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Michelle Keegan has reportedly inked a whopping new six-figure deal, after welcoming her newborn daughter Palma with husband Mark Wright.

The Brassic actress, 38, and former TOWIE star, 38, welcomed daughter Palma Elizabeth Wright on March 6, taking to social media to share the happy news last month.

Alongside a black and white photo of them holding their newborn’s tiny hand, the couple penned: ‘Together we have a new love to share … Our little girl. Palma Elizabeth Wright… 06.03.25.’

Keegan recently rang in her 38th birthday with Wright and Palma under the Spanish sun in Marbella.

She is now reportedly set to embark on her first major project since giving birth, as The Sun reports she has signed on to become a promotional face for Sky.

The publication has reported Keegan will film advertising material for the broadcaster, alongside Luther star Idris Elba, who has long been a brand ambassador for Sky. 

Keegan has an existing relationship with Sky, as she has starred in comedy-drama Brassic since 2019.

Sky confirmed production is well underway on the show’s seventh series, which will also be the last we see of the Brassic gang when it returns to screens later this year. 

This led to some commentary that the show had been cancelled, but Michelle – who plays Erin Croft – took to Instagram to shut down the speculation.

‘And just for the record… Brassic has not been ‘AXED’ or ‘cancelled’ it’s come to a natural end after 6 fantastic seasons and we’re currently in the middle of making the 7th and final season,’ she wrote alongside a video of the cast, originally shared by Aaron Heffernan, who plays Ash.

The post on stories continued: ‘Sending love to all the Brassic fans out there.’

Sky were also keen to stress the show has not been axed, pointing to Brassic as it’s most successful comedy ever.

‘Fans very quickly became attached to this dynamic group of friends, as they found unconventional ways to win at life in northern suburbia,’ a spokesperson said.

‘We would like to thank Joe Gilgun, Danny Brocklehurst and the whole cast and crew – past and present – for bringing us all a truly iconic series, which we’ve loved for its special mix of hilarity and heart.’

Metro contacted Michelle Keegan and Sky for comment.

The final season of Brassic will air on Sky later this year.

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Jeremy Clarkson was candid about his decision to sell his whopping £85,000 tractor that featured in Clarkson’s Farm season four.

The 65-year-old star has been sharing the highs and lows of tending to his 1,000-acre Diddly Squat Farm through his hit Amazon Prime series for four seasons.

The tough financial blows farmers can face due to poor weather, controversial legislation, and mounting equipment expenses have been a key feature of the show – and the Grand Tour star is not immune to the same trials and tribulations.

It’s been reported that he has sold his £85k Lamborghini tractor less than a year after the eye-watering purchase which made a cameo in the fourth season to show off the 48 gears and 188 buttons.

After the TV personality was spotted at an auction selling the agricultural machine, one X user @headbug_inc asked: ‘You had to let the beast go? No way?! Dude, what happened?’

To which Clarkson replied: ‘I’m starting to understand that when it comes to farming, you have to be sensible. Took a big financial hit on that tractor as well.’

Both Clarkson and his co-star Kaleb Cooper were present at the auction on Monday, where the tractor sold.

The auction house Cheffins confirmed the expensive machinery sold for £70,500 after 62 bids.

Diddly Squat Farm, alongside countless others, saw a huge hit during the season four finale as Clarkson reflected on how ‘2024 had been an absolute monster’ due to poor harvests with record rainfall destroying crops.

During the episode, the former Top Gear presenter reiterated that he doesn’t rely on his farm for income.

‘But even so, it’s pretty soul-destroying to work so hard and simply, because of the weather, make a loss,’ he added.

Just moments later, the episode also added a pointed cameo from Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves.

She has been criticised by the farming community for her plans to introduce a 20% inheritance tax on farms worth over £1million.

An image of her flashes up for just a moment, and Clarkson also addressed this on X, making his disapproval clear with explicit language.

Clarkson’s Farm will return for a fifth season which is already being filmed but then plans to take a break only to return if there is a ‘bloody good story.’

He added in The Sunday Times: ‘Whatever happens we’ll definitely take a short break as the crews are all worn out.

