Category: Fleabag

‘Amazon Executives Demanded Recasting of Andrew Scott in Fleabag’

It was the smash hit British comedy that made her a household name and won her a slew of awards on both sides of the Atlantic.

But it seems male Amazon executives ‘tore apart’ the second series of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s acclaimed Fleabag and ‘demanded’ she recast Andrew Scott just days before filming was due to begin.

Following the success of the first BBC-funded series, Amazon swooped in with an injection of cash for its second series but had a number of demands in the writer’s room, a BBC commissioning editor has claimed.

Luckily, Waller-Bridge, 38, – who went on to sign a £47m deal with the US streamer – stuck to her guns and stayed true to her initial vision, which won her a Bafta and a Golden Globe.

Shane Allen, co-founder of Boffola Pictures and the man who initially commissioned Fleabag for the BBC, told the Radio Times she was afforded ‘creative freedom’ when it was being funded entirely by the BBC.

Amazon executives ‘tore apart’ the second series of Phoebe Waller-Bridge ’s acclaimed Fleabag and ‘demanded’ she recast Andrew Scott just days before filming was due to begin

Luckily Ms Waller-Bridge, 38, – who went on to sign a £47m deal with the US streamer – stuck to her guns and stayed true to her initial vision, which won her a Bafta and a Golden Globe

But, he said, after accepting additional funding from Amazon, a ‘whole raft of US male execs turned up to the read-through.’

He said that, bearing in mind ‘this was a piece exploring self-destructive feminism,’ the executives ‘proceeded to tear the show apart and demand Andrew Scott was recast with only four days until the shoot started.’

He added: ‘Anyone less effervescently charming and smart than Phoebe would have buckled.’

Scott, 47, who played the love interest of Fleabag, was an enormous hit with viewers and was dubbed ‘Hot Priest’ by fans.

He has since become an internationally acclaimed acting star, earning a BAFTA nomination for his appearance in this year’s All of Us Strangers and the lead role in Netflix’s The Talented Mr Ripley adaptation.

Fleabag, which aired its first series in 2016 and its second in 2019, became a global phenomenon and was received Golden Globes for Best Television Series and Best Actress for Ms Waller-Bridge.

Allen said that British channels and production companies are forced to turn to international streaming services due to ‘increasing production costs’ and a lack of money in the sector.

‘Channel 4 has advertising woes, the BBC’s licence fee freeze has a huge impact,’ he said.

Shane Allen, co-founder of Boffola Pictures and the man who initially commissioned Fleabag for the BBC, told the Radio Times she was afforded ‘creative freedom’ when it was being funded entirely by the BBC

But, he said, after accepting additional funding from Amazon, a ‘whole raft of US male execs turned up to the read-through.’

‘But comedy punches well above its weight. Ten years ago, it was seen as a high-cost high-fail genre, while reality shows cost a fraction of the price.

‘But broadcasters now know that comedy becomes incredibly good value and reaches young viewers.’

Comedian Lee Mack, 55, said the reason there is a lack of new British sitcoms, is partly due to a lack of working-class comedians coming through.

‘There aren’t younger comics coming through wanting to write them. You can have a whole debate about why. I think part of it might be class-based,’ he said.

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Amazon executives ‘demanded’ Hot Priest Andrew Scott was recast in Phoebe Waller-Bridge smash Fleabag after ‘injecting cash’ into second series of BBC show

July 2, 2024
Taylor and Travis Shine at Wembley

Travis Kelce shocked fans as he joined Taylor Swift onstage at a sold-out Wembley this evening – in front of the likes of Fleabag’s Andrew Scott and Sir Paul McCartney.

It is the first time the pair have taken to the stage together, after officially announcing their relationship on Instagram on Friday evening.

The couple, who have been romantically linked since 2023, have never featured on each other’s social media accounts.

But Taylor ‘hard-launched’ their relationship by posting an adorable photo of herself and Travis posing with the Prince of Wales and his two children – Prince George and Princess Charlotte – which fans branded ‘iconic’.

Tonight the American footballer joined Taylor onstage during the song I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, sending fans into a frenzy once again.

He was dressed up in a white bow tie, tailcoat and top hat and picked Taylor up before powdering her face as part of the act.

