All posts tagged: Bob

Bob Harris leaves BBC Radio 2 after 30 years due to ill health

Bob Harris leaves BBC Radio 2 after 30 years due to ill health

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Bob Harris, the BBC Radio 2 icon lovingly known as “Whispering Bob”, is leaving the station after 30 years due to ill health. “I’m so sorry that my health issues are forcing me to step down, but I realised that I must concentrate now on getting myself well again,” the DJ, 80, told his listeners, weeks after revealing his prostate cancer had spread to his spine. He called it “one of the hardest decisions” of his life. Harris has been on the airwaves for 56 years, and joined Radio 2 in 1996, presenting Country Show and, from 2024, Sounds of the 70s, replacing the late Johnnie Walker. “Whispering” Bob Harris is leaving Radio 2 after 30 years (Getty) He announced the news in a letter shared to Radio 2’s social media accounts, reading: “It’s incredible to think that my broadcasting career …

Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst on ‘Wide Awake,’ mental health and Bob Dylan

Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst on ‘Wide Awake,’ mental health and Bob Dylan

Published by Sam Flores

Conor Oberst was still a boyish 24-year-old from Omaha when he dropped the pair of albums that took his band Bright Eyes from indie-rock celebrity to voice-of-a-generation prestige. Released on the same day in January 2005, “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” and “Digital Ash in a Digital Urn” pondered love, war, drugs and technology against the backdrop of Oberst’s recent move to New York — and did it in songs that put frayed-edge folk (on “Wide Awake”) next to sleek electronic pop (on “Digital Ash”). Two decades later, hints of gray streaked the singer-songwriter’s hair as he sat at a picnic table in Lake Hollywood Park on a mid-April afternoon. Oberst, now 46, splits his time these days between Omaha and Los Angeles; here, he’s cultivated a circle of friends that includes Phoebe Bridgers, with whom he’s recorded under the name Better Oblivion Community Center, and the musician and producer Jonathan Wilson, to whom he once rented his house. But Oberst is looking back to his New York City era for a string of concerts …

Bob Odenkirk: ‘Why do people love me? I’m every bad thing a person can be’

Bob Odenkirk: ‘Why do people love me? I’m every bad thing a person can be’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter I’m very earthbound,” says Bob Odenkirk, looking, for want of a better word, entirely normal. Gone are the garish off-the-rack suits he paraded as Breaking Bad’s unscrupulous shyster Saul Goodman; in their stead is a muted greyish sweater, as he perches on the edge of a chair in a Soho hotel room. “I’m a dad, I’m a husband, and I’m a guy who walks his dog a couple times a day. A guy who clumsily tries to make things. But within the qualifier of ‘normal’, there’s a pretty wide range of human behaviour,” he adds. “Which is to say… everybody should have a few aberrations.” Here’s one aberration that marks Odenkirk out from the crowd: yelling. From his early days on HBO’s cult sketch comedy Mr Show, through to the life-and-death hijinks of Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul, the 63-year-old …

Billy Bob Thornton Talks About Staying Out of Politics and His Health

Billy Bob Thornton Talks About Staying Out of Politics and His Health

Published by Daniella Wilson

Billy Bob Thornton has a reason for keeping his political opinions to himself. During a recent interview on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast, the Landman star and the host chatted about whether celebrities are qualified to use their public platforms to give advice. “What we are experts in, just like the person that’s listening, is being human,” the America’s Got Talent judge said. “So if you could be open and share who you are, how you feel, how you cope, that’s definitely going to do something.” Thorton agreed with Howie Mandel, saying that it’s “way more important than an actor or actress or musician telling people, like you said, who to vote for, because it’s like, I mean, some guy’s on the fence you know and it’s like, well, Dash Rip Rock said it on the Golden Globes, so [that’s who] I’m voting for.” “I don’t know anything about politics,” the Oscar winner continued. “I have no idea. And the stuff that I believe about it, I don’t want to force it down somebody else’s throat …

Bob Dylan’s baffling social media experiment

Bob Dylan’s baffling social media experiment

Published by Sam Flores

Bob Dylan’s Instagram account used to feature the type of bland, standard content you’d expect from a legacy artist: “On this date” historical posts, tour announcements, box set advertisements. That was how things were until January 25, 2025, when the account uploaded a grainy video of Les Paul and Eddie Van Halen, taken from a 1988 special called “Les Paul & Friends.” But to know that, you’d have to know that, do a web search, or read the comments, because there was no caption on the post. Was this an error on the part of whoever manages Dylan’s social media? Was it a hint? Some kind of clue? No idea, but shortly thereafter another post appeared: A clip of Ricky Nelson singing and playing guitar, taken from an episode of “Ozzie & Harriet.” Eagle-eyed observers would note that the great James Burton, probably best known for his work with Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, and as part of the Wrecking Crew, was in the band. Once again, the clip appeared with no context or caption, and …

