H
culture
H
HOYONEWS
HomeBusinessTechnologySportPolitics
Others
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Society
Contact
Home
Business
Technology
Sport
Politics

Food

Culture

Society

Contact
Facebook page
H
HOYONEWS

Company

business
technology
sport
politics
food
culture
society

CONTACT

EMAILmukum.sherma@gmail.com
© 2025 Hoyonews™. All Rights Reserved.
Facebook page

Ardal O’Hanlon: ‘I fell asleep on stage once – I could hear someone doing my material, got annoyed and woke up’

3 days ago
A picture


What’s the longest word you can make out of the letters A-R-D-A-L-O-H-A-N-L-O-N in 30 seconds?“Anal” springs to mind, because I was doing a show in Limerick in Ireland and the stage manager genuinely thought my name was Anal.He called me over the Tannoy [PA system]: “Could Anal please come to the stage door?” But there must be a bigger word than that.I’m usually good at Countdown.This is quite annoying.This is how I define myself – by my ability to conjure up words from random letters.

Is “Nolnaholadra” a word?No,You could have had “handroll” for eight, or “nondollar” for the full nine,Of course!You play Detective Inspector Jack Mooney in Return to Paradise,What’s the closest you’ve come to being arrested?I’m generally quite a law-abiding person,I do remember, at a comedy festival in Montreux in Switzerland, myself and another comedian, Phil Kay, tried to sail across Lake Geneva on somebody else’s boat.

We were caught and had to do a runner,Do you have a nemesis?At different times in one’s career, particularly as an actor, it’s not uncommon to have a nemesis,Every time you go for a casting, you find one specific person has been there before you and got the part,Many years ago, it was an Irish guy called Peter McDonald, who’s a really good actor,Bastard.

I very much started as a standup, gravitated into sitcom, but when I started paying more attention to more dramatic acting roles, everything I went for, Peter McDonald got,He’s a friend now but, my God, I resented that man,He even turns up [as William Kenzie] in The Batman and The Penguin,What’s been your biggest onstage disaster?I fell asleep on stage once, in this legendary, raucous club called the Empire in Belfast,That was a disaster.

It was early in my career.I’d been up all night at a party, got on the train to Belfast and I thought I was fine.I remember thinking I could hear someone doing my material, and getting annoyed.At which point, I woke up and I realised I was on stage.It was an out-of-body experience and quite terrifying.

When I started out in comedy, I would wilfully seek out the most difficult gigs in prisons for murderers and thieves and sex offenders.In fairness, the murderers and thieves were great.It was an improv show, so you can imagine some of the suggestions.But the sex offenders I found unpleasant and unrepentant, and I don’t think I helped to rehabilitate [them] in any way.Do you still have any of Father Dougal’s knitted tank tops from Father Ted?I don’t.

I regret that.There’s a tiny painting that Father Stone painted of Father Stone and Ted, which I have.Dougal wore an Elvis suit for a lookalike competition.I have that.I asked the costume designer for the tank tops, but I’ve given them away to charities over the years.

It’s a pity.I like a tank top but I can’t really be seen wearing them in public.What’s been your most cringeworthy run-in with another celebrity?Van Morrison, a hero of mine, was being honoured in Dublin by Bob Geldof.There was an invited guest list of around 200 people.Van had requested a 25-piece orchestra to play his songs on the night.

I was backstage, in the toilet – Van’s toilet – doing my business, when I heard this banging on the door from this very angry man, going [does extreme Irish accent]: “Who’s in my toilet? Get out of my fucking toilet.”I do love Van, but I’m very aware of his crotchety reputation.When I came out, he did vaguely recognise me, and gave me what I can only describe as a very friendly head-butt, like a rutting stag.You star in the music video for Invisible Thread by the Divine Comedy.What would you do if you were invisible for the day?Probably go into everybody’s house on my street and rearrange their shoes.

