Best of streaming: The Kardashians return, Marilyn Monroe's last days and Elon Musk resurrects space travel

Top 12: From food poisoning on Predator to the accidental deletion of Toy Story 2, we list the movies that were hellish to make

12 Predator (1987) Given it took place in a South American jungle swamp, obviously it was going to be an arduous filming situation. It was the film’s star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who fared the worst. He was so ill from eating street food he had to film some scenes while hooked to an IV drip. Salmonella aside, the main cause for consternation on set was the predator itself. Seemingly, the long-awaited costume initially resembled a lizard with “the head of a duck”. When a rebooted variation landed (almost two months later), Jean-Claude Van Damme — who was originally playing the alien — refused to do certain stunts, claiming the suit was unsafe. He told the Hollywood Reporter that his replacement stunt double broke his leg trying to attempt the very manoeuvre he’d declined to do. However, other crew members dispute this version of events, saying JCVD’s memory may have been affected by his persistent heatstroke.

Top 12: From Jamie Dornan’s cover-up to Roy Keane’s two-tone, we list the best known Irish beards

12 Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan To clarify: this list is all about the best known Irish beards, not the best Irish beards — although, no doubt, many believe Ming’s beard is a wonder of myth, legend, and Flash Gordon comic book baddie lore. The MEP has not only been an advocate for legalising cannabis, but also appeared trouserless during a European Parliament video meeting, so his tribute to Ming the Merciless is, in fact, one of the least colourful things about him.

With the West Side Story remake set to sweep the Academy Awards, here’s 12 of the (other) best Oscar-nominated musicals

12 Little Shop of Horrors “Feed me, Seymour! Feed me now!” A list of musicals wouldn’t be complete without some high-camp kitsch. Frank Oz’s man-eating masterpiece was double-nominated in 1987, for Best Visual Effects and Best Song (specifically Mean Green Mother from Outer Space). It didn’t win either, but Steve Martin’s rambunctious rendition of Dentist! will always hold a place in the dark recesses of my brain.

Top 12: From George Clooney to Adam Driver, we revisit the stars who outgrew their TV roles

12 Dan Stevens, Downton Abbey Who didn’t enjoy tuning in to Downton for a dose of cousin Matthew? Unfortunately for viewers, Stevens saw playing the charming Mr Crawley as a stepping stone to greater things, hence his on-screen demise in 2012’s Christmas special. Stevens has since enjoyed numerous big roles, including in 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, and is currently filming the new series Gaslit. He’s also still apologising to Downton fans for widowing Lady Mary.

Top 12: From iPods to mini discs, the ‘must have gadgets that are now obsolete

12 Casio C-80 Watch Calculator There was always one classmate that went for a jaunt to the UK or — gasp! — America for a week during the summer and arrived back armed with two things: an accent and a calculator watch that required the digits of your average Action Man to manipulate. And what did you immediately try to do with it? Type 5318008 and turn it upside down, of course.

Top 12: Iconic Neighbours characters

12 Helen Daniels Essentially Australia’s answer to EastEnders’ Dot Cotton (sans cigarettes) by way of Emmerdale’s Edna Birch (sans hat), Helen Daniels was, and always will be, the antithesis to the cretinous Mrs Mangel. Played by Anne Haddy, Helen was Ramsay Street’s doting, glamorous granny, who always lent an ear to anyone who needed to offload a worry. She was also willing to go beyond for their children; some years after her death, it was revealed that Helen was keeping her daughter Anne’s love child a secret from son-in-law, Jim Robinson.

Top 12: Fairytales that were originally much darker

12 Hansel and Gretel Dating back to the Baltics circa 1335, the tale sees an “evil stepmother” trying to save sheck els by repeatedly abandoning her husband’s kids in the forest. The siblings soon stumble across a gingerbread house, and what follows is a tale of witches, cannibalism, and death by oven. Sound familiar? That’s because — for some reason — Hansel and Gretel never received the full animated Disney movie magic and therefore remained as horrifying as it ever was.