‘We’ve been filming here two or three days a week, every week, for five years. Everybody could do with a rest.’

Clarkson’s Farm seasons one to four are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.

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Former Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer James Jordan has publicly come out in support of Wynne Evans, after he spoke about the detrimental impact the BBC show scandal wrought on his mental health earlier this year.

The Welsh opera singer, 53, was tearful as he spoke on This Morning about being sensationally dumped from the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour over comments he made involving host Janette Manrara. The ‘unacceptable’ joke referenced having a threesome with the dancer, 41.

He apologised soon after, saying he was ‘deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate action caused’ and would take a break from the public eye for ‘self-reflection’ and to ‘prioritise my wellbeing’.

Jordan, 47, who danced on the show between 2006 and 2013, has now weighed in to say he was ‘deeply moved’ by Evans’ appearance on This Morning, in which he detailed how the scandal took him ‘to the darkest spot of his life’.

Evans sat down with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley in the ITV studio and told them how he was monitored by a crisis team for a month and that his friends, family and girlfriend set up a schedule to ensure that he wasn’t alone at any point in the day when the attention ‘wouldn’t stop’.

Jordan went on to defend Evans’ controversial comments, labelling them ‘clearly light-hearted or part of mutual banter’ in a lengthy Instagram post. 

Jordan wrote: ‘It would be easy to stay silent, like many others have, including some of the so-called friends from Strictly who haven’t spoken out in his defence. But when I see someone being treated unfairly, I can’t stay quiet.’

Jordan, who is married to fellow ex-Strictly pro Ola Jordan, added the part of the story that had ‘upset him most’ was Wynne’s claims that he had not been contacted by the Strictly Come Dancing team following his departure from the tour.

He wrote there is ‘not enough support’ for those competing on the show, writing: ‘The Strictly team often talk about kindness about the duty of care – they provide behind the scenes – but in reality, that care ends when the cameras stop rolling.’

He continued: ‘It’s not good enough. The protections in place for both celebrities and professional dancers on Strictly are inadequate, and that needs to be addressed – publicly and urgently. 

‘This show is a well established, flagship show for the BBC that we all cherish. If only it would cherish and protect those who help make it the success it is.’

Evans commented on Jordan’s post, saying he had been ‘amazing’. He wrote: ‘Many of my Strictly friends are to [sic] scared to support me publicly and I thank you so much as a ‘stranger’ to speak out in my favour when many others would remain silent.’

The BBC and BBC Studios released a joint statement last September saying that duty of care is taken ‘extremely seriously’ on Strictly, adding that their welfare and support processes are updated each year.

The statement read: ‘We want Strictly to be a positive experience for everyone involved.’

The broadcaster explained that new training and rehearsal measures last year saw the introduction of a production team member in rehearsals at all times, as well as two now dedicated welfare roles on the team and weekly welfare meetings.

The statement continued: ‘Every celebrity and pro dancer is offered a pre-series psychological review. They complete ‘wellbeing questionnaires’ with the welfare producers and talk about the type of experience the celebrity would like on the show and expectations of training from both sides.

‘Everyone working on Strictly, in front and behind camera, has attended workshops addressing the culture of the show and expected behaviour.

‘Building on previous protocols, there is a formal exit interview process for all involved as they leave the show, which will be logged and documented.

‘These new measures build on longstanding processes and procedures on the show. We will always look at whether there is more we should do.’

Metro contacted the BBC for comment.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One later this year.

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Comedian David Walliams has faced criticism after he gave two Nazi salutes in front of a live BBC audience.

The incident took place during a taping of the Christmas special for panel show Would I Lie To You, with The Times claiming the Little Britain star, 53, made the grossly offensive gesture not once but twice.

The salutes occurred while Walliams’s teammate – Call the Midwife actress Helen George – who was recalling the time she sprained her wrist during the Strictly Come Dancing tour in 2015 ‘from waving too much’.

As she tried to convince David Mitchell’s team that the anecdote was true, she started re-enacting the waving, which is when Walliams joined in with his own exaggerated flailing, resulting in the Nazi salute.

