News

Hulu has revealed the new trailer for the eight-part Rivals series, which is based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by ITV Studios’ Happy Prince. The series will debut on Hulu in the U.S. on October 18, 2024.

Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986.

The series stars Alex Hassell as the dashing ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black, David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham, and Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara.

Nafessa Williams plays Cameron Cook, Katherine Parkinson portrays Lizzie Vereker, and Bella Maclean plays Taggie O’Hara.

The Rivals series also stars Emily Atack, Catriona Chandler, Oliver Chris, Danny Dyer, Rufus Jones, Lisa McGrillis, Luke Pasqualino, Claire Rushbrook, and Victoria Smurfit.

Rivals is executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb,...

Exclusive: Robyn Cara (Bodkin) has been cast in a series regular role in USA Network’s The Rainmaker, based on the John Grisham novel of the same name.

From showrunner and executive producer Michael Seitzman, the Lionsgate and Bloomhouse series follows Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) who, fresh out of law school, goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond (John Slattery) and his law school girlfriend Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman). Rudy, along with his boss (Lana Parrilla) and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.

Cara will portray Kelly Riker, a lonely young woman trapped in an abusive marriage who befriends her neighbor, Rudy. In the 1997 film The Rainmaker from director Francis Ford Coppola, Kelly was famously portrayed by Claire Danes.

The previously announced cast also includes P.J. Byrne in the role of Deck Shifflet, a no-filter, shoot-from-the-hip law school grad who failed the bar seven times.

Nicholas Hytner’s The Choral headlined by Ralph Fiennes, Paul Andrew Williams’ The Nest starring Andrea Riseborough and Jan Komasa’s Jeremy Thomas-produced Good Boy are among the projects backed by the Yorkshire Content Fund and in production across the summer.

The Yorkshire Content Fund, administered by Screen Yorkshire, has been supporting local production since 2012. It was initially set up with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (Erdf), which was awarded through the now-defunct regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward.

Following the demise of the regional development agency structure in 2012, the Yorkshire Content Fund continued to support production in...

Hulu has revealed a new teaser trailer and more photos for the eight-part series Rivals, based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios. The series is set to debut on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other countries later this year.

Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986.

This second wave of images (view the first wave of images here) introduces nine more iconic characters from the drama: Sarah Stratton, Caitlin O’Hara, James Vereker, and Freddie Jones.

There’s also Paul Stratton, Valerie Jones, Bas Baddingham, Lady Monica Baddingham, and Maud O’Hara.

The first looks are accompanied by a teaser trailer showcasing the ’80s set saga, which also stars Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean,...

The prequel series to Starz’s Outlander has found its lead actors and is heading into production.

Filming has begun in Scotland on Outlander: Blood of My Blood, a show that will focus on the parents of the leads in the main series. Starz previously said the prequel would center on Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) mother and father; the premium cabler now confirms that Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) parents will also be part of the story.

Harriet Slater (Pennyworth) and Jamie Roy (Lifetime’s Your Boyfriend Is Mine) will play Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, who will eventually become Jamie’s parents in 18th century Scotland. Hermione Corfield (We Hunt Together) and Jeremy Irvine (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) will play Julia Moriston and Henry Beauchamp, Claire’s parents, whose story unfolds in World War I-era England.

“We’re thrilled to be telling the stories of these two couples,...

Bill Nighy (Living, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and Jojo Rabbit’s Roman Griffin Davis will star in road movie 500 Miles from director Morgan Matthews (X+Y, Williams), which Beta Cinema will start selling at the Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market.

The Origin Pictures, Port Pictures and Minnow Films project is described as “a thrilling road movie full of heart, wit and wonder.”

“The story follows a broken family forced to come together when 16-year-old Finn (Davis) and his livewire younger brother Charlie run away from trouble at home in England to reach their estranged grandfather (Nighy) on Ireland’s stunning and wild West coast,” according to a plot description.

Matthews is set to direct from a script by Malcolm Campbell (What Richard Did, Herself, Ackley Bridge), based on the novel Charlie and Me by Mark Lowery.

Former head of BBC Film David Thompson (Billy Elliot, Notes on a Scandal,...

Academy Award nominee Bill Nighy and rising teen actor Roman Griffin Davis are set to co-star in road movie 500 Miles from BAFTA Award-winning director Morgan Matthews.

