The UK entertainment industry has been abuzz with notable events and developments involving its celebrities. From legal victories to new television series, the past few months have seen a flurry of activity.
In January 2025, Prince Harry achieved a significant legal 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, reported to be over £10 million, mainly covered legal fees. NGN issued an apology for the serious intrusion into Harry's private life, pertaining to actions of private investigators, not journalists. 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.
In the realm of reality television, "Celebrity Big Brother 2025" returned to ITV1, ITVX, STV, and STV Player, airing nightly with its live final scheduled for April 25. Hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best, the show featured a diverse lineup of celebrity housemates, including EastEnders star Patsy Palmer, actor Mickey Rourke, and Olympic athlete Daley Thompson. The house was relocated to a new location, and viewers were engaged with behind-the-scenes content and late-night coverage. The previous winner, David Potts, had secured the top prize in the 2024 season.
Another anticipated series, "Celebrity Traitors UK," is 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. 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.
In the realm of legal affairs, Rupert Murdoch's UK news group settled with almost 40 claimants over alleged phone hacking and other unlawful activities. This leaves Prince Harry and Lord Tom Watson as the remaining claimants heading to trial. The settlements involve celebrities such as Louise Redknapp and Alfie Allen, and politicians Andy Burnham and Sir Norman Lamb. The trial for Prince Harry and Watson is scheduled for January and is expected to last up to eight weeks. Prince Harry's team is seeking additional correspondence involving Murdoch's employees and the Royal Household, while NGN denies any undisclosed agreement with the royal family. NGN has settled most phone-hacking claims over a decade, with total payouts exceeding £1 billion. The company aims to finalize all disputes without trial, continuing its longstanding commitment to settle justified claims.
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. The government aims for an open-ended consultation to stimulate broad debate on the subject.
These developments highlight the dynamic nature of the UK entertainment industry, encompassing legal battles, innovative television programming, and evolving discussions on intellectual property rights in the age of artificial intelligence.