Top 12: The surprising stars who can shake it on the dancefloor

12 Sam Rockwell If you weren’t aware of Rockwell’s ability to dance, you’ve probably never seen him on screen, as he must have a mandatory clause in every contract to shake his tail feather. Just some of the movies (alphabetised for your convenience) in which he drops a dance sequence include Charlie’s Angels; Confessions of a Dangerous Mind; Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; Iron Man 2; Lawn Dogs; Matchstick Men; Moon... This does not include his tribute to Coyote Ugly in Down To Earth, Flight Facilities’ music video, or his array of shapes thrown during his talk-show appearances. As for the moves themselves? They all seem to be a variation on the same theme — a juddering James Brown by way of Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay.

Top 12: Vampires who set the blood pumping

12 Jerry Dandridge To clarify, the only good thing about the 2011 Fright Night remake (that arguably never needed to happen in the first place) is Colin Farrell’s super-wanton vampire next door, Jerry. Despite a pretty impressive cast – including Toni Collette and the late Anton Yelchin – this reboot of the 1985 vampire pastiche didn’t exactly set the box office alight. It would have fallen entirely flat had it not been for Farrell’s latent machismo and David Tennant’s eyeliner.

Top 12: From Juicy Fruit to Play-doh, Sheena McGinley recalls the most potent scents of our youth

12 Crayons It’s not the most obvious of formative smells – until you happen to encounter a newly opened box of crayons in adulthood. There’s a certain sweet, waxy, earthy bouquet that immediately rewinds you to your first day of ‘low babies’. The smell was a source of comfort then also, on account of its enduring familiarity. I mean — who hadn’t stuffed a crayon up their nose in infancy? For some, that scent will forever be rammed up there.

From The Kinks to Arcade Fire: 12 sets of musical siblings that topped the charts

12 Haim There are many sisterly duos we could mention – First Aid Kit’s Klara and Johanna Söderberg, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, that pair from the Dixie Chicks – but Haim win. Why? Simply because there are three of them - Este, Danielle and Alana. Just three sisters, together. And they rock. Should you require further convincing, look no further than Este’s renowned bass face.

Top 12: Love is in the air, with our countdown of the best dating shows

12 The Love Trap (Channel 4) As the most recent dating show in our list, it’s obviously the most convoluted plot-wise. You ready? A finance hotshot engages in a flurry of revealing challenges that should let him know which females are single and which are in committed relationships (some of them are even engaged and presumably hoping to nail the prize pot to fund their weddings). After whittling them down to three choices, our bachelor then chooses who he thinks is a trap. His choice then literally falls through a trap door... At least Joel Dommett is getting more hosting gigs.

Keeping up with the Kardashians at Christmas: How the A-list are celebrating this Covid festive season

With the Big Day looming, we’re all hoping to make Christmas a bit special this year — where possible. For example, I plan to move the dining table around for dinner just to mix things up a bit after sitting in the same spot all day, every day, for almost two years…

From pub crawls and wrenboys to trips to see Santy, we count down the 12 top Irish festive traditions

12. The 12 pubs of Christmas Before Covid-19, two types of revellers engaged in this debauched marathon. First, there were those who organised their annual ‘12 Pubs’ with meticulous care, complete with timetables, designated ‘water’ stops, and food breaks. Then there were those who met for brunch, and by 5pm they’d already been to six boozers, so decided to go the whole hog. The chaotic spontaneity of it all seems like a distant memory. We’ll get there again.

From Smashing Pumpkins to The Killers, 12 alternative Christmas songs to get your Christmas rocking

12 The Flaming lips — Christmas At The Zoo (1995)

Top 12: From Cagney & Lacey to Morse & Lewis, Sheena McGinley counts down TV’s best detective duos

12 John Steed and Emma Peel Everyone is aware of Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg’s characters, but did you know that John Steed wasn’t always partnered with the iconic Emma Peel? The Avengers hero went through a flurry of interchangeable female assistants clad in miniskirts and PVC jumpsuits, among them Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) and Tara King (Linda Thorson). Peel’s only equal, though, was Purdey, who came in the form of a bowl-cut-sporting Joanna Lumley in 1976 reboot The New Avengers.

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My child got Covid without having been anywhere... apart from school

Despite recent refrains of “We believe that the school environment is still, in relative terms, a safe environment for children” from senior health officials, there are increasing numbers of under-12s queueing at testing centres.

