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British actress Anita Carey, best known for her soap roles in Coronation Street and Doctors, has died aged 75, her agent has confirmed.

Carey was a TV comedy actress who established herself in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?, before turning to soap in 1978 when she was offered a role in Coronation Street.

She played Brenda Summers, a victim of domestic violence, in four episodes, before returning to the fictional Greater Manchester town of Weatherfield 18 years later to play the debt-laden Joyce Smedley from 1996 to 1997.

Joyce met an untimely end when she was run over as she ran to chase her dog, Scamper – her exit one of a series of action-packed farewells as part of a “cast cull” by then new producer Brian Park.

In 1990, Carey returned to sitcom in A Kind Of Living, before returning to soap in 2007 to play Vivien March in BBC One’s Doctors for two years. In their tribute, the official Doctors X account (formerly Twitter) described her as a “gifted actress who breathed life into the beloved character”.

Carey’s agent Katie Threlfall confirmed her death, but no further details were given. The actress had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, according to reports.

Former Doctors director Steve Hughes, who worked on the series between 2005 and 2010, was among those paying tribute to Carey, writing on Twitter: “Sad to hear that Anita Carey has passed. I really enjoyed working with her on Doctors back in the day.”

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Meanwhile, Doctors writer Roland Moore tweeted: “Saddened to hear about Anita Carey. She was a joy to write for as Vivien on Doctors and it was great to meet her once at the soap awards.”

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Carey’s breakthrough role was that of Susan Chambers in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? in 1973, the same year she met her future husband and fellow actor Mark Wing-Davey while she was playing Miss Heasman in the touring theatre show Butley.

The following year, the couple appeared in a production of The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde at the Crucible Theatre, before Carey starred in the West End production of Hobson’s Choice.

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Other programmes included sketch show One-Upmanship, based on Stephen Potter’s spoof self-help books, as well as the comedy-drama Beryl’s Lot playing one of the on-screen children of actress Carmel McSharry.

She also starred in John Finch’s drama The Spoils Of War, playing Martha Blaze, before appearing as Joyce Gould, the devoted wife of a Labour MP, in ITV’s 1986 adaptation of Jeffrey Archer’s novel First Among Equals.

Carey later moved to New York after Wing-Davey, whom she married in 2002, became chairman of the graduate acting programme at New York University in 2008.

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Sally Rooney tells court new books may not be published in UK due to Palestine Action ban

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Sally Rooney tells court new books may not be published in UK due to Palestine Action ban

Irish author Sally Rooney has told the High Court she may not be able to publish new books in the UK, and may have to withdraw previous titles from sale, because of the ban on Palestine Action.

The group’s co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against the Home Office over the decision to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror laws in July.

The ban made being a member of, or supporting, Palestine Action a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Rooney was in August warned that she risked committing a terrorist offence after saying she would donate earnings from her books, and the TV adaptations of Normal People and Conversations With Friends, to support Palestine Action.

In a witness statement made public on Thursday, Rooney said the producer of the BBC dramas said they had been advised that they could not send money to her agent if the funds could be used to fund the group, as that would be a crime under anti-terror laws.

Rooney added that it was “unclear” whether any UK company can pay her, stating that if she is prevented from profiting from her work, her income would be “enormously restricted”.

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Why was Palestine Action proscribed?

She added: “If I were to write another screenplay, television show or similar creative work, I would not be able to have it produced or distributed by a company based in England and Wales without, expressly or tacitly, accepting that I would not be paid.”

Rooney described how the publication of her books is based on royalties on sales, and that non-payment of royalties would mean she can terminate her contract.

“If, therefore, Faber and Faber Limited are legally prohibited from paying me the royalties I am owed, my existing works may have to be withdrawn from sale and would therefore no longer be available to readers in the UK,” Rooney added, saying this would be “a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression”.

Rooney added that it is “almost certain” that she cannot publish or produce new work in the UK while the Palestine Action ban remains in force.

She said: “If Palestine Action is still proscribed by the time my next book is due for publication, then that book will be available to readers all over the world and in dozens of languages, but will be unavailable to readers in the United Kingdom simply because no one will be permitted to publish it, unless I am content to give it away for free.”

