Actor, writer and director Darren Kent – who appeared in Game of Thrones and EastEnders – has died aged 36.
Appearing in Game Of Thrones in 2014, he played a grieving father – Goatherd – taking his dead child to see Daenerys Targaryen, Mother Of Dragons, played by Emilia Clarke.
He also had TV roles in EastEnders, TV mini-series Les Misérables and recent ITV drama Malpractice, as well as a brief appearance in the film Dungeons And Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, released earlier this year.
Image: Kent (centre) on the Game Of Thrones set in 2014
Kent’s death was announced by his agent, Carey Dodd Associates, which wrote on Facebook: “It is with deep sadness we have to tell you that our dear friend and client Darren Kent passed away peacefully on Friday.
“His parents and best friend by his side. Our thoughts and love are with his family in this difficult time.
“Darren was not only a talented actor, director and writer, he was truly one of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
“It has been a privilege and pleasure to have been a part of his journey. RIP my friend.”
No cause of death was given.
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Industry friends paid tribute online, including writer-director Jane Gull. Posting on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “What a privilege it was to be your friend and to work together on so many projects over the years.
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“Life won’t be the same without you. I will miss you so much. RIP darling Darren Kent xxxx.”
Makers of the film Love Without Walls wrote: “With heavy hearts, we share the heartbreaking news of our dear friend @darrenpaulkent’s passing.
“An acting luminary whose creativity inspired and left an indelible mark on and off-screen. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this devastating time.”
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Screenwriter Ben Trebilcook wrote: “Love and thoughts to the friends and family of our talented, caring soul of a friend, Darren Kent, who sadly passed away on Friday.
“Darren, an Essex writer, actor and director, directed our award winning short You Know Me. A true character who was Always creating and forever upbeat and encouraging, Darren will be sorely missed.”
Gogglebox star Sandi Bogle, who appeared with the actor in a 2019 short film, wrote: “My heart is broken my long time amazing, wonderful great friend Darren Kent has passed away my condolences to his family May he rest in peace he is one of Gods (sic) beautiful Angels he will be truly missed.”
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Born in Essex, with a strong London accent, Kent trained at Italia Conti drama school, graduating in 2007.
His first film role was in 2008 horror Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland.
Kent won best actor at the Van D’or Awards in 2012 for his portrayal of the character Danny, in the short film Sunnyboy.
Away from acting, Kent also directed an episode of the 2021 BBC monologue series The Break, showcasing up-and-coming UK writers, and short film You Know Me.
His last performance was in the short film Birds Sorrow.
An antiques expert from the TV show Bargain Hunt has been charged by police following an investigation into terrorist financing.
Oghenochuko ‘Ochuko’ Ojiri, 53, is accused of eight counts of “failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector”, the Met Police said.
The force said he was the first person to be charged with that specific offence under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Mr Ojiri, from west London, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
It comes “following an investigation into terrorist financing” and relates to the period from October 2020 to December 2021, a police spokesperson said.
They added that the probe had been carried out in partnership with Treasury officials, HMRC and the Met’s Arts & Antiques Unit.
Mr Ojiri, who police described as an “art dealer”, has been on Bargain Hunt since 2019.
He has also appeared on the BBC‘s Antiques Road Trip programme.
In a statement, the BBC said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
A man has been charged after allegedly harassing Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston for two years before crashing his car through the front gate of her home, prosecutors have said.
Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, of New Albany, Mississippi, is accused of having repeatedly sent the Friends star unwanted voicemail, email and social media messages since 2023.
The 48-year-old is then alleged to have crashed his grey Chrysler PT Cruiser through the front gate of Aniston’s home in the wealthy Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles early on Monday afternoon.
Prosecutors said the collision caused major damage.
Police have said Aniston was at home at the time.
A security guard stopped Carwyle on her driveway before police arrived and arrested him.
There were no reports of anyone being injured.
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Carwyle has been charged with felony stalking and vandalism, prosecutors said on Thursday.
He also faces an aggravating circumstance of the threat of great bodily harm, Los Angeles County district attorney Nathan Hochman said.
Carwyle, who has been held in jail since his arrest on Monday, is set to appear in court on Thursday.
