News

Her parents named their baby daughter Carole Penny Marshall after Carole Lombard, the screwball comedienne. Though she would drop the “Carole” on her way to Hollywood, screwball stuck to Penny Marshall like white cat fur on black velvet. The actor-director, who died Monday from complications from diabetes, for eight years starred as Laverne DeFazio on television’s “Laverne & Shirley” (1976-1983) and with “Big” (1988), became the first female filmmaker to make a movie grossing over $100 million.

In 1967, the University of New Mexico dropout, baby Tracy in tow, divorced her first husband and moved to Los Angeles, where her big brother Garry was already a television powerhouse (“Mork & Mindy” and “Happy Days”). In 1971, he hired her to play the recurring role of Myrna, Oscar’s secretary, on television’s “The Odd Couple,” on which he was executive producer. Before that then-unknown Marshall played the stringy-haired plain girl opposite then-unknown Farrah Fawcett,...

The first time many Americans encountered Penny Marshall on their television sets, it was in this commercial for Head and Shoulders.

The ad’s main selling point is meant to be the luxurious blonde mane of Marshall’s co-star, Farrah Fawcett. But there’s something in the dry exasperation with which Marshall responds to Fawcett’s relaxed and bubbly energy that makes the whole idea land. As Fawcett blathers on and on, Marshall keeps patiently brushing her hair with an expression that makes clear how much harder she has to...

A new play, ‘If Only Shahrukh Khan…’ by award winning theatre company Rasa premieres at Theatre in the Mill on Wednesday 23 October. Featuring writers and actors from Doctors, Eastenders, Casualty and Citizen Khan, the cast invite audiences to join the Shahrukh Khan fan club and prepare for a bumpy ride.

The international superstar Shahrukh Khan means different things to three Asian women, Rose, Pindy and Kasi who have shared a house for 25 years. In the interim years there might have been friendships, adventures, lost loves and limited work lives but now in their older years there is a strong sense that their best lives were left behind in their homeland, Kenya, along with their secrets. The fan club is their only joy and escape. If Only Shahrukh Kahn…. offers an intimate account of the inner lives and thoughts of these three very different women with in this powerful and exciting theatre performance.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is the inspiration behind a new play performing in Bradford in October.

If Only Shah Rukh Khan... features UK television writers and actors from Doctors, EastEnders, Casualty and Citizen Khan.

"If Only Shah Rukh Khan... tells the story of three South Asian spinsters who all reside at Serene Cottage. Although they lead separate lives, they come together in the communal lounge once a week for their Shah Rukh Khan fan club meetings," Irna Qureshi from Rasa Productions told Digital Spy.

"Their lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a young man looking for his biological mother. As well as the Bollywood hook, the play incorporates themes of migration, identity, race and gender."

The play was written by Rani Moorthy, who plays Mrs Bilal in BBC Two sitcom Citizen Khan.

If Only Shah Rukh Khan... by Rasa Productions runs Wednesday, October 23 - Saturday, October 16 at Theatre in the Mill,...

Australia

The number of free-to-air channels in Australia has tripled in just over a year, with 15 digital terrestrial channels now on air here. As each new channel targets a specific demographic, audiences are fragmenting quickly and broadcasters are looking for big event franchises to follow the success of "MasterChef Australia" in drawing mass audiences to their main channels. Pay TV executives say its incumbent on them to sell the superior technology benefits and find more exclusive programming to their customers, as pay TV subscriptions plateau at 33% penetration in the face of the new competition. -- Pip Bulbeck

Canada

The new battleground in Canadian primetime is comedy, but it's no laughing matter. Top-rated network CTV has piggy-backed on CBS' new Thursday comedy block with the geek-friendly "The Big Bang Theory" at 8 p.m., followed in October by the William Shatner comedy "$#*! My Dad Says," going up against rival Citytv's NBC comedy lineup of "Community" and "30 Rock.

As part of this year’s Sports Relief efforts, the BBC is running another series of celebrity based ‘Lets Dance.’

This year’s group will include Katy Brand, Rufus Hound and Shappi Khorsandi represent the world of comedy, alongside some of the nations favourite Grumpy Old Women, Jenny Eclair, Linda Robson, Lesley Joseph and Susie Blake. Also performing over the series will be the cast from Holby City, the news presenters and Olympians Mark Foster, Iwan Thomas, Leon Taylor, Dalton Grant, Heather Fell and Jamie Baulch.

Let’s get cracking on tonight’s show. We are hoping that someone will be as funny as Robert Webb or can anyone remember Christian and Minty’s hilarious dance last year? Classic! First up is comedian…..

Rufus Hound:

Rufus took to the stage to perform Cheryl Cole’s ‘Fight For This Love’, dressed in full military getup. We particularly loved the revealing...