The UK entertainment scene has been abuzz with notable developments, from the return of popular reality TV series featuring celebrities to significant legal victories involving public figures.
"Celebrity Gogglebox" has returned for its seventh season, offering viewers a fresh lineup of celebrities sharing their candid and humorous takes on the week's television highlights. The show premiered on Channel 4 on June 6, 2025, and airs weekly every Friday at 9 PM, with episodes available on Channel 4's streaming platform afterward. Returning favorites include Rylan Clark with his mum Linda, Nick Grimshaw with niece Liv, and duos like Babatunde Aleshe and Mo Gilligan, and Shaun Ryder with Bez. New additions this season are Jess Glynne and Alex Scott, James and Clair Buckley, Vernon Kay and Paddy McGuinness, and Vicky Pattison with Pete Wicks. The show continues to blend celebrity commentary with mainstream television, making it a staple of British entertainment.
In the realm of reality TV, "Celebrity Big Brother 2025" has returned, airing nightly on ITV1, ITVX, STV, and STV Player, with its live final scheduled for April 25 at 9 PM. Hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best, the show features spin-offs including "Late & Live" and a nightly live stream. This year's celebrity housemates include EastEnders star Patsy Palmer, Mickey Rourke, Jack P Shepherd, Olympic athlete Daley Thompson, and JoJo Siwa, among others. As of now, Chesney, Chris, Danny, Donna, Jack, and JoJo are the six finalists competing for the top prize. The house has moved to a new location, and viewers can connect with the show through behind-the-scenes content and late-night coverage. The show continues to gain popularity, with over 100 million streams on ITVX, and features include exclusive interviews with evictees and commentary from hosts and guest celebrities.
In the legal arena, Prince Harry achieved a significant victory over Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper group, News Group Newspapers . The publisher admitted for the first time to unlawful actions at its tabloid, "The Sun," and agreed to a substantial damages payment. Harry had accused NGN of illegally obtaining private information about him from 1996 to 2011 and intruding into the private life of his late mother, Princess Diana. The settlement is reported to be over £10 million, mainly covering legal fees. NGN issued an apology for the serious intrusion into Harry's private life. This settlement may mark the end of similar lawsuits against NGN, which has faced significant financial repercussions from prior lawsuits involving phone hacking and other illegal information-gathering activities.
Additionally, the UK government is proposing a new "right to personality" to protect artists and celebrities from AI companies creating products that mimic their distinctive features. Ministers will consult on updating copyright rules to regulate how AI technologies use artists' content for training models. This consultation will introduce new protections for creators, aiming to block AI products that closely resemble famous voices, images, or other features. A key part of the consultation is establishing a rights reservation mechanism, balancing content licensing opportunities with protection for creators who do not want their material used. The consultation will avoid terms like "opt in" or "opt out" and will address transparency issues around the use of scraped content by AI companies. The issue is controversial, as creative industry executives fear the proposed mechanism will result in their content being easily appropriated by tech companies, threatening the UK's creative sectors.
In other news, "Celebrity Traitors UK" is set to premiere on BBC One later in 2025, likely in late summer or early autumn, following the success of "The Traitors UK" season 3. Hosted once again by Claudia Winkleman, this celebrity edition will see well-known faces competing in the popular murder-mystery format. Confirmed participants include Tom Daley, Bob Mortimer, Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, and Clare Balding, among others. The show, filmed at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, will follow the usual format: celebrities will start as Faithfuls, with a few secretly selected as Traitors aiming to deceive the rest. Through missions, players build a prize fund of up to £120,000, with celebrities aiming to win up to £100,000 for charity. Regular banishments and "murders" spice up the gameplay, culminating in either the Faithfuls or a remaining Traitor claiming the prize. Production began in spring 2025, and fans can anticipate plenty of deception, strategy, and entertainment in this new twist on the hit series.
These developments highlight the dynamic nature of the UK's entertainment industry, showcasing the evolving landscape of reality television and the ongoing legal and technological challenges faced by celebrities.
