Film & TV
The most Googled Welsh celebrities revealed
Christian Bale has been revealed as the world’s most Googled Welsh celebrity, receiving 2.1 million searches per month according to new research.
Comparison site JohnSlots compiled a list of more than 300 prominent Welsh actors, musicians, sportspeople and public figures, and analysed Google data to find the average number of searches they receive each month around the world and in the UK.
The study found that Christian Bale tops the global rankings, with the public Googling the Pembrokeshire-born actor a staggering 2,100,000 times a month on average worldwide.
Bale, who currently lives in Los Angeles, California, was actually born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire where he lived with his family until he was two years old. Bale and his family frequently moved for his father’s work, and they lived in England, Portugal and the United States, before the family settled in the coastal town of Bournemouth.
Bale began his Hollywood career at just 13 years old when he was cast in Steven Spielberg’s World War II drama, Empire of the Sun. It wasn’t until the year 2000 however, when he was cast as New York serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, that he really entered the public eye. More recently Bale has starred as supervillain Gorr in Marvel’s CGI romp, Thor: Love and Thunder, which was released in July this year.
Coming in second place is award-winning female actor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, who receives 1,225,000 searches per month on average worldwide.
The actor, who was born in Swansea, was raised in the nearby seaside village of Mumbles, located at the edge of Swansea Bay.
Zeta-Jones made her on-screen acting debut in 1990 when she starred in the French-Italian fantasy film, 1001 Nights.
A later role in the British comedy-drama, The Darling Buds of May, saw Zeta-Jones secure public recognition, with the Welsh star going on to feature in an array of box office hits including, The Mask of Zorro, Chicago and Ocean’s Twelve.
In third place is Cardiff-born actor Tom Ellis, who receives 1,200,000 searches every month on average worldwide.
Ellis stars as the devilishly handsome Lucifer Morningstar in the Netflix fantasy series Lucifer, which concluded its final season in September last year. Long-time fans of the BBC One sitcom Miranda will also recognise him for his breakout role as the titular character’s love interest, Gary Preston.
(Image: Steindy / Wikimedia / Creative Commons 2.0)
(Image: gdcgraphics / Wikimedia / Creative Commons 2.0)
In fourth and fifth positions are Cardiff-born professional footballer, Gareth Bale and acclaimed Port Talbot actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, both of whom receive 1,100,000 Google searches every month worldwide.
It is Gareth Bale however who takes the top spot as the most searched in the UK, ranking ahead of his Hollywood counterparts, with 167,000 searches every month on average.
The footballing superstar, who was born in Cardiff, attended primary school in Whitchurch, where Southampton Football Club first recognised his sporting talent when he was just nine years old. Bale later joined the club at 16, to become Southampton’s second youngest ever player. Having played for Wales’ national team since 2006, Bale currently trains and plays overseas for the Los Angeles professional soccer team, LAFC.
A spokesperson for JohnSlots commented on the findings: “Christian Bale deservedly takes the top spot as the most searched Welsh celebrity. However, with the actor perfecting his American accent in order to secure numerous Hollywood roles, many are often surprised when they learn of his Welsh roots. His longstanding contribution to film has evidently cemented his place as a worldwide household name.
“Wales should remain proud of the eclectic mix of talent that it has cultivated over the years, with many of those born in the country going on to become global celebrities, who continue to attract interest from fans all over the world.”
The research was conducted by JohnSlots, which is dedicated to slot games, and honest reviews of online games.
Most Searched Welsh Celebrity (Worldwide)
| Rank | Welsh Celebrity | Number of Monthly Searches (Worldwide) |
| 1. | Christian Bale | 2,100,000 |
| 2. | Catherine Zeta-Jones | 1,225,000 |
| 3. | Tom Ellis | 1,200,000 |
| 4. | Gareth Bale | 1,100,000 |
| 5. | Anthony Hopkins | 1,100,000 |
| 6. | Taron Egerton | 882,000 |
| 7. | Luke Evans | 852,000 |
| 8. | Michael Sheen | 531,000 |
| 9. | Tom Jones | 481,000 |
| 10. | Roald Dahl | 415,000 |
| 11. | Rhys Ifans | 401,000 |
| 12. | Bonnie Tyler | 352,000 |
| 13. | Aaron Ramsey | 321,000 |
| 14. | Timothy Dalton | 314,000 |
| 15. | Ioan Gruffudd | 286,000 |
| 16. | Richard Burton | 207,000 |
| 17. | Duffy | 202,000 |
| 18. | Perdita Weeks | 198,000 |
| 19. | Ryan Giggs | 171,000 |
| 20. | John Rhys-Davies | 169,000 |
Most Searched Welsh Celebrity (UK)
| Rank | Welsh Celebrity | Number of Monthly Searches (UK) |
| 1. | Gareth Bale | 167,000 |
| 2. | Christian Bale | 151,000 |
| 3. | Catherine Zeta-Jones | 122,000 |
| 4. | Aaron Ramsey | 120,000 |
| 5. | Charlotte Church | 106,000 |
| 6. | Luke Evans | 103,000 |
| 7. | Dawn French | 93,000 |
| 8. | Anthony Hopkins | 90,000 |
| 9. | Tom Jones | 90,000 |
| 10. | Michael Sheen | 88,000 |
| 11. | Shirley Bassey | 84,000 |
| 12. | Tom Ellis | 79,000 |
| 13. | Joanna Page | 77,000 |
| 14. | Roald Dahl | 76,000 |
| 15. | Greg Davies | 76,000 |
| 16. | Rhys Ifans | 61,000 |
| 17. | Ryan Giggs | 55,000 |
| 18. | Ioan Gruffudd | 54,000 |
| 19. | Timothy Dalton | 49,000 |
| 20. | Taron Egerton | 48,000 |
Paralympian and former Olchfa Comprehensive School pupil, Ellie Simmonds OBE has been named as a contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The five-time Paralympic champion and broadcaster joins previously announced contestants Will Mellor, Kym Marsh, Richie Anderson, Kaye Adams, Jayde Adams and Tyler West.