Sir James Eadie KC, barrister for the Home Office, said in a written submission that the ban’s aim is “stifling organisations concerned in terrorism and for members of the public to face criminal liability for joining or supporting such organisations”.

“That serves to ensure proscribed organisations are deprived of the oxygen of publicity as well as both vocal and financial support,” he continued.

The High Court hearing is due to conclude on 2 December, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.

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Creator of AI actress Tilly Norwood addresses claims she’ll ‘steal jobs’ from real stars

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Creator of AI actress Tilly Norwood addresses claims she'll 'steal jobs' from real stars

The creator of an AI actress has told Sky News that synthetic performers will get more actors working, rather than steal jobs.

AI production studio Particle6 has ruffled feathers in Hollywood by unveiling Tilly Norwood – a 20-something actress created by artificial intelligence.

Speaking to Sky News’ Dominic Waghorn, actor and comedian Eline Van der Velden – who founded Particle6 – insisted Norwood is “not meant to take jobs in the traditional film”.

AI entertainment is “developing as a completely separate genre”, she said, adding: “And that’s where Tilly is meant to stay. She’s meant to stay in the AI genre and be a star in that.”

“I don’t want her to take real actors’ jobs,” she continued. “I wanted to have her own creative path.”

Norwood has been labelled “really, really scary” by Mary Poppins Returns star Emily Blunt, while the US actors’ union SAG-AFTRA said in a statement: “Tilly Norwood is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers – without permission or compensation.”

Responding to the criticism, Ms Van der Velden argued that Hollywood is “going to have to learn how to work with [AI] going forward”.

“We can’t stop it,” she said. “If we put our head in the sand, then our jobs will be gone. However, instead, if we learn how to use these tools, if we use it going forward, especially in Britain, we can be that creative powerhouse.”

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Ms Van der Velden said her studio has already helped a number of projects that were struggling due to budget constraints.

“Some productions get stuck, not able to find the last 30% of their budget, and so they don’t go into production,” she said. “Now with AI, by replacing some of the shots […] we can actually get that production going and working. So as a result, we get more jobs, we get more actors working, so that’s all really, really positive news.”

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Prince William tells John Cleese his kids have just discovered Fawlty Towers

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Prince William tells John Cleese his kids have just discovered Fawlty Towers

Prince William wasn’t close to being born when Fawlty Towers first aired – but now even his children have fallen in love with it.

The Prince of Wales, 43, revealed his kids’ love of the classic British sitcom – which first aired in 1975 – during a conversation with star John Cleese.

The pair shared a few words at the Tusk Conservation Awards at London’s Savoy Hotel on Wednesday night, which honoured those safeguarding the habitats and animals of Africa.

William told Cleese they were having “a lot of family laughs” watching the show, and his children “love it”.

The Prince of Wales and John Cleese were among those attending the Tusk Conservation Awards. Pics: PA
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The Prince of Wales and John Cleese were among those attending the Tusk Conservation Awards. Pics: PA

The future king said he has also been “reminiscing” on the series and enjoying it “all over again”.

“It’s brilliant,” he added.

After their chat, Cleese said of Fawlty Towers: “I always explain it’s about ‘who’s scared of who’ and kids pick that up immediately. And mine, all those years ago, grew up watching it.”

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The veteran comic actor – an ambassador of the trust – was joined by his wife Jennifer Wade, and fellow ambassador Ronnie Wood, the Rolling Stones guitarist.

Other guests were Zara Tindall and husband Mike, and William’s cousins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer.

Winners included Laban Mwangi, a head ranger working in Kenya; Rahima Njaidi, who has established a Tanzanian community-led forest conservation network; and Kumara Wakjira, who was honoured for his work in Ethiopia.

William said they “should inspire us to drive change”.

He added: “If we all want to continue to enjoy and benefit from the wonders of the natural world we must not be the generation that stands by as wildlife and biodiversity disappears.

“What we choose to do will have an impact on future generations, and tonight we must choose to do more.”

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