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UEFA has rejected a request for Frank Skinner and David Baddiel to perform Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home) on the pitch before the Euro 2020 final.

Skinner claimed the tournament’s organisers said performing the song at Wembley before England play Italy on Sunday would be “too partisan and not fair to the Italians”.

The comedian pointed out that Italian opera star Andrea Bocelli sang Nessun Dorma at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico before Italy took on Turkey in the opening game of Euro 2020.

Ian Broudie from the Lightening Seeds (left to right), comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel at a photocall announcing their new recorded version of the Three Lions to coincide with the 1998 World Cup.
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Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home) has become an anthem for England supporters since it was released in 1996

Skinner told Channel 4 show The Last Leg: “There was a suggestion that we sang (Three Lions) on the pitch before the final on Sunday and UEFA said it was too partisan and not fair to the Italians to have that.

“In the opening game, which was Italy versus Turkey, Andrea Bocelli sang Nessun Dorma before the game.”

In a statement to Sky News, UEFA confirmed a request for Baddiel and Skinner to perform Three Lions on the Wembley pitch was received on Friday but the closing ceremony had “already been finalised”.

“No additional elements can be integrated at this stage due to the very tight countdown schedule and operational complexities ahead of the kick-off,” a UEFA spokesperson said.

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UEFA said Three Lions had been chosen as “the fan song” by the FA and it will be played during the players’ warm-up with karaoke graphics on giant screens, “as has been the case for England’s previous matches”.

Baddiel and Skinner will now perform the song with the Lightning Seeds at London’s 229 music venue in front of 200 England fans ahead of the Euros final on Sunday.

David Baddiel and Frank Skinner have attended several England games during Euro 2020
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David Baddiel and Frank Skinner have attended several England games during Euro 2020

Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home) has become an anthem for England supporters since it was first released in 1996.

It is one of the UK’s best-selling singles of all time, according to the Official Charts Company, and has had four spells at number one.

It has zoomed up the charts again this week to number four as the England team seek to win their first major trophy since the famous 1966 World Cup victory.

Explaining the intended meaning of the song, Baddiel said: “It’s about how we mainly lose but still irrationally believe that this time, hope might triumph over experience.

“It’s about yearning and magical thinking. It’s about the condition of being a football fan. Admittedly people have taken (Football’s Coming Home) to mean all sorts of b******s.”

Ahead of the final, government ministers are reportedly being urged not to declare “it’s coming home” while supporting the England football team because it aggravates foreign nations.

A briefing note from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, seen by PoliticsHome, said the phrase “does not go down well overseas” and might damage a potential UK and Ireland bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

Government sources acknowledged the e-mail and said the song would not be put front and centre of a bid to host the 2030 tournament.

But they added “the song is about us for us, it’s been a long old wait for a final”.

England manager Gareth Southgate has made an appeal to the country’s wartime spirit ahead of their Euro 2020 final, urging supporters to be proud of its achievements both on and off the pitch.

Southgate celebrates England's win over Denmark on Wednesday. Pic: AP
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Southgate celebrates England’s win over Denmark on Wednesday. Pic: AP

Southgate said the nation has “so much to be proud of” and urged fans to stop “looking at the negatives of our own country”.

“People have tried to invade us and we’ve had the courage to hold that back,” Southgate told The Daily Telegraph.

“You can’t hide that energy in the stadium against Germany was because of that. I never mentioned that to the players, but I know that’s part of what the story was.”

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Neighbours cancelled again by Amazon – just two years after 40-year-old soap was revived

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Neighbours cancelled again by Amazon - just two years after 40-year-old soap was revived

Neighbours has been axed for a second time, just two years after Amazon threw the Australian soap a lifeline.

A statement on the programme’s social media accounts confirmed the final episode of the 40-year series would air in December 2025.

The show follows the lives of the residents of Erinsborough, a fictional suburb of Melbourne, with famous former alumni including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Margot Robbie.

Read more: Neighbours – the famous stars on Ramsay Street

Executive producer Jason Herbison said: “Audiences all around the world have loved and embraced Neighbours for four decades and we are very proud of the huge success over the last two years including often appearing as one of the Top 10 titles in the UK and the show’s first ever Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Daytime Series in 2024.

“As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for Neighbours – bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally.

“We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future.”

Read more from Sky News:
James Bond producers cede creative control
Liam Payne death charges dropped

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Fremantle Media/Shutterstock (848722dh)
'Neighbours'   
Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan
Grundy TV Archive
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Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan returned for the first series finale. Photo by Fremantle Media/Shutterstock

It is the second time the show has been cancelled, after it was first axed by Channel 5 in the UK after it failed to secure new funding.

But a few months after what was meant to be its final episode, the series was revived by streaming giant Amazon Freeve and Freemantle.

The show is available online in the UK and on Channel 10 in Australia.

Channel 10 said on X: “They’ve been our neighbours for almost 40 years, we’re so sad to be saying goodbye. We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this remarkable Australian story over the years.”

