In the age of binge-watching TV shows in a matter of hours before pressing play on something new to immediately fill the void, I started watching Babies, expecting to be done in one sitting.

But I wasn’t.

Instead, I found myself needing a breather after each 60-minute episode to process the weight behind what I’d seen.

And it was in those moments that I knew this was essential viewing, because it stuck with me long after.

Written by Stefan Golaszewski, the six-part BBC drama follows a married couple in their thirties, desperate to start a family.

But Lisa (Siobhán Cullen) and Stephen (Paapa Essiedu) enter uncharted territory after a string of miscarriages, forced to navigate unforeseen grief and fight to keep their hope burning despite unimaginable losses.

A concurrent storyline involves the honeymoon phase of Amanda’s (Charlotte Riley) and Dave’s (Jack Bannon) relationship. Well, it’s honeymoon bliss for him. For her, he’s a temporary fix for her physical needs and certainly not someone she wants lingering around for deep conversations once the deed is done.

So, when their fling takes an unexpected turn, and real adult responsibilities come into play, both their compatibility and Dave and Stephen’s friendship face the ultimate test.

Pregnancy loss is taboo. No two experiences are the same, so it can feel like crawling through a minefield trying to offer anyone comfort, as you’re afraid of blurting out the wrong thing.

But also, deep down, I think most of us don’t want to accept how grim the reality of it actually is.

When it comes to Babies, however, nothing has been sugarcoated. While it made for uncomfortable viewing at times, Golaszewski’s warts-and-all approach is completely necessary to hammer home the truth of how all-consuming the aftermath of a miscarriage can be.

You will see Lisa lying in bed, almost paralysed with grief. You will see her storm out on her in-laws before sitting down to devour the roast dinner they’ve cooked. You will see a woman transform from fun-loving and high-spirited to someone deeply spiteful and bitter for no reason.

She cries and wails, and none of it looks pretty. She yells at her husband for failing to express his own emotions after having to ‘flush their baby down the toilet’, and, as a viewer, I wanted nothing more than to take her anguish away.

Cullen’s portrayal of the hopeful mum-to-be is gut-wrenching. For many of us, our window to miscarriages is merely statistics and news reports, but with raw finesse, she broadcast that unthinkable trauma right into my living room.

Despite the bleak subject matter, Cullen’s performance shines throughout, having clearly been crafted with respect and an awareness of the responsibility to get it right.

It feels somewhat distasteful to say a drama about baby loss made me smile, not to mention laugh. But what also radiates is its hope and humour, which, after interviewing Golaszewski and the cast, I understand was their intention. Consider that box ticked.

Babies strikes the light and shade balance perfectly. For every tearful showdown or demoralising doctor’s consultation, there’s a sarcastic quip or niche British-flavoured one-liner. While laced with deep sadness and hardship, its warmth and tenderness never falter. Even in its darkest moments, the show somehow manages to resurrect faith, sending a powerful message to anyone with whom the story resonates that, even when your world feels like it’s ending, it will keep turning.

That’s not to say a positive mindset is always shown to be for the better. At times, Stephen’s reluctance to acknowledge his grief infuriated me. His optimism becomes much more of a hindrance than a help as he buries his emotions in favour of his wife sharing hers.

As a viewer, I hoped for him to open up with every scene, and yet time and time again, he dismisses his pain with laddish banter and the toxic ‘keep calm, carry on’ attitude so prevalent in male friendship circles.

But that is exactly why his character is needed.

When Stephen finally lets his guard down, it’s a tsunami moment, and it almost instiled pride in me to see him hold an earnest conversation without turning it into a joke.

Similarly, Dave’s character is one of the best on-screen examples I’ve seen of the concept of masculinity and how it can cause conflict where emotions are concerned.

His naiveties and foolishness make for entertaining viewing, there’s no doubt about it, especially when he’s the cheese to Amanda’s chalk, and she, quite frankly, would rather be anywhere else than listening to his rambles and answering his preposterous existential questions.

But beneath his comical exterior is a man who is drowning, not because he doesn’t want to open up, but because he doesn’t even know how. As his father is introduced, it becomes apparent that impassivity has been passed down through generations, and Dave has never known any different. It suddenly becomes unsurprising that, despite considering Stephen his closest friend, they hardly know anything about one another.

