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Badderz UK is an online reality show in which contestants are encouraged to drink, fight and generally behave badly.

It’s quickly gone viral, raking up almost 100,000 views in less than a week.

It is – as its executive producer Lani Good admits – unashamedly “extreme”. Were it to be on TV, without question she says “it would be watered down”.

While UK broadcasters would be criticised for not protecting participants were they to air a similar show on TV, on the internet, the same duty of care rules don’t apply.

“I feel like TV needs to take a chill pill, we’re just trying to have to have a laugh… the [contestants] were dying to do it, they literally want the drama,” Ms Good insists.

Pic: Badderz UK/Lani Good
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Pic: Badderz UK/Lani Good


On terrestrial television, reality ratings have experienced something of a slump in recent years, so has the future of the genre moved online where environments are more raw and less controlled?

TV producers are “out of touch”, Ms Good insists, adding the majority of young people think “reality TV is pants”.

“I didn’t want to wait for opportunities to come my way,” the Youtuber-turned-TV producer told Sky News. “I thought I’ve got a bit of money, I’ll do it myself.”

That money was in fact her share of winnings from appearing on the Channel 4 reality show Tempting Fortune almost a year ago now.

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Badderz UK executive producer Lani Good
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Badderz UK executive producer Lani Good

One of the most ‘hated people on TV’

If her name doesn’t ring a bell, then you might perhaps remember her from briefly being one of the most “hated people on TV”, as she puts it.

The premise of the Paddy McGuinness show saw 12 strangers take part in an 18-day-long trek, the goal being not to give in to the temptations of home comforts en route, which would see money taken out of the shared prize pot at the end.

Ms Good happily blew the group’s cash pot on a £900 hot chocolate, then a £500 milkshake. As her teammates lost it with her, in reality terms, it was TV gold.

Afterwards, she says trolls tried to get her sacked from her day job as a graphic designer. The criticism was brutal, which is why she maintains she’s better placed to fully prepare contestants on her own self-funded show.

Pic: Badderz UK/Lani Good
Image:
Pic: Badderz UK/Lani Good


Warnings about trolling

She maintains on her show she gave contestants “a level of transparency” she never experienced when she appeared on reality TV about the level of trolling they could potentially receive.

“Mainstream TV and broadcasters, when they do their duty of care beforehand, I think they do what they need to do so they don’t get sued,” she says. “I don’t believe they really care. They don’t ever fully prepare you for what you can go through.”

While she admits she’s setting out to get clicks, she doesn’t believe she’s exploiting her young stars, who are happy to be shown screaming and fighting.

“It’s an exchange, I believe,” she says. “I benefit obviously because I’m a producer, I gain the profit, but… young people in this day and age want to be popular, if you don’t have a thousand likes in your picture who are you? You’re nobody.

“That’s what young people care about these days, that’s not my fault… and I’ve given it to them, that’s priceless, it’s not easy to get clout.”

Pic: Badderz UK/Lani Good
Image:
Pic: Badderz UK/Lani Good


Tightening protections for participants

Traditional broadcasters are now obliged to follow Ofcom-dictated regulations to protect the mental and physical well-being of contestants, but the media regulator has little control over content creation online.

Developmental psychologist and filmmaker Professor John Oates says it isn’t a level playing field.

“It’s totally unbalanced because in the last few years protections for participants – and to some extent crews – has really been tightened up in terms of protecting wellbeing,” he says.

“[Online] it’s the wild west, you can do what you like on social media as long as you don’t put up illegal content, basically as long as you don’t put up pornography or incitement to terrorism primarily.”

Pic: Badderz UK/Lani Good
Image:
Pic: Badderz UK/Lani Good

Are online viral shows even more problematic?

While broadcasters may claim to take the moral high ground now, it wasn’t too long ago that even on mainstream TV, on shows like the original Channel 4 Big Brother, contestants would depart to baying mobs, whipped into a frenzy with seemingly little thought given as to how they’d cope with such a reception when they were alone in the real world.

Only after Love Island and the deaths of Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon were rules around protecting contestants scrutinised.

Of course, the ITV dating show has had to navigate countless complaints over the years – from sexism and ageism to racism over how black contestants are frequently picked last when it comes to coupling up. But are the quick-to-go-viral alternatives online even more problematic if they look like Badderz?

Shows ‘feed into the stereotype’

TV presenter and social commentator Zeze Millz hates the message it sends out.

“Being a black woman, we already have a stereotype of being aggressive or having a chip on our shoulder,” she tells Sky News.

“I feel like shows like this when fighting and discourse is the main premise of it, is never going to work in our favour, will never make us look good, and in fact just feeds into the stereotype.”

A concern for Millz is that while the show’s rebellious contestants might be enjoying a boost in followers now, they’re not taking a step back to think about the potential future harm it might do.

