News Round-up: James Sutton, Bingo, Kinsella, SABC

INTERVIEW: EMMERDALE's James Sutton (Ryan)
"He's been living away, away from his mum on his own. He did have a job as a mechanic but he lost that, having been made redundant. So he decides to go and sponge off his mother for a little while. He discovers that there's some kind of relationship between his mum and Mark [Wylde] which he thinks is a relationship, which is a bit awkward for all parties. Over time, he'll discover otherwise."

James Sutton: New character 'less angsty'
James Sutton has admitted it will be refreshing to play a "less angsty" character now he's moving to EMMERDALE. The actor found fame as gay John Paul McQueen in HOLLYOAKS but is now heading to the Yorkshire Dales to play jobless mechanic Ryan Lamb - and said it would be "nice to just not cry every day".

Sutton said: "Obviously, the character I played in HOLLYOAKS is quite angsty and he was six years my junior, so I was playing someone a lot younger."

SABC soap opera continues
First the former Group CEO of public broadcaster SABC Dali Mpofu gunned for the controversial former head of News Snuki Zikalala, then the SABC board gunned for Mpofu, then parliament gunned for the SABC board and then everybody gunned for the former chairperson of the board Khanyi Mkhonza and now, it seems, some SABC staffers are gunning for acting Group CEO, Gab Mampone.

Reports of a 'sit-in' staged outside Mampone's office on 10 June and calls for his resignation are filtering through the media. Some 50 people reportedly joined the sit-in. The Media Workers of Association of South Africa (MWASA) took part in the sit-in but the Broadcast, Electronic Media & Allied Workers Union (BEMAWU) has denied participating. Both unions have been in disputes with the SABC over pay increases.

Three guilty of murdering Ben Kinsella, brother of EASTENDERS actress
Three men have been found guilty of murdering Ben Kinsella, the brother of the EASTENDERS actress Brooke Kinsella, after a “pointless” argument in a pub spiralled out of control. Juress Kika, 19, Jade Braithwaite, 20, and 18-year-old Michael Alleyne chased the 16-year-old down a street in Islington, north London, to restore “respect” after one of them was humiliated by a group of younger teenagers in a fight.

Brooke Kinsella 'overjoyed' at case verdict
Brooke Kinsella has said she is "overjoyed" at the three guilty verdicts delivered in the case for her brother Ben's murder. Kinsella, 25, who had sat with her fingers crossed as the jury deliver their decision, said afterwards: "I am overjoyed," before adding: "It's awful, awful, but we got all we needed - it's justice... There is never going to be enough justice but we have got it now."

Cameron Mathison's INSTANT BEAUTY PAGEANT is back this weekend
The third season of INSTANT BEAUTY PAGEANT, starting Sunday, June 14, on Slice, brings the fashion frenzy north of the border to several Canadian cities.

James Redmond joins Chris Parker on Gala SOAP STAR BINGO this Friday
James Redmond will be making a special guest appearance on popular live bingo channel Gala TV on Friday evening. The former HOLLYOAKS and CASUALTY star will be joining Gala TV presenter Chris Parker on his exclusive SOAP STAR BINGO show which is broadcast between 8-9pm throughout June on the Sky and Freesat channel 861 as well as webstreamed on Gala Bingo.

Drama MOVING ON wins BBC evening slot
A daytime drama series made in Liverpool is to get an evening slot on the BBC. MOVING ON, first screened last month, was made by Liverpool-based production company LA Productions and producer Colin McKeown. Mr McKeown said: “Following critical and public acclaim of the drama series, Moving On is being repeated on a weekly basis. We are over the moon. It’s a great accolade to receive."