Taylor Swift, 34, was joined onstage by Kelce, also 34, for the first time ever tonight

Taylor’s NFL beau carried her in front of 89,000 shocked fans

Tonight Travis Kelce (left) joined Taylor onstage during the song I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

The American footballer was dressed up in a white bow tie, tailcoat and top hat and powdered Taylor’s face as part of the act

Taylor ‘hard-launched’ their relationship by posting an adorable photo of herself and Travis posing with the Prince of Wales and his two children – Prince George and Princess Charlotte

Taylor Swift performs to a crowd of 89,000 in a glittering silver blazer and matching high-heeled boots on Sunday night

Taylor smiles as the crowd at Wembley cheers tonight

Taylor in her pink and blue Lover bodysuit

Dressed in a sparkling golden dress, Taylor performs songs from her Fearless album

Halfway through tonight’s set, adoring fans stood, cheered and stamped their feet for over five minutes – leaving the megastar speechless.

The first two nights on Friday and Saturday brought out some of the biggest names in Britain, with Prince William and his children Prince George and Princess Charlotte making an appearance.

Tonight rock legend Jon Bon Jovi joins the 89,000-strong crowd alongside Sir Paul McCartney, Ellie Goulding and Cate Blanchett.

Fleabag’s own Phoebe Waller-Bridge has also been spotted in the VIP tent dancing to Love Story with Andrew Scott.

Tickets have been going for hundreds of pounds a pop, with many fans eager to catch a glimpse of the US pop sensation before her tour moves onto Ireland next week.

But she will be back soon enough, with the 34-year-old set to play five more dates at Wembley in mid-August.

Her set-list lasts for three hours and consists of songs from all of her albums

The 34-year-old plays both guitar and piano during the Eras Tour

This is Taylor’s third night in London during the UK leg of her sold-out Eras Tour

Taylor wears a shirt that says ‘We are never getting back together… like ever’

Taylor hugs a fan during the song 22 at The Eras Tour on Sunday night

The singer wears a black and red one-legged bodysuit for her third night in Wembley

Fans cheered for more than two minutes at Wembley tonight, leaving the singer speechless

Supporters of the chart-topping star, who is on an epic worldwide tour following the release of her album Midnight last year, were convinced that the superstar was going to make a huge announcement during her third night at Wembley Stadium tonight.

Some guessed she was going to announce the re-recording of her album Reputation – referred to as Rep TV (Taylor’s Version).

Her recent shows have seen complaints of glitching happening on the screen behind her as she performs.

But fans have suspected that this is a build-up to the announcement, when they anticipate the screen will glitch and go completely black.

Despite the theories, the only surprises at tonight’s concert was Travis’s appearance and the acoustic songs she played – which are different every night.

Fans screamed as the 34-year-old sang an unexpected mash-up of Out of the Woods, Is It Over Now and Clean.

Over the last couple of days it seems everyone who is anyone has been seen at her London shows.

Among the most visible of these was Prince William, who went to see the show with Prince George and Princess Charlotte as a birthday gift, with the heir to the throne and his children getting a selfie with Taylor afterwards.

The Prince of Wales was filmed eagerly joining in in the crowd which also included fellow royals Zara and Mike Tindall.

A trio of Taylor Swift fans do their make-up and fix sequins to their faces outside Wembley this afternoon

A male Swiftie wearing a snake necklace and black love heart sunglasses arrives at Wembley Stadium ahead of the concert today

A Taylor Swift fan wears a cowboy hat and a jacket with the word ‘Clown for Rep’ written on the back outside Wembley today

A group of women wearing white wedding veils walk towards Wembley Stadium before the show

A pair of Swifties wearing pink and blue cowboy hats look at bracelets as they wait for the concert to begin

Four women wearing pink and blue cowboy hats sit down on a bench outside Wembley Stadium before the gig

A London Underground service information board pays tribute to Taylor swift at Wembley Park station today

Swifties put on bracelets as they prepare for the Taylor Swift concert at Wembley Stadium today

A man wears a gold shirt and matching bowtie as he makes his way to the concert

One fan carries a lilac cowboy hat on her back as the other wears Taylor Swift merch showcasing the dates of previous shows on The Eras Tour

Taylor Swift performs on stage at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, June 22

Andrew Scott (left) and Phoebe Waller Bridge (right) watch tonight’s show from the VIP tent

Prince William, George and Charlotte take a selfie with Taylor Swift before rocking royal breaks out his best dad dancing

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s official X account posted: ‘Thank you Taylor Swift for a great evening!’

