The director of 1990s US sitcom Friends says a fan's proposed alternative ending that went viral is "not funny". 

In Gareth Stranks' dark ending, the show is revealed to be a "meth-addled fantasy of a homeless Phoebe", who imagines the five friends she watches through the windows of Central Perk are her own. 

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Friends director Kevin Bright said the ending was not right for the comedy, but he was not "offended" by the fan's proposal. "You can't get annoyed because it really comes out of love… It's keeping the show alive, trying to take a bit of ownership in some odd way," he said. 

Asked whether a reunion could ever be a possibility, he said: "Going backwards is probably not what the cast wants right now". 

Shame!

Check out Stranks' version below and let us know what you think.

One of London's main comedy venues has been forced to shut, according to the comedy website Chortle, external.

Asbestos removal work at The Bloomsbury theatre has been brought forward unexpectedly, meaning shows featuring the likes of Robin Ince, Chris Ramsey, James Acaster and John Lloyd have been cancelled.

The venue was also due to to stage gigs and the world premiere of a stage adaptation of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny (which has also been made for TV, pictured).

"Theatre staff are proactively working with performance organisers to find new venues and dates for the affected shows and we will contact all customers in due course with more information about change of venue and any refund process," the theatre said, external.

The venue is expected to reopen next January. 

The world-famous Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is celebrating the completion of its new entrance hall. Work began on the project in April 2014 and the museum will be officially opened on Friday, when it will be closed to the public ahead of the opening weekend on 5 and 6 September.

And here's how it all came together.

Eddie Redmayne is being tipped as an award contender again, a year after his Oscar-winning performance as Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.

He is now starring in another biopic, The Danish Girl, playing transgender woman Lili Elbe, one of the first people to have gender affirmation surgery. The first trailer has just been released.

Meanwhile, director Tom Hooper has told Screen Daily, external he cast Redmayne because he sensed a "certain gender fluidity" in the actor.

One Direction clearly have loftier ambitions than breaking mere chart records. The band have released a video featuring some of their fans telling world leaders how they want the world to change, which is all part of an initiative called Action2015.

Find out what (mainly) girls from Malaysia to the US, and pretty much everywhere in between, want from those in power.

Exciting times as the new term at Hogwarts opens - JK Rowling has tweeted good luck to Harry Potter's son James, who apparently starts at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry today.

Let's hope he manages the leap on to platform 9 and three quarters without too much trouble.

There's been a lot of reaction to James Bond author Anthony Horowitz's comments about Idris Elba being "too street" to play 007.

The quote came from a Mail on Sunday interview, external (Horowitz also said it's "not a colour issue" and suggested Adrian Lester instead).

Some of you aren't convinced by that defence, while others agree.

The Coronation Street live episode to celebrate 60 years of ITV is fast approaching - it will air later this month. And here's a sneak peak of the trailer. Hold on to your hats!

In the latest unlikely but potentially brilliant music collaboration, Wu-Tang Clan rapper GZA is working with Chariots of Fire composer Vangelis.

GZA posted a photo of the pair on Facebook, external along with a statement explaining that he was cancelling European gigs in order to finish his album Dark Matter with "a very rare collaborator".

Image source, Facebook

GZA's Dark Matter has been described as a sci-fi concept album inspired by the universe.

Vangelis fan site Elsewhere has a statement, external about the collaboration from the Oscar-winning composer, who also did the Blade Runner soundtrack.

Ellie Goulding was forced to call for calm at a concert in Glasgow on Sunday after scuffles broke out in the crowd.

Footage posted online appeared to show women brawling during her performance at the Summer Sessions event in Bellahouston Park. Goulding told fans: 

Author Anthony Horowitz is facing a bit of a backlash after saying Luther star Idris Elba is "too street" to be the next James Bond.

Elba has long been touted as a possible successor to Daniel Craig. But Horowitz, who has just written a "new" Bond novel titled Trigger Mortis, says he's not right for the part.

He told the Mail on Sunday's Event magazine, external: "Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better." He suggests Hustle's Adrian Lester.

"For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a colour issue. I think he is probably a bit too 'street' for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah."

Poor old Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan - the singer is recovering in hospital after fracturing his pelvis last week.

His partner, Victoria May Clarke, reassured fans on Twitter.

He was apparently doing a "complicated dance move".