Connect with us

Published

on

Actor Bernard Hill, who played roles in Lord Of The Rings and Titanic, has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed.

Hill also featured as Yosser Hughes in the iconic drama series Boys In The Blackstuff.

He was given a number of awards for his role as King Theoden in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film Titanic.

The actor was born in Blackley, Manchester, in 1944 and graduated with a diploma in theatre in 1970.

He was married to fellow actor Marianna Hill, with whom he shared a son. His agent Lou Coulson said he died in the early hours of Sunday.

Hill will return to TV on Sunday night starring in the second series of Martin Freeman’s The Responder.

Fans have already started to pay tribute to him on social media.

Scottish musician Barbara Dickson wrote of their time working together: “It’s with great sadness that I note the death of Bernard Hill. We worked together in John Paul George Ringo and Bert, Willy Russell marvellous show 1974-1975.

“A really marvellous actor. It was a privilege to have crossed paths with him. RIP Benny x.”

At a London premiere in 2005. Pic: PA
Image:
In London in 2005. Pic: PA

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Sir Rod Stewart ‘booed’ by German crowd while making show of support for Ukraine

Published

on

By

Sir Rod Stewart 'booed' by German crowd while making show of support for Ukraine

Sir Rod Stewart appeared to be booed as photos of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were shown at a concert in Germany.

The 79-year-old singer, who has spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was playing at Leipzig’s Quarterback Immobilien Arena on Friday.

Before performing his 1991 hit Rhythm Of My Heart – which he calls a war song and has dedicated to Kyiv in recent shows – the Ukrainian flag was projected on screen behind Sir Rod.

Images of Mr Zelenskyy were then shown, prompting loud boos, shouts, and whistles from the crowd.

Videos from social media show the crowd appearing to jeer as Sir Rod salutes the Ukrainian president.

The singer has regularly condemned Russia since 2022, and recently called Vladimir Putin an “arsehole” during an interview with Sky News.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

From February: ‘Music brought us together’

He told Sky News’s Friday Night With Niall Patterson in February: “We have to support Ukraine right to the end.”

More on Rod Stewart

In October 2022, Sir Rod also revealed had rented and furnished a home for a family of seven Ukrainian refugees.

“Words couldn’t describe what we were watching,” he told the Daily Mirror at the time. “The bombing of innocent children, the bombing of hospitals and ­playgrounds.

“Like everyone else, we were completely beside ourselves. I don’t wish that on anyone. This is evil, pure evil.”

Read more on Sky News:
Inside the UK’s music festival crisis
Officer who rammed cow pulled from duty

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

Sir Rod will return to Germany for a show at Hamburg’s Barclays Arena later this week, before performing in Cologne on 25 June and Munich on 28 June.

A representative for Sir Rod has been asked for comment.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

House Of The Dragon is back – here’s everything you need to know ahead of the new series

Published

on

By

House Of The Dragon is back – here's everything you need to know ahead of the new series

It doesn’t get much more hotly anticipated than the first Game Of Thrones spin-off, but House Of The Dragon gave us a brand new story in a familiar world and was largely seen to have lived up to expectations.

The first series, which launched in 2022, was critically acclaimed and won awards – and also gave HBO its largest single-day viewership for a series debut in the service’s history.

But if there was criticism, it was that it was a little slow, too much set-up and not enough action, with decades being covered throughout the season as characters grew up and sides were taken.

Has the pace ramped up for series two?

The second season kicks off where the first left off, with battle lines drawn, blood spilt and two former best friends fighting for the crown – and Sky News has spoken to the cast about what to expect.

Be warned – spoilers for series one ahead.

Team Green v Team Black

More on Game Of Thrones

“I feel like I was like trying to throw my body over the crack between the Targaryen family,” says Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent Hightower – a powerful member of the Greens and whose son Aegon was hastily crowned after she claims his father named him as his heir while on his deathbed.

This effectively usurped Rhaenyra (played by Emma D’Arcy) from the Blacks, who claimed she was the rightful Queen as the King’s first-born – and if that wasn’t enough to put them at odds, the series ended with Alicent’s other son killing Rhaenyra’s.

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower in series two of House Of The Dragon. Pic: Sky UK/HBO
Image:
Cooke says ‘the chasm is well and truly opened’ this series


“The chasm is well and truly opened,” says Cooke. “And it’s about management of that and trying to make sure that we don’t descend into bloody, horrible, civil war.

“And the men around us are just so hellbent on having their names in the annals of history, and trying to mitigate that is a nightmare.”

Returning to and expanding Westeros

With the second series commissioned after the first proved to be a hit, D’Arcy says there was a different feel on set when they returned.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

“The first time around, we were trepidatious for so many reasons, not least because Westeros is a much beloved site and you need a very good reason to return there. We thought we had one, but even so, a prequel is a big ask of a fandom – you’re asking those people to sort of take a bit of a gamble with you and we knew that there was different ways that that might go.