Beta Cinema has acquired international sales rights to the drama – produced by Origin Pictures, Port Pictures and Minnow Films – and will launch sales at the EFM.

Nighy will co-star as the grandfather of a young runaway played by Davis, who made history in 2019 as the youngest ever Golden Globe nominee for his performance in Taika Waititi’s World War II satire Jojo Rabbit. Recent credits for Nighy include Living, for which he was Oscar nominated in the lead actor category last year.

Road movie 500 Miles follows a broken family forced to come together when sixteen-year-old Finn (Davis) and his live-wire younger brother Charlie run away from trouble at home in England to reach their estranged grandfather (Nighy) on Ireland’s stunning and wild west coast.

Independent production giant Banijay’s U.K. arm unveiled the acquisition of scripted producer The Forge, the company behind such dramas as Marriage, starring Sean Bean, Help, starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham, and Becoming Elizabeth.

Banijay lauded the company’s “well-established reputation for high-quality, ambitious and award-winning TV drama.” Financial details weren’t disclosed.

The Forge’s other successes have included the likes of National Treasure (Channel 4), The Miniaturist (BBC), Kiri (Channel 4) and Collateral (BBC).

Banijay also highlighted that The Forge currently has multiple, high-profile titles for linear and streaming platforms in production. They include eight-part series The Buccaneers for Apple TV+, due to launch globally Nov. 8, whose plot description says it revolves around “the daughters of America’s new rich — beautiful and untameable, despite the best efforts of England’s finest governesses, they are on their way to London to snare themselves an aristocrat, low in funds...

Exclusive: Crime star Dougray Scott and Buccaneer Media, the Scottish police drama’s producer, have hired a Creative Director for Buccaneer Scotland, as it seeks to supercharge the scale of its productions in the Celtic country.

The Lighthouse development chief Neil Duncan hired to run Buccaneer Scotland slate as Creative Director, focusing on showcasing Scottish literary, acting and behind the camera talent through its worldwide operations and partnerships.

Scott and Buccaneer teamed to launch Buccaneer Scotland in November 2021, with Mission Impossible 2 star Scott taking an equity stake in the business. He had moved back in Scotland after a long period living in the U.S. to film Crime and will be joint CEO of Buccaneer Scotland alongside Buccaneer Media bosses Richard Tulk-Hart and Tony Wood.

Wood, the veteran drama producer and co-creator of The Only Way is Essex, noted big budget U.S. productions such as Starz’s Outlander had...

British rapper Abra Cadabra’s acting debut, “Trapping,” directed by Penny Woolcock (“Ackley Bridge”), will premiere on new pay-per-view streaming platform The Drop, which will launch on the same day.

The film delves into the world of “going county” or “Ot” (out of town), where children as young as six, and teenagers, are groomed by county line (the mobile phone line used to take drug orders) gangs to carry and sell drugs, move far away from their homes, skip school, sleep in out-of-town “trap houses” and drug dens, keep secrets from their loved ones, and become trapped in a hopeless situation.

It follows the story of likeable London teenager Daz (Louis Ede), who sees dealing drugs as a route to easy cash to help his struggling family. As Daz becomes more involved in a county lines gang and is taken under the wing of lead member Magic (Abra Cadabra), he...

“The Rising” Season 2 has been canceled just months before production was due to start, Variety has learned.

Cast and crew were gearing up for the Sky Studios show when they were told to down tools two months before principal photography got underway. “It was canceled before they were due to start filming,” a source familiar with the project told Variety. “All the cast and everything [were ready to go] and they just pulled the plug.”

Variety understands there were a “number of reasons” the production will not go ahead.

The second season, which was set to be titled “Risen,” was due to have a similar premise to the first but with different characters, settings and themes, turning the show into something of an anthology series.

The debut season of the supernatural crime thriller, which was Sky Studios’ first entirely in-house production, starred Clara Ruggaard as the ghost of a woman determined to track down...

David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Aiden Turner have joined the casting line-up for the eight-part series, ‘Rivals’, based on the celebrated novel by Jilly Cooper.

Completing the ensemble cast are Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Claire Rushbrook, Oliver Chris, Lisa McGrillis, Emily Atack, Rufus Jones, Luke Pasqualino and Catriona Chandler.

