DK
I was there...an audience member mentiond Fred and there was a few titters as she clearly didn't know what happened to him!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ad1AiyNEo
I was there...an audience member mentiond Fred and there was a few titters as she clearly didn't know what happened to him!
:-(
A former member
The whole thing has been a dump squirt
That's a line I think I'll have to remember! So useful and more descriptive. It reminds me of Stephen Fry's 'ar#e gravy' comment on QI
AN
The whole thing has been a dump squirt, overall its been meh.
I would disagree. Each anniversary has to be celebrated slightly differently, you can’t just do exactly the same stuff and wheel out the same old faces every time.
This year the focus was on the 90 minute prime time documentary which they haven’t done before.
Andrew
Founding member
No-one comes out of this well, and it does sour the anniversary. Did she really need to bring it up on air? Did Phil really need to write in that tone on Twitter? Now it transpires Fern's agency is at fault. It all could have been done off air and no-one would have known.
I do find this particular beef (ahem) hard to fathom - even if we assume something went wrong between Phil and Fern, or between Fern and the programme itself, you've still got her very genuine and heartfelt farewell show, her husband still appearing on the show continually to this day and Fern still engaging with the programme frequently too (although I believe this is the first interaction with Phil since she left - previously it's all been recorded messages and conveniently appearing when other presenters are on).
I do find this particular beef (ahem) hard to fathom - even if we assume something went wrong between Phil and Fern, or between Fern and the programme itself, you've still got her very genuine and heartfelt farewell show, her husband still appearing on the show continually to this day and Fern still engaging with the programme frequently too (although I believe this is the first interaction with Phil since she left - previously it's all been recorded messages and conveniently appearing when other presenters are on).
The whole thing has been a dump squirt, overall its been meh.
I would disagree. Each anniversary has to be celebrated slightly differently, you can’t just do exactly the same stuff and wheel out the same old faces every time.
This year the focus was on the 90 minute prime time documentary which they haven’t done before.
LE
Troika Talent... part of the James Grant group which manages Philip & Holly, Richard & Judi conveniently decided Fern didn't want to go 👀
Think this answers the question...
...Looks like 'Troika Talent' (her agent?) received the invite and assumed she couldn't make it.
And here is what happened! Thank goodness I was invited, even if I didn’t actually receive the invitation. See you next time @BAFTA xxxx https://t.co/TIRE89k7f1
— Fern Britton 💙 (@Fern_Britton) October 3, 2018
...Looks like 'Troika Talent' (her agent?) received the invite and assumed she couldn't make it.
Troika Talent... part of the James Grant group which manages Philip & Holly, Richard & Judi conveniently decided Fern didn't want to go 👀
JO
To be fair, a lot of ITV talent is signed to James Grant like Ben Shephard, Eamonn and Ruth to name but a few. It's no surprise that a lot of the cover presenters tend to be James Grant talent.
There is a point to be made there. I know someone that calls James Grant the Phil and Holly Club. It's said to be very clicky and that they all socialise together (off circuit) like some sort of cult.
To be fair, a lot of ITV talent is signed to James Grant like Ben Shephard, Eamonn and Ruth to name but a few. It's no surprise that a lot of the cover presenters tend to be James Grant talent.
WH
Whataday
Founding member
Bit of background - from the Daily Mirror 18/07/18
Quote:
Declan Donnelly spent years spent looking for The One and having a lovely time doing it before marrying his manager Ali Astall in 2015, cementing his family-friendly image.
And after a tumultuous 12 months which have seen sidekick Ant McPartlin split from wife Lisa Armstrong and enter rehab twice, it appears he's followed Dec's lead by getting with his equally blonde and willowy personal assistant Anne-Marie Corbett.
It's not just their looks that pregnant Ali and Anne-Marie share, with both working for the infamously tight-knit James Grant Group - a showbiz agency that manages the careers of TV's most squeaky clean stars.
As well as Ant and Dec, its books boast This Morning's Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Ruth Langsford and her husband Eamonn Holmes, Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley, Tess Daly and Vernon Kay, Amanda Holden, Davina McCall, Christine Lampard, Fearne Cotton, Stephen Mulhern and Scarlett Moffatt.
In-house romances are certainly nothing new, with Phillip having burst out of his broom cupboard to enjoy a high-profile relationship with late Blue Peter presenter Caron Keating - who was also on the James Grant books.
She later married Russ Lindsay, who founded the company with ex Radio One DJ Peter Powell in 1984. Powell, incidentally married their top talent, Anthea Turner.
After Caron's tragic death from breast cancer aged just 41 in 2004, Russ married weathergirl Sally Meen who introduced Ruth to Eamonn and both to James Grant.
And according to the Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff, sometimes the pairings mix business and pleasure.
"Surprising as it may sound to those unfamiliar with showbusiness, matchmaking is often conducted under the James Grant auspices — and sometimes blends romantic attraction with sound business sense," she said.