Billy Bob Thornton says his favorite snack is grapes dipped in dijon mustard after revealing extreme health-related diet

Billy Bob Thornton says his favorite snack is grapes dipped in dijon mustard after revealing extreme health-related diet

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Billy Bob Thornton’s extreme dietary restrictions have inspired him to get creative with his snacking, which is how he found his new favorite unlikely pairing: grapes dipped in dijon mustard. The 70-year-old actor opened up about his health problems during a recent appearance on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast. “My diet’s very restricted,” he said on the May 5 episode. “Well, I’m allergic to wheat, dairy. I have type AB negative blood, which is the rarest type in the world. It’s like less than one percent of the population of the world has it.” The Bad Santa star said that his blood type means that he has a harder time digesting certain foods. In addition to wheat and dairy, he cannot eat shellfish …

Matt Baker announces tragic family loss: ‘It’s broken my heart’

Matt Baker announces tragic family loss: ‘It’s broken my heart’

Published by Sam Flores

Countryfile presenter Matt Baker has announced the “incredibly sad” loss of his family’s dog, Bob, in an emotional post on Instagram. Sharing a slideshow of pictures of the border collie from when he was a puppy, Matt said he was heartbroken at the sad loss and paid tribute to the impact the pet had on his family, including his wife Nicola Mooney, and their children, Luke, 18, and Molly, 16. In the caption, the The One Show presenter wrote: “It’s with a very heavy heart that I’m letting you know our wonderful Bob is no longer with us. He’s been gone a while but I haven’t been able to talk about it as I’ve been finding it so incredibly sad. “Bob was a brilliant dog. He was there for me with his gentle soul as the ultimate companion through some of the greatest chapters of my life from raising our kids to all the changes we made on our family farm. “It’s broken my heart but I feel hugely grateful to have had him in …

Bob Ross still helps us paint a better world

Bob Ross still helps us paint a better world

Published by Sam Flores

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Oh, lord. When a stranger says that out of the blue, it tends to be followed up with some inquiry about my relationship with Jesus. But this believer wanted to share the good news about a different savior. “Do you guys like Bob Ross?” We had just stepped into our local pet store, and our questioner was the clerk behind the counter – the kind of guy we could picture befriending a few of our local cedars, like the iconic host of “The Joy of Painting.” Anyway, before we could respond, he gestured at a TV mounted on the wall, level with the highest shelves groaning with organic kibble and handmade toys, and sang out, “Because there he is!” We looked up, taking in Ross in all his Afro-permed glory, manifesting a leafy forest out of what had been a mountain’s dense shadow. My husband and I burst out laughing – not at that scene, or the clerk’s impromptu theatrics, but at this injection of delight into an otherwise …

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse lead tributes to dog Ted from Gone Fishing

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse lead tributes to dog Ted from Gone Fishing

Published by Daniella Wilson

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have led tributes to their much-loved Gone Fishing companion, Ted the dog. The beloved canine, who regularly accompanied the comedians on their angling adventures on their BBC series, has passed away and will make his last appearance in the forthcoming ninth series, the BBC confirmed. Mortimer said in a statement: “So very, very sad. Lovely Ted, the best companion and the greatest little chum. Going to miss him so much.. and away boss.” Whitehouse also paid tribute to Ted, saying: “Bye bye Ted old friend. He wasn’t a dog, he was a species all of his own. He’s gone to the great briefcase emporium in the sky. We will really miss you mate.” Ted was owned by Gone Fishing executive producer Lisa Clark after she rescued him from a dog’s home in Surrey in 2013. Clark said: “Ted was a much-loved family pet as well as a treasured companion to Paul and Bob on Gone Fishing. He took fame in his little stride and loved nothing better than messing around …

Ted, Gone Fishing Dog, Dies As Bob Mortimer And Paul Whitehouse Pay Tribute

Ted, Gone Fishing Dog, Dies As Bob Mortimer And Paul Whitehouse Pay Tribute

Published by Sam Flores

Comedians Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have paid tribute to the canine companion with whom they shared the screen numerous times over the years in their hit series Gone Fishing. The pair first encountered the Patterdale Terrier mix Ted in season three of Gone Fishing, back in 2020, and he went on to make numerous on-screen appearances alongside the presenters. On Monday morning, the BBC announced that Ted had died, with both of Gone Fishing’s hosts sharing touching tributes. “So very, very sad,” Bob lamented, remembering “lovely Ted” as “the best companion and the greatest little chum”. “Going to miss him so much.,. and away boss,” he added. Paul agreed: “He wasn’t a dog, he was a species all of his own. He’s gone to the great briefcase emporium in the sky. We will really miss you mate.” Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse with Ted during last year’s run of Gone Fishing Louise Meager/BBC/Owl Power/Louise Meager After his first introduction in 2020, Ted became a fan-favourite with Gone Fishing viewers, and in the 2025 Christmas …