Pat Evans Returns for a Poignant Walford Reunion

By Jon Donnis

EastEnders will bring a familiar face back to Albert Square this December, and it is one that carries real weight. Pat Evans, played once again by Pam St Clement, returns for a special instalment that ties directly into Nigel's dementia storyline. Her presence feels woven into the heart of the show, and this appearance taps into the long history she built across decades of triumphs, heartbreaks, and unforgettable choices. The moment you picture her, the bold clothes, the sharp opinions, and of course those earrings come to mind. She carved out a place as one of television's most recognisable matriarchs, and that legacy still holds.

In this new chapter Nigel's memories pull him back to the 1990s, which leads to Pat stepping into The Queen Vic as his symptoms intensify after an emotional night at his festive film screening. It is a set up that allows the story to lean into the confusion and tenderness that come with dementia, and the production has continued to work closely with Dementia UK to keep that thread grounded from the start. It is a clever way of bringing Pat back without rewriting the past, since she last appeared in 2016 as a vision during Peggy's final moments, years after Pat's on screen death in 2012.

Pam St Clement has spoken warmly about the return. She said she felt surprised and excited to be invited back, and described the experience as something close to coming home. Ben Wadey, the show's Executive Producer, echoed that feeling by calling Pat one of Walford's most cherished characters. He spoke of the pride in seeing her back in The Queen Vic, offering support to Nigel when he needs it most.

Her appearance is set for December, and it already carries the sense of a quiet event. Pat Evans shaped EastEnders for so many years, and even a single episode with her in the frame gives the Square a familiar spark. It is a reminder of how the show's past can still help guide its present, especially when a story asks for a voice that once held everything together.

Taskmaster Welcomes a Festive Line-up and Crowns a New Champion

By Jon Donnis

Taskmaster has wrapped its twentieth run with a proper flourish. The final was a lively scrap that ended with Maisie Adam lifting the gold head and securing a seat in Champion of Champions IV. It felt like a fitting end to a series that never really let its foot off the pedal. The show has always thrived on chaos with charm tucked underneath, and this run held that shape all the way through.

While the glow of the finale is still warm, the team has already shifted attention to the New Year Treat. This time there will be two episodes over the festive stretch, which feels like a small present in itself. Five well known faces will wander into Greg Davies's line of judgement, with Alex Horne quietly scribbling down every triumph and misstep. The group could not be more varied. Big Zuu brings his mix of food and music. Jill Scott turns up with the same steady grit that defined her football career. Rose Ayling Ellis adds her mix of acting, presenting, and authorship. Sam Ryder arrives with the power of a voice that has already travelled far. Susie Dent rounds it out with linguistic sharpness that has become her trademark. Only one of them will leave with the Golden Eyebrows, and that odd little trophy tends to inspire a surprising amount of determination.

Champion of Champions IV is on the horizon as well. Winners from series sixteen through twenty will return for one more attempt at glory. Maisie Adam joins Andy Zaltzman, John Robins, Mathew Baynton, and Sam Campbell for a single showdown. It is a strong group with a mix of eccentricity, strategy, and sheer luck, which is often the only real currency in the Taskmaster universe. Someone will walk away holding Greg Davies's gleaming golden torso, and it will almost certainly happen in the least dignified fashion possible.

Sky and DP World Tour Commit to a New Era of Golf Coverage

Image: Sky TV Press

By Jon Donnis

Sky and the DP World Tour have confirmed a fresh four-year extension that secures Sky Sports and NOW as the home of the Ryder Cup and the DP World Tour across the UK and Ireland until the close of 2029. The renewed deal begins in 2026 and keeps two of golf's biggest properties in familiar hands.

The agreement ensures Sky will carry every moment of the next two Ryder Cups. The 2027 edition will unfold at Adare Manor in Ireland, followed by Hazeltine in the United States in 2029. Both tournaments are set to build on the surge of interest seen this year. Sky has already enjoyed a record run, helped along by Europe's historic 2025 victory a little over a month ago. Five million tuned in across the three days, making it the most watched weekend in Sky Sports history. The final day alone pulled in a peak audience unmatched by any previous golf broadcast on the platform, with one in four TV viewers glued to the singles and more than forty per cent of them under thirty five. Sky's social channels added another layer of momentum with fifty five million views, while the Sky Sports app and website logged twelve point four million page views throughout Ryder Cup week.