“You’ve got that digital footprint… and literally you’re dragging girls across the floor,” she says.

On her YouTube show, Ms Millz makes the point that “young people can do better”.

“The culture that we’re in at the moment, being a TikTok star, being a viral star, is probably more appealing to young people right now than getting a normal nine to five,” she says.

“They really believe ‘I’m going to go viral… and then I’m going to get a deal, then I’m going to get loads of money… I don’t care about my job’. Because I’m in their head, they think that they’ve already got to that point where they don’t even need a job.”

It is a genre that’s all too easily dismissed as harmless trash TV but could the reality be that what we’re watching matters more than we might realise?

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The Phoenician Scheme: Is this every Hollywood actor’s ultimate bucket list job?

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The Phoenician Scheme: Is this every Hollywood actor's ultimate bucket list job?

Wes Anderson is a rarity in Hollywood, with an unswayed distinct aesthetic which has every big name in Hollywood pleading to be in his next project.

Fronted by Benicio del Toro, his new film The Phoenician Scheme sees the return of numerous previous collaborators including Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright and Scarlett Johansson, but also adds new faces to the Anderson universe.

It is set in the 1950s and follows a ruthless yet charismatic European business tycoon called Zsa-Zsa Korda who, in Anderson’s own words, “has very little obligation to honour the truth.”

Looking to solidify his own legacy, without much thought for his 10 children, the slaves he wants to use or the land he wants to exploit, Sza-Sza chases multiple deals so he can build his career-defining project, Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme.

Director Wes Anderson on the set of THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, a Focus Features release. Credit: Roger Do Minh/TPS Productions/Focus Features .. 2025 All Rights Reserved.
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Director Wes Anderson on set. Pic: Roger Do Minh/TPS Productions/Focus Features

‘A motivation pill

The Phoenician Scheme was partly inspired by the life of Anderson’s father-in-law, whom he dedicated the film to, Lebanese businessman Fouad Malouf.

Del Toro tells Sky News it was a gift to play a truly unique character.

“It’s like taking a motivation pill,” he says.

“You’re motivated because it’s Wes Anderson, you’re motivated because of the script and the story and the character. It’s unpredictable, original. [There’s] one hell of an arc, and it’s full of contradictions.”

Director Wes Anderson on the set of THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, a Focus Features release. Credit: Roger Do Minh/TPS Productions/Focus Features .. 2025 All Rights Reserved.
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Director Wes Anderson on set. Pic: Roger Do Minh/TPS Productions/Focus Features

Always an actor in mind – well, mostly…

Michael Cera, who plays Bjorn, says he had a “sense of dread” joining the cast. His role was written with him in mind, something he still can’t believe is true.

“[Anderson] has got every actor at his disposal, you’d imagine,” he says.

With production pushed back due to an actors’ strike, Cera feared the project might “fall apart”.

“I was not really at ease until we were there,” he admits.

Every detail is meticulously planned in the Anderson film universe – from the art on the walls (original works from Renoir and Magritte in this case), to the intricate backstory of a character collecting fleas in a plastic bag as a child.

While most roles are written by the Fantastic Mr Fox filmmaker with certain actors in mind – the exception this time is Liesl, the daughter of the business tycoon.

(L to R) Michael Cera as Bjorn and Benicio Del Toro as Zsa-Zsa Korda in director Wes Anderson's THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, a Focus Features release. .Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features .. 2025 All Rights Reserved.
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Michael Cera as Bjorn and Benicio del Toro as Zsa-Zsa Korda. Pic: Focus Features

The dream phone call

After months of an audition process, Mia Threapleton got the call to play the straight-talking nun who is beckoned by her father to inherit the family business after his sixth near-death experience.

The 24-year-old daughter of Kate Winslet got the news via a call from her agent while she was on the train – and was in such disbelief she told her to call them back.

“I didn’t believe them – and she laughed at me [and said] ‘of course I’m not lying to you, this is true’. And then I sat on the floor and I cried.”

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Del Toro believes it was Threapleton’s screen test where she stood out as an “inventive” actor who thought on her feet that got her the part, having fashioned part of a makeshift nun costume with a napkin from a lunch tray.

“I said, ‘is there anyone who got any hairpins?’ And I pinned it to my head.”

Ticking a Wes Anderson film off the bucket list is a goal for many actors. Threapelton says she still hasn’t come to terms with achieving it so early in her career.

The Phoenician Scheme is in cinemas now.

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‘Grandpa robbers’ found guilty over ‘terrifying’ Kim Kardashian heist at Paris hotel

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'Grandpa robbers' found guilty over 'terrifying' Kim Kardashian heist at Paris hotel

Eight people have been found guilty of crimes connected to the gunpoint robbery of Kim Kardashian at a Paris hotel.

