During Holy Week, many local celebrities take time off to reflect on their relationship with God and also spend time with their loved ones.
They have their own set of beliefs and practices in observing Holy Week.
For noontime variety show “Eat Bulaga,” it has been tradition to hold their Lenten presentation wherein they air different drama episodes instead of the usual live programming. While the six-episodes are on this week, some of the hosts and staff of the show will be in Japan to relax.
“Almost lahat kami (sa ‘Eat Bulaga’) pupunta sa Japan, except du’n sa mga nakapagplano na ahead. I look forward sa food. It’s my first time in Osaka (and) I heard food is better in Osaka than in Tokyo,” “Eat Bulaga” co-host Pauleen Luna said.
Pauleen added that she makes a sacrifice every Lenten season, but refused to divulge what she is giving up this year.
“Kung ano ’yung hindi ko kaya hindi gawin that year, iyon ’yung gini-give up ko. ’Pag Black Friday, nagpapabasa kami nila Vic pero wala this year,” she said.
Anjo Yllana and Wally Bayola follow the Holy Week traditions of their elders.
“Simula noong bata, solemn ang Holy Week. ’Yung katahimikan na nangyari sa Monday to Saturday, ilalabas natin iyan sa Easter Sunday. Lessening ng food intake. Tapos dapat hindi ka din magulo, hindi masyado nagsasaya. Iyon ’yung mga bilin sa atin ng mga matatanda,” Anjo said.
Wally said he was taught since his younger years to reflect and not be too loud.
“Ang dati kasing turo sa amin ng mga matatanda, bawal muna ’yung tawa ng tawa. Kailangan magnilay-nilay at dapat tahimik lang,” Wally said.
Pia Guanio is not joining her fellow “Dabarkads” in Japan because she will be in Singapore with her husband and daughter.
“I try to make it a time for the family to get together. Kasi you know, the kind of work we have… we have live shows so we hardly get a vacation. So we bond and spend time together. The Holy Week proper is for the immediate family, while Easter Sunday is when we all meet together,” Pia said.
Being Christian, Pia doesn’t make sacrifices during Lent, but she always thanks Jesus Christ for paying for our sins.
Kapamilya singer KZ Tandingan will go to the province for their “family tradition,” which is attending annual Church family camp. She observes Lent by patching up differences with those she doesn’t see eye to eye.
“I feel that one of the best offerings is the offering of peace, to sacrifice my pride, the inflated sense of one’s personal status,” KZ said.
Nicco Manalo used to spend Holy Week with his family, but their tradition changed when he went living solo. The award-winning actor takes advantage of the free time to relax his mind and have a breather.
“I used to spend Holy Week with my family just staying at home and basically being in a quiet state. Pray together and talk amongst ourselves what was going on with each others lives. When I started living on my own, I got to experience going out of town with friends and if not, I’d stay at home and watch DVDs… again spending the quiet time I’m used to having with my family. I’m a thinker… my mind’s always busy. Holy week is more of a time for me to take it slow.”
Holy Week for Iñigo Pascual serves a double purpose – to observe Holy Week by going to Churches and also make time for family. His parents have different religions and beliefs but Iñigo feels what’s important is having a relationship with the Lord.
“I’m planning on spending it with family. We might go out of town or just stay at home, not sure yet. Well my mom’s side is very Catholic, especially my lolo. My dad is a Christian Born Again.
“To me religion doesn’t matter, it’s the real relationship with God that counts (more). I usually just go with whatever is happening. We do Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday and all that. I have nothing against the tradition or any religions; like what I said, I still do all of them with my family.”
Iñigo doesn’t make any sacrifices during Lent but he fasts Fridays throughout the year.
Many Pinoy fans of international pop star Ariana Grande were caught off guard when ticket prices for her first-ever concert in the country were announced a few days ago.
Ariana Grande (AP Photo)
Apparently, one has to pay a minimum of P2,099 (plus other charges) to watch Grande perform in the Manila leg of her “The Honeymoon Tour” from the general admission section. The most expensive section is pegged at P15,999. Tickets will go on sale by April 14.
Netizens, including Filipino Arianators (term for true-blue Ariana Grande fans), were seemingly shocked with the relatively high rates, prompting them to start the hashtag “LowerPricesForHoneymoonTourPH” on Twitter in hopes of influencing the organizers to lower ticket prices.
