Nobody could have anticipated the phenomenon The Walking Dead would become when it aired its modest six-episode debut back in 2010. Eight years on and it's spawned just as many seasons with a ninth (and counting) to come filled with characters up there in the cultural familiarity stakes alongside those from Game of Thrones, Lost and Breaking Bad. Today (30 May) saw the bombshell news that its lead star Andrew Lincoln will be phased out of the show during the next season. Quite how this will occur remains to be seen, but he'll appear in just six of the run's 16 episodes with Norman Reedus' fan favourite Daryl Dixon promoted to main character duties in his absence. This news is a lot for fans to take in and simply put, should spell the end of the AMC zombie series. Full disclosure: I am a loyal follower of The Walking Dead who has been slightly disconcerted by the series' recent evolution into a punching bag for … [Read more...] about Why Andrew Lincoln’s departure is a death knell for The Walking Dead
Leftovers season 2 episode 8
Lost, 8 years on: The alternative series ending writers almost used
The ending of Lost could well be the most widely misunderstood series finale in television history, but it almost drew to an altogether more volcanic close. Remember that flashback which sees Ben being taught about the island's volcano as a youngster by the Dharma Initiative? Probably not. It occurs in third season episode 'The Man Behind the Curtain' and it's now emerged it was “one of the first hints of an endgame." Showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse spoke to EW about the scrapped plans last year. The story goes that Cuse - very much the duo's big-dreamer - got the idea of including a volcano at the end of the series after visiting Hawaii's Big Island with his family, and later envisioned it being home to the climactic showdown between Jack (Matthew Fox) and the smoke monster, incarnated as John Locke (Terry O'Quinn). Read more The creator of Lost still stands by his controversial final episode “We were always looking to cannibalise anything on Hawaii … [Read more...] about Lost, 8 years on: The alternative series ending writers almost used
Lost, 8 years on: Co-creator Damon Lindelof stands by controversial final episode
The last ever episode of US drama Lost may have gone down in television history as one of the most audience-splitting series finales of all time, but co-creator and showrunner Damon Lindelof remains loyal to its ending. Upon airing in 2010, the finale sparked anger from many fans who had stuck with the series throughout its six seasons, frustrated with the writers' refusal to answer some of the show's most burning questions (something which has consequently misguided many people's views over what actually went down - no, they were not dead the entire time). Lindelof, whose most recent project - HBO series The Leftovers - drew to a close with one of the most critically-acclaimed seasons of the past year, reflected upon the legacy of Lost in a tell-all interview with The Independent in 2017. Read more The ending of Lost was almost extremely different Upon being asked what he had learned about his tumultuous experiences ending such a … [Read more...] about Lost, 8 years on: Co-creator Damon Lindelof stands by controversial final episode
What does the MasterChef 2018 winner get, what does the trophy look like and what have past winners done?
COOKERY show MasterChef is heating up as the competition enters its final phase with the candidates whittled down to just three hopefuls. Over the past seven weeks viewers have watched 56 budding chefs voted off week by week, with the winner set to be decided tonight, April 13. It has been a rollercoaster ride over the past few weeks, with 25 episodes in total. The 2018 finalists are Kenny Tutt, David Crichton and Nawamin Pinpathomrat. The trio will cook up their best three-course feast in the hope of impressing with their menu. The judges for the show, now in its 14th series, are Greg Wallace and John Torode.What does the MasterChef 2018 winner get? The winner is awarded the coveted MasterChef trophy. But it is more the recognition, prestige and exposure that is the main appeal of winning the contest. In the past finalists have gone to open their own restaurants or have launched a culinary career. The website says: “MasterChef sets out to find the UK’s best … [Read more...] about What does the MasterChef 2018 winner get, what does the trophy look like and what have past winners done?