AFTER a decade in the special forces, Steven “Titch” Cormack is the latest ex-military man making a foray on to our TV screens.
Although, unlike Ant Middleton who he served alongside in the Special Boat Service, he does not want to conform to any stereotypes in his new show The Speedshop, on BBC2.
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He even knocked back an offer to work alongside his former comrade on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins so he could concentrate on this programme, which starts on Sunday.
Titch said: “I certainly don’t want to be pushing myself as some sort of TV hardman. Cringey. No! I want to blaze my own trail rather than going down that route.
“I was asked if I would be interested in doing that one, and I was quite unhesitant in my answer which was, ‘No, I won’t thanks’.
“My bag has always been doing my bikes, racing motorcycles and building machines.
“And with The Speedshop I was just fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to do exactly that.
“That’s where I have really enjoyed doing things, rather than running around shouting at people.
“It’s pretty easy to do, to be fair. Been there, done that.”
The Speedshop sees him and his team of former soldiers restore and convert old motorbikes at his workshop, The S Bomb in Poole, Dorset, before racing them in far-flung locations.
It is the perfect job for Titch, who jokingly says that his body is as battered as the machines he likes to rebuild.
Having served for 21 years in the military, Titch left the SBS in 2016 when he was medically discharged with a list of injuries as long as his trademark locks.
During his time in combat, which included taking part in covert operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and South America, he dislocated both ankles, broke his leg in two places and had to have his right knee reconstructed three times.
He has spoken about dislocating his ankle in Afghanistan when his helicopter crash-landed.
Titch revealed: “We were all stood up in the back and flew straight into the floor.
“We popped the ankle back in and I had to then carry on and do the job.”
I have a feeling that being on TV is going to be a doddle for Titch.
Claudia feels the squeeze
BRIDGERTON’s Claudia Jessie has lifted the lid on how she and her co-stars help create their petite look on the Netflix period drama.
It’s down to big, tight pants.
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But while wearing an enormous pair of knickers doesn’t sound too taxing, the Birmingham-born actress admitted it makes going to the loo a pain.
Claudia, who plays Eloise Bridgerton, said: “I do have Spanx, tights and a mic pack, so my biggest worry and concern every day is how am I going to go to the toilet.
“It’s a big task to go for a wee. I’m just going to remain dehydrated for the rest of the day, instead of taking 45 minutes to go for a wee.”
But Jessie said she was one of the lucky ones, as co-stars including Phoebe Dyvenor have far larger costumes.
Claudia told Smallzy on the Celebrity Small Talk podcast: “I have worn a full corset before on a job and it does restrict your eating at lunch.
“But I’m lucky, as I’ve got one of the small ones so I’m not fully restricted.”
KILLING Eve’s Jodie Comer has landed a role in a new drama series called Big Swiss which is being made for HBO in the US.
She will play the titular role of Big Swiss, who starts a new life transcribing sex therapy sessions and becomes obsessed with one of the patients.
Yet more stuff on Kate’s CV
KATE GARRAWAY has been given yet another ITV show.
The Good Morning Britain favourite is to present lifestyle magazine series Garraway’s Good Stuff this spring.
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The hour-long episodes will see Kate joined by a host of famous faces to kick off the weekend.
Producers have teased that she will cover items ranging from health and wellbeing tips to what to rustle up for your Saturday-night dinner.
The debut series is expected to run for five and a half months, leading the nation into the summer.
Pad: take my view on dating
HAVING presented Take Me Out for almost ten years, it’s no surprise Paddy McGuiness is fiercely supportive of the now-defunct ITV favourite.
But it is still a surprise to hear him explain why it was a much fairer dating show than Love Island.
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He told the TWS Sports Podcast: “If you look at programmes like Love Island now, everyone is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.
“All the guys are full of muscles and they’ve got dead-white teeth, and all the girls have got long hair and gorgeous bodies.
“Take Me Out was more about everybody.
“There was all different shapes and sizes on Take Me Out, that’s what I loved about it. It wasn’t like everybody was perfect.
“Out in the world no one is perfect, that doesn’t exist, so I’m glad Take Me Out had all shapes and sizes.”
Paddy makes a good point, but I’m not sure the contestants were quite as varied as he remembers them.
MARILYN MONROE is to become the subject of a new Netflix documentary from the creators of 2019 docu-series The Disappearance Of Madeleine McCann.
The Mystery Of Marilyn Monroe: The Untold Tapes will explore the circumstances around the actress’s death, aged 36.
Princely sum-one
PRODUCERS of The Crown have put out a casting call to find actors to play Princes William and Harry in the final series.
The search will take place over the next two months as filming will start this summer — just a few months before the penultimate series airs on Netflix.
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The show’s team are looking for men in their late teens and early twenties with a strong physical resemblance to the royal brothers for the drama’s final outing.
And they have kindly included images of Wills and Harry alongside the call — just in case we forgot what they look like.
