Julie Walters reveals shock of bowel cancer diagnosis

Dame Julie Walters has revealed her shock at being diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer.

Mark Kermode reviews Wild Rose

A fiery Glaswegian singer and single mother dreams of Nashville glory in this gritty feelgood feature.

'Wild Rose' review

Wild Rose's combination of country music, big dreams and a star turn from a once-in-a-generation young talent has resulted in one of the best British films in years, says Simon Brew.

Sue Perkins is Sally Phillips's final guest of a series that has been more enjoyable than any clip show has a right to be. Among Perkins's choices are Not the Nine O'Clock News's Gerald the Gorilla, Will Ferrell's "more cowbell" SNL skit and a vintage bit from Julie Walters and the much-missed Victoria Wood.

Creator Victoria Wood's summary of dinnerladies as "just a bunch of women who work in a canteen" belies how popular her first sitcom was. Twenty years after the show began, this three-parter tells the behind-the-scenes story, with contributions from the likes of Julie Walters, Maxine Peake and Jo Brand.

Julie Walters on dinnerladies

'Victoria Wood knew I loved playing old women so she wrote them for me'.

"She can wrench your heart open - and then have you piddling yourself laughing the next moment," says playwright Willy Russell, whose Educating Rita helped make Julie Walters an authentic national treasure. In this warm tribute, fellow actors pay homage to Dame Two-Soups.

Festive instalment of the series that ran earlier this year, commemorating the life of the late Victoria Wood. Hosted by Anne Reid, this one focuses, reasonably enough, on Wood's Christmas specials, and includes reflections from participants in some of them, including Celia Imrie, Julie Walters and Richard E Grant. Ann Widdecombe also explains what it felt like to find herself on the receiving end of Wood's gently biting mockery.

Review: Paddington 2

Well, well, a sequel that is even more fun than its predecessor. It doesn't often happen but Paddington 2 manages to shift the stale marmalade sandwiches from 2014 to deliver a pacy, enjoyable adventure, which boasts a cameo cast that is like a who's who of British acting talent.