A user wrote, “@ArianaGrande im so sorry i wont be able to see you close up. All i can afford is (the) general admission (rate).”
Some argued that not having a meet-and-greet with Grande or even gift bags as giveaways for ticket purchase – apparently a fan freebie for One Direction’s concert here – is factor to mark down ticket prices.Grande got her break show business on the Nickelodeon TV series “Victorious,” where she played Cat Valentine. She is behind the hits “Problem,” “Break Free” and “Love Me Harder.”
The concert promoter of Grande’s show have yet to make a statement on the matter.
The issue of pricey tickets calls to mind the eye-popping fees local fans had to pay to see their favorite foreign artists perform here.
Mariah Carey visited last year to the tune of around P16,000 for VIP and Patron A guests, while seeing One Direction (even without former member Zayn Malik) a bit closer at their recent two-day show cost around P15,000 to P18,000.
Most notable were the sold-out premier seats at Jennifer Lopez’s dance tour in 2012, which were priced at a whopping P26,000 each.
VIP ticket prices for each of Katy Perry’s PH shows have risen constantly – from P3,600 in 2009 and P10,500 in 2012, to P16,000 for her upcoming concert in May.
Hindi pa rin nawawala ang mga ngiti ni Matteo Guidicelli matapos ang birthday surprise ng girlfriend niyang si Sarah Geronimo.
Umaasa ang komedyanteng si Dennis Padilla na mabibigyan siya ng pagkakataon na makasama ang anak na si Julia Barretto at iba pang mga anak kay Marjorie.
Ready na raw maging “Dream Dad” sa totoong buhay si Zanjoe Marudo. Ikinwento naman ni Bea Alonzo ang bagong role kung saan siya nagkapasa-pasa.
Romantic comedies aren’t Coco Martin’s forte that is why he had a hard time adjusting doing his first, “You’re My Boss.”
Though he had fun on the set, he said, “Honestly, sobrang hirap na hirap ako sa pelikulang ito kasi sobrang bago ’yung genre niya sa akin.”
Coco Martin
The change of pace has its upside, though. “Open ako para matuto. Ang dami-dami ko pong natutunan kay Direk Antoinette (Jadaone, film director) at kay Toni (Gonzaga, his co-star), at sobrang blessed ako dahil nakatrabaho ko sila,” he shared, adding, “Ang sarap palang gumawa ng ganito.”
He added in jest, “Baka after this si (iconic comedian) Babalu na ako.”
Coco is grateful for Toni’s guidance while shooting the film. “Hindi lang sa mga eksena kundi pati na doon sa kung paano sasabihin nang tama ang English words. Hindi naman kasi ako magaling sa English at minsan kapag mahaba ang lines ko ay hindi ko siya mamemorya. Si Toni, kino-coach niya ako,” he shared.
But learning goes both ways.
“Hirap akong umiyak,” Toni admitted. “Pinalaki kasi kami ng mommy’t daddy na hindi nagse-self pity, ’yung kapag may masamang nangyari sa moving on, hindi nagli-linger sa pain.”
Picking up hints from her co-star, Toni noted, “Sa pag-aartista at pagiging dramatic actress ay dapat ninu-nurture mo ’yun. Si Coco, ’yun ang nakita ko sa kanya, kapag tiningnan mo siya sa mata may karga na siya.” (With report from Jojo P. Panaligan)
ABS-CBN aired the debut special of Julia Barretto on Sunday, almost three weeks after the actress celebrated her 18th birthday at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Prince of Pop Erik Santos impersonated some Filipino singers when he appeared in the Sunday episode of “Gandang Gabi Vice.”
Toni Gonzaga and Paul Soriano (Instagram)
Actress-TV host Toni Gonzaga and director Paul Soriano will tie the knot later this year without a prenuptial agreement.
Speaking on “The Buzz,” Sunday, the 31-year-old celebrity said there is no need to sign that contract between soon-to-wed couple in order to protect their assets if their marriage fails.
“Dapat ba may ganon talaga? Kasi naisip ko naman, hindi naman ako mga Zobel, hindi naman ako Ayala to do prenup. Normal lang naman ako. Kung ano naman ’yung meron ako, pinaghirapan ko,” she said.
