Ocado sales bounce back as price cuts lure shoppers: Boost for M&S as tie-up delivers

By Emily Hawkins

Updated: 17:46 EDT, 19 September 2023

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Sex And The City without Samantha Jones has been like toast without butter. Little wonder then, that her hotly anticipated cameo in last night’s finale of And Just Like That — the sequel to SATC — has caused such a stir.

Following a bitter six-year feud with Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP), who plays Carrie Bradshaw, Kim Cattrall had sworn never to play man-eating PR executive Samantha again. But earlier this year she was persuaded to reconsider after fans said the story of life and love in Manhattan just wasn’t the same without her.

Here, original SATC super fan CLAUDIA CONNELL gives her riotous take on Kim’s big comeback as the second series concluded and the other surprising twists in the final episode (spoiler alert!)

A VERY COSTLY CAMEO

Kim Cattrall was on screen for all of 60 seconds last night. It’s rumoured that the actress was paid $1 million (£790,000) to film the scene — and she speaks just 20 lines, working out at an impressive £13,166 per second of airtime.

According to Cattrall, the chief executive of TV network HBO called her and asked what it would take for her to return. Being styled by Patricia Field, the celebrated costume designer who worked on the original series, but not the reboot, was one of her asks.

Officially, Field was unavailable for the reboot due to working on Emily In Paris, but some suggested Field was not actually asked to do And Just Like That because SJP resented her close friendship with Cattrall and was punishing her.

Insisting on Field, who dressed Cattrall in a red dress, a gold coat and had her clutching a giant, oversized green bag, is perhaps Cattrall’s swipe back.

Cattrall also insisted on her make-up being done by celebrity cosmetic artist Kyra Panchenko and her hair by Ryan Trygstad — who gave her a new wispy fringe.

The scene was filmed in March in New York, taking four hours, after which Kim says she ‘went home and had a large Martini’, having not encountered a single one of her three former co-stars.

THE LAST SUPPER

Carrie Bradshaw may be SATC’s main character, but it’s Samantha Jones who became the fan’s firm favourite.

Over the course of six seasons of SATC, Carrie went from being a gutsy, independent sex columnist to a whinger with a shoe fetish who couldn’t seem to function without a man. 

But bed-hopping, toy boy loving, child-free by choice Samantha always stayed true to herself.

And 60 seconds was all it took for Kim Cattrall to bring the sparkle, warmth and a star quality to And Just Like That it has lacked for nearly two years. 

Smiling as she sees Samantha’s name flash on her phone screen, ‘Hello London, what’s shakin’ lady?’ asks Carrie as she takes the call.

Having intended to be a surprise guest at the ‘last supper’ party Carrie is hosting to say goodbye to her bachelorette flat, Samantha — calling from her car — tells her friend that she won’t be able to make it after all, due to flight delays. Asking to go on loud speaker so she can say her own goodbye to Carrie’s famous home, she puts on a fake English accent and trills, ‘thanks for everything you f*****g fabulous, fabulous flat’.

And just like that she was off, leaving us to assume she probably slept with the chauffeur before heading out to dinner with her new British girlfriends.

THE NEW MR RIGHT?

In series two of And Just Like That, Carrie reignites her romance with Aidan Shaw, the furniture maker she first dated in SATC’s series three. 

She broke his heart by cheating on him with Big and, later, breaking off their engagement. Carrie tells Miranda that this time around sex with divorced father-of-three Aidan is the best she’s ever had and she’s started to think that ‘Big was a big mistake’.

But just as she’s about to move into the new, four-bedroom duplex she plans to share with Aidan, he arrives in New York to tell her they have to put their relationship on hold for five years. His troubled youngest son needs him.

He returns to Norfolk, Virginia, breaking Carrie’s heart just as she did to him two decades earlier.

CRAZY CAT LADY

Carrie becomes a doting ‘mum’ to a tabby kitten that she names Shoe. Yes, really! 

Shoe sleeps in a Manolo Blahnik shoe box. The kitten was part of a litter that had been abandoned and taken to the veterinary practice where Che, Miranda’s (non-binary) ex, works. Is she set to become a crazy cat lady?

SPANX SILLINESS

Earlier in the series, annoyingly ditsy Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) makes the decision to return to work full-time. Charlotte purchases a chic, black lace Prada dress to wear to her first day in her new job at an art gallery, but it’s tight on her stomach.

She tries a bone broth crash diet, but can’t shift the pounds. Instead, 22 years after Bridget Jones made big knickers famous, she squeezes herself into body-control underwear that’s so restricting she can barely walk. 

Arriving at the gallery, she’s greeted by a 20-something, plus-size assistant, wearing a crop top. 

In a highly contrived scene, a liberated Charlotte runs to the bathroom to rip off her Spanx to let her tiny tummy take centre stage.

WORST PARTY EVER

As good luck would have it, Carrie wins a raffle prize for a chef to cook dinner for her and her pals. She decides to hold a ‘last supper’ at her flat before she moves.

The table is decorated with roses and linen napkins bearing Carrie’s initials. As she uses her kitchen for extra clothes storage, the chef cooks at a neighbour’s place. 