Prince William has thrilled fans after being seen ‘dad dancing’ at Taylor Swift’s Wembley concert last night

The royals seem to be having the time of their lives as they sing and dance along in the video

Tom Cruise is among the thousands of attendees at Taylor Swift’s concert in London

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have also been spotted in the crowds ahead of Satuday’s show

Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall and her ex-rugby international husband Mike were among those attending Taylor Swift’s first London gig at Wembley Stadium on Friday night as part of the US singer’s record-breaking Eras Tour

Taylor Swift performs on stage during her Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium on Saturday

The American megastar, 34, performs on stage in front of almost 90,000 fans

Actor Hugh Grant eating carrots during the Eras Tour in Wembley on Friday night while standing in the VIP tent among a host of A-listers

Eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot and film the veteran actor in the VIP area of the audience watching on as the Cruel Summer singer took to the stage

Swift was seen talking to a young girl in the audience as she performed the Red Era of her show at Wembley stadium on Saturday

The US megastar performed hits such as Shake It Off on the opening night of her Eras Tour run in London

Sir Keir Starmer even tweeted that he took a ‘Swift campaign pitstop’ to enjoy the concert with his wife Victoria on Friday night

Taylor Swift’s various costumes for Friday night’s sell-out Wembley gig included a white gown with her lyrics written on it

Also in the crowd at Wembley have been Hollywood superstars Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Hugh Grant, while her beau Travis Kelce has been supporting her from the sidelines.

Sir Keir Starmer even tweeted that he took a ‘Swift campaign pitstop’ to enjoy the concert with his wife Victoria on Friday night.

June 23, 2024
Phoebe Waller-Bridge dines with Taylor Swift, Martin McDonagh, and Andrew Scott in Notting Hill

Phoebe Waller-Bridge was accompanied by her partner Martin McDonagh and friend Andrew Scott as they had dinner with Taylor Swift in London on Tuesday.

Taylor has found herself a new London squad, enjoying a night on the town in Notting Hill as she takes a few nights off the Eras tour.

The singer, 34, who is back on stage in Liverpool on Thursday night, let her hair down at Argentinean restaurant Casa Cruz with Phoebe and other pals including Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, Cara Delevingne and Lena Dunham.

Phoebe, 38, arrived to the dinner alongside fashion designer Stella but left with playwright Martin, 54, and her former Fleabag co-star Andrew, 47.

The actress wrapped up for the evening in a tan trench coat which she paired with a black zip jumper and matching skinny jeans.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge was accompanied by her partner Martin McDonagh and friend Andrew Scott as they had dinner with Taylor Swift in London on Tuesday.

The actress wrapped up for the evening in a tan trench coat which she paired with a black zip jumper and matching skinny jeans.

The Killing Eve writer also sported a pair of black flats and completed her look with a matching handbag.

Martin opted for a black shirt and matching blazer and paired it with dark blue jeans.

Phoebe, who has been dating Oscar winning Martin since 2017, sparked rumours that they are set to wed by wearing an enormous diamond ring on her engagement finger at her brother’s wedding in September 2023.

The pair are considered one of the film world’s most prolific power couples who regularly support each other on the red carpet.

The actress was on hand to celebrate with her partner at last year’s Oscars, where his film The Banshees of Inisherin was nominated for nine awards.

‘It’s really useful being with someone who I think is a genius, it just ups your game,’ she previously said of her relationship.

The Indiana Jones star was previously married to Irish filmmaker Conor Woodman, but they split in 2017 after three years of marriage.

Taylor has long been a fan of Phoebe’s and wrote a letter in support of her when the actress was included in Time’s 100 list of the most influential people.

Phoebe arrived to the dinner with Taylor alongside fashion designer Stella McCartney

Phoebe also sported a pair of black flats and completed her look with a matching handbag

Phoebe has been dating Oscar winning Martin since 2017 (pictured at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards)

Phoebe and Taylor also appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live together in 2019 which Phoebe hosted and Taylor was the musical guest

In an essay to accompany her ranking on the list, Taylor wrote about the ‘iconic’ moment at the 2019 Emmy Awards when Phoebe was pictured reclining in a white gown as she smoked a cigarette while surrounded by Emmys.

Taylor wrote: ‘It depicts Phoebe, mid-puff-of-smoke, blissfully relaxing on a sun lounger in a glittery Monique Lhuillier gown, surrounded by Emmys. It was, to paraphrase pretty much everyone who saw it, iconic.’

Praising her writing on spy series Killing Eve, she added: ‘Sometimes all the puzzle pieces fall into place at the perfect time.

‘A combination of razor-sharp instincts, killer wit and genuine care for the people she works with proved to be a winning hand.’

Phoebe and Taylor also appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live together in 2019 which Phoebe hosted and Taylor was the musical guest.