The partnership also guarantees continued access to the full DP World Tour schedule. In 2026 the Tour will visit twenty five countries and include the five Rolex Series events, covering Dubai, Scotland, Wentworth, Abu Dhabi and the season finale in Dubai. Sky's coverage has long been positioned as comprehensive and the intention is clearly to maintain that approach.

Jonathan Licht, Sky's Chief Sports Officer, said the timing of the extension reflects a moment when interest in golf is climbing. He pointed to the drama of the Bethpage Black Ryder Cup earlier this year and the record audiences for the Amgen Irish Open as evidence of a sport enjoying a real lift. He added that the long race to Dubai promises many more standout scenes over the next four years.

Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, highlighted the appeal of the Tour's wide reach and varied fields, noting a rise in viewers and strong numbers at events through the season. He also stressed how the Ryder Cup continues to deliver a level of tension few sports can match. With Sky's storytelling at their side for another cycle, he sees the fan base growing even further.

This renewed partnership sets up a steady run of high profile events for fans, all carried on a platform that has played a major role in lifting golf's visibility during its strongest year yet.

REVIEW: Aniballers FC Football Club Membership

Aniballers FC takes a simple idea and gives it life through clear storytelling, bright characters, and easy football routines shaped for very young children. The physical bundle offers a friendly starting point, but the real substance comes through the app where beginners can try simple movements before working towards smoother tricks. The short podcast episodes help fill out the world and give kids another light way to stay involved.

The community around Aniballers adds a warm lift, with parents sharing progress and encouraging one another. Everything looks polished and the football itself is solid enough to last long after the stickers are used. The price may cause hesitation, yet with steady guidance from a parent there is plenty here to spark confidence and keep children active, making it a sweet choice for families with kids aged three to eight.

Full review at

https://www.playwithtoys.co.uk/2025/11/review-aniballers-fc-football-club.html

2026 Slapstick Festival: Laughing All the Way to Bristol - Slapstick Festival Turns 22

Images courtesy of slapstick.org.uk

By Jon Donnis

There's something magical about Bristol in February. The wind bites, the nights stretch long, and yet, every year, the city lights up with laughter. The Slapstick Festival, now an institution in its own right, returns from the 4th to 8th of February 2026 with one of its most impressive line-ups to date. It's been 22 years since the festival first began celebrating the art of physical comedy and its silent-era heroes, and somehow it just keeps outdoing itself.

This year's big headline is the brand-new Golden Baz Award, honouring the late, great Barry Cryer. It's fitting, then, that the first ever recipient will be Armando Iannucci, the master satirist behind The Thick of It and In The Loop. The award, created to celebrate comedy writers who combine wit, warmth and originality, will be presented at a special reunion event that brings together familiar faces from Iannucci's acclaimed political universes. Expect sharp insights, affectionate chaos and perhaps a few unscripted barbs.

The Cryer connection doesn't end there. Bob Cryer, Barry's son, is premiering Joke, a short film turning ten of his dad's classic gags into sketches. The cast list reads like a who's who of British comedy royalty: Dame Judi Dench, Stephen Fry, Alison Steadman, Harry Hill, Rebecca Front, Les Dennis and Miles Jupp. It's a celebration of laughter in all its forms and proof that a good gag never really ages.

Satire sits at the heart of this year's theme. Alexei Sayle will take to the stage with Robin Ince to revisit Alexei Sayle's Stuff, the anarchic 80s show that broke every rule in the comedy handbook. Forty years on, Sayle remains one of the sharpest voices around, and the event promises to be a riot of memory and mischief.

Elsewhere, Lee Mack will mark twenty years of Not Going Out with a look back at how his sitcom went from a modest BBC pilot to the longest-running in the channel's history. Expect classic clips, behind-the-scenes tales and Mack's famously quick tongue at full speed.

For younger festival-goers, Andy Day's Cracking Brass Comedy Show brings Laurel & Hardy and Wallace & Gromit to life with a full brass band, while families can also enjoy Sing!, the musical animation inspired in part by silent legend Buster Keaton. It's that perfect mix of nostalgia and fresh energy that keeps the festival's spirit alive.