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Sir David Frost’s son: What I learned reviewing broadcast legend’s famous interviews

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Sir David Frost's son: What I learned reviewing broadcast legend's famous interviews

Dad was a showman with great charisma, but he never lost sight of the fact that an interview is about the guest, not the host.

That is made clear when you review the 10,000+ interviews he did, as I have done over the last decade since he left us.

That theme has been central to the series, David Frost Vs.

David Frost with Muhammad Ali
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David Frost with Muhammad Ali. Pic: David Paradine Productions Ltd

Pic: Adam Scull/Shutterstock 

Elton John and David Frost USA New York City
Elton John David Frost 1978
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Elton John and David Frost in New York in 1978. Pic: Adam Scull/Shutterstock

Pic: ITV/Shutterstock 

John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear on the 'Frost on Sunday' tv chat chow programme, produced by ITV London Weekend Television, with David Frost
ITV ARCHIVE
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono with Sir David. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock

Six individual films about crucial moments in our recent history, that are still relevant and resonant today, where Dad just happened to have a front row seat, not six films specifically about Dad.

His extraordinarily revealing interviews with the likes of The Beatles, Yoko Ono, Muhammad Ali, Jane Fonda, Elton John and Richard Nixon are in part so revealing because they were given time to breathe.

Jane Fonda being interviewed by David Frost
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Jane Fonda being interviewed by David Frost. Pic: David Paradine Productions Ltd

Pic: ITV/Shutterstock 

'The Frost Programme'  TV - 1967 -
David Frost, George Harrison, John Lennon.
ITV Archive stills
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David Frost with George Harrison and John Lennon in 1967. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock

Long-form is critical to have a chance of delivering the era-defining conversations that stand the test of time as he did so often. But it takes much more than that. These conversations are deeply personal.

I think our films will reveal more than expected about the people and topics we explore because you really feel the words being spoken.

Dad understood live television better than anyone and when it came to interviewing, both his guests and his viewers are drawn in because what drove him was a genuine curiosity about people.

Sky's Wilfred Frost spoke to Sir Keir Starmer
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Sky’s Wilfred Frost interviewing Sir Keir Starmer last year

David Frost with his wife Lady Carina and Wilfred as they left St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. Pic: PA
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David Frost with his wife Lady Carina and Wilfred as they left St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington on 19 August 1985. Pic: PA

He never entered an interview with an agenda. He was interested in the person in front of him and what they had to say.

But I don’t think that is something you can teach or learn. He just genuinely loved people.

David Frost Vs is coming soon to Sky Documentaries.

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James Bond: Amazon takes creative control of 007 franchise

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James Bond: Amazon takes creative control of 007 franchise

Creative control of the long-running James Bond franchise has been handed to Amazon MGM Studios, in a joint venture with the current owners.

Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson – who are the daughter and stepson of film producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, the man responsible for developing the Bond franchise into the success it is today – will remain co-owners of 007 intellectual property rights.

The pair own EON Productions, the company behind Bond films including Skyfall and Spectre. It has produced 25 films since 1962.

Daniel Craig plays James Bond for the fifth time in No Time To Die. Pic: MGM
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Craig played Bond for a fifth and final time in No Time To Die. Pic: MGM

The deal follows speculation over when the next Bond movie – and indeed the next Bond – will be announced.

The last film, No Time To Die, was delivered four years ago to rave reviews and box office success. It was the swansong for Daniel Craig in his performance of the lady-loving spy.

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Details of the 26th official Bond film – and its new star – are yet to be revealed.

In a statement on EON Productions website, Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios said they were “honoured to continue this treasured heritage” and looked forward to “ushering in the next phase of the legendary 007 for audiences around the world”.

Wilson said that after 60 years spent working across the franchise, he would now be focusing on “art and charitable projects”.

Brian Cox and Barbara Broccoli on the 007: Road To A Million red carpet. Pic: Ian West
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Brian Cox and Barbara Broccoli on the 007: Road To A Million red carpet. Pic: Ian West

Barbara Broccoli said: “My life has been dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy that was handed to Michael and me by our father, producer Cubby Broccoli.

“I have had the honour of working closely with four of the tremendously talented actors who have played 007 and thousands of wonderful artists within the industry. With the conclusion of No Time To Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects.”

In 2022, Amazon bought MGM Studios, which distributes Bond, for $8.45bn (£6.79bn).

Since the acquisition, the streamer has held the rights to distribute all the Bond movies.

Brian Cox as The Controller in 007's Road To A Million. Pic: Amazon Prime Video
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Cox as The Controller in 007’s Road To A Million. Pic: Amazon Prime Video

In the spring of 2023, Amazon Prime Video launched Bond-themed reality show, 007 Road To A Million.

Hosted by Succession star Brian Cox, it offered nine pairs of contestants the chance to win £1m as they travelled through global locations associated with the franchise.

While no one took home the full £1m jackpot, brothers James and Joey did take £150,000. The show was met with a mixed critical reception but was given the green light for a second season.

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