Seated around the table, she asks her guests say one word that represents something they want to let go of.

‘Guilt’ says Miranda. ‘Limits’ says Charlotte. ‘Shoes’ says Carrie. Not really, especially given her new pet’s name. She goes for ‘expectations’.

MESSED-UP MIRANDA

Miranda’s estranged husband Steve spoke for us all in the final episode when he says ‘you’re not going to flip and be straight again are you?’ after meeting up with his ex, who ditched him for Che in the first series of And Just Like That.

Once the fiercest, most successful of the characters, Miranda’s turned into an insecure, bumbling midlife Mr Bean. 

Describing herself as a ‘sexually confused alcoholic,’ she’s single for the second half of this series after splitting with Che.

Working as an intern at a human rights charity, the former hotshot lawyer seems lost … until she meets plummy BBC producer Joy (Dolly Wells) who looks set to be her love interest in the next series.

SEEMA: THE NEW SAM?

Outspoken, successful and with an insatiable sex drive, real estate broker Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury) has helped fill the void that Samantha left behind.

She became besties with Carrie after selling the apartment she shared with Big. In this series, she becomes involved with film director Ravi and — in true Samantha style — has sex with him in the master bedroom of the multi-million-dollar flat she’s showing him.

She even gets the honour of sharing the finale’s last scene with Carrie. Relaxing on sun loungers on a Greek island, the two women are seen sipping Cosmopolitans — the cocktail SATC made famous.

Today Show host Karl Stefanovic delivered a cheeky blow to outgoing Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch on Wednesday, after his shock resignation. 

Karl, 48, jokingly told guests at a lavish media event at Sydney‘s Crown this week: ‘To be honest, I’m glad he’s gone.’

Karl made the playful joke while paying tribute to the TV veteran, 67, whose last Sunrise show will be on Friday. 

A handful of TV stars including Karl, Kochie, Natalie Barr and Samantha Armytage were all in attendance at the Crown x Vivid Sydney event on Wednesday.

Kochie revealed he was leaving Sunrise last Monday after 21 years and will be replaced by former Olympic athlete Matt Shirvington, 44. 

According to Sky News, Karl credited Kochie for paving the way for him and many others in the TV industry.

‘He pulls up stumps at the end of this week and I just want to pay my respects to him on what a wonderful career it has been,’ Karl said. 

‘It has been an extraordinary one for 21 years. He’s got up with the bakers and the road workers; and he has crunched it out across the nation.

‘That can’t be underestimated the impact he has had. He’s changed the whole way that breakfast news and TV is done in this country, and has allowed someone like me, a loose unit, to come along and also do the same for however long I do it for.’

On Tuesday, Kochie revealed he had received a ‘wonderful’ message from his breakfast TV rival Karl after announcing he was leaving Sunrise.

‘Thank you to everyone who has been so lovely. Unbelievable messages,’ he said. 

‘A wonderful, classy, respectful one from Karl Stefanovic. It was so nice, really adored that one but so many great messages.’

Kochie also told Daily Mail Australia on Monday he received a text message from one from his longtime co-hosts Melissa Doyle.

‘I’ve just glanced, because I’ve got lots of messages, I saw one from Mel and I’m sure there will be a whole bunch of others in the list but I’ve been talking to lots of journos and doing interviews,’ he said.

Kochie stunned his colleagues on Monday when he announced his resignation from the hit breakfast show after 21 years.

Behind the scenes photos show his co-hosts Natalie Barr, Edwina Bartholomew and Mark Beretta overcome with emotion in between breaks in filming.

During his on air announcement, Natalie looked heartbroken when Kochie said he had spent more time with her over the past few years than with members of his own family.

He said he was leaving the hit show to focus on his own businesses and to enjoy more flexible work hours to spend time with his growing family.

Kochie joined Sunrise to present finance reports in 2002 and in October that year became Chris Reason’s replacement when the journalist was diagnosed with cancer.

Shirvington, 44, said he was feeling ‘mixed emotions’ about the new gig as he joined Barr and Koch on the couch for the announcement.

‘Just amazing. Daunted. So excited. Happy. Cannot tell you the honour and privilege this is, Kochie, particularly. A huge job. A huge job. And an exciting job,’ he said.

Both Kochie and Barr said they were thrilled with the choice.

‘What we do always is when you’re a member of the family, you stay a member of the family, don’t you. And you come through. And you’ve been fantastic filling in and every Friday, it’s been sensational. You are going to been sensational. You are going to be the perfect fit,’ Koch said.

‘I have loved every single minute of my time at Sunrise,’ Koch said on air about his resignation.

‘I’ve been privileged to experience so many adventures, to meet so many incredible people, and to cover so many moments of history in the making.’

Seven West Media Chairman, Kerry Stokes said: ‘I will personally miss David, as he is a thorough professional and a wonderful human being, particularly in the manner he has mentored so many Seven people.’

Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer James Warburton added in a statement: ‘All good things come to an end, and I admire and respect his decision to step away from Sunrise while he’s at the top of his game.’