Here's what's got me talking this week...
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
It's that time again when I tell you my five telly talking points of the week, and with a stunning episode of EastEnders, a rumoured return of one of our most-loved sitcoms as well as two new This Morning presenters, the first Celebrity Big Brother trailer and last night's superb final of The Masked Singer, it's been another busy week in the world of television.
Here are my 5 telly talking points of the week...
1. "Will you marry me?"
Gavin & Stacey rumoured to be returning this Christmas
On Tuesday, social media was full of speculation after Deadline reported that Gavin & Stacey would be returning later this year for a new Christmas special, 5 years after its last, with filming - they said - set to take place over the summer.
If you cast your minds back to Christmas Day 2019, a record-breaking 11.6 million people tuned in live to watch the hit sitcom's return after 10 years, with that number rising to 18.5m after 28 days, making it the highest rating BBC TV programme (outside of sporting and national events) since records began in 2002.
When you consider the decline in TV viewing and the feeling that Christmas telly just doesn't deliver in the same way that it used to, it's incredible what this Gavin and Stacey special was able to achieve. So when you match its success with THAT cliffhanger, it's no wonder that millions of people have been left wanting more and why the rumours this week have really caught fire amongst fans. Not least of all becasue we might be closer to finding out if Smithy accepted Nessa's surprise marriage proposal or not.
It's worth noting that the BBC (or Netflix, if other reports that they plan to poach the series are to be believed) haven’t formally announced anything and have declined to comment, when asked.
Ruth Jones however, co-creator, co-writer and star did address the rumours during an interview with Oliver Callan on RTE Radio 1 on Wednesday, saying "If there was something to say on that front, James (Corden) and I would happily announce it."
But cruically, it wasn't a no. And with James now back in the UK since The Late Late Show ended in 2023 and all the cast seemingly on board with the idea whenever asked in interviews, I honestly believe that the show will return so it's a case of when, not if, so if it's not this Christmas it'll be another. Or better yet, not just a Christmas special, but a fourth series! Wouldn't that be tidy?
2. "Please forgive us, George"
EastEnders aired one of its greatest-ever episodes
It's been said before, but I'll say it again, every soap has their moment at the top of their genre and for EastEnders they've been there for around 18 months now with a successful mix of incredible storylines and great characters, not least of all The Six storyline which dominated Christmas viewing, with 26.28m streams for the soap over the festive period, making it the most streamed programme on BBC iPlayer.
And that storyline is far from over, with Diane Parish as Denise and Kellie Bright as Linda, delivering some career-best performances as their characters struggle to cope in the wake of what happened on Christmas Day, resulting in Keanu's death.
Not resting on their laurels, EastEnders launched a gripping new storyline in January, with the introduction of George Knight's parents Gloria and Eddie, played by Elizabeth Counsell and Christopher Fairbank. Their arrival saw them reveal to George that he was adopted via a process known as farming which saw children advertised for money for parents looking to give children a home.
Whilst Eddie and Gloria then disappeared for a few weeks, it was clear this storyline was far from over and that George still doesn't know the full story as when they left The Vic after their first revelation, Eddie questioned just how much Gloria had told George.
Assuring him that she only told him what they'd agreed, Gloria questioned "Are you sure we shouldn't tell him the rest?", to which Eddie replied with "He knows all he needs to know for now. The rest can wait."
This week, that wait was over as we discovered that Eddie was facing trial for racially motivated murder and needed George to be his character witness. As George thinks about his decision, he finds the courage to look up his father’s court case and rings Eddie to tell him that they need to talk.
At the start of Wednesday's episode, as Gloria and Eddie turn up at The Queen Vic to find out his decision, George insists on speaking with Eddie alone and sends everyone upstairs. Sitting down with Eddie, what follows is a painful confrontation as he demands answers, revealing how he remembers the night Eddie and his friends beat Henry up.
Despite Eddie defending the attack being racially motivated, George came with evidence proving otherwise and when he tells his father "You can own your mistakes. You can be a better man, Dad.", Eddie finally breaks and his true colours show as he screams "Get your filthy hands off me!"
Meanwhile, after hearing a loud smash, Gloria and Elaine rush downstairs to find George shouting at his father, with Eddie telling him "You dare hit me!". Breaking them up, Gloria assures George that Eddie only did what he did out of her love for him before dropping the biggest revelation of the episode, that Henry Kofi Asare was in fact George's biological father.
Beautifully directed by Toby Frow and wonderfully written by Lauren Klee, Wednesday's episode of EastEnders saw outstanding performances from each and every member of its core cast; Colin Salmon, Elizabeth Counsell, Christopher Fairbank, Francesca Henry, Mollie Rainford and Harriet Thorpe. It truly was one one of the most powerful 30 minutes of television drama, soap or otherwise, that I’ve ever watched and certainly not an episode I'm going to forget in a hurry.
Television drama is always stronger when you have great chatacters who an audience can believe and care for and that's a large part of the reason why Wednesday's episode was so impactiful. An incredible achievement by all involved when you think that despite really only just meeting so many of these characters, we are fully invested in them.