There is, however, a glimmer of opportunity in his own son, Daniel, from a past romance. They can barely hold a conversation, and Dave has no clue how to be a parent beyond sitting his kid in front of a games console, but in keeping with the hope woven into the fabric of Babies, eventually, something slowly begins to shift, culminating in some of the most poignant moments of television I’ve seen this year.

In the era of Adolescence and Inside the Manosphere, the importance of such storylines cannot be underestimated. We’ve seen firsthand how they spark conversations, and I’m glad to see a TV drama taking full advantage of its power there.

All in all, Babies is as heartening as it is heartbreaking. Is it slow at times? Yes. But I came to realise that the stillness can be essential. It’s not always about saying something. On several occasions, what isn’t being said matters even more.

Whether it’s going to rock the British TV drama landscape, I’m not convinced, but somehow, that’s irrelevant. Despite its bravery in tackling such a heavy story, there’s no pompous ambition or self-entitlement here, and there’s nothing preachy about Golaszewski’s writing.

I think what counts most is that, for one person, one couple, watching at home, it is going to validate their suffering in a way most people they know will probably be too nervous to even try to do.

You may argue that’s not enough, but sometimes, the simplest thing about something is also the most beautiful.

I didn’t find Babies easy to watch, but doing so touched me in ways I’ll be thinking about for a while.

All episodes of Babies land on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Monday, March 30, with the series airing on BBC One from 9pm that night.

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It was one of the most extraordinary TV mishaps of all time – when an African job seeker waiting in BBC reception was mistaken for a global tech expert and invited into the newsroom to be interviewed live on air.

And his evident bemusement as he bluffed his way through a two minute interview about Apple and a multimillion dollar lawsuit gave rise to a legion of memes and became one of the most viewed viral clips of all time.

Now, on the 20th anniversary of the incredible BBC blooper, the Daily Mail has tracked down both that hapless interviewee, Guy Goma, and the producer who mistakenly put him on air, to find out what really happened that strange night.

Mr Goma told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s crazy – even now people recognise me in the street. They say I am a legend. I’m still being asked for my autograph.

‘I never imagined that night that this one cock-up would go around the world like it did and I would become so famous.’

The TV segment was meant to be a two-way interview discussing an ongoing court case involving Apple at the High Court in May 2006.

Mr Goma, a soft-spoken Congolese-born job seeker, had just arrived at the BBC’s then HQ in White City, west London, and was waiting to be interviewed for a data role.

Meanwhile upstairs at Television Centre, producer Elliott Gotkine was rushing around organising the live output of that night’s BBC News 24 channel.

The correct guest who had been arranged, tech expert Guy Kewney (who incidentally, unlike Mr Goma, was a white skinned man of slight build), had just arrived downstairs waiting in reception to be taken to the studio.

But when frantic Mr Gotkine burst into reception before he saw Mr Kewney sitting nearby he saw Mr Goma first, who looked up expectantly.

A legend was born.

Now both men have spoken exclusively to the Daily Mail ahead of the 20th anniversary of their bizarre first meeting, that night at the BBC.

Mr Gotkine, who has never spoken publicly about the episode before, recalled: ‘It was all a bit of a mad rush that day.

‘I had booked Guy Kewney and with a few minutes to go [before he was meant to be on air] there was still no word from him.

‘So I ran down to the reception and asked if they had someone called Guy Kewney there – and the receptionist pointed to Guy Goma.

‘I was a little taken aback and I asked if she was sure and she said yes.

‘I then went over to Guy – who I now know was the wrong Guy – and asked if he was Guy Kewney and he said yes, I thought maybe I had seen the wrong picture [of Mr Kewney], and I grabbed him and then rushed up to the studio.

‘We were due on air in less than five minutes, so I just grabbed him and we sprinted up the stairs.’

Mr Goma, then a business studies graduate from Brazzaville living in west London and seeking work as a data cleanser, picked up the story at this point, recalling: ‘I first thought something strange was happening when I was sat down in a chair and someone tried to put makeup on me.

‘I said to her, “I don’t need makeup, I’m here for a job interview,” but she didn’t seem to hear me.

‘Then we moved into the studio and the TV cameras were on me and I started to think, “Something isn’t right here – this isn’t how a job interview is supposed to go.” Because that’s what I was there for.’

