Cara’s helping hand

Cara Delevingne (pictured), currently starring in Amazon’s fantasy series Carnival Row with Orlando Bloom, has revealed she has her godmother Joan Collins to thank for her acting career. ‘I didn’t get the grades to go to drama school, but Joan said, “If you have a dream, then go for it. If you don’t make it you have to accept that, but if you try as hard as you can, I believe in you.”’

Anne Reid admits to feeling the pressure as she prepares for series five of Last Tango In Halifax. ‘The new series had better be good – people will expect it to be,’ she says. ‘I’ve never appeared in anything on TV where expectation levels are so high.’

Imelda Staunton thinks she’s spent too much time on stage recently and is delighted to be back on TV. ‘I did a lot. I almost outstayed my welcome,’ admits Imelda, who plays grieving mum Karen Edwards (pictured) in ITV detective series A Confession and has recently been cast in ITV’s new drama series Flesh And Blood. ‘I did Gypsy, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, Sweeney Todd, Follies… I wasn’t doing anything apart from appearing on stage.’

Two of the UK’s biggest TV shows are going to Asia. Crime drama Luther will be made for Indian audiences after an American version failed to get off the ground two years ago, and The Great British Bake Off is off to Thailand, the 32nd country to buy the rights. ‘Baking is different in every country, but the format is universally popular,’ says a source.