Married At First Sight faces more clashes as string stars snubbed for special show featuring reunions
THERE have been more rows than vows on the current UK series of Married At First Sight – and the drama is set to continue.
I can reveal Channel 4 has commissioned a one-off special to be recorded 12 months after the dating show was filmed.
But the planned spin-off of the E4 series hasn’t gone down well with some members of this year’s cast, because while some of the brides and grooms have been invited back, others haven’t.
A TV insider said: “MAFS UK has been high on scandal this year with the sheer amount of messy splits and bust-ups, perhaps more than ever.
“Bosses thought it was worth revisiting some of the cast to see how their lives have changed 12 months on from filming the experiment.
“However, preparation for the special episode has been marred by a few of the cast members kicking off because they were not invited to appear despite playing starring roles in the series.”
The special is being filmed this week, with the intention of being aired next year.
The chosen cast members will be recorded going about their normal lives before meeting up once again for another explosive dinner party.
MAFS UK bad boy Alex Henry, who failed to appear in the series’ final dinner party last night and will not be at the “reunion ceremony” tonight, has once again been left out over concerns surrounding his behaviour on the show and before it aired, courtesy of domestic abuse allegations which The Sun brought to light.
And fellow grooms Ross McCarthy and Stephen Nolson have also not been asked to appear, which has left the pair baffled given their respective high drama in the series this year.
WE’RE OUT IN NUMBERS
THE Brockman family are finally back together, eight years after they were last on the telly.
Real-life couple Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner, who play Pete and Sue in comedy series Outnumbered, were joined by their on-screen kids, played by Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche and Ramona Marquez for this picture.
The sitcom family, who appeared in the hit show from 2007 to 2014 and in a one-off episode in 2016, are preparing to take a starring role as part of Children In Need, which airs on BBC One from 7pm tomorrow.
To get ready for the big night, they posed in yellow Pudsey the Bear attire.
This comes ahead of a Christmas special, which will see Pete and Sue navigate “the chaos of grappling with the challenges of parenting kids who are now adults”.
The special will air next month on BBC One.
DANNY GROINS A PHRASE
HE’S no stranger to saying it as it is, but Danny Dyer leaves daughter Dani red-faced on Saturday night with an uncomfortable comment about his nether regions.
The duo will be on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, alongside fellow celebrity experts Oti Mabuse, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Maisie Adam, helping a trio of contestants to answer questions on specialist subjects.
Danny Dyer and daughter Dani on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel[/caption]Discussing his expert topic, the East End, with host Michael, Danny says: “I’m an East End boy, with an East End groin, and she came from that groin.”
Michael jokes, “I’m sure she doesn’t want to hear that”, to which Dani, rolling her eyes, embarrassingly reveals: “I’ve heard it many times before. I’m used to this.”
The father and daughter appear in the BBC One show’s first ever double chair.
CHANNEL 4’s Sec-rets Of The Christmas Market will go behind the scenes to see how vendors prepare for the festive season.
It is one of two new documentaries for the broadcaster, joining Titanic: Our Secret Histories about the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the wreck.
THAT’S A BIT FISHY, JULIA…
SHE’S the mastermind behind the BBC’s latest animated Christmas special, Tiddler, about cute-looking fish.
But that doesn’t mean Julia Donaldson stays away from enjoying them on her plate.
BBC’s latest animated Christmas special, Tiddler is about a cute-looking fish[/caption]The story follows a tiny fish, named Tiddler, as he finds his way home thanks to his talent for storytelling.
Along the way he is supported by his best friend, Johnny Dory, a budding artist.
Julia, most famed for The Gruffalo, revealed: “I do love snorkelling – and all of those fish that I mentioned, they were all real fish.
“But I’ve eaten some John Dory, I’ve eaten lots of my characters – sea snails and all sorts – and I feel very guilty.”
The animated story airs on Christmas Day on BBC One.
GAV SOME OF THAT
WHEN Gavin & Stacey returns for a final time on Christmas Day, fans will find out what happened to James Corden and Ruth Jones’ Smithy and Nessa after her proposal.
But Larry Lamb, who plays Mick Shipman, has teased that the BBC sitcom might also reveal the details of that fishing trip between Rob Brydon’s Uncle Bryn and nephew Jason, played by Robert Wilfort.
On the Off Air With Jane And Fi podcast, he said: “Well, on Christmas night you’ll find out all about that.”