I’m A Celebrity chaos: From Gillian McKeith’s fainting to Biggins and the rat, 12 jungle moments we can’t forget

12 Pete’s incessant Insaniations (2004)

Just what are Gen Z doing on TikTok besides dancing and singing sea shanties? Here are 12 of the other crazes

12 Baked Bean Challenge You weren’t expecting that now, were you? Or perhaps you were, considering ‘food’ is up there among the most prolific internet faves, which also include ‘fitness’, ‘cats’, ‘fails’ and ‘porn’ (not necessarily in that order). Digression dispensed, cast your mind back to your early teens and ‘knick-knacking’ on your neighbours or egging their car. Would you film it and post it to the internet for posterity? Thankfully, such platforms weren’t around when I was a teen, but if they had been, I can’t imagine I’d have been advertising my acts of vandalism. It won’t come as a surprise to learn that videos of this craze — which involves smearing baked beans all over a stranger’s doorstep or garden bench — were removed from the platform to deter further acts of juvenility.

Halloween magick: 12 movies the whole family can enjoy without being scared (too) silly

12 Practical Magic Witches, since time immemorial, have been portrayed by the powers that be as ugly, craven, bitter crones, not the beguiling natural goddesses featured in this 1998 film. Starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as two sisters raised by their aunts (played by the equally compelling Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest), this movie has just the right amount of death, moxie, and Aidan Quinn. Visually, it’s a treat, so there’s little need to use the volume — in fact, do so at your peril! Let’s just say, it’s more of an indulgent duvet-day movie; definitely not one to enjoy alongside any chin-stroking film buffs.

From the Golden Girls to Schitt’s Creek: the top 12 feel-good TV shows that never fail to lift our spirits

12. Feel Good It would be remiss not to mention Feel Good in a list of such shows. Rife with the right balance of laughter and poignant moments, Mae Martin’s semi-autobiographical dramedy manages to meld mature themes while rendering it a beautifully soothing and gratifying viewing experience that will resonate. It’s also wonderfully infantile and ridiculous. There were only two series of this magic balancing act made, both of which are now on Netflix.

Can you kick it? From Stan Smiths to Nike Air Max, here are the top 12 runners that signified you were too cool for school

12 Cherries

Snogging, awkward shuffling and careless whispers: The top 12 slow-set songs from 1984 to 1994

12 Lady in Red (1986) I know; we’re kicking things off in style. It may have been a favourite slow-set track at weddings, but the (very) odd time, the DJ at your Friday-night underage-shindig would also sidle this on. In hindsight, it was a good way to break up the heavy petting around the dank sports-hall periphery. The song was akin to Chris de Burgh personally escorting your auntie to the middle of the hall for a few steps. Always a winner at weddings, but an instant mood suppressant at teen discos.

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Sheena McGinley Opinion The 7 series itch... can Love Island get its mojo back?

ANYONE who has experienced a long-term relationship is all too aware of the peaks, troughs, and nurturing required to sustain it. So, seven summers in, gently nudging Love Island producers to consider overhauling a sitting-room staple – for the sake of the children, if nothing else – isn't too much to ask, is it?

Sheena McGinley’s Love Island final 2021 postmortem: Well, that was disappointing...

IT’S been eight weeks (and one day) since the Love Island Villa opened its doors and, over the last two months, I've not complained (much).

Good, Bad, and Ugly: Five talking points from Love Island 2021

Tonight, the 50+ hours viewers have committed to watching this year will culminate in Laura Whitmore announcing the winner of Love Island, 2021.

Love Island: Episode 48: The end is near 

And now, the end is near. And so we face, the final foursome. Albeit by default. But first... we had ANOTHER 'Epic Date' to endure. I know, it's not like Love Island to drag things out or anything.

Love Island Episode 47: There wasn't a dry eye in the house after Jiberty's 'Epic Date’

Listen, I'm an emotional wreck. But first... Kaz and Tyler arrived back from their date to a dormant Villa, full of joys, and after Tyler fills the boys in on their date. Lib, being a boss, was happy for her best friend despite just ending things with Jake.

Love Island Episode 46: Teddy asks Faye to be his girlfriend, while 'Jiberty' is no more

Liam is 22 today, so Millie whipped up some "banging" pancakes for him. Not a euphemism. Unfortunately for the Birthday Boy, that's where the celebrations ended given Liberty broke it off with Jake – not that he recalls it that way…