TV & Showbiz

PrettyLittleThing advert banned for ‘sexualising’ teen TikTok star Alabama Barker

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 10th August 2022

A PrettyLittleThing advert that starred musician Travis Barker’s daughter Alabama has been banned for ‘sexualising’ the 16-year-old.

The content creator, who has almost three million followers on TikTok and is a budding musician in her own right, was named as an ambassador of the fashion brand back in April.

But a campaign that featured the young star has now been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency, who found that the advert ‘depicted a person who was under 18 in a sexual way’.

The ASA said the Alabama Barker campaign was ‘irresponsible’ and ‘highlighted Ms Barker’s young age’ through its promotion of its Y2K collection.

Alabama Barker has appeared in a new campaign with PrettyLittleThing. Credit: Boohoo Group Plc

The images used in the PrettyLittleThing campaign include her ‘lying on a bed and licking her lips in a sexually suggestive manner’, crouching down in a way that ‘her buttocks were almost visible’, and ‘spraying a water hose which was positioned between her legs’.

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The ruling also noted images where Alabama was sucking a lollipop and clutching her chest.

PrettyLittleThing has now been ordered not to use the advert in its current form, and to ensure ‘future ads did not include images that portrayed or represented anyone who was, or seemed to be, under 18 in a sexual manner’.

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Read more: Gogglebox stars absolutely savaged by rude staff at Karen’s Diner

The Manchester-based fashion brand said it did not intend to sexualise Alabama Barker, and that the campaign was intended to be ‘girly, colourful, fun and playful’.

They said that she ‘posed in a similar style to images that could be seen on her own Instagram account‘.

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They also defended the hosepipe image, saying that ‘cooling down on the lawn on a hot day fitted the intended Y2K aesthetic’, and that open-mouthed poses are ‘currently popular with young people on social media’.

Featured image: Boohoo Group Plc

TV & Showbiz

New Hairy Bikers documentary to take viewers on ’emotional journey’ in tribute to Dave Myers

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A new documentary paying an emotional tribute to late Hairy Biker Dave Myers is set to air on the BBC in the run up to Christmas.

Dave Myers – who was most well-known for being one half of the famous Hairy Bikers duo that starred in the BBC cookery and travel show of the same name, alongside Si King – died earlier this year (28 February 2024) after revealing back in May 2022 that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

He passed away at the age of 66 – with a tribute released by fellow Hairy Biker Si revealing his family and friends were by his side.

The final Hairy Bikers episode aired on 19 March following Dave’s passing, and viewers tuned in in their tens of thousands to watch the beloved show that had been entertaining the masses for close to two decades.

But despite that being the final episode with Dave involved, there’s still one last chapter left to tell.

Set to air on BBC Two on Monday 23 December, viewers will be invited on an “emotional journey” through the Hairy Bikers story with Si King, as he celebrates the life of his best mate and former TV partner.

The documentary follows Si as he leads a motorcycle convoy to Dave’s hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, while archive material, new interviews, and previously-unseen footage is shown to help celebrate Dave’s life.

A new Hairy Bikers documentary will take viewers on an ’emotional journey’ in tribute to Dave Myers / Credit: BBC / South Shore Productions

You can relive the journey that took Dave around the world while cooking up a storm as one of television’s greatest-ever double acts.

“I’m incredibly proud of the programme because it’s a tribute to my best mate,” Si King said.

“It was an amazing experience, I didn’t quite know what to expect. That was the whole thing, none of us did. We thought at the most we’d get 10,000 bikes, we didn’t dream it would be 46,000 motorcycles and a 30-mile tail, it was just insane. I just felt enormously privileged.”

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Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone will air on BBC Two on Monday 23 December at 9pm, and will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Featured Image – BBC

TV & Showbiz

Snoop Dogg says he wants to replace Gregg Wallace on MasterChef – and so do we

Danny Jones Danny Jones Snoop Dogg wants to join MasterChef UK

With Gregg Wallace having been axed from MasterChef, one man has put himself forward to replace the long-standing presenter: Snoop Dogg.

Make that Snoop ‘Doggy’ Dogg, esquire and all-round foodie fancy pants, to you.

No, as we often feel we have to clarify sometimes, we’re not joking – the rapper and hip-hop legend apparently is very keen on the idea of becoming the next co-host of UK MasterChef.

It also goes without saying that we will never EVER get bored of writing headlines like these.

Credit: The Martha Stewart Show/BBC

Speaking to The Mirror, the 53-year-old music icon said, “You’ll best believe You better believe Snoop could be the new MasterChef judge.”

According to Snoop, his time working on Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party with well-known American cook, food writer and TV personality Martha Stewart means he already has prior experience and he also believes he has the backing of another big culinary name.

“My boy Gordon [Ramsay] judges on the US version of the show, and I know he would back me to be able to judge on the UK version”, he told the outlet, going on to add: “He knows I am not playing when it comes to food. He knows I can cook – I have even given him some tips.

“I hosted a cooking show over here and I have always been vocal about wanting to work on a UK show. I love the place – and for real, this could be the perfect opportunity.”

His bid to join the BBC show might be less likely than many others, but we’ve already seen how well getting familiar entertainment faces on works for the Celebrity version of the show, not to mention juicing up the comedy with less serious analysis as seen on Channel 4’s rebrand of The Great British Bake Off.

You can see a selection of Snoop’s on-screen cooking highlights here.

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As for the latest on Wallace, he is still officially denying being involved in any inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature on the show and various other TV projects, with a total of 13 people filing official historical complaints against the long-standing host over the course of a 17-year period.

The 60-year-old is now accused not only of sexual comments in the workplace but groping and touching multiple former contestants and colleagues.

Despite sticking to his official position he has, however, come out to apologise for a response video he made following the second raft of allegations, in which his comments were deemed offensive and misogynistic by a Downing Street official.

We’re confident we already know the answer, so we’ll ask you this instead: just how much do you want to see Snoop Dogg presenting the next series of MasterChef?

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Featured Images — Super 45 (via Flickr)/Glenn Francis (via Wikimedia Commons)/BBC

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