Seconds later, Mr Goma found himself sitting opposite presenter Karen Bowerman, with beads of nervous sweat beginning to break out on his forehead as he shifted in his seat wondering what was going on.

The now famous footage shows Westminster College business graduate Mr Goma, dressed smartly in an open necked blue shirt and brown jacket, glancing nervously up at the lights and around at the cameras.

Breathing heavily, a terrified grimace crosses his face, before licking his lips and composing himself for the unsuspecting onslaught about to hit him.

Goma recalled: ‘I saw my image on a monitor, and I think that’s when I realised something was going horribly wrong.

‘But I didn’t want to make a scene or cause a fuss so I went along with it when the presenter started asking me questions.’

As Ms Bowerman wrongly introduced him as ‘Guy Kewney’, Mr Goma could be seen gulping.

He then opened his eyes wide in shock as she asked him for his ‘reaction to the court verdict’ and whether he was ‘surprised’.

The footage shows Mr Goma reply: ‘I’m very surprised to see this verdict come because I was not expecting that… When I came they told me something else, they said it was an interview so it was a big surprise…’

As the car crash exchange continued it began to dawn on Ms Bowerman and fellow TV executives that a huge cock-up was unfolding in front of their eyes – and they eventually managed to cut to another reporter who was standing outside the High Court.

Mr Goma’s live ordeal was over – but his fame was just beginning.

He recalls now: ‘Once it finished, I left and walked out of the building into the Underground station opposite.

‘I called the job agency and told them that something terrible had happened, I had been interviewed live on TV about something I didn’t know about.

‘I asked if I had got the job.

‘But they said, “No – go back, they are waiting for you.”

‘So I went back and had the interview, which was about Microsoft Excel which I do know about – but unfortunately I didn’t get the job.’

Mr Goma may well not have got that data job, but the clip of his interview was already going viral.

Furious BBC bosses launched an investigation into the cock-up and Mr Gotkine eventually left the BBC. He still works elsewhere within the TV industry.

Mr Goma briefly became a celebrity, invited onto TV shows around the world, even hiring.

‘There was even talk of a prominent appearance on that December’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year award show – but it never materialised.

A week after the incident, Goma was interviewed by the BBC and other TV networks telling them: ‘I never really wanted to be famous. I just wanted to be an accountant – I hope I get a job at the BBC.’

Almost immediately an online petition was started by viewers demanding that the BBC give him a job. Although this never happened, Goma was touched by the reaction: ‘It was so very kind of everybody, people were so kind and thoughtful.’

Mr Goma says: ‘I later got a call from the BBC asking me what programme I would like to work on, but I was in a hurry to catch a plane to Germany for a TV interview, so I asked them to call me back.

‘They never did but like I say to everyone it is the will of God, everything happens for a reason, I never really wanted to be famous but if the clip makes people laugh and makes them happy then I’m happy.’

Mr Gotkine recalls how minutes after Goma had been erroneously interviewed, he received a call to say the real Guy Kewney was in reception – and still waiting to be interviewed.

The producer said: ‘Once I realised the mistake had been made, I apologised profusely and we recorded an interview with Guy Kewney but it was never broadcast.’

Mr Kewney died in 2010, although the two did meet up after the infamous interview with the IT specialist posting about it on his blog, adding a photograph of the pair and describing Goma as his ‘twin brother’.

Goma – who fled to the UK after civil war ravaged Congo – now works with various charities in east London and also as a car park marshal at his beloved Queens Park Rangers football club.

He reflects now: ‘It was just a mix up, I was in the wrong place, I had no idea about the subject, so I just tried to give the right answer in the interview.

‘When she started talking, I thought “Oh dear Guy, you are in the wrong place” and you can see [in the footage] my body language expressed everything I was feeling.

‘But so many people have seen the video, and I still get messages from people about it.’

Mr Goma – who was not paid for his BBC interview – did initially contemplate legal action against the BBC for a share of the royalties his blooper earned.

But he later changed his mind, explaining: ‘I am a very spiritual person and I think God helped me get through it that day – and that everything happens for a reason.

‘If the reason was to make people happy and take some stress from them, then I’m happy for what happened.’