Toni would want to think her marriage is for keeps and should kinks arise in the relationship, they will hold on and strive to work it out.
“Ang program ko kasi sa paga-asawa, once you get into a relationship and once you get in a commitment na you wanna be together forever, you will try your very best to make it work. So ’yung sa akin, kasi pag nagpre-prenup ka, parang in the long run, inisip mo na ‘Kasi baka in the future baka maghiwalay kami so kailangan sa akin ’yung pera ko.’”
Toni admitted she and Paul never talked about the issue.
“(Kung may prenup), ’yung security mo nasa pera, wala du’n sa tao. So I’d rather put my faith in God and the person I’m marrying and, of course, pray that it will work forever.”
Toni is a bankable celebrity. Apart from her many endorsements and TV shows, she makes top-grossing films such as “Starting Over Again” (Top 3 highest-grossing movie with P410 million gross income) and “This Guy’s in Love with U Mare!” (Top 12, P250 million).
Recently, a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) report made public showed that Toni was one of the top 500 individual taxpayers of 2013, based on regular income tax payments made as of November 24, 2014. Her regular income taxes paid then amounted to P9,951,372.
In an earlier interview on “The Buzz,” Paul acknowledged that her fiancée earns more than he does. He insisted, though, that he has enough savings to provide Toni the life she deserves.
“I told her from day one na money has never been an issue. It’s obvious she makes 10 times more than me but that’s never been an issue. It will not be an issue in our marriage. The fact that I asked her, it means I can provide for her for the rest of her life,” he said.
While Toni disclosed that her parents have actually “saved all (her) money” and she can now get it, Paul told her she can give it to her parents as “gift.”
“We can start fresh. I have some savings for her. We just want to live a simple life forever. That’s what we pray for,” he said. “With God at the center of (our relationship), there is really nothing that can go against us.”
‘Precious gift’ to Paul
Toni and Paul have been together for eight years now. She believes her boyfriend has been faithful to her all these times.
Asked to name her “precious gift” to Paul for their wedding, she quipped, “Myself.”
Toni, however, refused to elaborate on the matter.
“Maiuuwi niya na ako. Sa kanya na, pero pagkatapos na,” she said. “Ayoko na (i-explain). Alam mo naman ang Pilipinas – Supreme Court. Maraming manghuhusga so huwag na natin silang bigyan ng chance pa. Sa akin na ’yun, sa amin na ng asawa ko. Malalaman niyo sa pagtatapos. Pagkatapos ng I do.”
New movie
Toni is currently promoting her new movie “You’re My Boss” with Coco Martin.
She claims to have conceptualized the movie and personally picked Coco to be her leading man.
Although the actress initially thought she and Coco have no chemistry to do a romantic flick, she eventually found the right concept for them.
“Naalala ko tuwing nakikita ko si Coco…parang ambaba lagi ng loob niya,” she said. “So sabi ko, ‘Gawin ko kaya siyang parang PA na role?”
“You’re My Boss” will be in cinemas by April 4.
Red Velvet (Photo: www.newsen.com)
Five-member rookie K-pop group Red Velvet won their first TV music chart award just eight months after their debut.
Red Velvet, composed of Irene, Wendy, Joy, Seulgi and Yeri, received their first award on KBS “Music Bank” on March 27 when they topped the music chart with the song “Ice Cream Cake.”
In addition, Red Velvet also charted on Billboard. Their first mini-album, “Ice Cream,” debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s World Albums chart and No. 24 on the Heatseeker Albums chart for the period ending April 4.
“Ice Cream Cake” also debuted at No. 3 and “Automatic” at No. 9 on Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart.
Since their debut last August, Red Velvet have won the New Artist Award in the Golden Disk Awards and Seoul Music Awards.
The music video for “Ice Cream Cake” also topped YouTube’s K-pop music video chart.
Red Velvet will be coming to the Philippines in April for the “Best of Best in the Philippines” K-pop concert on April 12 at the Philippine Arena at Ciudad de Victoria in Santa Maria, Bulacan.
Presented by Globe and co-presented by Star World, the concert will feature Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, BTOB and Red Velvet.