After being reprimanded by the host, Rob Brydon, the filming moved on but as lewd jokes were swapped, Walliams then repeated the action but this time with a ‘sexual twist’.

Per The Times, one audience member said: ‘It was all very weird. There were gasps from the audience, and the other panellists all looked very uncomfortable.’

Another X user, @mirrandaYC added: ‘Didn’t have david walliams doing a Nazi salute at the Would I Lie To You Christmas taping on my 2025 bingo card.’

Sources at the BBC and the show’s production company, Zeppotron told the publication that there was no chance of the footage being broadcast.

Facebook user Alan Robert Booth called him an ‘entitled idiot’.

A BBC spokesperson apologised to those present, saying: ‘The use of such an offensive gesture is completely unacceptable and we apologise to all at the recording for the offence caused.’

This has been echoed by Banijay UK (Zeppotron’s owner) who added: ‘Any attempt at humour regarding this deeply offensive gesture, whether broadcast or not, is completely unacceptable in any context.

‘It was immediately acknowledged during the recording that this segment would not be broadcast under any circumstances and we apologise to those who were at the recording for any offence caused.’

It is the latest incident in a career filled with controversy.

The former Britain’s Got Talent judge was removed from his role in 2022 after leaked recordings showed him making offensive remarks about the contestants.

Meanwhile, his tenure on the comedy series co-created with Matt Lucas, Little Britain, has faced mounting criticism for its depiction of certain characters branded ‘explicitly racist’ such as the use of blackface.

Nevertheless, despite the show’s controversial sketches, it has found a new audience on TikTok with clips regularly going viral among the Gen Z audience for its dark humour.

In 2023, after rumours of a reboot, Lucas shut down the idea saying that it was simply ‘not true’.

The co-creators do have a podcast together, Making A Scene, where they ‘turn their famous friends’ lives into cinematic masterpieces.’

In 2024, the children’s author called cancel culture ‘exhausting’.

”[The issue] is complicated, but you just look at each joke as it comes really. 

‘Obviously if you were worried about every single thing you said or did might offend someone, that you wouldn’t be able to say or do anything on stage. 

‘I kind of think people haven’t lost a sense of humour in the way that it’s often portrayed,’ he told The Daily Telegraph at the time.

He is not the first high-profile figure to be embroiled in a Nazi salute controversy this year.

Elon Musk faced backlash after making a movement that resembled the salute in January. However, he firmly denied that the gesture he made was the one historically linked to German fascism.

Metro has reached out to David Walliams’ representative and the BBC for comment.

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I remember rolling my eyes when I first heard the premise for Apple TV Plus’s new period drama – The Buccaneers. Now, I’m up at midnight crying my eyes out as I binge my way through the new season.

The show is based on Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Edith Wharton’s final unfinished novel of the same name.

Her repertoire chronicles the complex lives of those living in the upper class echelons in the US around the end of the 19th century. In the case of The Buccaneers, we follow a group of New York debutantes shipped off to London to find husbands.

This thoroughly contemporary adaptation, using a 21st century soundtrack and an ethos of female and LGBTQ+ empowerment throughout, was not originally my cup of tea.

I usually find modern takes on period dramas hit and miss, and although they can sometimes be groundbreaking (see Apple TV+’s Dickinson), other times the historical leniency can take you out of the story (say with Reign or even shows like mammoth hit Bridgerton).

So, I went into the first season expecting to dislike the merging of the US and UK aesthetic and perhaps cringe at the on-the-nose ways they try to bring it to the 21st century. I was quickly proven wrong.

Our main group of women – Conchita (Alisha Boe), Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag), Mabel (Josie Totah), Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) and Nan (Kristine Froseth) – prove themselves a powerful ensemble cast with vivacious personalities.

Far from my initial impression of a shallow drama with trite love triangles, predictable affairs and stereotypical aristocracy, this only scratches the the surface.

Don’t get me wrong, for people who love those soap operatic style storylines, there is still plenty to sink your teeth into, but the show also goes much deeper than that – as proven by season two.

Despite already being convinced by the show, the second season still managed to take me by surprise by never going where I expected it to.

