News about Jack Dee

Channel 4 fans are in for a treat as shows are set to return to screens just one day apart next month after a summer hiatus.  Both Gogglebox and Taskmaster are coming back in September  much to the delight of fans who have been craving a new series.  It will be a jam-packed week for fans as Taskmaster will return on September 12, with Gogglebox kicking off just a day later. 

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Stand on one leg, please, close your eyes and hum the Marseillaise. Now, without opening your eyes or falling over, your task is to invent a gameshow to sell to 120 countries worldwide. Your time starts . . . now. Ridiculous as it sounds, that's what comedian Alex Horne has achieved with Taskmaster, the TV format that began as a half-baked lark for the Edinburgh Fringe 15 years ago and is now set to enjoy its 18th series. Jack Dee and Rosie Jones are among the latest contestants, in a lineage of more than 100, including Noel Fielding , Shirley Ballas , Katherine Ryan , Bob Mortimer , Adrian Chiles , Mo Farah , Morgana Robinson and Dara O Briain . . . to name just a few of the winners. In the process, it has turned its creator into one of the richest men in the business. Last year Horne earned £7.5 million from his production company Shakey - an increase of £2 million on the previous year. And that's before a virtual reality game launches later this year, with a live stage show also promised.

Rosie Jones has revealed abuse from trolls has driven her to therapy, days after she endured hurtful ableist comments for competing in Channel 4 series Taskmaster. The comedian, 33, who has cerebral palsy, has told how viewers sent her direct messages on Instagram after the show's new line-up was revealed last week, including one troll who accused her of "ruining" it and claimed the series would be rigged for her to win as "it's the PC thing to do".  The official Taskmaster social media channels were also flooded with users criticising her addition, accusing her of being "unwatchable" and "unfunny", while others warned her involvement would ensure they skip the series to be aired later this year.

After launching in May 1994, the last physical copy of the controversial magazine - known for its scantily clad female celebrity cover stars and non-PC humour - was published in April 2015; a brief version online quickly fizzled out. At its 90s and Noughties height, the magazine, which had the strap line 'for men who should know better', was one of Britain's biggest and bestselling publications, rivalled by FHM and copycat magazines Later, Maxim, Nuts and Zoo. Its journalists bagged the biggest industry awards, and it was lauded for its fashion pages - although it also garnered plenty of criticism for its unapologetic 'laddism'. Now, Loaded will mark 30 years since it was first published with 'a digital rebellion' via the website loadedworld.com. It'll have to go some way to make a mark as memorable - often for the wrong reasons - as its first incarnation. Here, MailOnline looks back at some of the controversies that Loaded sparked in its first 21 years of being published...

Zara, 42, a woman known for her equestrian skills, rode two of her horses (bottom left) and "Classicals Euro Star" (bottom left and right) in Gloucestershire's gloomy, cloudy weather. She wore a navy waterproof jacket and sported white jodhpurs, riding boots, and a helmet.

The former rugby star and comedian Jack Dee and Seann Walsh spoke with comedians Jack Dee and Seann Walsh on the Oh My Dog podcast, discussing his three dogs - Storm, Pepper, and Blink. Labrador Storm, 15, has become less active and prefers quiet surroundings in her old age,' which can be 'difficult.' He continued to say that dealing with the death of pets can be physically exhausting, and that they are "the only times I've ever cried."

A comedian has admitted that BBC bosses had invited him to do Strictly Come Dancing. The show producers have began recruiting actors to this year's film, which will premiere in autumn. Jack Dee, 61, was called by the team to see if he would be interested in attending the competition to see if he was interested in doing the show.

The Society of Authors, the UK's largest writers' union, has enraged members because it does not endorse figures such as JK Rowling, who have been accused of 'transphobia'. Authors who feared that the union was'lost to cancel culture' are now likely to leave the Free Speech Union, which has promised to 'come to the defense of beleaguered writers.' It has introduced a new program specifically for writers, particularly those under pressure for rejecting the belief that self-identified gender takes precedence over biological sex. The Free Speech Union, founded by Toby Young, said: "It has become abundantly apparent to us that expression is under serious pressure within the literary world, with publishers and literary agents often failing to protect their authors when their speech rights are violated.' It's a basic human right for writers and others to read their work without interference or mediation by self-appointed censors.'

ICHARD EDEN: Madame Michel, the glamorous literary agent, said once that advertising tycoon Sir Martin Sorrell had given her some of the best career advice she'd ever received: "Impossible is nothing; nothing is impossible." It would appear that it would not be related to their friendship. I'm happy to announce that the 'power couple' have split up. A mutual friend says, 'It's very sad, but it's all over.' They just couldn't make it work.' Sir Martin was reported to be so smitten with Caroline that it was even suggested last year that he might make her his third wife. The pair, who began dating in 2020 after a long friendship, had made London's social scene a fixture.

After the Californian company closed down its UsForTheM account (pictured, founder Arabella Skinner), which campaigned to keep schools open during Covid, the stand-up comedian, 60, accused the Californian company of bullying clients. 'I'm in the process of canceling my PayPal account,' he revealed on Twitter. Big tech firms who claim they can bully people for criticizing mainstream opinion don't have a legitimate interest.' Matt Le Tissier, a former professional footballer, and my wife's have closed his PayPal account.' Good riddance to tin pot tyrants.'

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Amid the onslaught of obscenity as Have I Got News For You? The studio audience erupted last Friday as compere Jack Dee alliteratively referred to leaving PM Boris Johnson as a "spectual ****." That word was unbroadcastable not long ago. Aren't the boys on HIGNFY edgy to say it now? Just take a look at their self-satisfied smirks. In fact, team captain Ian Hislop wore the same smug expression during an episode in 2007, and the audience erupted as he used other offensive terms.

ANDREW PIERCE: Deborah Turness could not have picked a more difficult week to start her new role. A slew of scandals has welcomed BBC News' new chief executive, from alleged comedian Joe Lycett mocking Liz Truss' flagship Sunday-morning politics show to Jack Dee referring to Boris Johnson as a "cosmic c***" on long-running panel show Have I Got News For You. Those who have seen 'Hurricane Deborah' say there is more to her than meets the eyes of steel. To complete her mission at the Beeb, she'll need every ounce of that mettle. Turness will now be responsible for over 6,000 journalists across ten national television stations and the same number of national radio stations, as well as 40 local radio stations, the BBC's massive website, and international services in 43 languages.

After Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were exposed to a slew of personal attacks on primetime television, the BBC is being scrutinized more closely about anti-Tory bias. As it dedicated Friday night's episode to Mr Johnson, comedy show Have I Got News For You was accused of broadcasting a slew of "spiteful and crass insults." Host Jack Dee referred to the departing Prime Minister as a 'cosmic ****,' a moment that was met with a slew of laughter in the studio. Mr Johnson may have taken cocaine, according to panelists. When he meets MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) committee on Tuesday, BBC Director-General Tim Davie is likely to be grilled about the slurs and other allegations of impartiality. In attacking Ms Truss and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, the satirical program was also accused of "blatant sexism." Dee said Downing Street is "believed to be getting quotes for padded wallpaper," while Ms Dorries was mocked as "Lady Barking."