Mr Gotkine added: ‘Guy Goma really is the loveliest man you could ever meet

‘They talk about everyone having 15 minutes of fame but Guy has had twenty years of it and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer man.’

What Mr Goma was particularly keen to clear up in our interview was the suggestion, widely repeated at the time, that he was a taxi driver.

Chuckling he said: ‘That was all wrong, I was never a cabbie. People said I was but I wasn’t.

‘In fact I had recently graduated from college and was a student.

‘But back in Congo I had had a taxi firm so maybe that’s where the confusion came from.’

When asked why he just didn’t come clean before he was put on air, Mr Goma says today: ‘I just didn’t want to cause a scene and I didn’t want to create a fuss.

‘If I had just got up and walked off that would have been worse, I tried to answer the question as best I could but it wasn’t necessarily the right answer.’

Mr Gotkine added: ‘I think what got to people was just how extraordinarily lovely he came across as – Guy is such a lovely, lovely man and you can see that in just the few seconds he is on TV…

‘Although granted yes, it was a complete cock-up.

‘The way he tried to bluff his way through it though was TV gold and it’s brought so many laughs to people and goodness knows we need a few laughs, especially at this time with what’s going on in the world.’

A new book called The Wrong Guy – The Inside Story Of TV’s Greatest Cock-Up – is to be published this spring for the anniversary, telling in fine detail the buildup and the aftermath of what became television history.

Written by Mr Gotkine, the hilarious account also details how the two men have kept in touch ever since and have even visited Mr Goma’s hometown of Brazzaville in the Democratic Republic of the Congo together.

The Wrong Guy: The Inside Story of TVs Greatest Cock-up by Elliott Gotkine with Guy Goma is available to buy from Amazon HERE

Fiercely composed expression just short of a scowl, neatly trimmed silver hair and a steady delivery with the subtlest of Welsh lilts.

Huw Edwards’ commendably dependable performances from behind a polished desk in the BBC studio were as sure as night followed day.

How jarring will it be, then, two years after his presence vanished from our living rooms, to see that intense glare staring back into the camera once again?

Promotional images for the upcoming drama about the newsreader’s downfall indicate Martin Clunes has certainly captured Edwards’ finely tuned manner.

Leaning earnestly forward, right arm bent over his notes with his left palm down on the desk – it is the pose of a man who carries the weight of history, and one Edwards worked hard to perfect, and Clunes worked equally hard to recapture.

The resulting controversial two-part drama, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, will bring a dramatized take on the former BBC news anchor back into our homes when it airs on Channel 5 on Tuesday – prompting many to question: is it too soon? Are the wounds still too raw, for his family, victims, community and once adoring public?

The real Edwards, of course, disappeared abruptly from our screens almost three years ago, making his final appearance presenting the News at One, on July 5 2023, before off-air accusations came to light about him paying a vulnerable young man to send him sexual images.

His downfall was swift, and cemented in September 2024, when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court to admit charges of making indecent images of children and was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

The full sordid truth, when it was finally laid bare, was truly shocking, and not just for Vicky Flind, his wife of 30 years, and mother to their five children, who promptly left him.

During the police investigation, a number of WhatsApp messages was found on his phone including an exchange with a man later convicted of sex offences.

He’d offered Edwards sick images of someone described as ‘young’ to which Edwards responded with the damning words ‘go on’.

Paedophile Alex Williams would go on to send Edwards 377 images via WhatsApp, including 41 indecent images of children, some showing a victim aged between seven and nine.

‘Amazing,’ came Huw’s appreciative reply. There was no way back for him after that.

Despite the fact that his sentence was suspended and he was given remarkably few legal restrictions under the terms of his licence, the Daily Mail has learned that Edwards has been living a strict, reclusive existence since his tired and pale appearance in court, flanked by his legal team.

The 64-year-old retreated to the quiet Welsh village where his elderly mother, Aerona Protheroe, still lives after moving of the family home in Dulwich, in south east London.

During his days as Britain’s top newsman, Edwards he would regularly immerse himself into village life there, during weekly trips to visit his mother and would often visit the local pub to share a pint with locals.

Staff said he had not shown his face on the premises since the scandal hit, however.

‘He’s not been in since the s**t hit the fan,’ one told the Daily Mail.