If EastEnders continues this way, there's no doubt that it'll retain its position as the strongest soap on television for a while longer yet.
EastEnders is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer and continues Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One with first look episodes available from 6am on BBC iPlayer
3. "They can run... but there’s one place they can’t hide"
First trailer released for Celebrity Big Brother
Back in October 2023, Big Brother returned to our screens after 5 years away, this time on ITV2, and it was during that successful series that ITV announced what many fans were hoping for, and that's that Celebrity Big Brother would also be returning, this time on ITV1.
Last week, we got our first glimpse at the new series with the eye reveal, which turned out to be, as expected, a slight tweak on the one that was used for the civilian series back in the autumn.
As the March launch date approaches ever nearer, this week saw the most exciting news yet and that's that unlike I'm A Celebrity and other celeb reality shows, we won't be getting the names of the celebrities going into the Big Brother house ahead of the launch show, which will revert to being completely live.
And that's something they defiinitely should have done in the autumn. A pre-recorded/badly edited launch show doesn't work. When I think back to my memories of watching Big Brother, the launch show was always so exciting, not knowing who was going to come out of the car next or indeed what was going to happen next.
I'm so glad the launch show this year will be live and whilst inevitably some names will leak via the tabloids, it;s good that ITV are choosing to keep the confirmed line-up under wraps until the moment they step out of the car and into that famous house.
But that wasn't all the Celebrity Big Brother news for this week as we also got the first trailer for the series, in which a number of people in various scenarios cover their faces as they attempt to avoid the paparazzi.
Hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best then appear in vision as AJ says, "They can run...." with Will adding, "But there's one place they can't hide. "
Celebrity Big Brother returns in March on ITV1
4. "Say hello to our new This Morning presenters"
Ben Shephard & Cat Deeley are announced as new This Morning hosts
Since Phillip Schofield's departure in May 2023 and Holly Willoughby's departure in October 2023, ITV's flagship and longest running daytime show This Morning was left without any regular hosts, and after months of testing out a number of new presenters it was officially announced on Friday that Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley will be the show's new regular hosts.
They'll host Mondays through to Thursdays, with Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary hosting on Fridays. Despite being the worst kept secret, I am surprised they opted for Ben and Cat, considering they tested endless pairings and these two have never hosted together. But maybe that was the plan all along.
Whilst I don't doubt that they'll be able to do a good job - Ben is obviously already a firm daytime favourite and Cat is someone I grew up watching and it'll be great to see her back on UK television - it is a shame that some of the newer faces, like Josie Gibson and Sian Welby weren't given the gig full time. But there's always half-term and holidays I guess.
I've actually been enjoying the rotating line-up of presenters on This Morning, this coming week for example, Josie Gibson will return to host alongside Craig Doyle, but stability is clearly what this show needs, as well as a rebrand and a new studio. Please get rid of that blue sofa, and you haven't been on the Southbank since April 2018 so the fake windows need to go!
This Morning continues Mondays to Fridays at 10am on ITV1
5. "The winner of The Masked Singer 2024 is..."
Danny Jones wins The Masked Singer UK as Piranha
Going into this year's Masked Singer UK final, who was behind each of the three remaining masks was pretty clear, but it made for an exciting final none-the-less as who would be crowned this year's winner was stil fairly open.
For the final, comedian Rob Brydon joined Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Rita Ora on the panel as the three remaining characters, Cricket, Piranha and Bigfoot took to the stage.
Before a winner could be crowned, they each performed again, including a performance with former Masked Singer contestants. Cricket duetted with Charlotte Church as Mushroom, Bigfoot duetted with Ricky Wilson as Phoenix and Piranha duetted with Natalie Appleton as Fawn, for a moving performance of Cher's Believe which was undoubtedly the greatest performance to date on The Masked Singer UK.
First to be unmaked was Cricket, who was unmasked as Fame Academy legend Lemar - and seriously, why has that show not make a comeback yet? It was then between Bigfoot and Piranha as to who would be crowned 2024 champion.
Delivering the results, Joel Dommett announced that Piranha had won, meaning Bigfoot was the next to be unmasked and for anyone who watched The Last Leg on Friday, it's safe to say the fact Bigfoot was Alex Brooker was one of television's worst kept secrets. I also love that he finished second in a singing competition (technically), beating the likes of Keala Settle and Dionne Warwick who somehow was the first to be eliminated from the competition.
But the moment the entire show had been building up to, who was behind the mask of this year's winner, Piranha? With all the judges guessing incorrectly, I started to doubt my thinking, but that didn't last long as once the "Take it off!" chants were over, it was revealed that Piranha was McFly singer and guitarist Danny Jones after all.
On paper, it's a bizarre show. Watching it, it's a bizarre show, But five series on, I still can't get enough of The Masked Singer. Few shows on television can match its energy and unfiltered joy and daftness. But it can also deliver some really heartwarming moments, such as the moment Dippy Egg was unmasked as Davina's co-presenter on Long Lost Family, Nicky Campbell, which led to an emotional reunion on stage.
The Masked Singer is available to watch now on ITVX
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