The group is so tight (and savvy) that its stars shun after-parties in favour of heading back to each others' houses, away from prying eyes.
They even holiday together with Phil having bought an escape in the Algarve just down the road from Ant and Dec's holiday homes in the same gated resort.
"It's the tightest and most successful clique in the business," a source told the newspaper, while one former member said, "We considered each other family, it was as simple as that."
And after a tumultuous 12 months which have seen sidekick Ant McPartlin split from wife Lisa Armstrong and enter rehab twice, it appears he's followed Dec's lead by getting with his equally blonde and willowy personal assistant Anne-Marie Corbett.
It's not just their looks that pregnant Ali and Anne-Marie share, with both working for the infamously tight-knit James Grant Group - a showbiz agency that manages the careers of TV's most squeaky clean stars.
As well as Ant and Dec, its books boast This Morning's Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Ruth Langsford and her husband Eamonn Holmes, Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley, Tess Daly and Vernon Kay, Amanda Holden, Davina McCall, Christine Lampard, Fearne Cotton, Stephen Mulhern and Scarlett Moffatt.
In-house romances are certainly nothing new, with Phillip having burst out of his broom cupboard to enjoy a high-profile relationship with late Blue Peter presenter Caron Keating - who was also on the James Grant books.
She later married Russ Lindsay, who founded the company with ex Radio One DJ Peter Powell in 1984. Powell, incidentally married their top talent, Anthea Turner.
After Caron's tragic death from breast cancer aged just 41 in 2004, Russ married weathergirl Sally Meen who introduced Ruth to Eamonn and both to James Grant.
And according to the Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff, sometimes the pairings mix business and pleasure.
"Surprising as it may sound to those unfamiliar with showbusiness, matchmaking is often conducted under the James Grant auspices — and sometimes blends romantic attraction with sound business sense," she said.
The group is so tight (and savvy) that its stars shun after-parties in favour of heading back to each others' houses, away from prying eyes.
They even holiday together with Phil having bought an escape in the Algarve just down the road from Ant and Dec's holiday homes in the same gated resort.
"It's the tightest and most successful clique in the business," a source told the newspaper, while one former member said, "We considered each other family, it was as simple as that."
LL
I often wondered why it always felt forced whenever people from the ITV family wanted to reinforce how happy and smiley they all where, and how they're all close mates and do everything together. Now I see why.
CB
I'm glad they tried even if it was frosty, does explain a little bit why Fern was feeling put out and at least it wasn't intentional but more a misunderstanding. Still must be a bummer to miss out on the BAFTA event as could be a one off moment. At least it was cleared up, but could of been sorted had some effort at communication been made prior - her agency probably assumed "nope" based on her previous feelings about TM anniversary shows. Or if a producer had asked her about it when booking the call?
EDIT: Just watched it now (missed the initial airing) - IMO it seems like they do actually miss what she says, as it sounds like she's going to say she's sorry she couldn't make the celebration due to her play - Phil and Holly start to respond as she then swerves into "...but I didn't get an invite" which I don't think was expected and properly heard.
I enjoyed the weather map (including a bit more clips of the map itself in the history bits) but it's a shame they can't have it at the London studio : (
All the same I enjoyed both the prime time special and today's show.
On the agency thing: I'm not shocked that people who happen to have the same agency are kind of chummy, that's fairly normal even though the Mirror makes it sound a bit sinister. Not that I don't think one agency having the main say isn't a bit unfair to anyone not with them, but I can see why it would benefit ITV to have one agency
EDIT: Just watched it now (missed the initial airing) - IMO it seems like they do actually miss what she says, as it sounds like she's going to say she's sorry she couldn't make the celebration due to her play - Phil and Holly start to respond as she then swerves into "...but I didn't get an invite" which I don't think was expected and properly heard.
I enjoyed the weather map (including a bit more clips of the map itself in the history bits) but it's a shame they can't have it at the London studio : (
All the same I enjoyed both the prime time special and today's show.
On the agency thing: I'm not shocked that people who happen to have the same agency are kind of chummy, that's fairly normal even though the Mirror makes it sound a bit sinister. Not that I don't think one agency having the main say isn't a bit unfair to anyone not with them, but I can see why it would benefit ITV to have one agency
Last edited by ChipperBird on 3 October 2018 6:57pm
JO
I do think they are genuinely good friends with Ant and Dec regardless of being with the same management
I noticed Jake Humphrey is also with James Grant, I’ve always thought he’d be good on This Morning especially if they paired him with Holly who have been friends with him since the CBBC days
I often wondered why it always felt forced whenever people from the ITV family wanted to reinforce how happy and smiley they all where, and how they're all close mates and do everything together. Now I see why.
I do think they are genuinely good friends with Ant and Dec regardless of being with the same management
I noticed Jake Humphrey is also with James Grant, I’ve always thought he’d be good on This Morning especially if they paired him with Holly who have been friends with him since the CBBC days