‘He used to come in once a week, or whenever he was back here to see his mum. He’d often bring her with him, and sometimes his wife and children.

‘He liked a pint and everyone was pleased to see him back then because he was a local celebrity. How little we knew.’

Edwards was previously in the habit of taking his mother for a stroll along the beach in Llanelli, before sitting and chatting on a bench in the town’s Millennium Park.

The pair would later head to a nearby restaurant and drink tea. But even this ritual appears to have stopped.

‘No one’s got any time for him around here since it all came out about what he’d been up to all these years while pretending to be a church-going pillar of the community.

‘I’m aware of the new film that’s being released, but I think they could have waited a bit longer because it’s all still so raw for a lot of people around here.

‘Aerona is well-respected and I think it would have been better for her if they’d waited until she’d passed before putting it out, but I guess that’s not how the film industry works.

‘This has been awful for her. She’s always been so proud of Huw and he’s let her down as much as anyone. But she’s the only one who’s stood by him. That’s a mother’s love for you, I suppose.’

Edwards may now have grasped the fact that there is no path to redemption for the man who went from Britain’s most respected newsreader – feted for the restrained and graceful way he announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II to the nation in September 2022, and his formidable anchoring of the King’s coronation – to vilified sex offender.

But his ego prevented him from appreciating this sooner.

Last November, Edwards appeared to be gearing up for a comeback – posting a professional headshot in black and white, posed with a moody expression and a salt and pepper beard.

He also reactivated his account on Instagram – the same platform where he first engaged with Williams.

The furious reaction to this activity was enough to extinguish any last flickers of hope that all was not over, however.

The stepfather of Huw’s victim, whose story is to be told in the upcoming drama, said at the time: ‘If he thinks he can just put up a picture of himself and it’s going to change the way people think about him, he’s wrong. He’s scum.

‘You can paint over cracks but you can never hide them. He is finished; he’s a paedophile. Any time he raises his head it is an insult to his victims. He needs to realise this is it and disappear.’

Edwards swiftly deleted his Facebook page and scrubbed all content from his Instagram.

Only a detailed LinkedIn profile remains, documenting Edwards’ path to become BBC’s chief anchor during 39 years at the broadcaster.

Describing himself as ‘journalist, broadcaster, author’, the page makes no mention of the scandal, serving instead as a dusty shrine to a stellar media career that once was.

Despite his almost four decades at the BBC, Edwards’ character was such that he made few close friends among his colleagues.

A former co-worker said: ‘He didn’t have that many friends in the industry before [the conviction.] He was ‘one of the unloved’, for obvious reasons.’

Even Clunes has acknowledged that while researching the role he discovered from former colleagues that Edwards ‘was never fun to work with’.’

The corporation, which is sadly no stranger to such scandal, fought to salvage some honour by demanding that Edwards repay more than £200,000 he earned after his arrest, in November 2023, and April 2024, when he resigned.

BBC Chair Samir Shah wrote in a letter to staff in August 2024 saying that Edwards had ‘behaved in bad faith’ in continuing to take the money despite knowing what he had done,

More than a year-and-a-half on, however, and it appears the same stubbornness that led Edwards to believe he could mount a showbusiness comeback has not gone away.

The Daily Mail can reveal that he has failed to repay a single penny.

Edwards’ suspended sentence will elapse in August, but almost nothing will change for the disgraced newsreader.

Though he will remain on the sex offenders register for another five years, the chief magistrate chose not to hand down a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

This means that Edwards has been able to live as he pleases, with no limitations on where he can go in the UK and no restrictions on his internet or phone use.

He has also been free to travel abroad, provided he gives police seven days’ notice of his plans.

The expiry of his suspended sentence licence will happen without fanfare – there will be no email, letter or phonecall from the probation service.

Edwards should have simply made a note of the date during his probation induction, but will likely take little solace from it elapsing.

For the ire of the public will likely never have an expiry date.

The announcement of a film about such subject matter was naturally met with some controversy, but the makers of Power have defended claims it was too soon to dramatize Edwards’ downfall.

Executive producer Sam Anstiss insisted it was the desire of the young man who disclosed how Edwards paid him thousands for sexual images of himself to tell his story that led to the decision to greenlight the show.

‘The timing was right. [He] was ready to tell his story. There are really urgent themes in this drama around online safety,’ she said.

