In Harry Potter films Fantastic Beasts, Eddie Redmayne stars alongside – you guessed it – some fantastic beasts.

But of course they’re all visual effects because they come from the wizarding world, and so to film these scenes Eddie has to work with puppets and men in ‘full body green suits’ – and as this behind the scenes clip shows, it’s simply magical to watch J K Rowling’s creations come to life.

And watch Eddie cuddle up to a puppet covered in red dots.

‘Working with CGI beasts is hilarious and totally bizarre, it’s as weird and odd as you imagine it to be,’ says Eddie.

‘Sometimes you are working with nothing, so with Pickett, you have to just imagine him there, and sometimes you have these amazing puppeteers doing extraordinary things.’

‘Sometimes you have men in full body green suits looking ridiculous and you’re trying to pretend they’re some wonderous and fantastical creature,’ he adds.

‘And sometimes you are looking at a cross on a stick, and what it does is it makes you get home every night feeling so tired because your imagination has been squished from every side – but I love it.’

In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, fans saw some old favourites including Pickett and Niffler return as well as some new and astonishing creatures such as the Zouwu.

When filming those scenes, the team use a cushion-filled puppet that is controlled manually by the puppeteers and they admit that they have to be ready for the ‘full weight’ of Eddie.

‘Eddie doesn’t hold back, if he is going to touch the head of creature or stroke or interact with it, you need to be ready to take his full weight,’ says Robin Guiver, supervising creature puppeteer.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is available on Digital Download March 9, and on Blu-ray, 4K, 3D and DVD March 18

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Olly Murs has hinted that The X Factor would be better off if it went on hiatus for a few years to give bored viewers a break.

The singer, who was runner-up on the sixth series of the singing contest, was commenting on Simon Cowell deciding to shake things up this year by scrapping the regular series in favour of shows featuring celebrity contestants and former champions.

The Voice judge said the ITV series, which has now been on air since 2004, needs a ‘three of four year break’ – just like other talent shows that have been on for years.

‘I’m not surprised [about celebrity X Factor] because I think the show has been around for so long,’ Olly said.

‘Like any show, I was only on Dancing on Ice the other day, I remember when it had a three or four year break, and sometimes shows need that.’

It comes as a hopeful Simon said this year’s shows will be ‘huge’.

‘The time feels right, and it will be a huge change,’ he told The Sun.

‘We haven’t exactly confirmed the dates or the order of the shows, but essentially there are going to be two versions of X Factor running this year.

‘I think it’s going to be huge, it’s the best I’ve felt about this show in years.’

The new format sounds quite similar to 2006’s The X Factor: Battle of the Stars, which saw nine celeb acts compete in front of Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.

However, less than five months after the show had aired, Cowell admitted the show was ‘pointless’ and decided to axe it.

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Michael Jackson’s songs have been removed from some radio stations following the release of HBO’s documentary, Leaving Neverland, in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck accused him of sexually abusing them as children.

But, despite the ban, the Thriller singer’s albums have re-entered the charts, with his Number Ones album sitting in 43rd place at the time of writing, climbing around 44 places in just a few hours.

The Essential Michael Jackson had jumped to number 79, while HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 is a place behind at 80.

His studio albums, Bad and Thriller, have also burst into the top 200, according to the Evening Standard.

The news comes after fans of The Simpsons kicked off over bosses announced they would be removing the Michael Jackson episode from distribution.

Stark Raving Dad, which first aired in 1991, features the 50-year-old as Leon Kompowsky – a man Homer meets in a mental institution who believes Michael Jackson – and has long been a favourite with viewers.

However, some were left unhappy at the decision to pull the episode entirely, following the sexual abuse allegations, and threatened to stop watching altogether.

Discussing the decision, James L. Brooks explained himself, creator Matt Groening and showrunner Al Jean were ‘of one mind’ to stop circulating the show.

‘It feels clearly the only choice to make/ The guys I work with — where we spend our lives arguing over jokes – were of one mind on this,’ he told the Wall Street Journal.

‘This was a treasured episode. There are a lot of great memories we have wrapped up in that one, and this certainly doesn’t allow them to remain.’

And radio DJ Afua Adom has since insisted we should stop listening to Jackson’s music over the allegations.

In a debate on Good Morning Britain, she explained: ‘He didn’t separate himself from that music. That charisma he brought into his music is the same charisma he used to bring young people, young boys, into his bed. He never kept the children separate from the music.’

Addressing Leaving Neverland, she continued: ‘Listening to those songs now, and being shown what happened in the documentary, them talking about what happened to them after being on stage with him, it just makes me feel uneasy, uncomfortable.

‘His music will go down in history and so will he, as an absolute legend, but you have to put an asterisk beside his name and you cannot forget these allegations, these accusations. I know nothing has been proved and he’s not here to defend himself. However, it’s so compelling, the evidence against him.’

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These days, and especially after the #MeToo movement, powerful women all over the showbiz world are declaring themselves feminists.

Millennial buys seven homes before age of 30 that are now worth £1.5 million

Celebrities from Meryl Streep to Beyonce have all previously come out in support of equality for women, but what about the big-name guys out there?

