Marks & Spencer had a chaotic Christmas last year, hiring The White Lotus’s Aimee Lou Wood to front its festive ad campaign only to decide, after filming, to go in a different direction.This year, though, it can be revealed the retailer has turned to James Norton, the 41-year-old star of Grantchester and Happy Valley (in which he played the psychopath Tommy Lee Royce).Norton, who recently declared himself too old to be in the running for James Bond, signed on the dotted line for M&S around a week ago and is expected to be filming in a festive sweater in the next few weeks.And sources indicate he picked up a very fat cheque indeed… which may even be nudging £1million. Perhaps M&S were impressed by his stunning campaign for Giorgio Armani last year (he’s worked with the label since 2023).The move marks a reversal after last year’s strategy of a ‘product-focused’ campaign, with a social media-first approach, via ‘influencer content-drops’. In the end, its 2025 festive advert featured dancers on a snowy street, performing to the Snap! hit Rhythm Is A Dancer.(M&S runs a separate Christmas food campaign with Dawn French – as a fairy – as its face. It’s not clear whether this will return.)In 2023, the retail giant signed Hannah Waddingham, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Zawe Ashton; while in the past Holly Willoughby and model David Gandy have appeared.M&S reported in January that strong demand for its Christmas food offset dwindling fashion sales over the festive period, as the UK retail giant battled declining High Street footfall. Norton signed on the dotted line for M&S around a week ago and is expected to be filming in a festive sweater in the next few weeks. Norton starred in Happy Valley in which he played the psychopath Tommy Lee RoyceFood sales in the 13 weeks to December 27 were up 6.6 per cent – but fashion, home and beauty sales fell by 2.5 per cent.M&S said this was partly due to continued fallout from the cyber attack which paralysed its online business in spring 2025 for six weeks.High Street spending generally was low last Christmas, due to food inflation and the high cost of living.Ms Wood has never commented on what happened when she was dumped by the retailer, having signed a deal to lead the ad in the summer.A spokesman for M&S said: ‘We really enjoyed working with Aimee Lou Wood during the early stages of this year’s Christmas campaign – she brought great energy and creativity to the process. As the campaign evolved, we started to embed a new product-focused strategy under new leadership.’So, rather than a single-hero advert, the campaign was reshaped around a series of festive films and influencer content-drops aligned to key seasonal shopping moments – from gifting and hosting to partywear – delivered through a social-first, multi-channel approach across social media, digital, out-of-home and print.’So now we know. Or maybe not.Stockport-born Ms Wood found fame in Netflix’s comedy drama Sex Education before portraying ditzy Chelsea in the third series of The White Lotus last year.Why we all love to hate LaurenWhy do people love to hate Lauren Sanchez Bezos, the improbably pneumatic wife of megabucks Amazon founder Jeff? Bestselling author Amy Chozick, whose profile of Sanchez Bezos in the New York Times earlier this year stirred up a global storm, tells me: ‘I was not surprised by the anti-Lauren backlash. I think there is so much anger towards the uber bro class of tech oligarchs.’There are a lot of opinions out there which are nothing to do with who she is as a person.’She may be a fun hang, but that doesn’t detract from how triggering it is for people who can’t pay their bills to see these people living it up on a gigantic yacht.’Chozick, who has written a novel called With Friends Like You, which is being made into a major film, adds: ‘Also I think she does not look like what you think a billionaire’s wife should look like. There is no quiet luxury here. There was a tacit agreement for years that you could be as wealthy as you liked, as long as you didn’t look like you were having too much fun. Look at how Mark Zuckerberg used to conduct himself.’Now you have someone who is not at all apologetic about it – and this is at the moment that AI is coming for your job.’ Lauren Sanchez Bezos pictured at the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtHugo’s niece is weaving her way into multiverseHer uncle Hugo played Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger and now Samara Weaving is stepping into the world of big-screen superheroes (and supervillains), too: she’s lined up to play telepathic mutant Emma Frost in a reboot of the X-Men.Samara who first tasted fame in the Aussie soap Home And Away, will be starring alongside Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink, as Jean Grey; and Inde Navarrette of Obsession, who has been tapped to play Mystique.The movie, due for release in 2028, will update the old mutants with a new young cast.The X-Men films were previously the property of 20th Century Fox, but the rights now belong to Disney (which bought the company seven years ago). Disney also own the rights to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Fox made seven X-Men movies and three Wolverine pictures. The last was Dark Phoenix, in the summer of 2019, in which Jean Grey goes a bit rogue. Samara Weaving is lined up to play telepathic mutant Emma Frost in a reboot of the X-MenWe work with y’all, but we don’t understand a word you say… Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, both American, admit they sometimes need subtitles to understand English accents – despite years of filming their global smash hit in the UK.Hunt, who plays Coach Beard in the series (which is set in Richmond, south west London), said: ‘When my wife wanted to watch the Oasis documentary, we got two minutes in before she says: “I’m doing subtitles. I can’t understand these dudes at all.” I said: “Yeah, you and me both, and I’ve lived there.” ‘Sudeikis chimed in: ‘My father needs help with some of the British accents and yeah, I benefit from that.’The new series of Ted Lasso started streaming on Apple TV on Wednesday. Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt at the 81st Golden Globe AwardsStrictly outrage, as it’s out with the old, in with the young version of the oldIs there something ‘Strictly’ familiar about this dancer?Aleksandra Isaeva, Strictly’s new ‘siren’, is a striking blonde Ukrainian Latin dance champ… just like axed pro Nadiya Bychkova.The difference is that she is 22 years old. And Bychkova is 36.I hear there is fury in the pro dancers’ WhatsApp group about the ‘brutal youth swap’ which has seen old favourites replaced by younger ‘clones’.Gorka Marquez has been replaced by Italian Cristian Priori – a virtual doppelganger for Marquez, and Aleksandra Isaeva’s professional dance partner.It’s all part of a clear-out of the ranks, with 44-year-old Karen Hauer, Strictly’s longest-serving professional, also leaving; along with Luba Mushtuk (36) and Michelle Tsiakkas (30). A source said: ‘The mood is bitter in the pro dancers’ WhatsApp group with a lot of talk about age bias and age discrimination.’The feeling is that it’s been brutal. Someone said that the show was now going to be ‘Strictly Clone Dancing’.’Rehearsals for the next series will begin towards the end of this month. The BBC has announced five new faces joining the professional dancers who are partnered with celebrities: Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby, and Mark Karmalita.As revealed in this column last year, the plan is to take Strictly in a new direction and embrace the world of TikTok more fully, which has been done successfully in the US version, Dancing With The Stars.Josh Widdicombe, Johannes Radebe and Emma Willis will present this year, following the departure of co-hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly. Double take: Aleksandra Isaeva, Strictly’s new ‘siren’, is a striking blonde Ukrainian Latin dance champ… just like axed pro Nadiya BychkovaScourge of the fashion world exposed An entertaining feud is in full swing after the modern day ‘Lady Whistledown’ of the fashion world was apparently unmasked.For two years, an anonymous Instagram account called Boring Not Com (spoofing a sycophantic fashion account Style Not Com) has been unleashing barbs, brickbats and fascinating gossip about the world of high fashion. Now, though, a British stylist and photographer called Rasharn Agyemang has been ‘unmasked’ by the journalist Lauren Sherman in respected newsletter Puck, provoking fury.Boring Not Com has accused her of ‘ruining the fun’ and being ‘obsessed’.Jesse Eisenberg, Oscar-nominated for his original screenplay for A Real Pain (about chalk-and-cheese cousins on a journey through Poland), will be in London in October when his new film closes the 70th London Film Festival.The Debut stars Julianne Moore (right) as a shy woman who auditions for a role at a community theatre, with Paul Giamatti as the director who sees something in her. Moore said: ‘I probably can count on two hands the scripts that I have read in my career that just made me electrified and this was one of them.’She added: ‘Jesse really is an assured, wonderful film-maker.’Tracy-Ann Oberman is continuing to create plum roles for herself – by turning male characters into female ones. In 2023, she played Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant Of Venice. Now she’s taking the lead in Noel Coward’s Present Laughter, playing matinee idol Garry Essendine as a diva called Geri.The play will be at the Theatre Royal Bath, from August 27 to September 5, ahead of a UK tour.