REBORN IN USA
Huge update on Frasier reboot as Only Fools star Nicholas Lyndhurst plans third series with Kelsey Grammer
Grammer was full of praise for Lyndhurst
NICHOLAS LYNDHURST has no intention of giving up on his American dream after cracking the States in his early sixties.
I can reveal the Only Fools and Horses legend is staying loyal to Kelsey Grammer and hoping the Frasier reboot will be picked up by a new network after Paramount decided against renewing a third season.
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The British star, who plays Alan Cornwall in the sitcom - Frasier Crane’s old pal, believes in the project and feels the foundations are in place to build on the first two series.
A source close to Lyndhurst said: “The early episodes were a little shaky but they improved very quickly.
“It takes time for the writers and actors playing the characters to really interact, and the second series saw that begin to pay off.
“The writers knew who they were writing for and it got even better, so Nick and Kelsey and all involved would want the series to continue given the amount of creativity expended.”
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Paramount confirmed earlier this month the reboot would be coming to an end on the network.
Lyndhurst had been regarded as the breakout star of the sitcom and his chemistry with Kelsey, who’s played shrink-turned-lecturer Dr Frasier Crane for nearly 40 years, was widely lauded by critics and fans in the US.
And Kelsey was also full of praise for the Rodney Trotter star, saying Nicholas is “the best actor I’ve ever worked with.”
Nicholas and Kelsey first met starring in the 2019 West End musical Man of La Mancha and formed such a close bond, the veteran US actor brought him on board for the Frasier comeback nearly two decades after it last aired, a huge surprise in TV land.
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Kelsey claims the show’s writers have got over 100 episodes in the bag, so if a new network did take on the sitcom giant, they could get going straight away.
As Nicholas’ on-screen brother Derek Trotter would say, they’d be plonkers not to make another one.
The controversial Frasier episode that was pulled off air for years as baffled boss demanded answers
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Denise hunts for Matty
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WHEN Loose Women loudmouth Denise Welch decided to go on the run for Celebrity Hunted, she was never going to be low key.
While others try hard to avoid the Hunters, Denise took every risk going – even watching her son Matty Healy performing with his band, The 1975.
The mother and son are seen together on this Sunday’s episode, when Denise crashes his Glasgow gig.
She said: “Matty is very strategic in what he allows to be on TV. So I didn’t really know what he would say about being on Celebrity Hunted.
“But he agreed to be on the show because him and his bandmate George (Daniel) are fans. It’s a nice moment, albeit brief.”
Denise turned fugitive for the Channel 4 show with hubby Lincoln Townley. And they escaping Matty’s gig at the OVO Hydro arena challenging as they were surrounded by thousands of rock fans.
Denise recalled: “Getting out of Matty’s gig was the most surreal moment in the show.
"One minute, I’m at this concert waving to fans from the side of the stage. The next I’m being manhandled by security out the venue.
“It was quite intense because we knew that the Hunters were outside the compound.”
Purple pain for Olivia
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NEVER let it be said Olivia Attwood doesn’t suffer for her art.
The former Love Island star stripped off totally nude to try out the new saucy online trend of body painting.
It was part of her investigation into costume play for the new series of Getting Filthy Rich, which airs on Sunday at 10.05pm on ITV2.
Brave Olivia let an artist make her up as a mermaid – and the purple paint truly left its mark.
She said: “I despised it. I really hated it. It’s a sensory thing. Everything about it was out of my comfort zone, but it was important that I did it.
“I was trying to keep my s**t together.
“Four days later I was still purple after eight showers.”
It makes those revolting food challenges on Love Island sound bearable.
Stephen in deal thriller
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STEPHEN MULHERN’s reboot of Deal or No Deal is flying high with hit ratings across the board.
But the show is about to take the excitement to another level.
I can reveal that next week host Stephen will be dishing out the ITV programme’s biggest prize yet.
A source said: “Everyone in the studio was on the edge of their seats. We knew that this was a pivotal moment.
“The contestant played the perfect game much to the annoyance of The Banker. Everyone, the cast, the audience, even Stephen, were stunned into silence.
“It was such an unbelievable moment to witness.”
The highest value box of the 22 available is £100,000.
During Noel Edmonds’ nine-year tenure as host, his top box – then worth £250k – was won just nine times.
Deal Or No Deal airs every weekday at 4pm on ITV1.
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