After all, who ever said that all feminists have to be women?

So, as a way of celebrating International Women’s Day, here’s a list of male A-listers who are out there setting a good, feminist example.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Way back in 2014, Jo-Go made a YouTube video in which he goes into detail about his stance as a feminist.

In it, he says: ‘To me, [feminism] just means that your gender doesn’t have to define who you are.

‘That you can be whatever you want to be, whoever you want to be regardless if your gender.’

He has also spoken previously of how he was brought up ‘not to objectify women’.

Eddie Vedder

Peal Jam singer Eddie Vedder has been using his privilege for good for decades.

In 1992, he wrote an article about abortion for Spin Magazine, saying: ‘It’s human rights. If it were a man’s body and it was his destiny we were deciding there would be no issue. Not in today’s male dominated society.’

Channing Tatum

Renowned super-hunk of Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street fame Channing Tatum wrote an open letter to his daughter in 2017, published by Cosmopolitan, that said: ‘We live in a society that has trained men and women to play certain kinds of roles for a long time, and the beauty of this amazing moment we’re living in is that we’re finally starting to break free from those roles.

‘Women, especially, are realising that they no longer have to conform to certain standards of social and sexual behavior, and this changes what they need from men and the role of men in general.’

Antonio Banderas

In 2013, the actor took part in a PSA, raising awareness of the fact that up to 60% of women worldwide experience some form physical or sexual abuse during their life, calling the figures ‘unacceptable’.

‘Two million women and girls are trafficked each year into prostitution, forced labour, slavery or servitude,’ he said.

‘Young women and girls are often particularly vulnerable to early marriage, female genital mutilation, and HIV – Putting their health and rights at risk.’

Now these women are out sisters and our daughters, our grandmothers and our mothers. This is unacceptable.’

Will Smith

In an interview with Parade in 2012, actor Will Smith said, on the subject of raising his daughter Willow Smith:

‘We let Willow cut her hair. When you have a little girl, it’s like how can you teach her that you’re in control of her body?

‘If I teach her that I’m in charge of whether or not she can touch her hair, she’s going to replace me with some other man when she goes out in the world.’

Patrick Stewart

In his 2009 speech for Amnesty International UK, actor Patrick Stewart sayd: ‘Even if she had [done something to provoke my father to hit her], violence is a choice. And it’s a choice that a man makes. We can choose to stop it.’

Chris Hemsworth

Actor Chris Hemsworth, aka the MCU’s Thor, told the RadioTimes in 2016 that he is ‘for sure’ a feminist.

He went on to note gender imbalances in the film industry, saying: ‘I think the balance has been tipped for a long time heavily in the men’s direction. There are seven to eight male superheroes and one female in there.’

Well hopefully, now that DC’s Wonder Woman and Marvel’s Captain Marvel have both made such a splash, that could all be about to change.

Daniel Radcliffe

In 2014, the Harry Potter star said: ‘The idea of the friend zone is a terrible male idea. Have you ever heard a girl say they’re in the friend zone? It’s a thing that I think men should be really careful about using.’

‘I definitely think the idea of friend zone is just men going, “This woman won’t have sex with me.”‘

Ezra Miller

At the One Billion Rising To Stop Violence Against Women campaign in Times Square, Miller told the crowd: ‘To me, I grew up in a house full of women. I feel like all revolutionary causes should start with addressing misogyny.’

Jon Hamm

The Mad Men star spoke to The Daily Mail on the subject of nostalgia for the time in which the show was set, saying: ‘People look back on those days through a thick veil of nostalgia, but life was hard if you were anything other than a rich, powerful, white male.’

Harry Styles

The singer has been vocal on Twitter in support of women’s rights, saying: ‘I’m supporting @UN_Women and @EmWatson in #HeForShe As should you..’

Jason Momoa

Momoa, of Game of Thrones and Aquaman fame, has previously said: ‘I wasn’t raised by a man. I was raised by a single mother my whole life. It’d be ridiculous for me to say that I didn’t believe in [feminism.] They’re the strongest beings in the world.’

Prince Harry

The Prince has been vocal about women’s rights for years, saying in a speech at the the CHIME For Change concert in 2013: ‘When women are empowered, they immeasurably improve the lives of everyone around them — their families, their communities, and their countries.

‘This is not just about women, we men need to recognize the part we play too. Real men treat women with dignity and give them the respect they deserve.’

Prince Harry also openly declared himself a feminist in January, during his and Meghan’s (who is also openly feminist) visit to the charity Tomorrow’s Women in Birkenhead.

Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk / Bruce Banner in the MCU Avengers movies, has said on the subject of reproductive rights: ‘It becomes kind of a moral issue about who you are and how you view the women in your life.

‘There’s a common sense and a wisdom and a decency in women that needs to be upheld and doesn’t warrant being pushed back 30 years into the whole nightmare that brought about the abortion rights movement, that we’ve fought for that we’ve created laws around… As a man, I see no wisdom in going backwards.’

Ashton Kutcher

This actor gave testimony in front of the US Senate Committee in 2017, to highlight the atrocities of human trafficking, which affects a disproportionately high number of women.