His bail has been set at $150,000 dollars (£112,742).
He is facing up to three years in prison if he is convicted as charged.
“My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those who stalk and terrorise others, ensuring they are held accountable,” Mr Hochman said in a statement.
Aniston bought her mid-century mansion in Bel Air on a 3.4-acre site for about 21 million dollars (£15.78m) in 2012, according to reporting by Architectural Digest.
She became one of the biggest stars on television in her 10 years on NBC’s Friends.
Aniston won an Emmy Award for best lead actress in a comedy for the role, and she has been nominated for nine more.
She has appeared in several Hollywood films and currently stars in The Morning Show on Apple TV+.
Producer Giles Martin has said plans to allow AI firms to use artists’ work without permission, unless creators opt out, is like criminals being given free rein to burgle houses unless they are specifically told not to.
Martin, who is the son of Beatles producer George Martin and worked with Sir Paul McCartney on the Get Back documentary series and the 2023 Beatles track Now And Then, spoke to Sky News at a UK Music protest at Westminster coinciding with a parliamentary debate on the issue.
Under the plans, an exemption to copyright would be created for training artificial intelligence (AI), so tech firms would not need a licence to use copyrighted material – rather, creators would need to opt out to prevent their work from being used.
Creatives say if anything it should be opt-in rather than out, and are calling on the government to scrap the proposals and stop AI developers “stealing” their work “without payment or permission”.
Image: Giles Martin at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Pic: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
“If you create something unique it should be unique to you,” says Martin. “It shouldn’t be able to be harvested and then used by other people. Or if it is, it should be with your permission… it shouldn’t be up to governments or big tech.”
Sir Elton John and Simon Cowell are among the celebrities who have backed a campaign opposing the proposals, and Sir Paul has also spoken out against them.
“This is about young artists,” says Martin. “If a young Paul McCartney at the age of 20 or 22 wrote Yesterday, now… big tech would almost be able to harvest that song and use it for their own means. It doesn’t make any sense, this ruling of opting out – where essentially it’s like saying, ‘you can burgle my house unless I ask you not to’.”
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‘I’m not anti-AI – it’s a question of permission’
The Beatles’ track Now And Then was written and recorded by John Lennon in New York in the late 1970s, and AI was used to extract his vocals for the 2023 release. The Get Back documentary also used audio restoration technology, allowing music and vocals to be isolated.
Image: AI was used to release The Beatles’ track Now And Then in 2023. Pic: Apple Corps Ltd
“I’m not anti [AI], I’m not saying we should go back to writing on scribes,” Martin said. “But I do think that it’s a question of artist’s permission.”
Using AI to “excavate” Lennon’s voice was with the permission of the late singer’s estate, he said, and is “different from me getting a 3D printer to make a John Lennon”.
He added: “The idea of, for example, whoever your favourite artist is – the future is, you get home from work and they’ll sing you a song, especially designed for you, by that artist, by that voice. And it’ll make you feel better because AI will know how you’re feeling at that time. That’s maybe a reality. Whoever that artist is, they should probably have a say in that voice.”
Crispin Hunt, of 1990s band The Longpigs, who also attended the protest, said “all technology needs some kind of oversight”.
“If you remove the ability for the world to make a living out of creativity, or if you devalue creativity to such an extent that that it becomes a hobby and worthless to do, then humanity in life will be far less rich because it’s art and culture that makes life richer,” he said. “And that’s why the companies want it for free.”
The Data (Use and Access) Bill primarily covers data-sharing agreements, but transparency safeguards were removed at committee stage.
Critics say changes need to be made to ensure that companies training generative AI models disclose whether work by a human creator has been used and protect creatives under existing copyright rules.
In February, more than 1,000 artists and musicians including Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Sam Fender and Annie Lennox released a silent album in protest at the proposed changes.
At that time, a government spokesperson said the UK’s current rules were “holding back the creative industries, media and AI sector from realising their full potential – and that cannot continue”.
The spokesperson said they were consulting on proposals that better protect the “interests of both AI developers and right holders” and to deliver a solution “which allows both to thrive”.