There's also a focus on women in early cinema, with screenings of The Flapper starring Olive Thomas, a film that captured the spark and freedom of the Roaring Twenties long before the term became a cultural shorthand.

Festival Director Chris Daniels says the aim this year is simple: to remind us why laughter matters. And really, it couldn't come at a better time. Between the political noise and the daily grind, a few days spent in the company of Britain's finest funny folk feels like a tonic for the soul.

With appearances from Lucy Porter, Shazia Mirza, Rick Wakeman, Chris Addison and more surprise guests to come, Slapstick 2026 looks set to be another glorious celebration of comedy's past, present and future. Grab your seat, and bring tissues, not for tears of sadness, but for the kind that come when you've laughed far too hard.

For tickets, news and updates check out

https://slapstick.org.uk

Remember Monday Set to Shine on BBC Children In Need

Image: BBC Press

By Jon Donnis

With just one more night to go before Pudsey Bear returns to charm the nation and raise essential funds, the BBC has confirmed that girlband Remember Monday will be performing during this year's Children In Need broadcast.

On Friday evening, the trio, who represented the United Kingdom at Eurovision earlier this year, will perform a special cover of Lou Reed's Perfect Day, accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The performance will feature testimony from young people whose lives have been transformed by BBC Children In Need, highlighting the charity's enduring impact.

Originally released by Lou Reed and later reimagined in 1997 as a star-studded charity single featuring David Bowie, Bono and Gabrielle, the song raised over £2million and topped the charts. Remember Monday, consisting of Charlotte, Holly and Lauren, bring their close-knit friendship and seamless harmonies to this new rendition, promising a moving and memorable performance.

The band said, "All three of us grew up watching Children in Need every year – it's such a special event. We can't believe we're getting to be a part of it! Performing with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra is truly a bucket list moment for us, and we feel incredibly lucky to get to sing such an iconic song for such an amazing cause."

Viewers can catch Remember Monday and the Perfect Day performance on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7pm on Friday, as part of the Perfect Night of TV.

Stepping Up: Josh Pugh’s New Comedy Begins Filming in the West Midlands

By Jon Donnis

Filming has officially begun in the West Midlands for Stepping Up, a brand-new six-part comedy series written by and starring Josh Pugh, known for Sneakerhead and How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge). The series is directed by Jack Clough, whose credits include People Just Do Nothing and Things You Should Have Done, and produced by Roughcut Television, behind hits such as Big Boys and We Might Regret This, for Channel 4.

Pugh leads the ensemble as Josh, an over-enthusiastic stepdad striving to juggle his role as a devoted partner, a mentor to his stepchildren, and the all-round 'Good Bloke'. Alongside him, Denise Welch plays Sue, Josh's no-nonsense mum, while Sophia Di Martino stars as Becky, Josh's patient partner, and Tom Hanson takes on Sean, Becky's ex-husband. Lucia Keskin appears as Kelcie, Josh's best friend, with Jeff Mirza rounding out the main cast as Dev, a local curry house legend.

The series also introduces fresh talent, including Artie Dobson as Nathan, Becky and Sean's son, Oscar Hewitt-Richards as Nathan's best friend Lloyd, and Eadie Johnson as Izzie, Nathan's younger sister.

Stepping Up explores the everyday comedy of stepdad life, navigating awkward family dynamics, love triangles, and the endless attempts to impress everyone who doesn't actually need impressing. Josh is determined to be the perfect stepdad and partner, often creating chaos with his over-enthusiasm rather than resolving it.

Charlie Perkins, Head of Comedy at Channel 4, said, "We're thrilled to have started filming on Stepping Up in Josh's hometown and getting to see his brilliant writing come to life with a mighty comedy ensemble. We can't wait for audiences to see the show."

Josh Pugh added, "It's a brilliant and surreal experience to have started filming. The cast is incredible and it's hard not to feel guilty for dragging Denise Welch and a member of the Marvel cinematic universe to an Indian restaurant in North Warwickshire. There're also some exciting new Midland faces that we've managed to find, it all feels magic."

Ben Worsfield, Series Producer at Roughcut TV, said, "Everyone at Roughcut is very proud to be shooting in Josh's hometown. His brilliantly funny scripts have attracted an amazing cast. We couldn't be more thrilled with how the shoot's going and can't wait for Stepping Up to hit screens."