In the past, he’s also said: ‘I think there’s so much that’s not said about sex in our country, even from an educational level… the one thing they teach about is how to get pregnant or how to not get pregnant, but they don’t really talk about sex as a point of pleasure for women.

‘That creates a place where women aren’t empowered around their own sexuality and their own sexual selves.’

MORE: I’m a stripper, but that doesn’t stop me from being a feminist

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CBS This Morning host Gayle King says watching R Kelly’s ‘self-destruction’ is ‘troubling’.

The TV presenter is reflecting over her sit-down with the R&B singer in his first TV appearance since being charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse on four victims – three of whom were underage at time of the alleged abuse.

Kelly broke down in tears in the chat, protesting his innocence against the allegations made against him, and lost his temper at one point.

The anchor appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday to discuss her famous chat with the Ignition Remix hitmaker, after she was praised for her composure.

‘He was upset with me for some of the questions, he was a little irritated, that’s okay,’ King told late-night host Stephen Colbert about some of the most talked about moments from the rollercoaster interview.

She said: ‘He keeps saying that, “I didn’t do anything wrong. All these women are wrong,” and I go, “All these women are lying except for you?” That just defies logic.

‘When I went into the interview Stephen, I knew he wasn’t going to say, “You know Gayle, you’re right. I’ve done terrible things.” But I did think on some level, he would have a moment of reflection, he would have contrition.’

Gayle recalled: ‘So it became very troubling to me to see him, really, just fall apart. I thought we were witnessing the self-destruction of a man having a breakdown and that’s never a good thing to see, never.’

Gayle, who has also said that she was not afraid of Kelly during the chaotic chat, was praised on Twitter for keeping her cool.

He appeared to get very worked up while denying the claims made against him – at one point Kelly described Jocelyn Savage and Azriel Clary as his ‘girlfriends’ and accused the girls’ parents of ‘selling their daughters’ to him.

Kelly said: ‘What kind of father, what of mother will sell their daughter to a man? How come it was OK for me to see them until they wasn’t getting no money from it?

‘If I were going to take my daughter and she’s 19 to a 49-year-old’s concert, I’m not going to take her to the stage and leave her.’

He denied anything had happened between himself and the girls while they were underage.

Kelly has since been detained in prison again after failing to pay child support.

Kelly is due to appear in court on the sexual abuse charges on 8 March. If convicted, he could receive a sentence of up to 70 years in jail.

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The first Britain’s Got Talent trailer has dropped, showing Ant and Dec back together again for the first time in nearly a year.

A teaser for the ITV series – which is returning to screens next month – shows the presenters doing what they do best, organising the chaos around them.

Declan Donnelly kicks the whole thing off by attempting to conduct an orchestra, before dropping his baton – which Ant McPartlin rushes to pick up for him, reuniting the pair.

Amanda Holden can be seen joining in with one trick, helping a magician to saw their assistant in half, while David Walliams has a bash on some cymbals.

Unfortunately for the comedian, fellow judge Alesha Dixon wasn’t too impressed with his efforts, promptly giving him a red buzzer.

Awkward…

Just when things were about to get truly out of hand, Simon Cowell popped up to give his co-stars – and the rest of the performers – a golden buzzer, sending everyone through to our screens in April.

We honestly cannot wait.

This is the first time Ant has been seen returning to his presenting duties since last spring, after he was forced to take a step back after his arrest for drink-driving – and subsequent rehab stint.

And Alesha hinted things were emotional as the 43-year-old got back to work.

During an appearance on Loose Women, the singer explained: ‘We’ve worked together now for seven years, I think this is my eighth series, and when we get together it feels like a family vibe in the studio,’ Alesha explained during Loose Women.

‘It just feels good and it’s felt great. Everyone’s being naughty and being themselves.’

‘The more you work with people the more you build relationships and the more you care about each other as people,’ she told the panel, explaining there was a ‘lot of love’.

Britain’s Got Talent returns to ITV in April.

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Just three more episodes to go now…

Gotham is nearing ever closer to its big finale, with last night’s episode, The Trial of Jim Gordon, providing even more twists and turns.

Spoilers for Gotham season five lie ahead…

This latest instalment saw Jim Gordon and Lee Thompkins tie the knot (despite Gotham crumbling all around them) in a brief-but-lovely moment of levity.

The happy on-screen nuptials mirrored reality, too – stars Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin, who play Jim and Lee respectively, are married in real life.

McKenzie’s connection to this episode in particular goes deeper than that, though; the actor turned screenwriter for the second time in Gotham’s history to write The Trial of Jim Gordon.

And it turns out that McKenzie’s episode was the last one in this final season to be filmed.

Tonight’s @gothamonfox was the last filmed. Beautiful script by @mrbenmckenzie and great direction by @erinrrichards. So much love & respect to you both & to all involved. The perfect finish to our ride.🤓❤️#mrpenngotham #misterpenn #theventriloquist #scarface #thepenntriloquist pic.twitter.com/PQrrQD47Ys

— Andrew Sellon (@AndrewSellonNY) March 7, 2019

That trivia was brought to light by Andrew Sellon (who plays Arthur Penn / Ventriloquist) as he posted archive footage from the set as filming wrapped for the final time, describing the experience of shooting the episode as ‘the perfect finish to our ride’.