Instead, the show flies off in a completely different, often more refreshing, direction.

It’s clear in this second season that the show takes the responsibility of portraying both the joy and hardships that women faced in this period seriously.

The Buccaneers allows those moments of solidarity and the celebration of womanhood in all of its glory to shine while still giving the space and depth to explore the tougher aspects, always ending on a hopeful note.

We delve into everything from the consequences of domestic violence to the misogynistic judicial system to compulsory heterosexuality, and our heroines fight for a just world.

The leading men – such as Nan’s love interest Guy (Matthew Broome) and her husband Theo (Guy Remmers) – are also given room to breathe this season and grow as characters in their own right beyond the situationships they have been thrust into.

In many ways, love takes a backseat this season. The show ambitiously tries to balance its wide-ranging storylines in a fast-paced eight-episode series and doesn’t always succeed.

There were times when the pacing came across as confusing, either too abrupt or too slow.

We see this with Leighton Meester’s newly introduced character when she disappears for large chunks of time impacting her character development and the audience’s relationship with her.

Elsewhere, although I enjoyed most of the avenues the story explored, there were times when the story beat or dialogue felt rushed or out of nowhere – simply put there to advance the story forward.

For the most part,however, The Buccaneers gets the balance between light-hearted and serious just right, which makes for a delightful and gripping watch that could be just your cup of tea.

The Buccaneers season two will premiere on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, June 18 and air weekly until August 6.

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Former MTV presenter and talk show host Ananda Lewis has died at the age of 52.

The LA-born star announced in October last year that her breast cancer had progressed to stage four.

Eight months on and six years since her diagnosis, Lewis’ family have announced her death.

Lewis’ cousin Felece Antoinette wrote on Facebook: ‘My beautiful, gifted, multitalented, funny, intelligent, witty and brave cousin TV personality Ananda Lewis gained her wings today. No more pain.

‘Please keep her sister Lakshmi LS Emory and the entire Lewis family lifted in prayer.

‘RIH Bravebird, I’ll see you on the other side.’

Lakshmi, Lewis’ sister, also shared the news with a brief, heartbroken statement, which read: ‘She’s free, and in His heavenly arms. Lord, rest her soul.’

Lewis is survived by her son, Langston, whom she welcomed in 2011 with Harry Smith — the brother of Will Smith.

The TV star rose to prominence in the late 90s as an MTV video jockey, where she hosted shows like Total Request, MTV Live, and Hot Zone, before moving to her own talk show The Ananda Lewis Show in 2001.

In 1999 the New York Times called her ‘the hip-hop generation’s reigning It Girl’.

Lewis attended Howard University in Washington DC, where she spent time as a youth activist; work which inspired her to audition for BET’s Teen Summit, a series focused on social issues affecting young Black people, which she ended up hosting.

Since her time on MTV during its heyday, Lewis served as a correspondent on CBS’s The Insider and made various guest appearances on US shows.

When announcing her diagnosis in 2020, Lewis confessed to having ignored medical advice, which she called a ‘mistake’.

‘For a really long time, I have refused mammograms, and that was a mistake,’ Lewis said then.

‘I watched my mom get mammograms for 30 years almost, and at the end of that, she had breast cancer, and I said, “Huh. Radiation exposure for years… breast cancer. Yeah, I’m going to pass. Thanks anyway.”‘

She urged other women not to follow her lead.

‘I need you to share this with the women in your life who may be as stubborn as I was about mammograms and I need you to tell them that they have to do it,’ Lewis said in her announcement.

‘Early detection, especially for breast cancer, changes your outcome. It can save their life.’

In October, Lewis discussed her diagnosis with her friend, CNN’s Stephanie Elam.

‘My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made,’ Lewis said.

‘I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way. . . . I wish I could go back. It’s important for me to admit where I went wrong with this.’

Lewis found a lump a little larger than a pea in her breast while in the shower in December 2018.

In an essay for Essence in January, Lewis wrote: ‘We’re not meant to stay here forever. We come to this life, have experiences—and then we go. Being real about that with yourself changes how you choose to live.’

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