The theft targeting the TV personality, socialite and businesswoman in 2016 was carried out by a group the media dubbed the “grandpa robbers” as most were close to or of retirement age.

A six-member jury, led by three judges, reached a verdict on Friday following a four-week trial at Paris’s Palais de Justice.

The court found the ringleader and seven others guilty over the raid at the Hotel de Pourtales. Their sentences ranged from prison terms to a fine, but with time already served in pretrial detention, none of those convicted will go to jail.

The group were accused of pulling off one of the most audacious heists against a celebrity in modern French history, in the early hours of 3 October 2016 during Paris Fashion Week.

Wearing ski masks and disguised as police, the thieves stormed Kardashian‘s luxury hotel apartment, bound the star with zip ties, and stole jewellery worth an estimated $6m (£4.4m), including a ring given to her by then husband Kanye West.

You caused harm’

Chief judge David De Pas said the defendants’ ages – with the oldest being 79 and some others in their 60s and 70s – weighed on the court’s decision not to impose harsher sentences, and the nine years between the robbery and the trial was also taken into account.

He also told them the reality TV star had been traumatised by the raid, adding: “You caused harm. You caused fear.”

Some arrived in court in orthopaedic shoes and one leaned on a cane. But prosecutors warned observers not to be fooled.

Read more: Everything you need to know about the Paris trial

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Kim Kardashian’s testimony: What happened?

Ringleader Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, who arrived at court walking with a stick, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, with five of those suspended.

His DNA, which was found on the bands used to bind Kardashian, was a key breakthrough that helped crack open the case. Wiretaps captured him giving orders, recruiting accomplices and arranging to sell the diamonds in Belgium.

Three others who were accused of the most serious charges got seven years imprisonment, five of them suspended.

‘Most terrifying experience of my life’

After the ruling, 44-year-old Kardashian, who was not present for the verdict, issued a statement, saying: “I am deeply grateful to the French authorities for pursuing justice in this case.

“The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving a lasting impact on me and my family.

“While I’ll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all. I remain committed to advocating for justice, and promoting a fair legal system.”

The court in the French capital found a ninth person guilty of illegal weapons charges, while a tenth person was cleared.

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Kardashian departing Paris court on 13 May

Kardashian ‘thought she would be raped and killed’

Five of the defendants, who were all aged between 60 and 72 at the time of the incident, faced armed robbery and kidnapping charges.

The remaining five defendants were charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon.

During the robbery, Kardashian, who previously told the court she thought she would be raped and killed, was bound with zip-ties and left in the bathtub.

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She described the robbery as “terrifying” and said while she felt forgiveness, that in no way altered “the emotion and the feelings and the trauma,” adding “my life is forever changed”.

Two members of the group – Khedache, known as “Old Omar”, and Yunice Abbas – who wrote a book called I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian, admitted some part in the robbery, while the remaining eight denied the charges.

Prosecutors had requested sentences of up to 10 years.

Kardashian earlier this week completed her six-year legal apprenticeship in California.

Most of the jewellery, which is understood to have been sold in Belgium, was never found.

A diamond-encrusted cross, dropped during the escape, was the only piece ever recovered.

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Kneecap release new single ahead of Wide Awake headline show

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Kneecap release new single ahead of Wide Awake headline show

Kneecap have released a new single ahead of their headline performance at London’s Wide Awake festival, just days after one of their members was charged with a terror offence.

The rap trio from Belfast shared a link to the song – The Recap – which opens with Sky News presenter Wilfred Frost reporting about the counter terrorism police investigation – on Instagram, linking to their WhatsApp channel.

Kneecap performing in Belfast last year. Pic: PA
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Kneecap performing in Belfast last year. Pic: PA

Bandmembers Liam O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, also thanked the 25,000 fans who had bought tickets for Friday night’s festival.

They also reference Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, with whom they’ve had previous run-ins, writing: “Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one, if you’ve any seats left.”

Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Ms Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister.

Ms Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned and suggested they should be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. Some other politicians have made the same demand.

The track mocks Badenoch’s attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party’s election loss. It features DJ Mozey.

It comes after O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth.

He then joked about being careful about what he said, adding that he wanted to thank his lawyer, saying: “I need to thank my lawyer, he’s here tonight as well.”

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Stars talk about risks of speaking out

In video footage posted to YouTube, the band led the audience in a chant of “free Mo Chara” and joked about the police presence at the venue.

Police said they attended to manage visitors to the sold-out event.

The band said on X that the central London event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list.

O hAnnaidh, 27, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 18 June.

Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English and proved a critical hit in the 2024 semi-fictionalised band origin story movie Kneecap, starring actor Michael Fassbender.

Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.

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