Addressing her fellow castmates, Erin Richards – who directed The Trial of Jim Gordon – says in the above clip: ‘It’s been the most incredible experience of my entire life.

‘From being Barbara [Kean] to ending it with this, which has been an absolute lifetime dream of mine that you’ve all individually made come true.’

Sob – pass the tissues, please.

The Trial of Jim Gordon had Gotham fans going through a gamut of emotions, especially in regards to the episode’s particular significance in the Gotham production timeline.

It is so wild that this was the last episode of #Gotham filmed. What a great way to send things off. So thankful we have three more episodes to go.

— Gotham Undercover (@GothamGSM) March 8, 2019

I'm not even there but feeling mad sentimental. So long, old friends. Thanks for your fine work, all of you.

— niko (@cobblepotteries) March 7, 2019

All I wanna do is hibernate all day and week but then I remembered that I have to watch the last Gotham episode that was ever filmed tonight, so I am feeling all sorts of feels.

— ❓💚 Tam Loves Kris 💙🐧 @ #TeamOddlyWestAsianHytes (@TampireSucks) March 7, 2019

the last episode they shot, ouch #gotham

— ash ☂︎ (@ozziecobbIepot) March 8, 2019

So sorry to see this great show end. Thanks to all involved for an amazing, entertaining ride.

— cdrak0715 (@cdrak0715) March 8, 2019

It’s not over yet, everyone – but it will be soon…

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Fern Britton narrowly avoided a run-in with Phillip Schofield on Friday, as she appeared on This Morning to promote her new book.

The pair famously fell out in 2018 over Fern’s claims she wasn’t invited to the BAFTA TV Awards where the This Morning team collected a special award to commemorate 30 years of the programme.

Luckily for all involved, Friday sees Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford hosting the show, which Fern hosted in the 1990s alongside Phil.

It all kicked off when viewers flocked to Twitter to question whether the atmosphere between the pair was frosty, after Fern popped up via satellite link the morning after the ceremony to join in the party.

‘Congratulations on BAFTA, that was absolutely wonderful and brilliant,’ she said, before adding: ‘I would have loved to have been there, but I didn’t get an invitation…’

When Phil ignored the awkwardness, and appeared to say she was on stage with Calendar Girls at the time, she hit back: ‘I wasn’t on Monday night’.

Later, when Phil saw the Twitter speculation, he accused her of having memory loss and claimed she was definitely asked to take part, but decided not to.

‘Odd really, because she was invited and declined #memoryloss we’d have loved her to be there,’ he replied to the post in question.

‘A vital and much loved part of the show.’

But Fern wasn’t having any of it, and made her feelings known on Twitter, while replying to another user.

‘No. I had no invitation to decline,’ she simply added.

The next day however, it was revealed that Fern’s agents had never given her the invite, and they accepted full responsibility.

Troika Talent admitted that they’d never passed the invite along, and took to Twitter to clear up a tit-for-tat argument between Phil and Fern.

The agency tweeted: ‘HUGE apologies from Troika to @ThisMorning.

‘An invitation to @Fern_Britton from #BAFTA did arrive, but as she was touring with #CalendarGirls we assumed she wouldn’t be able to attend, and we declined.

‘Fern had no idea that she had been invited. Luckily, she has forgiven us.’

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The countdown is on for Eurovision 2019, with just two months to go until the most ludicrous event on the TV and music calendar.

And it sounds like we’re in for a treat when we tune in to Tel Aviv.

Israel is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest this May after Netta won with her song Toy last year in Lisbon, and it’s the first time they have hosted since 1999, when Dana International’s win secured a contest in Jerusalem.

So they’re pulling out all the stops.

Assi Azar, who will be hosting the song contest in Tel Aviv alongside Bar Rafaeli, Lucy Ayoub and Erez Tal, told Metro.co.uk that the staging for both the final and the two semi-finals will blow Eurovision fans away.

The Israeli TV star told us: ‘I can tell you a few things. This show is going to be insane in terms of how the arena is going to look. It’s actually unbelievable what they’ve done. The way we’re going to present each country will blow your mind.

‘I know from previous shows that everyone puts their focus on the final – but we decided this year that we’d give a lot of attention to the semi-finals. The way that the first semi-final will blow people’s minds, it might make people shed a tear, it’s very special.

Also, we have a surprise for the viewers which will make them smile, because they will recognise some of the people on stage. I can’t say more, I’m not allowed yet, but we are bringing special guests that Eurovision fans know and love.’

We’re pinning all our hopes on the return of Dana International.

Assi is one of Israeli’s top television hosts, having presented Big Brother and Rising Star, the national Eurovision selection show.

But in spite of his credentials, he had to audition to be host just like everyone else.

He said: ‘Of course it’s very, very exciting, it’s a dream come true. I hosted the show that chose Netta to represent Israel at Eurovision, and to be involved with choosing someone who went on to win is unbelievable. Because of Netta, I’ll be hosting this year.