“I think what was lovely, certainly I felt, it’s very helpful to watch the show and to have a much clearer sense of the job description, the job at hand, the context, the sorts of identity, the aesthetic of the show. But also, I felt certainly that I sort of finally got my Westerosi passport, that I was, you know, no longer a foreigner.”

Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen in series two of House Of The Dragon. Pic: Sky UK/HBO
Image:
Emma D’Arcy stars as Rhaenyra Targaryen


Fans of the world of Westeros will see more of it this season, says Matt Smith who plays Rhaenyra’s husband – and uncle – Daemon Targaryen.

“The show is evolving and getting bigger and exploring different parts of Westeros, which I think is quite exciting as well. “Hopefully it ticks the boxes it’s meant to.”

Dragon-riding

Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen in House Of The Dragon, series two. Pic: Sky UK/HBO
Image:
Mitchell: ‘It’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to dragon riding in real life’

While both sides of the Targaryen family have access to the ultimate weapon – dragons – wiser members are not in a hurry to use them, knowing the massive amounts of death and destruction that could be unleashed.

But it wouldn’t be much of a series of House Of The Dragon without us seeing plenty of the creatures, and we know that five new ones are being introduced.

For Ewan Mitchell, who plays Prince Aemond Targaryen – the rider of the largest dragon – it’s an opportunity like no other.

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower and Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen in series two of House Of The Dragon. Pic: Sky UK/HBO
Image:
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower and Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen in series two of House Of The Dragon. All pictures: Sky UK/HBO


“A hundred per cent it’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to dragon riding in real life,” he says. “You are ultimately suspended, 15, 20 foot up in the air, you have a wind machine, you have a rain machine, we use something called the volume, which utilises this game engine which projects the environment around you.

“So it really gives you something to react off, you’re not just playing make-believe, and for an actor, that’s just super liberating – it’s escapism taken to another level.”

Read more from Sky News:
Gordon Ramsay ‘lucky to be alive’ after bike accident
Celebrities named in King’s Birthday Honours list
Informal complaints about Russell Brand ‘not properly escalated’

One of the show’s most out-and-out villainous characters returning with Team Green is the duplicitous Lord Larys Strong, played by Matthew Needham.

He admits drawing inspiration for the role from a surprising source – the reality show Couples Therapy.

“You know, the doctor – Dr Orna Guralnik, I think is her name,” he says.

“Her quality of listening… I know, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to insult her, but her quality of listening – she’s very focused and attentive, so it takes everything in – was something I thought a lot about. But, I feel like I’m really disparaging her.”

Matthew Needham as Larys Strong in series two of House Of The Dragon. Pic: Sky UK/HBO
Image:
Matthew Needham plays villain Larys Strong

Facts and figures

The first series was made during the pandemic, so an already challenging production was made even more so.

This time around there were fewer restrictions in terms of tests and masks, but the filming was no still no mean feat – with the show made across England, Wales and Spain at its peak, some 1,250 crew were working at one time, and 2,430 were involved in total during the almost six-month-long shoot.

Four hundred costumes were made for key characters, while another 5,000 were created for the supporting cast.

And we know there will be at least one epic battle scene – as it needed 250 extras for weeks at a time.

House Of The Dragon returns to Sky Atlantic on 17 June

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Gordon Ramsay ‘lucky to be alive’ after bike accident

Published

on

By

Gordon Ramsay 'lucky to be alive' after bike accident

Gordon Ramsay has said he is “lucky to be alive” after a “really bad accident” riding his bike in the US.

The TV chef, 57, warned his 7.6 million followers on X and 17 million on Instagram to “wear a helmet” after the incident in Connecticut this week.

He thanked the “incredible trauma surgeons, doctors, and nurses” at the state’s private Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, but said he is “most thankful for my helmet that saved my life”.

In a graphic video, he revealed a huge bruise covering much of his torso and said: “I’m lucky to be standing here.

“I am in pain, it’s been a brutal week, but I am sort of getting through it.”

On Instagram, he referred to himself as “looking like a purple potato” but said he “did not break any bones or suffer any major injuries”.

“You’ve got to wear a helmet,” he added. “I don’t care how short the journey is. I don’t care that these helmets cost money, they’re crucial.”

He signed off by wishing people a happy Father’s Day.

“I want to wish you all a happy Father’s Day, but please, please, please wear a helmet. If I didn’t, honestly, I wouldn’t be here now.”

Read more from Sky News
Reality TV stars appear in court
Wayne Lineker jokes about Ibiza punch
Celebrities named in King’s Birthday Honours list

Ramsay became a father for the sixth time in November when his wife Tana gave birth to their son Jesse James Ramsay aged 49.

The couple, who have been married for almost 30 years, are also parents to Megan, Matilda, twins Jack and Holly, and Oscar.

Ramsay is a keen cyclist and has completed several endurance challenges, including triathlons and Iron Mans.

He came under fire during the coronavirus lockdown for travelling to his second home in Cornwall, where he would often film himself cycling long distances.

Continue Reading

Trending