Ellie Simmonds OBE said: “Oh my gosh!! I’m literally bursting with excitement!! It’s been soooo hard keeping this secret as I’ve wanted to tell everyone. I’m going on Strictly Come Dancing!! I’m a tad nervous too, well more than a tad… I’m absolutely petrified!
“To be asked to be part of the Strictly family is just so exciting and I cannot wait, it’s going to be so much fun. I’m counting down the minutes until it starts; learning to dance, meeting my partner and everyone else involved in the show. Plus wearing the sequins and all that, it’s going to be a blast.
“I’ve been watching Strictly from as far back as I can remember; it’s a traditional lead up to Christmas with my family and it’s a genuine privilege to be part of it.”
Ellie is best known as a gold medal-winning Paralympic swimmer. At the age of thirteen, while a pupil at Olchfa Comprehensive School in Swansea, she was the youngest British athlete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, and won gold medals in the 100m and 400m freestyle events.
In 2012 she achieved gold in the 400m freestyle and the 200m Individual Medley at the Summer Paralympics in London and won a further gold in the 200m Individual Medley at Rio 2016. In addition she has won ten gold World Championship titles.
At the age of 13 she won BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and a year later, at just 14 years old, she became the youngest person ever receive an MBE. She was elevated to OBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to Paralympic sport.
After retiring from competitive swimming in 2020, Ellie has gone on to present for BBC Sport, most recently for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as making documentaries such as Ellie Simmonds: A World Without Dwarfism? for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. She is set to explore disability and adoption in a recently announced ITV film.
(Lead image: BBC)
Welsh language broadcaster S4C has announced that it’s looking for a production company to make Gogglebocs Cymru – a Welsh language version of the hit Channel 4 TV reaction show, Gogglebox.
The programme, to be made under licence from Studio Lambert, will be broadcast in late Autumn 2022.
S4C say Gogglebocs Cymru will play an important role in its provision, and the winning company will work together with S4C, Channel 4 and Studio Lambert to ensure the success of the production in the Welsh language.
They add that the casting will need to reflect modern Wales in its entirety and the series will play a key commissioning role in the year of the Channel’s 40th birthday.
It adds that its aim with the casting process will be to celebrate Welsh characters around Wales and Welsh speakers in and around the rest of the UK.
S4C’S Chief Content Officer, LLinos Griffin-Williams, said: “I am thrilled that Channel 4 has, for the first time, made an exception with one of their most valued formats, by agreeing to release exclusivity of Gogglebox in the UK to S4C.
“As two public service broadcasters, with a close and collaborative working relationship, we are delighted to be entrusted with such an important brand.”
(Lead image: S4C / Channel 4 / Studio Lambert)
Bridgend-born BBC newsreader, Huw Edwards has been named as one of 39 high-profile Brits that Russia’s foreign ministry has blacklisted in retaliation for the UK’s support of Ukraine.
The Welsh TV veteran, who was brought up in Llangennech in Carmarthenshire, joins other politicians and journalists to be banned from Russia, including former Prime Minister David Cameron and TV host and journalist, Piers Morgan.
Other names listed as being blacklisted include ITV’s political editor, Robert Peston and Labour Party Leader, Kier Starmer.
Russia said those listed ‘”contribute to the hostile course of London aimed at the demonisation of our country and its international isolation.”
Tensions between Russia and the West continue to rise as the six-month anniversary of its Ukraine invasion draws nearer.
The Russian Foreign Ministry have said that this latest list will be expanded further.
Moscow has banned dozens of UK citizens, primarily politicians and journalists from the country since the start of its hostilities.
(Lead image: BBC)
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