The UK entertainment industry has been abuzz in 2025, with celebrities making headlines through new television ventures, significant legal victories, and discussions on industry reforms.
One of the most anticipated television events is the return of "Celebrity Gogglebox" for its seventh season. Premiering on Channel 4 on June 6, the show features British celebrities sharing their candid reactions to popular TV shows from their living rooms. This season introduces new celebrity pairs such as Jess Glynne and Alex Scott, and James and Clair Buckley, alongside returning fan favorites like Rylan Clark and his mom Linda, Nick Grimshaw and his niece Liv, and comedy duo Babatunde Aleshe and Mo Gilligan. Episodes cover a mix of popular and niche programming, including "Squid Game" season 3, "Love Island 2025", "Clarkson’s Farm", and "Celebrity Bridge of Lies".
Another major development is the upcoming "Celebrity Traitors UK", set to premiere on BBC One later in 2025. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, this celebrity edition of the popular murder-mystery format will feature well-known faces competing in the game. Confirmed participants include Tom Daley, Bob Mortimer, Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, and Clare Balding. Filmed at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, the show 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.
In the realm of legal affairs, 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.
These developments highlight the dynamic nature of the UK entertainment industry, where celebrities continue to influence and adapt to the evolving landscape of media, law, and technology.
