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I turned off the lights at Television Centre

For trivia fans, I was in the last programme ever to be filmed in BBC Television Centre. This is a fact, despite reading about 10 different Tweets from other performers claiming the same thing. As far as I can make out, their claims were only factually correct in that it might have been the last thing to be filmed in the studio they were in, but mine was the very last. I literally turned the lights off as I left. This should be very exciting, but as it was a non-broadcast puppet pilot for CBBC, it's not quite as glamorous as it could have been.

Comic Relief drums up record £75m on 25th anniversary

Singer Jessie J shaved off her long locks, comedian Peter Kay travelled the length of the country and the great British public took part in outrageous fund-raising stunts to help raise a record £75m for Comic Relief.

Rebecca Tyrrel: Ricky Gervais may be the only person to have written more fictional works than he’s read

Who knew that Ricky Gervais claims to have read precisely the one novel? Aged 28, he heroically ploughed through JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. He says he was not impressed and when, another 28 years later, he did Desert Island Discs, it was a book of coffee-table art that Kirsty Young gave the nod to.

Boy band One Direction have been transformed into Pez-heads for Comic Relief: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson have all autographed their special one-off Pez sweet dispensers

You big Pez-heads: One Direction candy dispensers raise go on sale

Boy band One Direction look sweet as candy after being transformed into Pez-heads to help raise money for Comic Relief.

David Brent as a talent manager in the promotional video for The Office Comic Relief Special

Can Ricky Gervais return to form with David Brent's revival?

Ten years after he left the office and a Christmas party as excruciating as we had come to expect from Britain’s most cringeworthy paper executive, David Brent is back - fact.

David Brent with Dom Johnson in The Office Comic Relief special

Ricky Gervais resurrects David Brent for one-off special of The Office

David Brent will be back on our TV screens in March - “fact”.

Ricky Gervais in Channel 4 show Derek

Ricky Gervais' Derek may be clumsy but he’s not cruel

Gervais claims the character in his controversial new sitcom isn't meant to be disabled - but how is he perceived?

Ex-EastEnder Dean Gaffney seriously injured in a car crash

Former EastEnders actor Dean Gaffney is receiving treatment in hospital after being seriously injured in a car crash.

How We Met: Andy Hollingworth & Johnny Vegas

'He's stuck my face on a piece of bread, and put me on a loo roll'

Someone at a Somerset school still loves Piers Morgan

Schools: Someone still loves you, Piers Morgan

In order to practise the skill of persuasive writing, Year 11 pupils at Chew Valley school in Somerset were asked in early December to write to their favourite celebrity asking for an autographed picture.

Grace Dent on TV: Mrs Brown's Boys, BBC1

Irritating relatives, terrible jokes, mindless banter: the perfect accompaniment to a family Christmas

Well 'ard? EastEnders' Dean Gaffney more 'Johnny English than James Bond' despite applying for MI5 job

The actor who played Robbie Jackson in the soap has 'got some stick' over his bid to be the next 007

Downton Abbey gives way to the Gilded Age, just as The Office and Shameless gave way to remakes. Why are we Brits so snobby about them?

Stand down patriotic TV watchers; Julian Fellowes is going Stateside, but all is not lost.

The Office has been a big part of NBC’s schedule for years. It is also a prominent product placer, with plots revolving around such brands as Chili’s and Stap

It's the age of Reverse Product Placement: Fictional items from The Office go on sale

The media giant NBC- Universal broke US ad-sale records for its Olympic programming this year. But, as more people skip ad breaks, television shows must do all they can to make money. Product placement has long been a fixture of American TV, with some shows working real-life products into scripts without too much damage to reputations.

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The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...
The 10 Best barbecues

The 10 Best barbecues

Whether you're cooking on gas or are a convert to charcoal we've got the perfect way to cook when the sun is out.
Style icon David Beckham calls time on his long retirement

Style icon calls time on his long retirement

David Beckham never disgraced himself but former England captain ceased to be a major player years ago. Remember him at his United peak
Steve Harper: My darkest times

Steve Harper: My darkest times

As the popular Newcastle goalkeeper bows out after 20 years at the club, he tells Martin Hardy about the private battle with depression that threatened his career
Sir Torquil Norman has designed a flat-pack OX truck for the developing world

The flat-pack truck with big ambitions

After making a fortune from Polly Pocket and a doll's house shaped like a teapot, the entrepreneur has turned his creativity to a transporter truck for the developing world. Simon Usborne meets him.