‘I had to do an audition – I think I actually asked them! Many many people wanted to be this year’s host, of course – it’s an amazing opportunity and a huge honour. I had to work on my accent and my English, it was actually nerve-wracking. But apparently it went well!’

The Eurovision Song Contest is consistently the world’s biggest live music event, with 186 million people tuning in to last year’s show in Lisbon.

But Assi is putting the gargantuan viewership to the back of his mind.

‘The way that I see it, it’s not important to me how many people watch it or how many people are in the venue. I know how it works for me – the first five minutes, I’ll be stressed like crazy, but if I don’t faint or do something really embarrassing, I will relax and start enjoying the show. There is four of us on stage, so it’s going to be fine.’

Israel will this year be represented by Kobi Marimi. 

The Eurovision semi-finals take place on 14 and 16 May, before the grand final on 18 May.

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Yes, yes: we’re all very excited for Game of Thrones to fully test our nerves and emotions with its upcoming eighth and final season.

But we’ve got an important question that needs answering first: was that – and be honest, now – was that Jon Snow’s beloved direwolf Ghost making the briefest of appearances in this week’s exciting new trailer for season eight?

Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

In the trailer – which you can see above – you’ll need to navigate to the 1:34 mark (and maybe turn your brightness up as much as you can on whichever device you’re using) to assess for yourself.

Look to the left of Jorah Mormont when the camera pans on his hardened, battle-ready face – what is that out-of-focus, white and potentially direwolf-shaped blob moving around in the background?

Could it… could it be Ghost?

These fans are certainly hoping that that is the case, anyway.

GHOST #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/JKcJbbTSuT

— Daniel (@DanWolf115) March 7, 2019

Ghost and Nymeria in season 8 trailer :) #ForTheThrone #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/XWPFxSqQBQ

— no one (@noone10247583) March 6, 2019

🐾🐾👻 WE WANT GHOST!!! #Ghost #Nymeria #Wolfpack #ThePackSurvives #WhereIsGhost #WheresGhost #WeWantGhost #GameOfThrones Dave & Dan & Martin: WE WANT GHOST!!! & Jon riding Rhaegon 🐉 @GameOfThrones @HBO pic.twitter.com/Je1aRmOqDX

— JJ (@JuicyJesssy) March 8, 2019

Ghost, who was adopted by Jon all the way back in season one, didn’t get much of a look-in last season as he waited behind in Winterfell with Sansa as Jon went on to Dragonstone.

But might he reunite with his master in season eight, just in time to aid the cause in the upcoming Battle of Winterfell?

Well, yes, that is possible – but, as people on Reddit have already speculated, this reunion could in fact be very bad news indeed for those who appreciate Very Good Boys/Direwolves like Ghost.

[SPOILERS] How much you wanna bet when we get Jon and Ghost finally fighting together he’s going to die in battle? It’s such a cop out but it sounds like something they’d do at this point. from gameofthrones

Look, beloved characters are going to bite the dust in season eight, that’s for certain.

But Ghost? They wouldn’t, they couldn’t… could they?

Game Of Thrones season eight kicks off Sunday 14 April on HBO and Sky Atlantic.

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A sequel to Octopath Traveler is officially in production, with a new prequel for iOS and Android devices announced to tide over the inevitably long wait.

Developer Square Enix revealed the prequel role-playing game titled Octopath Traveler: Conquerors Of The Continent in a new trailer, confirming it takes place before events in the Nintendo Switch exclusive title.

While there’s very little information on the game, it appears to mirror the same separate character campaign format, with the original having eight separate storylines for eight different characters.

An official listing for the game (via Gematsu) also confirms it will allow players to form a party of up to eight characters to fight in ‘command-based battles’ with swipe controls.

The single-player title also retains the signature ‘HD-2D’ art style, which was highly praised upon the original’s release, albeit with slightly less sharp backgrounds.

Octopath Traveler: Conquerors Of The Continent is also free-to-play, although it’s not yet been detailed how in-game purchases will work. The prequel is expected to release in Japan on iOS and Android in 2019, with a Western release yet to be confirmed.

Crucially, the Octopath Traveler official Twitter account also confirmed work is underway on a new console game in the series, tweeting: ‘Everyone waiting for a new game on console, we’re sorry, but production will take a little while longer, so in the meantime, we hope you can enjoy [the smartphone game].’

The original Octopath Traveler was one of the biggest exclusive Switch releases of last year, which was praised for its ‘fantastic balancing act between old and new’ in GameCentral’s review.

Email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter.

Peter Andre has admitted he’s still ‘devastated’ he never met Michael Jackson after he lost to the singer’s accuser Wade Robson in a dance competition – and reveals he’ll continue to perform Jackson 5 songs.

The Mysterious Girl hitmaker reflected on competing against Wade – one of the subjects of HBO’s Leaving Neverland – at age 11.

In the documentary, Robson claims that the competition was the beginning of years of sexual abuse at the hands of Jackson.

However, Peter, 46, admits he was ‘devastated’ at placing second, losing out on the chance to meet his hero.

