Good news: From Lizzo to Bake Off, here are this week’s stories that will put a smile on your face

Good News: Happy Valley and Paddington Bear
PA Media
Kate Rice10 February 2023

Happy Friday! If you’re looking to put a smile on your face, here’s a few of the cheeriest stories from the past seven days.

We were on a bake!

David Schwimmer and Jesy Nelson are not two names I ever expected to use in the same breath – but here we are!

This year’s celebrity contestants for Stand Up to Cancer’s episodes on Great British Bake Off have been revealed – we’ve got Friends stars, Olympic divers, popstars, and even Paddy McGuinness! What a spread.

The Celebrity Bake Off stars
Channel 4 / Love Productions / PA

While an exact date is yet to be announced, the show is confirmed for March 2023 – so keep your eyes peeled and aprons on!

Farewell, Happy Valley

If we’re being completely honest with ourselves, this isn’t really good news. We’re all (not even secretly) devastated by Happy Valley – after nine glorious years – finally coming to an end.

Sarah Lancashire as Catherine in Happy Valley
Ben Blackall / BBC / PA

But what we can all agree on is that the show finished in the best way it could; an art not all series have managed to master. I’m looking at you, Line of Duty.

For those of you who haven’t watched the series, take this as your sign to start. With all the episodes now out, you can burn through them to your heart’s content. I’m even a little envious.

Paddington’s royal tribute

Ben Whishaw – who some may know as the voice of Britain’s unsung hero, Paddington Bear – has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen in a surprise comic sketch with Paddington Bear
Buckingham Palace / Studio Canal / BBC Studios / PA

He spoke of her performance in her Platinum Jubilee sketch with the marmalade-loving mammal, saying, “I thought that she did that so brilliantly”.

Following the Queen’s death in September 2022, Paddington became a symbol of comfort for the nation, with many leaving his iconic marmalade sandwiches outside Buckingham Palace.

In the latest edition of ES magazine, Whishaw is believed to make his first interview comments about the performance between the pair.

Lizzo at the Grammys

Premiere ceremony of the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles
Lizzo attends the premiere of the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, in Los Angeles, California, on February 5
David Swanson /Reuters

This year’s Grammys have not been without their fair share of controversy. Who won what, who said what – there’s been a lot of heated discussion around the whole event.

But one take away from the 2023 awards ceremony was, whatever Lizzo was up to, she was having a great time doing it, and it was brilliant to watch.

What caught everyone’s attention in particular was her unmatched excitement for Harry Styles’s win for Album of the Year, capturing the moment on her phone.

The video has since been uploaded to the popstar’s TikTok and has unsurprisingly gone viral.

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