Exclusive
A WASHOUT
Mark Wright ‘floods’ Gethin Jones’ dressing room’ in major gaffe backstage on Morning Live
Mark wanted to make a big impression during his time as stand-in last year
MARK WRIGHT’s stint hosting Morning Live nearly landed him in hot water when he accidentally flooded a dressing room.
The former Towie star was standing in for regular host Gethin Jones when he left a tap running.
6
6
The water overflowed and leaked from Gethin’s dressing room, which Mark was using, into the corridor of the studio where the BBC1 daytime show is filmed in Salford.
Mark, who is married to Ten Pound Poms star Michelle Keegan, wanted to make a big impression during his time as stand-in last year.
And he certainly succeeded.
A TV insider said: “Far from being a washout, he was superb during his time on screen and everyone thought he did a great job standing in for Gethin.
Read More on TV
“So this slight hiccup was easily overlooked by the show’s bosses and he is likely to be asked back at some point.
In talks
“But Gethin might ask that he uses someone else’s dressing room next time!”
Last month I revealed there would be no second outing of Mark’s travelogue, A Wright Family Holiday.
The show also featured his footballer brother Josh and dad, Mark Snr and was dubbed the Beeb’s version of ITV hit Breaking Dad, starring Bradley Walsh and his son Barney.
Most read in News TV
Instead Mark is in talks with the BBC about making another series that is a family affair, but with a different focus.
Meanwhile, Morning Live continues to do well in the ratings.
Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright hire entire Scots hotel for boozy weekend
Since relaunching in January with an earlier start time to accommodate a longer, 75-minute show, it has regularly achieved double the ratings of ITV’s troubled This Morning.
On one day last month the BBC1 show had a peak viewing figure of almost 1.6million, while its rival’s stood at just over 850,000.
And while Morning Live has never had less than a million viewers this year, earlier this month an episode of This Morning dropped to just 774,000.
That will console the Beeb when the water bill lands after Mark’s guest spot.
A BBC spokesman said: “We don’t comment on leaks.”
Lucy's cruel foray
LUCY BOYNTON is transformed into Fifties nightclub owner Ruth Ellis – the last woman to be executed in Britain – for a new ITV drama.
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story follows the young club manager’s career and her abusive relationship with racing driver David Blakely.
6
6
Entwined in a love triangle, she murdered David after he became increasingly violent as she tried to move on with another man.
The crime saw her sentenced to death just two months later, aged 28.
Set in 1955, the four-part series is based on Carol Ann Lee’s biography A Fine Day for A Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story and will air this year.
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office star Toby Jones plays the solicitor who tried to save her from execution.
Happy Valley stars Mark Stanley and Joe Armstrong, Broadchurch actor Arthur Darvill and Truly, Madly, Deeply’s Juliet Stevenson will also appear.
WILL MELLOR has welcomed his new docu on coppers for giving him the chance to be “human”.
The actor, who has appeared in countless TV dramas and soaps, hosts Cops Gone Bad, out on Monday on Crime+Investigation Play.
He said of the new series: “I’ve been allowed to be myself.”
Probing Sarah's murder
THE BBC are looking into the Met’s investigation of the murder of Sarah Everard in a new documentary.
Sarah Everard: The Search For Justice will trace how the horrific killing unfolded, and the impact it caused.
6
It will also delve into bullying, discrimination, institutional homophobia, misogyny and racism inside the Met.
Airing later this year on BBC One, the one-off programme – which features those closely involved in the case including the senior investigating officer, the prosecuting barrister and Sarah’s local MP – will also give details of the hundreds of serving officers facing sexual assault allegations.
Sarah’s parents are hoping the series will bring “focus on the issues of women’s safety and abuse of power”.
CORONATION Street star Dame Maureen Lipman has revealed she stalled taking her own “gap year” from acting in case she is forgotten by fans.
The TV veteran is keen to take time off with her new partner, sports business consultant David Turner, and put her busy work schedule on hold for a spell.
6
But she’s still working up the courage in case there’s no work for her when she comes back.
She said: “I’m running around, going to Manchester, then to his place and then a different place. I sometimes get up in the night and I don’t know where the toilet is as I’m in so many places.
“David said to me a couple of weeks ago, ‘Why don’t we take a gap year?’ I went, ‘Well, what would I do?’ He went, ‘We’ll just get in the car and go off and see things’.
“He’s got a nice little Citroen, but if I have the courage then I’ll do it and come back and panic that no one will remember me.”
PRIME Video has green-lit a feature-length documentary looking at the final days of Roger Federer's tennis career.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
It will feature interviews from fellow legends Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Roger said of the show: “We captured so many powerful moments.”
Topics