The UK entertainment industry is abuzz with recent developments involving its most prominent celebrities. From legal victories to new television projects, the landscape is evolving rapidly.
In January 2025, Prince Harry achieved a significant legal victory over Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers . The publisher admitted 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.
On the television front, "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 again 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, actor Mickey Rourke, Coronation Street's Jack P Shepherd, Olympic athlete Daley Thompson, and singer 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 previous winner, David Potts, claimed victory in the 2024 season. 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. A promo trailer with returning guinea pig mascots is available, highlighting the show's quirky return.
Additionally, "Celebrity Traitors UK" is set to premiere on BBC1 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 Olympic diver Tom Daley, comedian Bob Mortimer, actor Stephen Fry, television presenter Jonathan Ross, and sports broadcaster 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. Rumored additional participants include Judy Murray, Lisa Riley, Richard Osman, and Daisy May Cooper. Production began in spring 2025, and fans can anticipate plenty of deception, strategy, and entertainment in this new twist on the hit series. A trailer has not yet been released.
In the realm of legal affairs, almost 40 public figures have settled their cases with Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers 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.
Furthermore, 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, where legal battles, innovative television formats, and policy changes continue to shape the careers and lives of its celebrities.