The young man, who is not named but called Ryan in the drama, is played by Osian Morgan.

At the climax of the two-hour film, the real Ryan tells the audience in a statement he has got his life on track and overcome dependence on drugs.

‘I chose to tell my story now for the first time so no one who has been silenced feels they are alone,’ he says.

‘I refuse to let Huw Edwards or what he did define who I am or the life I will lead.’

Edwards’ own life could have been defined by any number of glittering achievements.

Rather, it will be the his own depravity and foolishness for which he will be remembered.

Additional reporting: Nic North

Doctor Who fans have been left disappointed after showrunner Russell T Davies shared an artificially generated clip of William Hartnell.

The video was created by an Instagram user who exclusively shares AI-generated clips of themselves supposedly travelling back in time, to such events as Partygate and Princess Diana’s wedding day.

A recent clip saw him claim to be on the 1963 set of the first episode of Doctor Who – although several social media users have pointed out huge anachronisms in the video. 

In it, Hartnell’s artificially reanimated figure can be seen in the background, speaking with a crew member and standing in front of the Tardis. 

In voiceover, the creator claimed the first Tardis was made of cardboard (it was built with wood) and questioned what Hartnell might have discussed with the crew in between takes, when the episode was filmed as if it were live, for minimal editing.

In the comments section of the post, John Barrowman described it as ‘brilliant’ and Davies also wrote ‘amazing!’, which he reiterated when he shared the Instagram reel to his story. 

The decision to promote AI slop has disappointed several fans online, with Matthew Purchase sharing the post on X with the caption: ‘Oh god. RTD likes AI slop.’ The post has been viewed over 200,000 times.

Sammy wrote on X: ‘The Tardis prop didn’t look like that, all the sets are wrong. Literal slop and I don’t know why RTD would post that.’

Meanwhile, Josh Snares similarly commiserates over the lack of accuracy, while Romana said it proved Davies needs to step back from the show.

‘I think above else it just proves he is out of touch and that we need new blood in the writers’ room. The same 3 people can’t write Doctor Who forever if it’s going to continue and continue successfully,’ she wrote. 

Matt simply wrote: ‘Russell T Davies has just lost it hasn’t he really.’

Zee was another disappointed fan online, writing: ‘Why use this slop when the show has successfully recast late actors and had old Doctors reappear without de-ageing effects? This show only exists today because of the love and care humans put into creating it.’

While some Whovians believed the furore was making a mountain out of a molehill, others framed the promotion of AI as a ‘moral issue’ given the threats it poses to the entertainment industry and those working on shows like Who.

Davies subsequently appeared to remove the post from his Story, but he still follows the account posting this AI-generated content and has not deleted his comment.

Other fans dug up a years-old interview of Davies, alongside Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, in which he suggested Who could one day ‘re-create’ the past Doctors with CGI. 

The reception from the actors beside him was noticeably muted as he told Variety: ‘Wouldn’t that be amazing? A CGI William Hartnell as the very first Doctor in 1963.

‘Imagine that. It would be amazing. One day we can do anything.’ 

Metro contacted Bad Wolf for comment on this story.

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Dianne Buswell has welcomed her first child with her boyfriend Joe Sugg, as she paid tribute to her father Mark with the newborn’s name.

The couple – who met on the BBC show in 2018 – announced they were expecting their first child back in September.

Dianne was the first professional in Strictly’s history to compete while pregnant, before her partner Stefan Dennis was forced to pull out due to injury in 2025.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Dianne shared that she had given birth to a baby boy named Bowden, with her son’s middle names a nod to both her beloved father Mark and Joe’s late grandfather Richard, who died in 2021.

Her post included a snap of her adorable son in Dianne’s arms, along with the moment she and Joe brought their baby boy home from the hospital. 

Sharing her son’s full name, she captioned the post: ‘Never felt a love like it. Baby Bowden Mark Richard Sugg. 16/03/26.’

Many of Dianne’s Strictly co-stars offered their congratulations in the comments, with Vicky Pattison writing: ‘Omg!!!! Congratulations guys!!! He is Perfect.’

Vito Coppola wrote: ‘Oh Finally, bello di zio. I am so so happy, crying for joy and happiness. Uncle Vito cannot wait to meet you ☺️ Love love love ♥️ Bellissimo a zio.’

