Laura Harding
Laura Harding covers entertainment through a mix of breaking celebrity news, obituaries, reviews and agency copy that keeps the focus on how public figures, performers and audiences handle moments of shock, loss and spectacle. She works across arts, media and entertainment, filing structured stories that move quickly while staying anchored in confirmed detail and the context of a subject’s work. She is an entertainment editor at PA Media in a deputy-level role, with her copy syndicated to the Evening Standard and other news organisations.
Celebrity deaths and family responses
At the Evening Standard, Harding frequently leads coverage of high-profile deaths in the entertainment world and the reactions of families and friends.
She has reported on the death of model Presley Gerber, writing both a news piece on his death at 27 and follow-up coverage on the grief expressed by Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and Paris Hilton. She also covers the death of actors such as Coronation Street and Waiting For God star Stephanie Cole, setting out their careers alongside the fact that she had been living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Across these stories she sticks to clear chronology, direct quotes and plainly stated facts rather than speculation, giving space to both the public record and the personal responses of those closest to the subject. This approach makes her a regular byline on sensitive celebrity news where careful tone and accurate reporting are central.
Music icons, tributes and live events
Harding’s entertainment reporting often centres on musicians and the ways their legacies and careers are marked in public life.
She has written multiple pieces on Dolly Parton, including coverage of official tributes such as the Band of the Coldstream Guards performing 9 To 5 at Buckingham Palace after her death from cancer and reactions describing her as “unique and irreplaceable”. She follows how other artists respond, for example Miley Cyrus remembering her “angel” godmother after Parton’s death, using those statements to sketch the influence of a major figure on younger performers.
Her coverage of live music events, such as Wembley Stadium relaxing rules for a Harry Styles concert during a 33C heatwave, combines artist-focused reporting with practical detail about crowd safety, venue policy and fan experience. In related work she documents public tributes around milestones and relationships in entertainment and sport, including pieces on Wayne Rooney’s message to Coleen Rooney on her 40th birthday, treating social posts and statements as news when they connect directly to public figures.
The thread across these pieces is an emphasis on how music and celebrity culture intersect with institutions, audiences and moments of collective attention.
Theatre news, awards and screen coverage
Stage and theatre coverage is a consistent strand of Harding’s output.
She reports production news such as the cancellation of a London revival of Sunday In The Park With George after the stars withdraw, explaining the reasons and the impact on the planned run. She also writes reviews, including her assessment of Gruffalo Granny as a tale of wit and bravery that works as an homage to storytelling, signalling a willingness to cover family-oriented theatre and literary adaptations as part of the entertainment beat. Her professional biography highlights a particular interest in theatre, the film industry and the work of female directors, alongside regular reporting from major awards shows including the Oscars, Baftas and Grammys and international film festivals such as Sundance and Toronto.
This positions her to join the dots between red-carpet coverage, industry decisions and creative work, and to handle both straight news from ceremonies and more reflective pieces on trends in film and television. The combination of breaking theatre news, stage reviews and high-level film coverage makes her a versatile contact for stories that sit at the intersection of live performance, screen culture and awards.
Agency entertainment desk and cross-outlet work
Harding works on the PA Media entertainment desk in an editor-level role, giving her a vantage point across the agency’s arts and showbusiness output. Her copy runs in multiple mastheads, including the Evening Standard and the Irish Examiner, where her byline fronts agency pieces such as coverage of Piers Morgan’s threat to sue Charles Spencer over alleged inaccuracies in a book about Princess Diana. She also contributes lifestyle and experience-led features, such as a review of a London hotel suite that lets families sleep beneath a giant T-Rex installation, written in her capacity as an entertainment editor for the Press Association.
Her social and professional profiles describe a remit that spans film, television, music, celebrity news and media, backed by long experience at the agency and previous international entertainment reporting work. This agency structure shapes her writing style: concise, neutral and ready to be lifted into different outlets, while still carrying enough colour and context to sit comfortably alongside staff-written arts and entertainment coverage.
4 more entertainment journalists.
Abbie Bray
Abbie Bray reports on how television affects the people on screen and the viewers at home. She is acting head of Screen Time, working across national and regional titles on dramas, soaps, factual entertainment and live broadcasts. Her focus includes Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, Vera and Midsomer Murders, as well as Gardeners’ World, Our Yorkshire Farm, Countryfile, Garden Rescue and A Place in the Sun. She also covers presenters, long-running series, sports broadcasts, viewer complaints and Ofcom scrutiny. Before Screen Time, she was a TV reporter for Metro and the Daily Express, then held weekend TV editor, assistant TV editor and deputy showbiz editor roles. Her reporting links TV formats to grief, career changes, casting, audience reaction and the personal stakes behind live coverage.
Adam Bloodworth
Adam Bloodworth covers how culture, nightlife and luxury spaces shape modern entertainment and everyday life. He is a Features Journalist and Deputy Life&Style Editor at City A.M., where he has written and commissioned culture and lifestyle features since 2022. He is also Deputy Editor of City A.M. The Magazine. His beat includes film, TV, music, theatre, things to do, restaurants, hotels, members’ clubs, fashion and LGBTQ storytelling. He has written for The Telegraph, The Independent, VICE, Metro and HuffPost UK. He reviews gigs, theatre and restaurants, profiles venues and reports on live-music infrastructure. His work often combines criticism with first-person experience, judging places and performances by their atmosphere, stories and audience experience. He also interviews public figures and appears as an on-air commentator.
Adam England
Adam England stands out for linking celebrity news to wider trends in music, sport, health and everyday life. He is a writer-reporter on the news team at People, where he covers entertainment, culture and lifestyle through timely stories and evergreen explainers. His work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Vice, Dazed, Healthline and Verywell Mind. He writes about music, screen entertainment, celebrity careers, fan communities, sport, cultural history, mental health, travel, pets, relationships and social affairs. His explainers include the 2023 NFL Draft and Bruce Lee’s death. He also reports on sensitive celebrity health stories, such as Lionel Richie cutting a concert short after feeling dizzy. His reporting is clear, factual and service-driven. He strips back jargon and mythology, uses lived experience and expert input where relevant, and avoids sensationalism.
Adam White
Adam White is features editor across culture and lifestyle at The Independent. He writes and commissions long-form features, essays and interviews on film, television, music and entertainment. His work examines how fame, fandom and taste shape contemporary culture, from streaming thrillers and celebrity disclosure to festivals, live music and creative careers. His writing has appeared in Dazed, Huck, i-D, Playboy, The Telegraph, The i, Little White Lies, The Quietus and Nylon. He uses a strong, voice-led style that combines reporting, observation and personal immersion. His streaming coverage treats television as something experienced as much as watched. His celebrity essays connect star narratives to wider questions about privacy and public image. His festival writing focuses on audiences and live events as cultural rituals. His interviews with film-makers and authors rely on rapport, extended stories and reflection.