Read on for our pick of the six best entertainment stories over the past seven days you might have missed...
 

1. Space Force has been renewed for season 2

Find Space Force season 1 in Apps & Games > Netflix

The series, which reunited The Office’s Steve Carell and Greg Daniels as co-creators, will return to Netflix. The title takes inspiration from Donald Trump’s order to establish the space force as the sixth military branch. Carell plays four-star general Mark R Naird, who is responsible for leading the Space Force.

Norm Hiscock joins Daniels as co-showrunner. The pair have already worked together on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks And Recreation and King Of The Hill. Jimmy O Yang, who plays Dr Chan Kaifang in Space Force, also lends his hand to writing for the second season. There’s no release date yet, but filming is set to begin next year, with production moving from Los Angeles to Vancouver. John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome and Diana Silvers will all reprise their roles.
 

2. The Office US is officially the funniest sitcom EVER

Speaking of Steve Carell-related news, because this is practically a Steve Carell stan account now, it has been scientifically proven (sort of) that The Office US is the sitcom that makes people laugh the most. In research conducted by OnBuy.com, 120 people watched ten of the most popular sitcoms while the duration of their laughter, measured by decibels, was recorded for each show.

The Office generated one minute and 45 seconds of laughter per hour, with Brooklyn Nine-Nine coming in second place with one minute and 38 seconds and Community stealing third place with one minute and 13 seconds. See how your favourite stacked up:
 

1. The Office US – 1min, 45 sec
2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine – 1min, 38 sec
3. Community – 1min, 13 sec
4. Parks And Recreation – 56 sec
5. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia – 55 sec
6. Arrested Development – 52 sec
7. Friends – 32 sec
8. How I Met Your Mother – 24 sec
9. Two And A Half Men – 10 sec
10. The Big Bang Theory – 6 sec
     

3. Blessing Chitapa wins The Voice UK

Find The Voice UK in Apps & Games > ITV Hub

Jonny Brooks (Team Tom), Gevanni Hutton (Team Will), Brooke Scullion (Team Meghan) and Blessing Chitapa (Team Olly) battled it out during the series 9 finale on Saturday. The virtual audience then crowned 18-year-old Blessing, from Dudley, the winner, making it coach Olly Murs’ second win in a row. Blessing has secured a recording contract with Universal’s label UMOD and her new single is a cover of Robbie Williams’ “Angels.” The Voice UK returns for series 10 in January 2021.

4. Prime Video has launched Watch Party in the UK

You’ve probably heard of Netflix Party (you can thank lockdown 1.0 for that), and now Prime Video has entered the viewing experience arena with Watch Party, the perfect addition for lockdown 2.0. The feature, available for Prime members at no additional cost to your membership, allows you to watch a movie or TV series with up to 100 people, while you use the chat function (and built-in stickers) to communicate.

This is how you get started:
 

1. Find a movie or TV show – Click on the Watch Party icon on your screen for movies. You’ll find it in the episode list for TV shows.
2. Enter your name – Choose the name you’d like to use while chatting. Create your Watch Party.
3. Invite your friends – Share your Watch Party link with up to 100 people. Your friends can join by clicking on their link.
4. Start watching and chatting – Once everyone is ready, start your Watch Party. The host can play, pause and skip for the group.
    

5. Get involved with Fireman Sam’s Modern-Day Heroes campaign

Research commissioned by Fireman Sam shows that 36% of the UK public have changed their views on what it means to be a hero, due to the events of 2020. A poll of 2,000 UK adults found that determination, honesty and integrity were the top attributes of a hero, while only 7% of respondents considered physical strength to be a characteristic of a hero. Nurses, doctors and the fire service were voted to have the most heroic jobs, with waste collectors, delivery drivers and supermarket workers also receiving a special mention.

Your kids can get involved by drawing a picture of their modern-day hero and then posting it on Facebook or Instagram using #FindTheHero, with a short description of how this person has helped others this year. It could be a friend, family member or frontline worker. For every picture posted with the hashtag, Fireman Sam will donate £1 to the Disasters Emergency Committee Coronavirus Appeal, for a total of up to £10,000.
 

6. Sophia Loren returns to the screen for the first time in ten years

Find The Life Ahead in Apps & Games > Netflix

The glamorous star, who’s now 86, plays Madame Rosa in The Life Ahead, a film co-written and directed by Edoardo Ponti, her youngest son. It’s her third collaboration with him. “I still get sent many scripts, but none spoke to me like The Life Ahead did. That’s why I didn’t work for almost ten years,” Loren told The New York Times. She also took time off from acting to spend more time with her family. Madame Rosa is an Italian Holocaust survivor who agrees to look after Senegalese orphan Momo (newcomer Ibrahima Gueye) in this movie that expresses “tolerance, love and inclusion”, Loren said.

How to watch Amazon Prime Video with Virgin TV

Prime Video is available to all Virgin TV customers with a V6 box, powered by TiVo^®. Simply sign up to Amazon Prime Video via their website, and you can log in on the box. And because Prime Video is fully integrated into TiVo^®, you can search without even going into the app. Just select Search & Discover from the Home menu and type in the name of the show or movie you’re after.

How to watch Netflix with Virgin TV

If you have a TiVo^® box or Virgin TV V6 box, powered by TiVo^®:

Press home on your remote

Select Apps & Games

Select All Apps 

Select Netflix

If you’re already a Netflix subscriber, you can also access the app through Search & Discover or by pressing Red on channel 204. Just sign in with your existing login and start watching. And you’ll only have to log in the first time you use it. 

If you’re new to Netflix, then you’ll need to subscribe to use the app. The easiest way to do this is by going to netflix.com/virginmedia. You can also subscribe using the Netflix app in Apps & Games.