Or is that creepy?You presented an Irish-language show, Inis na nIontas, on [Irish channel] TG4 in 2024, exploring the islands around the coast of Ireland.Where might you like to explore next, and in what language?Japan? But it would have to be in English.My Irish is really not that good.People come up to me on the streets of Ireland and speak to me in Irish, thinking that I’m fluent.I’ve got better Spanish than Irish.

So I’d do Japan, in Spanish, with English subtitles.What’s the most out-of-date item in your fridge?During Covid, people took on various challenges and adopted new hobbies.My one nod to that was I made my own sauerkraut.It’s easy to make, but requires discipline and concentration.You shred cabbage, add salt and black peppercorns, or caraway seeds.

The shredding is key.You need to shred it very finely.Then you let it ferment for up to a month.I had an ideal version of sauerkraut in my mind from a summer I spent in Germany when I was 18.When I came to eat mine, I didn’t really like it.

So that’s still in my fridge, three years on,Would you rather die at the bottom of the sea or deep out into space?I’m slightly afraid of the water,I can swim, but when I was working on Death in Paradise, I almost perished in the Caribbean on two occasions,One weekend off, myself and a few people illicitly chartered a little skiff and sailed to Montserrat, about 100 miles away from Guadeloupe,It was a beautiful sunny Saturday but next morning a hurricane blew up, and 20 foot waves were washing over our tiny boat.

We all thought that was it,People were praying and crying,The boat captain had lost his bearings and even he was crying,It really was a really harrowing experience,Another time, my kids had come to visit.

They had gone snorkelling and were following some giant turtles out to sea,My wife and I were on the beach,She said: “I think the kids have gone out too far,” so I had to go after them,I only like swimming if I can stand on the bottom, but I could see 200 foot below me and thought: “I’m not going to make it,”So, the answer to your question in short is: space.

Return to Paradise series two will start on BBC One in the UK on 31 October and ABC in Australia on 15 November.Ardal O’Hanlon: Not Himself tours the UK and Ireland until 16 November, then returns March 2026
foodSee all
A picture

Double, heavy, pure cream? Helen Goh’s guide to baking across borders – plus a finger bun recipe

When Sweet, the baking book I co-authored with Yotam Ottolenghi, came out in the United States in 2017, my excitement at seeing so many people bake from it was matched only by my horror at what I saw them pulling from their ovens on Instagram: pale cakes with thick, dark exteriors.Posts from Australian and British readers showed no alarming results and I quickly realised something had gone awry in the American translation. As it turned out, the recipes had been converted in-house by the publisher, using a straightforward formula to change celsius to fahrenheit. What no one had noticed was that the conversion also needed to take into account the oven setting: fan-forced versus conventional heat. Many American ovens, it seems, still don’t have a fan function

1 day ago
A picture

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for beetroot, apple and feta fritters | Quick and easy

These are autumn in a fritter. Not only were they an unexpected hit with my 18-month-old, but, after trying one myself, I instantly crossed out the saffron arancini at the top of my list for an upcoming lunch party and replaced it with a delirious, “OMG make these fritters!” Not bad for a five-ingredient dish, and a lot less faff than arancini.Serve with a green salad and the dip alongside for a filling dinner on a cold evening.Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Serves 2-42 apples (I used Discovery) 2 medium beetroot, peeled and grated1 egg 200g feta, crumbled60g self-raising flour (gluten-free if you have it)Olive oil, for fryingFor the dip 3 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt 3 heaped tbsp mayonnaise ½ lemon, juice and zestA pinch of sea saltGrate the apples skin and all into a clean tea towel, then twist and squeeze the towel over the sink to remove as much moisture as you can. Tip the grated apple into a large bowl, then add the grated beetroot, egg and crumbled feta, and mix well

1 day ago
A picture

From harissa baked hake to chicken schnitzel: Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for cooking with nuts

