Jon return's to Five role

Jon Lee - who provides a voice for one of the new Famous Five - has revealed he's been a fan of the young adventurers for years.

The former S Club 7 singer voices the character of Julian's son Max in the new Disney Channel version of the classic children's stories.

Jon Lee has a voice role on the new Famous Five

The 25-year-old started reading the books aged 11, when he was cast as Julian in a national tour of Famous Five The Musical - Smuggler's Gold.

He even met Enid Blyton's daughter Gillian, who signed one of his books.

"Twelve years down the line I'm now playing Julian's son, so I've gone on a bit of a weird circle back round on myself!" he laughs.

He admits the Famous Five needed updating for today's children.

"Children nowadays are very different. It had to be updated. It would have felt immediately dated to watch anything with the language as it was back then.

"I think the key thing is to engage children into this thing of adventure, coming together, being intelligent and relying on each other. It's brilliant the way it's been done because it's really respectful to the old stories."

The Famous Five: On The Case starts on the Disney Channel on Monday May 5 and then every Saturday from May 10.

Credit: Metro

Posted: 30th April 2008

Primeval to return for series three

ITV1's popular time-travel drama Primeval is set to return to our screens with an extended 10-episode run.

Jason Flemyng (Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels) and Laila Rouass (Footballers' Wives) join the cast including Douglas Henshall and Hannah Spearritt as the anomalies continue to present an unrelenting series of threats.

Still reeling from Stephen's death in series two and with the depth of Helen's betrayal now revealed, events get even wilder but it's not just the creatures that Cutter and the team have to contend with.

The cloak of secrecy behind which they have been working is beginning to slip as deadlier creatures continue to rampage through the anomalies and questions are being asked as the conspiracy spreads its net wide.

Co-creator Tim Haines said: "I'm delighted that Primeval is back and its extended run of 10 episodes demonstrates not only a confidence at ITV, but a real desire from the fans to see more of Cutter and the team in action."

Prepare for more explosive action as Primeval bares its newly sharpened teeth soon.

Credit: What's on TV

Posted: 14th April 2008

Pregnant Jo splits from boyfriend

Former S Club 7 singer Jo O'Meara has split from her boyfriend – just one month away from giving birth to her first child.

The shamed BB star is expecting a son with her ex, who she refuses to name.

Despite parting ways Jo, 28, hopes he'll still play a part in the baby's upbringing.

"I think I've made the right decision," she says. "If you stay in something that won't be happy, that's not good for the baby.

"He's going to be loved by both his parents and he's not going to see us feuding."

Credit: Now Magazine

Posted: 27th March 2008

Jo O'Meara sells home

Former S Club 7 star Jo O'Meara has sold her country home.

She has accepted an offer of £560k for the 4-bedroom house in Noaks Hill, Essex.

Jo had hoped for more but had to agree to a knock-down price to shift it.

'It was on the market for a few months,' estate agent Duncan Kaye tells the Daily Star. 'The owner wanted a quick sale.'

When Jo, 28, took part in Celebrity Big Brother last year, she claimed it was to save losing her house.

Credit: Now Magazine

Posted: 27th February 2008

S Club star arrested!

Uh-oh, Bradley McIntosh – of S Club 7 fame, remember? – is in trouble. The 26-year-old ex band member was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving early this morning.

A spokesperson for Oxford police would only confirm to heatworld: “At 5.30am, on Gypsy Lane, Oxford, a 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and released on police bail today until 1 March.” When we contacted Bradley’s agent he could neither confirm nor deny the story.

Credit: Heat Magazine

Posted: 10th February 2008

Hannah Defends Primeval

Hannah Spearritt is sick of Primeval being compared with Doctor Who – she insists the ITV1 series is out on its own.

The perky blonde, formerly of S Club fame, believes the sci-fi show is established enough to have its own vibe.

And now it is in its second series, she and fellow actor Andrew Lee Potts (also her boyfriend) are sure the fantasy drama has moved on from tired old comparisons.

Hannah said: "I believe we won't get the comparisons this year. This year it's established, and if you've watched the series it's obvious it's nothing like Doctor Who."

Andrew added: "It was frustrating for us last year, but without Doctor Who we probably wouldn't have been given the slot. There's space for everybody.

"The great thing is with all these sci-fi series, people are starting to say, 'Hang on, Britain can make fantasy really well.'"

Credit: The Sun

Posted: 5th February 2008

No Celebrity Guests on 'Primeval'

Primeval producers have decided that they do not want celebrity guests to appear on the show.

Andrew Lee-Potts, who plays Connor Temple, revealed that programme chiefs do not want the cast to overshadow the deadly creatures which cause trouble on the ITV1 drama each week.

"It was a conscious decision not to bring in celebrity guests on Primeval. We would rather the creatures are the stars," Andrew told the Daily Star.

"To be honest, when the series was launched last year, only Hannah Spearritt (Abby Maitland) and Douglas Henshall (Nick Cutter) were known faces. They could have cast people just to try and get press, but they didn't. It was a risk but it worked."

Credit: Digital Spy

Posted: 4th February 2008

Third Series for ITV1's 'Primeval'

ITV1 has commissioned a third series of Primeval after airing only three episodes of the second.

So far, the show's second series is averaging over 5m viewers and overtook BBC One's The One and Only talent show by 200,000 viewers last Saturday.

Production on series three is expected to commence in March with a target airdate in next January.

"Primeval just keeps going from strength to strength with audiences really taking the team to their hearts," said ITV drama director Laura Mackie.

The broadcaster will ask viewers to invent a creature to be featured in the sci-fi drama as part of a user generated content drive later in the year. Mackie said the competition "will put viewers right at the heart of the action".

Tim Haines, executive producer for Impossible Pictures, added: "We are extremely proud of Primeval and are overjoyed by the success of the second series. Its popularity demonstrates that you can create 'characters' in CGI that audiences will respond to. By giving people the opportunity to design a monster for the third series we are creating a chance for them to be more involved and feel closer to the programme."

Click here to read more about the competition!

Credit: Digital Spy

Posted: 4th February 2008