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TAKE That star Howard Donald has revealed his teenage daughter Grace plans to audition for X Factor.
The singer said: “I have got a 17-yearold and, since watching me on TV, she has wanted to go on The X Factor or some sort of talent show.” However, he is not too keen. Even though he helped out on Gary Barlow’s BBC show Let It Shine, he JACK Whitehall couldn’t believe his luck in his new comedy drama as he beds his favourite Desperate Housewives beauty Eva Longoria.
In a new adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s novel, Jack plays inept schoolteacher Paul Pennyfeather who gets the hots for the mum of one of his pupils – the stunning Margot Beste-Chetwynde (Eva).
Within five minutes of the opener, he ends up naked and later in the series gets to romp with Margot, who runs a prostitution ring.
Jack was thrilled as he is the biggest Desperate Housewives fan.
He laughed: “I had to check myself quite a lot telling her how much I enjoyed her as Gabrielle Solis on that show.”
But he couldn’t get too carried away, adding: “Her husband was on set and he is the coolest and sexiest man I have ever seen.
“I spent most of my time when I was wooing her looking at him and feeling totally emasculated.”
Writer James Wood, who adapted the book for TV, admits he had to remove some of Waugh’s racism.
But one scene remains where Margot brings her lover, a black musician called Chokey, to school and the rest of the guests are shocked.
Wood said: “I did tone it down. They can be racist as characters but we cannot be as a show.” ¬Ê feels TV talent contests can do more harm than good.
He added: “I sort of didn’t want to encourage this – I didn’t want my daughter to be upset because it’s a really tough thing to handle if you don’t get through.” FILMING got started yesterday in Cornwall on the eighth series of ITV’s hit drama Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes.
The show starts on BBC One on Friday, March 31, at 9pm.