I always keep a stash of nuts in my kitchen cupboard. I scatter them, roughly chopped, over my morning yoghurt and fruit bowl, and when I feel an attack of the munchies coming on, I try (although I often fail) to reach for a handful of them in place of something sugary. These nutrient-dense superstars are high on the list of nutritionists’ favourite anti-inflammatory foods, and while all their health benefits are obviously terrific, I love them simply because they bring rich, buttery flavour, interest, and delightful texture to my cooking.Traditionally, schnitzels are coated in crisp breadcrumbs, but this delicious version using almonds and cornflour makes this nuttily delicious and suitable for anyone avoiding gluten.Prep 5 min Cook 45 min Serves 44 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts 50g parmesan, roughly chopped250g blanched almondsZest of 1 lemon50g cornflour Sea salt and black pepper2 eggs, lightly beaten1 tbsp dijon mustard Lemon wedges, to servePut a chicken breast between two sheets of baking paper, then use a rolling pin to beat the chicken until it’s about 1

2 days ago
A picture

We tried Tyra Banks’ ‘revolutionary’ hot ice-cream, and colour us confused

I’m at Smize and Dream, the ice-cream shop founded by supermodel, Harvard alumna and entrepreneur Tyra Banks. There is a steady stream of customers for a weekday afternoon in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. I’m here for the Hot Mama, which Banks debuted in September, and claims is the world’s first hot ice-cream.According to its creator, the new dessert is neither a latte nor a hot chocolate and certainly not melted ice-cream. But if it’s none of these, then what is it?“Liquid, warm, soothing, yummy, silky,” Banks wrote on Smize and Dream’s Instagram

3 days ago
A picture

How to make sweet-and-sour pork – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

Sweet-and-sour sauce, which hails from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and is much loved in nearby Hong Kong, has been a victim of its own popularity – you can now buy sweet-and-sour-flavour Pot Noodles, crisps and even dips. But, when made with care, the crunchy meat, tangy sauce and sweet fruit will remind you why you fell for it in the first place.Prep 20 min Marinate 30 min+ Cook 10 min Serves 2For the marinade200g pork loin or lean shoulder 1 garlic clove 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp rice wine, or dry sherry ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp Chinese five-spice powder (optional)To cook1 onion, peeled 1 green pepper, stalk, seeds and pith discarded 1 mild red chilli 1 egg 60g cornflour, plus extra to coatNeutral oil, for frying100g pineapple chunksFor the sauce2 tbsp apricot jam – the lower in sugar, the better1 tbsp cranberry sauce – ditto1 good squeeze lemon or lime juice25-40g soft light brown sugar 2½ tbsp Chinese red vinegar, or rice vinegar1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp cornflour, or potato starchI’ve chosen to make this with pork (spare ribs also work well, if you don’t mind a bone; if possible, get your butcher to chop them up), but chicken thigh or breast, chunks of firm white fish or firm tofu would also work well. Anything that can be battered and fried without giving off too much water is a safe bet.Cut the pork into strips about 1cm wide, then peel and crush the garlic

3 days ago
A picture

Fete, Chelmsford, Essex: ‘It absolutely dares to be different’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Fête in Chelmsford has made a big splash on the Essex food scene, snapping up local plaudits for this quaint, neighbourhood restaurant in a cobbled courtyard. Quaint isn’t a word I use often, but nor do I eat at many places with a spacious upstairs bar area that doubles as a yoga studio. Go for the spice bag potatoes with tropea onions and roast chilli, stay for the 45-minute flow yoga with Amanda.Actually, scrap that: do not even dream of pulling shapes after eating too many spiced onions. Leave it a couple of hours

3 days ago
businessSee all
A picture

BT ‘considering low-cost mobile brand’ as Revolut and Monzo plan launches

about 17 hours ago
A picture

HSBC warns it could take years to settle Madoff case as bank takes $1.1bn hit

about 17 hours ago
A picture

Steeper UK productivity cut of more than £20bn makes tax rises more likely

about 18 hours ago
A picture

After my car was damaged in a Tesco car wash it has washed its hands of my complaint

about 22 hours ago
A picture

CSL share price plummets amid shareholder revolt over executive pay plans

about 22 hours ago
A picture

RBA governor dismisses jobs fears but hints at rates hold after inflation uptick

1 day ago