"Your Face Sounds Familiar" performer Karla Estrada transforms into a new music icon every week on the ABS-CBN program, and now the singer has made a transformation of her own in real life.
Onscreen couple Kim Chiu and Xian Lim agreed that "absence makes the heart grow fonder," referring to their separate ventures and long times apart.
MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino formally launched this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival during its annual appreciation dinner for last year’s winning producers and actors.
The event, hosted by 2014 Miss Manila 2nd runner-up Angelia Ong, and graced by Best Actor Derek Ramsay and Best Actress Jennylyn Mercado, was held recently at the newly constructed MMFF Cinema within the MMDA premises.
Francis Tolentino
Highlight of the event was the awarding of cash incentives to the winners of last year’s MMFF; and the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with the National Youth Commission and the Philippine Association of Communication Educators, Inc. in support of the Summer Student Film Festival, which was also launched that day.
Now on his last year as concurrent head of the MMFF, Chairman Tolentino expressed gratitude to the movie-going public for their continued support and patronage of the annual filmfest.
Chairman Tolentino said, “I am overwhelmed with so much honor that the MMFF’s earnings during my term have consistently increased annually. I am hoping that this year’s festival will see more quality movies and raise more funds for our beneficiaries. We will start our festival this summer with the Summer Student Film Festival and hope that our youth and students will send in their entries.”
Deadline of submission of scripts for the MMFF 2015 is in June. For the Student Short Film category, deadline of submission is on April 17.
• • •
MANNY VALERA flanked by directors Lore Reyes (left) and Peque Gallaga
DMV HAPA MARKS FIRST ANNIVERSARY
This month, DMV House of Acting and Performing Arts (DMV HAPA) celebrates its first anniversary. Owned by celebrity talent manager Manny Valera, the school offers acting workshops under Direk Lore Reyes and Jo Macasa.
Guest speakers at the event were directors Peque Gallaga, Joel Lamangan, Mel Chionglo, Gil Portes, and Michael de Mesa and actors Jay Manalo, Richard Quan and Ian Veneracion, among others.
It has been a fruitful year for DMV HAPA. In such a short time, it has established its reputation as a credible and prestigious acting studio. Among its graduates are Regine Angeles of ABS-CBN’s “Two Wives,” award-winning child actor Adrian Cabido (“T’yanak”) and Teejay Marquez (“Dream Dad”).
The school also offers voice lessons under Tony Carpio; Zumba classes under Lyn Tamayo; and guitar, piano, flute, and violin lessons under Roy Asuncion.
Said Manny Valera, “DMV HAPA is truly a blessing for us. It’s not only a school but a place where students can enhance their personalities. We are truly grateful to all the managers, producers and their families who support their talents and make them experience the DMV acting workshops.”
Their summer classes will begin on April 10.
• • •
Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings, March 28, go to Victorino C. Ilagan of PCSO, Consul Gen. Antonio Villamayor, Roselle Nava, Noel Le, Lita M. Esteban, Espie D. Martinez of New York, Esperanza Cabunoc, Katrina M. Mercado, Mrs. Elsa Syjuco, Polly J. Bautista, Thou Reyes and Joseph Bitangcol… March 29: Miguel Cerqueda, Dr. Pepito Oreta, Bambi Babiera, Mila de Jesus, Fely Ley, Laica Q. Marquez, Aaron Agassi and broadcaster Ted Failon… March 30: Jennifer Pena, Gilbert Brown, Marilou Custodio, Al Perez, Pros Antonio, Luz de Guzman, Capt. Juan Santos Ruiz, Jean Gonzalez, Gen. Romeo Maganto, Antonio dela Luna, Lito A. Lagana, Sr., and Enrique Gil of Star Magic…
Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in ‘Gone with the Wind’
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A dress that Vivien Leigh wore in her Oscar-winning role as Scarlett O’Hara in the cinema classic “Gone with the Wind” is coming up for auction next month.
Heritage Auction said Thursday the blue-gray ribbed cotton dress with black details could fetch more than $100,000 when it goes on the block April 18.
It’s among some 150 items from the collection of James Tumblin, who over the years has amassed more than 300,000 artifacts connected with the 1939 epic.
