thin enough under new rules.
“We were all photographed en masse and measured — some were even weighed,” she revealed.
“This was done under the pretext of company rebranding and ordering new uniforms for staff.”
GETTY
This means the experienced and loyal crew lose money
She stated: “My life changed in the middle of August.”
Others had suffered before that, she said.
Some 400 flight attendants have been hit by the new rulings.
Tue, November 22, 2016
Air travel secrets: Here are the top 10 secrets of the airline industry revealed.
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Economy seats are safer – Studies suggest that you are more likely to survive a crash if you are sitting at the back of the aeroplane
“They stopped putting anyone on international flights if they are older than 40 or take more than a (Russian) size 48 (UK – 16),” said Mrs Magurina.
Not only is she forced to fly domestic routes to destinations in such places as Siberia, but these are often night flights, or early morning departures, which means she and others cannot sleep properly before going to work.
“When I asked what’s going on, they told me these are the new rules of the game and that I was removed from international flights because of my clothes size – it mustn’t be more than a 46, and I’m a 48,” she said.
GETTY
A group of angry cabin staff has written to Vladimir Putin
Igor Deldyuzhov, the president of a trade union representing flight crew, said there were many complaints of discrimination over age and appearance.
But staff were scared to go to court because they have children and mortgages and fear losing their jobs.
Air hostesses are desperately trying to lose weight in order to keep their international flight work, and the higher salary that goes with it, said Natalia, 42.
“Stewardesses were fainting from hunger at the controller’s office as they tried to meet the new criteria,” she said.
“But even if they managed to lose the weight they were told, ‘You still wouldn’t get to fly to the United States or Dominican Republic because you’re a little old'”.
She asked: “Do you know how humiliating it is when they weigh you like some kind of cow?”
GETTY
Some 400 flight attendants have been hit by the new rulings
Aeroflot declined to comment on the claims.
A recent report stated that 1 per cent of its pilots are women.