‘I was sad for months and months afterwards because the prize was to meet him and I never did – Michael’s album Off The Wall was the first I ever bought,’ he revealed.

The 46-year-old said of the documentary: ‘I knew it would be very uncomfortable to watch and I don’t want to. I know at some point I will. In my heart of hearts I’d like to believe that [the abuse] never happened, but I wasn’t there, so I don’t know.’

Nevertheless, Peter, whose tour set list currently includes an Jackson 5 hit, revealed he’ll still be performing songs by the King Of Pop’ – despite radio stations around the world banning his music.

‘You can’t just ban a man’s music based on accusations’, he added to The Sun. ‘Do we tarnish Quincy Jones’ work or Seida Garret who wrote Man In The Mirror?’

The first part of Leaving Neverland, which saw 2.4 million tune in, followed the stories of Robson and James Safechuck, as they claimed they were molested by Michael Jackson as children.

The documentary also features interviews with Robson’s mother, Joy, his siblings Shane and Chantal, and his wife Amanda, along with Safechuck’s mother Stephanie and his wife Laura.

In the wake of the disturbing program, celebs and musicians have begun to speak out against the singer – including his former friend Corey Feldman, who admitted to HLN that he ‘cannot ignore the claims’ made by Robson and Safechuck and he ‘cannot in good consciousness’ defend Michael.

However, that hasn’t prevented Jackson from re-entering the charts, with his Number Ones album reaching number 43 as some MJ fans are still standing up for him.

Many of his family members have also defended him, with his daughter Paris insisting he had a ‘good heart’.

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Ricky Gervais is hitting our screens again, this time as a suicidal widower determined to speak his mind in new TV show After Life.

Mum becomes first person in UK jailed for FGM

Already courting a little bit of controversy, the show promises to be a risque tear-jerker, but Gervais has also promised that the show will be ‘joyful’, despite its dark subject matter.

He tweeted: ‘Can’t wait for you to watch #Afterlife. And even though all the reviews have been glowing so far, I know that some people won’t get it.

‘They’ll think it’s morbid, or mean, or negative. But I hope that you’ll see how positive and ultimately joyful it is. Like life itself.’

What is After Life about?

The show follows Tony, a formerly kind and happy man who’s wife has recently died.

After first contemplating suicide, he instead adopts a highly nihilistic viewpoint and decides to viciously speak his mind from now.

Gervais, who plays Tony, has promised that the show tackles the difficult subject of suicide in a respectful manner, telling Metro.co.uk:

‘I don’t think suicide is the topic. I think the topic is grief, and grief makes you think lots of things. I don’t think suicide is any more the topic than him getting drunk every night.

‘It’s just that it’s final. I think that’s why we think it’s a bigger subject. It’s final, and that’s why I think it takes the eye. But again, it exists, and I treat it respectfully.’

Kerry Godliman, who portrays Ricky’s late wife Lisa in the series, added: ‘There’s a high rate of suicide, there’s a high rate of cancer, all these things are going on in everyone’s lives, and it’s like saying, we’re not showing this, we’re not showing that.

‘I suppose because it’s in ‘comedy’ that everyone’s discombobulated.’

There’s also been complaints about a scene in the trailer in which a child in a playground starts calling Tony a ‘pedo’ as he walks past a school gates.

Tony’s retort is: ‘I’m not a pedo, and if I was you’d be safe, you tubby little ginger c**t.’

Gervais said: ‘Someone said “Oh, having a go at gingers? Boring!”’, Ricky said. ‘And people would say “Oh you wouldn’t do that if he was black!”’

‘Well, no. That’s a completely different What If? There’s so many different What Ifs? Like Oh What if… it’s really odd,’ he added. ‘Some people just want to get in the way. They get in the way.’

After Life cast

• Ricky Gervais as Tony
• Tom Basden as Matt
• Diane Morgan as Kath
• Kerry Godliman as Lisa
• Tony Way as Lenny
• Ashley Jensen as Nurse
• David Bradley as Tony’s Dad
• Mandeep Dhillon as Sandy
• Paul Kaye as Psychiatrist
• Tim Plester as Julian
• Joe Wilkinson as Postman
• Tommy Finnegan as George
• Thomas Bastable as Robbie

After Life trailer

When is After Life out, and how can you tune in?

After Life dropped on Netflix on March 8.

All six eipsodes of the first season are available to stream now – so what are you waiting for?

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Victoria Beckham is said to be ‘nervous’ about husband David Beckham’s growing friendship with Helena Christensen.

The pair are thought to have become pally in December when they met at a party in Miami; at the time, the 50-year-old model shared a cosy selfie of her cuddled up to Becks on her Instagram page and the caption ‘ballin’.

Now however sources close to the Beckhams have suggested that there has been ‘some jealousy’ especially as David continues to travel and party around the world on his own.

View this post on Instagram

Ballin’

A post shared by Helena (@helenachristensen) on Dec 20, 2018 at 5:55pm PST

‘Victoria is often nervous about David’s friendships with female celebrities – there is naturally some jealousy given she’d love to spend more time with him,’ the source said.