Nancy Xu gushed: ‘Untie Nancy can’t wait to meet you, welcome to the world my beautiful angel. CONGRATULATIONS MY D D and @joe_sugg.’

Janette Manrara commented: ‘The best news!!! Congratulations my gorgeous girl. So happy for you and @joe_sugg. The most beautiful moments in life are to come.’

Amy Dowden added: ‘Utter perfection. So happy for you both, welcome baby Bowden! I can’t wait for cwtches xxxx.’

‘OMG!! Congrats to you both!!!’ Gorka Marquez posted.

Fleur East posted: ‘Ahhhh he’s here! Congratulations to both of you.’

Dianne shared her joyful pregnancy news on Instagram back in September ahead of the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing. 

For their pregnancy reveal video, poignantly set to Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, Dianne and Joe set up an easel and pretended to paint a picture together, with playful dramatics.

They then picked up the canvas to display it to the camera, revealing a drawing of two stickmen – one with Dianne’s signature flaming red hair – holding hands with a baby.

The couple added that their first child was due in 2026 and even revealed the sex of their little one, declaring they were expecting a son.

Joe captioned the clip: ‘Our little baby boy ❤️ we cannot wait to meet you.’

The couple were flooded with congratulatory comments from friends and fans, with their fellow Strictly stars leading the well-wishes.

Dianne hinted that the birth of their baby son was imminent in February in a sweet update. 

She created a video montage of her and her partner Joe Sugg’s items and then added miniature versions.

Dianne said ‘now we wait’ after showing she was ready for the birth with tiny clothes, shoes and even a Strictly-themed onesie ready for the baby.

She captioned the Instagram post: ‘When 2 will soon become 3 the last one!’

Joe and Dianne struck up a romance when they were paired together during the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2018. 

Strictly bosses reportedly put contingency plans in place for Dianne as she became the first pregnant star to compete in the competition last year. 

With the baby due in early 2026 and the Strictly final in December 2025, she could have potentially been dancing right up until her due date, forcing bosses to ensure they had a back up plan.

A source told The Sun: ‘Producers have plans in place, and there are several pros who could easily step in and take over at a moment’s notice, because the show must go on.

‘The BBC’s primary concern is the health and wellbeing of Dianne and they fully intend to support her through the process with regular check-ins from the welfare team.’ 

Meanwhile a Strictly source told Daily Mail: ‘This story makes something out of nothing – the plans described have long existed for everyone, and it’s misleading to claim otherwise.’ 

Dianne competed on last year’s series alongside fellow Aussie, Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis, but the duo were forced to withdraw after he sustained an injury.

The rumour mill was quickly flooded with people speculating that Stefan’s injury was in fact a cover-up and that Dianne’s pregnancy was the reason for their withdrawal.

But Dianne rushed to Instagram to squash the rumours, penning: ‘Just to clarify as I have had lots of people msg me thinking this is a cover up for me being not able to dance!? 

‘Firstly we wouldn’t lie especially about somebody being sick! And secondly I am fine, yes I am pregnant but I’m also very capable and feeling really good!’ 

She also explained that there are protocols in place regarding the professionals sickness as she added: ‘Thirdly there are things in place if any pro were to get sick or injured.’

Dianne made lots of hints towards their baby plans in the months leading up to their pregnancy announcement, admitting in May that she was desperate to become a mum.

But the star, who won the Glitterball Trophy with partner Chris McCausland in 2024, explained that the gruelling demands of her showbiz career had put their family plans on hold.

She told The Sun: ‘I would like to have children, 100 per cent. Joe and I love kids, and that’s definitely something that we would absolutely love. I haven’t really thought about how many I would like. It will definitely happen.’

Thirty years after it first aired, This Life will return to the BBC for a whole new generation to enjoy this 90s cult classic.

The era-defining British series – created by Amy Jenkins – starred an early-career Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) as well as Daniela Nardini, Jack Davenport, Amita Dhiri and Jason Hughes.

The quintet played a group of twenty-something lawyers sharing a house in south London ‘as they navigated friendship, ambition and the complexities of their twenties.’