“Very rarely does memorabilia of this caliber come to market,” said Heritage Auction managing director Kathleen Guzman in a statement.
Tumblin, former head of hair and makeup at Universal Studios, recognized the dress when he came across it at a Los Angeles theatrical costume supply outlet.
Upon learning it was about to be thrown out, he paid $20 for it — after a bit of haggling.
Opening bid for the dress — which Leigh wore in four key scenes — is $60,000 plus buyer’s premium, the auctioneers said.
Other lots featured in the auction include a period gray suit that Clark Gable wore when his character Rhett Butler kicked down O’Hara’s door.
Also up for bidding: a period blouse that Leigh wore in the film’s “I’ll never be hungry again” scene.
LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2015 (AFP) – Hip-hop giant Snoop Dogg is out with a new R&B-tinged album called “Bush.” As for why he chose the title, let’s just say he likes bush.
“I love trees. I love grass. I love bush,” the 43-year-old rapper said to snickers Wednesday night as he previewed his album at a Hollywood club.
Snoop Dogg (Michael Buckner/Getty Images/AFP)
Bush can have multiple meanings, and the cover of Snoop Dogg’s 13th studio album offers a literal interpretation with neatly manicured shrubbery.
But Snoop Dogg is also well-known through his lyricism for his love of other “bushes” — marijuana and women’s private areas. (It remains far less likely that the album title refers to the US political dynasty.)
Whatever the inspiration, the album comes out on May 12 and offers an R&B-influenced dance feel to the rapper who long ago mellowed from his start as a gangsta rapper.
A first single, “Peaches N Cream,” builds off a funky bassline as Snoop Dogg is joined at the mic by R&B singer Charlie Wilson.
The refrain, though, is classic Snoop: “Damn her ass is so big / Just keep it bumpin’ / Peaches N Cream.”
Snoop Dogg has also announced the participation of R&B legend Stevie Wonder on the album.
‘Frankensteined’ by Pharrell
The crowd-friendly dance sound shows the influence of all-star songwriter Pharrell Williams — creator of the viral hit “Happy” — who produced “Bush” in its entirety.
Snoop Dogg said that he put his full trust in Williams, with whom he collaborated more than a decade ago for hit songs “Beautiful” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”
“On this project, I was like, you do what you want. His whole team got to Frankenstein me,” he said.
Snoop Dogg said that he and Williams have developed a respect for each other.
“I loved what he was doing and he loved what I was doing,” Snoop Dogg said.
“We started a journey together in terms of making music,” he said.
With both artists well into their careers and their 40s, Snoop Dogg said they decided artistically that it would be better for Williams to take charge of the whole project.
Williams has had an active career as a producer and collaborator. He worked with French electronic duo Daft Punk on the Grammy-winning album “Random Access Memories” and co-wrote Robin Thicke’s smash hit “Blurred Lines” — which a jury controversially found to have been stolen from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.”
“Bush” is Snoop Dogg’s first studio album under the name since “Doggumentary” in 2011.
The California rapper has been keeping active with side projects and in 2013 released a reggae album under the name Snoop Lion.
Snoop Dogg, delivering a keynote address this month at the South by Southwest festival, announced that he will produce a television show for HBO.
The show will focus on a family living in inner Los Angeles during the 1980s and will explore the effects of president Ronald Reagan’s social policies, he told the conference.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sam Taylor-Johnson will not be returning to direct the sequels to “Fifty Shades of Grey,” she announced Wednesday night.
“Directing ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ has been an intense and incredible journey for which I am hugely grateful,” she said in a statement to industry site Deadline in which she thanked Universal Pictures.
Taylor-Johnson’s $40 million adaptation of author E L James’ erotic novel has grossed a staggering $558 million worldwide in just six weeks in theaters, but even before the film debuted, rumors circulated that she would not likely be the person ushering “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed” to the big screen.
Stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan are expected to return for both sequels, which have yet to be officially announced.
While it is nothing new for directors to exit franchises after the first film — “Twilight,” ”The Hunger Games,” and “Divergent” all made directing changes between their first and second installments — Taylor-Johnson and James’ fraught on-set relationship was widely reported.
Earlier this year, James, also a producer on the film, alluded to their conflicts, telling The Associated Press that she “had to fight for a lot of things really hard,” which included a disagreement over the last line of the film.