‘David and Helena hit it off right away and have stayed in contact,’ the insider told The Sun.

Helena and David, met at the Adidas and British Fashion Council bash in Miami, which 43-year-old David was hosting; other attendees included Pharrell Williams, Marc Anthony and Becks’ best friend Dave Gardner.

The rumours come as Victoria and David have been putting on a loved-up front in recent weeks.

On Friday, David shared six pictures of the women in his life to celebrate International Women’s Day, three of which included Victoria.

In early March they looked like a teenage couple as they giggled away at an LA Galaxy which saw the American football club unveil a statue of its former star player, and Victoria later praised the love of her life as she gushed over how ‘proud’ she was of him in a cute Instagram post following the bash.

The happy couple are preparing to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary and in January, Victoria, 44, couldn’t help but swoon over her husband when asked about their marriage, describing the retired footballer as her ‘soulmate’.

‘I’m really lucky. With David I really found my soulmate. He’s a great husband [and] a fantastic dad. He’s the best dad. He really is,’ she said.

The British couple are parents to four children: Brooklyn, 19, Romeo, 16, Cruz, 13, and daughter Harper, seven.

Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for David for comment. Reps for Victoria would not comment.

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The weather is cold, and summer seems a long way off.

To get back those halcyon days, a dose of Love Island should certainly do the trick at perking you up – or at least give you a boost to book a holiday somewhere equally sunny.

You can already watch some of the show on Netflix but not all of it.

That’s why it’s welcome news that ITV Hub have announced they’ve dropped all four seasons of the hit show on their player. Here’s how to watch, and a gist of what happened in each season.

How many episodes and seasons have there been of Love Island?

There have technically been six series of Love Island. However, two don’t really count since they were in the 2005 celebrity version featuring the likes of Calum Best, Abi Titmuss, and Paul Danan.

The Love Island we watch today has had four seasons in total, and 158 episodes.

The first season was where we were introduced to Jon Clark and Playboy model Hannah Elizabeth. Max Morley also made an appearance late in the game.

Power couples Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey and Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen got together at the start of series two, and the rest was history.

By series three, the show was a force of nature, and contestants Kem Cetinay and Chris Hughes have even wangled a spin-off show from it.

Last year’s was perhaps the most explosive yet, though, and Megan Barton Hanson’s supposed ‘betrayal’ of Laura Anderson – as well as some footage of Jack Fincham showed to Dani Dyer – made national headlines.

How watch all seasons of Love Island

There’s plenty to get through, and you can catch all four seasons on ITV Hub now.

According to the website, there’s a month left to watch, so you’ll want to start binging now before series five arrives soon.

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The Grand Tour’s latest episode sees Jeremy Clarkson give a Citroen C3 Aircross a vigorous test drive, but apparently the car company wasn’t exactly forthcoming with having the car on the show.

Adorned with a moustache, Clarkson is seen tearing across villages in the Aircross which he customises into a French police car, including knocking over tables and driving down flights of stairs.

In a post on Twitter, Clarkson stated how he was looking forward to watching the episode after having a long absence from driving.

‘I have not driven a car for a month,’ Clarkson wrote. ‘So I am looking forward to watching the @thegrandtour this evening to remind myself what one is.’

He added: ‘The funny thing is: Citroen didn’t want to lend us a car for the @thegrandtour’ this week. Bet they’re glad they did. I loved it.’

The Grand Tour has been confirmed for a fourth season, which will ditch the studio format in favour of road trip specials.

The future of the show beyond another season also looks bright, with the trio recently stating how they’ll be sticking around ‘for a few more years yet’.

The Grand Tour season three releases on Amazon Prime Video on Fridays.

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Avengers’ Mark Ruffalo has proven he’s ready to Hulk smash the patriarchy by celebrating Captain Marvel and star Brie Larson on International Women’s Day.

Your fave could never.

The Bruce Banner actor shared a sweet video on his Instagram, captioning it: ‘Happy #InternationalWomensDay! Thankful for all the amazing women in the world and the incredible work you’re doing, especially these days.’

He added: ‘I’m also thankful I finally have a women-led @marvelstudios movie to show my daughters, #CaptainMarvel. Can’t wait to watch @brielarson kick ass. And one last shout out to my wonderful wife, @sunnyspop_retail and our beautiful daughters. There’s so much to celebrate ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿.’

View this post on Instagram

Happy #InternationalWomensDay! Thankful for all the amazing women in the world and the incredible work you’re doing, especially these days. I’m also thankful I finally have a women-led @marvelstudios movie to show my daughters, #CaptainMarvel. Can’t wait to watch @brielarson kick ass. And one last shout out to my wonderful wife, @sunnyspop_retail and our beautiful daughters. There’s so much to celebrate ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🚺 #IWD2019

A post shared by Mark Ruffalo (@markruffalo) on Mar 8, 2019 at 7:54am PST

‘I just want to shout out to International Women’s Day, and thank all you amazing women in the world for all the beautiful work you’re doing, especially these days,’ the 51-year-old said in the video. ‘It gives me a lot of hope to see so many women leaders finally taking their rightful place in the power structure.

