i Newspaper
 
TheIPaper
The Independent around the web
E-break Time
Independent Crossword

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.

Career Services

Day In a Page

Independent Travel Shop See all offers »
Imperial Cities of Morocco
Seven nights half-board from only £799pp Find out more
Historic Sicily
Seven nights half-board from £799pp Find out more
4* all-inclusive Crete
Seven nights from only £399pp Find out more
Budapest city break
Three nights from only £229pp Find out more
James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats
Giro d'Italia: The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

As the Giro d'Italia tackles the brutal climb, Simon Usborne takes on the snow and switchbacks – and soon realises what the fuss is about
National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

Sent down at the Old Bailey

A tour of the world's most famous court
Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
British football scores an own goal

British football scores an own goal

Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

James Lawton

Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again