Still, in her statement, Taylor-Johnson made sure to note the “close and lasting relationships” she formed with the cast, producers, crew and “most especially, with Dakota and Jamie.”
She added: “I wish nothing but success to whosoever takes on the exciting challenges of films two and three.”
A representative for Universal Pictures had no comment.
NEW YORK (AP) — A grand manor will close its doors to millions of weekly guests after “Downton Abbey” concludes next year.
Producers of the popular British period drama on Thursday confirmed it will end after its sixth season, scheduled to air in the United States in early 2016. The series, which airs earlier in the U.K., will have its finale on Christmas Day 2015.
This photo provided by courtesy of MASTERPIECE shows, Dan Stevens, left, as Matthew Crawley, and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley, in season 6 of the television series, “Downton Abbey.” While announcing on Thursday, March 26, 2015, that next season’s “Downton Abbey” will be its last, executive producer Gareth Neame declined to say who among the Crawley clan and staff will survive until the series’ final fade-out. (AP Photo/Courtesy MASTERPIECE)
“Our feeling is that it’s good to quit while you’re ahead,” executive producer Gareth Neame said. “We feel the show is in incredibly strong shape, the scripts that we’re working on for the upcoming season are fantastic and the show is so popular globally. But the danger with this sort of thing is to let it go on forever.”
He said the decision to wrap was made by him and Julian Fellowes, who created the series and has written every episode, in conjunction with the cast. He said there are no plans in place for a rumored “Downton Abbey” feature film or a series spinoff.
The acclaimed, beloved and awards-showered drama has tracked the fates of the aristocratic Crawley clan and its servants amid the social upheavals of pre-World War I Britain into the 1920s, as the characters of upper and lower classes cope with their rapidly changing world.
Stars include Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern and Maggie Smith.
The series premiered on the U.K.’s ITV network in 2010 and on PBS’ “Masterpiece” anthology in early 2011, inspired in part by the 2001 Robert Altman film “Gosford Park” (written by Fellowes) and presented as a variation on the British classic “Upstairs, Downstairs.”
“When we set out to do this in the first place,” Neame said, “we thought we would have a good success in the U.K. and that very traditional outlets for British content globally would be there.”
But almost instantly “Downton Abbey” took on a life of its own.
“We did not know we would be in 250 territories worldwide,” Neame said. “We didn’t know we would be one of the biggest shows on American television.”
In the U.K., it became the highest-rated drama of the past decade, with an average of 11 million viewers over its five seasons. Season 5, which concluded in the U.S. this month, drew an average audience of 12.9 million viewers.
“Masterpiece” executive producer Rebecca Eaton called the series “a gift from the television gods.”
She said it coincided with the 2009 rebranding of “Masterpiece,” which, among many changes, led to dropping “Theatre” from its title.
“And along came ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Downton’ in the same season and transformed us in many ways: drawing a giant audience, a new audience; helping pull in an underwriter; solidify our position with stations and donors to the station,” Eaton said. “Then we created the Masterpiece Trust. So, a complete game-changer.”
“Downton” also benefited from the shift in how TV is consumed, including binge viewing, and the growth of social media, which turned watching telecasts into group experiences, she said.
She was optimistic about life after “Downton.” She noted that “Poldark” and “Indian Summers,” in the “Downton” mode of extended British series, are coming to “Masterpiece.”
“‘Indian Summers’ is even sexier than ‘Downton,’” she said. “And ‘Poldark’ has a death and a birth and money and all the things you would expect.”
And, for one more turn, there’s “Downton Abbey.”
Production of the upcoming 13-hour season is well underway, Neame said, but he kept mum on any details apart from saying the current characters would be back and be given satisfying resolutions.
“We very much have an eye to where the characters will end up,” he said. “What will become of poor Edith? Will Anna and Bates ever get a break? People want to know these things!”
While Neame acknowledged the temptation to carry on such a breakout success indefinitely, the series, he said, “has always been viewed by everyone involved as a bespoke, well-crafted piece of popular television.”
The decision to call it quits was reached through a process of conversations. But having now made the decision official, Neame said, meant “a very emotional day for all of the people involved in the show.”