‘I’m also grateful that Marvel’s first female-driven superhero movie’s coming out with the amazing Brie Larson teaching our daughters that you can be a great superhero and a great person and do amazing things in this lifetime.’

Mark finished up the message with a ‘special thanks’ to his wife Sunny, his mum, and the other amazing women in his life.

We stan.

The new Marvel flick has been famed for its focus on girl power, with actress Lashana Lynch describing it as a ‘classic film’.

She proudly told Metro.co.uk: ‘We as women in previous generations have done all this work to pass the baton onto the younger generation, and let them just literally carry the torch. And it feels like a really triumphant moment, that’s gonna keep going and going and going.’

And Brie is more than ready for more Marvel girl power, mentioning that she’s ‘super into’ the idea of an all-female Avengers squad.

You and us both, girl.

‘We’ll see what happens,’ she told Screen Rant, adding: ‘I love all the female characters so much. So of course like that’s what I’m interested in.

‘I’m super into an all-female Avengers movie. Yeah, I think that would just be, it would just be cool to see all of them interact together.’

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Jan-Michael Vincent, known for playing pilot Stringfellow Hawke in 1980s TV series Airwolf, has died aged 74.

The actor died on 10 February following a cardiac arrest at a North Carolina hospital, a death certificate has confirmed.

Along with Airwolf, Vincent was known for playing protagonist in 1978 surfing film Big Wednesday, along with starring opposite Charles Bronson in The Mechanic.

A role in 1971 film Going Home earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and he was also nominated in 1984 for The Winds Of War.

His last role was in 2003’s White Boy, and later retired from acting in 2009.

A leg infection in 2012 previously threatened Vincent’s life, requiring him to have the lower half of his right leg amputated.

Vincent is survived by his third wife, Patricia Ann Christ.

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Brooklyn Nine Nine is the NYC cop comedy that has amassed umpteen fans.

The cast includes the likes of Andy Samberg, Chelsea Peretti, and Terry Crews, and their comedy stylings has catapulted B99 into cult status.

News broke recently that it’s been confirmed for another season, and no one was happier than the cast themselves.

With that in mind let’s take a look back at the previous series.

Brooklyn Nine Nine seasons

So far, there have been six seasons of Brooklyn Nine Nine, making the one that’s just been confirmed the seventh.

In total, there have been 122 episodes so far, which is pretty amazing given it was originally ordered by Fox as just 13 episodes.

It has won two Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards: one for Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy) and one for Samberg for Best Actor (Television Series, Musical or Comedy).

In season five, it was cancelled by Fox, prompting a huge public outcry. However, the following day, NBC picked up the series for a sixth season, extended that season for more episodes, and have now renewed again.

How to watch Brooklyn Nine Nine in the UK

You were previously only able to watch four seasons of Brooklyn Nine Nine on Netflix.

However, today the streaming service have released season five, which will be welcome news for those who want to see what’s next for the Nine Nine.

Season six is airing in the US right now, and isn’t available here yet. Fingers crossed it should be on its way across the pond soon, though.

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David Beckham has shared the love for the women in his life this International Women’s Day – beginning with his wife Victoria and daughter Harper.

He’s taking girl power seriously.

The football legend shared a string of photos of the women he loves, including Victoria, Harper, and his mum Sandra.

In a sweet message alongside the snaps, David wrote: ‘Today we celebrate International Women’s Day .. I’m so blessed to have these amazing women in my life, they inspire me every single day .. Happy International Women’s Day to all the inspirational women around the world ♥️ #IWD ♥️.’

On his Instagram Stories, he shared a clip of Posh Spice and their seven-year-old daughter strutting towards the camera together.

‘Celebrating these 2 inspiring ladies today,’ the 43-year-old wrote.

Meanwhile, Victoria, 44, sported an apt ‘I am her’ tee for the day, explaining that she’s ‘proud’ to support International Women’s Day.

View this post on Instagram

♥️ Today we celebrate International Women’s Day .. I’m so blessed to have these amazing women in my life, they inspire me every single day .. Happy International Women’s Day to all the inspirational women around the world ♥️ #IWD ♥️

A post shared by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on Mar 8, 2019 at 12:50am PST

However, the sweet photos come after sources claimed that the former Spice Girl is growing ‘nervous’ about her husband’s close friendship with model Helena Christensen.

The pair are thought to have become pally in December when they met at a party in Miami; at the time, the 50-year-old model shared a cosy selfie of her cuddled up to Becks on her Instagram page and the caption ‘ballin’.

Now however sources close to the Beckhams have suggested that there has been ‘some jealousy’ especially as David continues to travel and party around the world on his own.

‘Victoria is often nervous about David’s friendships with female celebrities – there is naturally some jealousy given she’d love to spend more time with him,’ the source said. ‘David and Helena hit it off right away and have stayed in contact,’ the insider told The Sun.

Despite the rumours, the pair have appeared completely loved-up, with Victoria praising her ‘soulmate’ as they celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.

‘I’m really lucky. With David I really found my soulmate,’ she told Good Morning Britain. ‘He’s a great husband [and] a fantastic dad. He’s the best dad. He really is.’

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