Or, as the synopsis dubbing it ‘raw, real and revolutionary’ reads: ‘The 90s’ most famous houseshare. Five aspiring lawyers are aiming for the top – but behind the scenes, they’re a mess of love, drugs and excess.’

Hailed a ‘landmark drama’ with ‘fresh, raw and unfiltered performances’, it became the ‘defining series of the decade’ and a time capsule of London life during this time.

Behind the scenes, the show was also a fertile training ground for Britain’s up-and-coming directors, such as I May Destroy You’s Bafta-winning director Sam Miller and Harry Bradbeer (director behind hits like Fleabag and Enola Holmes).

The 32-episode rerun, offering a trip down memory lane, will be introduced by Daniela.

Fans and critics alike have praised its impact as a cultural touchstone and enduring legacy – despite its short time on screens.

Metro called it ‘the greatest drama of the 90s’, adding ‘no other TV series managed to capture the Cool Britannia zeitgeist as brilliantly as This Life’.

In a 2021 review, The Guardian wrote: ‘It was the sort of television where you wanted to contact all your friends immediately after watching an episode to recap it. It was funny but it also broke your heart.

‘It felt freakishly true to life. It depicted all the messiness and glory of being in your 20s in a way that you never usually see on commercial television.’

And in a review fresh after its release in 1996, The Independent shared: ‘What keeps you watching, in the absence of much discernible forward motion, is a quality of observation – the dialogue, apart from the odd passage here and there, continues to have an eavesdropped quality.’

The show has been praised for its diverse storylines, such as gay character Warren, who is grappling with his identity and discussions around interracial couples.

Over on IMDB, user shootingstar82 wrote: ‘While there are a couple of moments where This Life feels a little dated, overall, it holds up very well and is still immensely watchable.

‘This is one of the truly great British TV shows which I look forward to viewing again at some point in the future.’

‘A near-perfect study of life’s transitional period between careless partying and responsible adulthood,’ ideorio shared.

Discussing its unexpected popularity, and what drew him to the show in 2020, Miles actor Jack shared with The Guardian: ‘The writing was really different from most television. If you took a load of drugs, you didn’t necessarily die immediately.

‘If you had unprotected sex, you didn’t automatically become HIV positive. People liked it because there was no moralising. If you’re 22, you’re going to make some really bad decisions, but that’s OK. Relax.’

This Life returns to BBC Four at 10pm on Wednesday, March 18. Seasons one and two, as well as the 10-year reunion, will be available from iPlayer from 6am.

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Kieran McCartney, who’s competing on the current series of The Apprentice, has opened up about his mental health struggles, revealing that he was spending £500-a-week on cocaine.

The entrepreneur has shared in a new interview that he was ‘in a bad way’ and was ‘suicidal’ after his dad’s death, but that he’s now ‘in a good place’.

The 20th series of The Apprentice, led by business magnate Lord Alan Sugar, began airing in January this year.

McCartney, 26, is one of the final 10 candidates still in the running to secure a business partnership with Lord Sugar.

The estate agent, who runs an estate agency called McCartney & Partners Estate Agents in London and Essex, won the first task as project manager in the first episode.

In a new interview with The Sun, he spoke about his previous drug use, revealing that he began taking drugs after his dad died in 2022, aged 43.

‘When my dad died, I was quite depressed. I was in a bad way. I kind of turned to drink, drugs. I was a bit suicidal,’ he told the publication. ‘I went off the rails for about six months.’

McCartney revealed that he was spending around £500 a week on cocaine, and emphasised that he didn’t take drugs while filming The Apprentice.

He told the newspaper that he would contact cocaine dealers from his company’s work phone before and after he competed on the BBC programme.

‘The Apprentice was an amazing experience — mentally very stressful. But I’m in a good place now. It didn’t even cross my mind once. I would have loved a beer, absolutely. It was summertime. It was hot,’ he shared.

‘But drugs? No. Definitely not. I had about 200 cigarettes on me when I went into the house. That was it.’

Following the publication of the interview, McCartney shared a video on his Instagram Story, saying: ‘I’m glad you all get to see my side of the story, I think that’s the main thing. I’m in a better place now.

‘So, don’t worry, love you all, thank you for all the lovely messages, let’s keep going. The sun’s out, go and have a beer, it’s gorgeous.’

The Apprentice returns on Thursday at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

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