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Phoebe Waller-Bridge enjoys dinner with Taylor Swift alongside rarely seen partner Martin McDonagh and Fleabag co-star Andrew Scott in Notting Hill

June 12, 2024
Andrew Scott on Embarrassing Notes During Sex Scenes

Andrew Scott lifted the lid on what directors sometimes ask of actors while they are in the middle of filming a sex scene at an event in London on Friday.

Speaking at a cinema screening of his Netflix series Ripley, the actor, 47, gave a glimpse into the off-camera directions given as raunchy scenes are shot.

Andrew spoke about being asked to ‘pick up the pace’ while in the middle of the act and shared his feelings on how ’embarrassing’ he finds filming sex scenes.

‘”Pick up the pace, pick up the pace,” literally that is the kind of notes you get,’ he told radio presenter Edith Bowman at an Everyman Soundtracking event.

The Fleabag star also spoke of how sometimes actors need to re-record the audio for scenes months after the fact if a noise has interrupted the original sound – and the added awkwardness when those scenes are racy.

Andrew Scott lifted the lid on what directors sometimes ask of actors while they are in the middle of filming a sex scene at an event in London on Friday

Speaking at a cinema screening of his Netflix series Ripley, the actor, 47, gave a glimpse into the off-camera directions given as raunchy scenes are shot (Pictured in All Of Us Strangers with Paul Mescal)

He said: ‘Then you go in and the first thing you see is a screen grab and you’re like “Urgh” then they make you re-record something that it’s, you know, if we were to re-record what we just said, the idiosyncratic way that people speak. How do I do that?

‘The worst thing that you have you ever have to do is if you’ve done a sex scene, because it’s, you know, embarrassing enough.’

Andrew then said it can be especially awkward to replicate the necessary sounds for a sex scene ‘in your clothes in November, seven months later with 12 people in a booth and someone is like “Any snacks?”‘.

The Sherlock actor’s most recent sex scenes came in the award-winning All Of Us Strangers, where he played opposite Normal People star Paul Mescal.

In January, Andrew admitted that he barely rehearsed his raunchy sex scenes with Paul while working with an intimacy coordinator for the role.

The actor was widely praised for his portrayal of a lonely screenwriter who encounters the spirits of his dead parents in director Andrew Haigh’s latest film, an adaptation of Japanese author Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel, Strangers.

But while an explicit sexual encounter with Harry, played by Irish heartthrob Paul, 28, dominated the commentary surrounding its release, Scott insisted at the time that they both adopted an organic approach towards its development.

Speaking to Attitude, Andrew also credited the film’s intimacy coordinator for mediating any concerns regarding the graphic nature of their sex scene.

Andrew spoke about being asked to ‘pick up the pace’ while in the middle of the act and shared his feelings on how ’embarrassing’ he finds filming sex scenes (Pictured in May)

The Fleabag star also spoke of how sometimes actors need to re-record the audio for scenes months after the fact if a noise has interrupted the original sound – and the added awkwardness when those scenes were racy (Pictured with Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag)

Andrew said it can be especially awkward to replicate the necessary sounds for a sex scene ‘in your clothes in November, seven months later with 12 people in a booth and someone is like “Any snacks?”‘ (Pictured in May)

‘Sex is just communication, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘It’s just physical communication rather than verbal communication… We didn’t over rehearse it. We knew that those scenes, particularly the early ones, had to have a sort of frisson.

‘And we had an intimacy coordinator, which can be very helpful for the simple reason that if you’re able to talk to somebody about your fears or what you want to show, what you don’t want to show, or what you think it should be and what the narrative of the storyline is, you have that base of safety.

‘But chemistry is a really interesting thing. You’re basically just listening to see what the other person is doing physically in the same way you would in a dialogue scene.

‘And you can talk about that as much as you like, but until you’re actually there, it’s not alive in that way, so it’s just about listening, but just listening with your body, basically.’

Andrew added that he feels that being a gay man in the modern age is a ‘wonderful gift’ that has helped him establish firm friendships.

The Sherlock actor’s most recent sex scenes came in the award-winning All Of Us Strangers, where he played opposite Normal People star Paul Mescal (pictured)

He said: ‘I think it’s such a wonderful thing to me. It’s an extraordinary gift to my life and just to be able to see the real beauty in being gay is completely wonderful.

‘The older I get, just the more I feel so lucky to have been born gay and that pervades my life in the sense of all my friendships. I have so many amazing queer friends in my life now that I just adore.’

He added: ‘I feel such a huge sense of camaraderie with other queer people now, and without sounding too hippy about it, I feel like I just want to spread that love and positivity in our community because we’ve come such a long way and it’s important that we are kind and look out for each other, and celebrate how uniquely different and how f***ing wonderful that can be.’

June 3, 2024