The original eight-episode series is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles, the iconic literary series packed full of wit, romantic entanglements, sex and unforgettable characters. The story is set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England.

Diving headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986. In the fictional county of Rutshire, a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over. Alex Hassell plays dashing ex-Olympian, Tory Member of Parliament and incorrigible rake, the dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black. David Tennant...

(Welcome to ...And More, our no-frills, zero B.S. guide to when and where you can watch upcoming movies and shows, and everything else you could possibly stand to know.)

Get ready for more blood, books, and bad ways to tend to a relationship. Netflix is soon releasing the next chapter of its wildly popular serial killer romance drama "You," which follows the obsessive pursuits of one Joe Goldberg on his quest to land the love of his dreams through any means necessary. Joe fancies himself a bit of a hopeless romantic, but our protagonist's charisma hides an underlying streak of stalking, murdering, and taking on the role of an extremely unreliable narrator. Last time we saw Joe, he had just ended his tumultuous relationship with fellow murderer and manipulator Love Quinn in the only way that Joe knows how to break up. Permanently rid of his life in the...

Chloe Bailey Boards AGC Studio’s Wall Street Drama ‘Midas Touch’

Musician and actor Chloe Bailey (Grown-ish) has signed on to star in the Wall Street drama Midas Touch from AGC Studios. The flick follows the true story of Lauren Simmons, the youngest equity trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and only the second African American woman to hold that position. Bailey will star as Simmons in the pic, which will be directed by Numa Perrier (The Perfect Find). Simmons is an executive producer on the film, as are AGC’s Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, and Glendon Palmer. CAA negotiated on behalf of Bailey and AGC’s SVP of Legal & Business Affairs, Anant Tamirisa, and Palmer negotiated on behalf of AGC.

‘The Pact’ Producer Little Door Expands With Drama Hires

The Welsh indie behind BBC drama The Pact, Little Door Productions, has hired Sherlock and Baker...

The Tudor dynasty is the TV gift that just keeps on giving. Ever since the breakout hit of Showtime's 2007 period drama "The Tudors," many a network has followed in their footsteps by sinking some cash into the world of frilled shirts, looming castles, and royal extravagance. The only thing more exciting than the realism and royal schadenfreude of "The Crown" is when you mix political and personal drama, dial up the dramatics and make it extra sexy. Over the years, the result has been a dozen different period dramas taking this approach (hence our post-"Bridgerton" world).

But "Becoming Elizabeth" offered a refreshing change of pace. Though it once again traces the Tudor story through the eyes of Queen Elizabeth I, the series created by Anya Reiss prioritizes Elizabeth's personal experience over the epic history being made in her lifetime.

"Becoming Elizabeth" follows the early life of Elizabeth Tudor (portrayed...

Drama commissioners Gabriel Silver and Liz Lewin and production head Amanda Wilkie-Sweeney are leaving.

Drama commissioners Gabriel Silver and Liz Lewin and production head Amanda Wilkie-Sweeney are leaving Sky Studios, Screen’s sister site Broadcast has learned.

It is believed all three have irons in the fire in terms of new roles, though the details are not known.

The trio follow Preethi Mavahalli out of the pay-tv provider’s drama department, who joined Ben Stephenson’s Poison Pen earlier this week.

Lewin and Wilkie-Sweeney resigned over the summer, while Silver’s departure was communicated to staff earlier this week.

Sky Studio...

Stephen Graham To Star In ITV Neo-Nazi Drama ‘The Walk-In’

ITV’s has ordered a five-part drama, The Walk-In, a true story of how a Neo-Nazi plan to kill an MP was foiled by an inside man. Stephen Graham will star in the ITV Studios series from writer Jeff Pope as activist Matthew Collins, a reformed Neo-Nazi, now working as a bona fide journalist for the anti-racist organisation Hope Not Hate. Bafta-award winning director Paul Andrew Williams directs the series, reuniting him with Pope — the pair has worked together previously on A Confession and Isolation Stories. They are both executive producers alongside Graham and another regular collaborator, Tom Dunbar. Jo Johnson is producing. Filming for The Walk-In tookin London and surrounding areas and the drama will air on ITV on Monday October 3 for five consecutive weeks. ITV Studios has International distribution.

Disney+ has greenlit a new eight-part series titled Rivals, based on the popular novel by British author Jilly Cooper.

Set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, Rivals dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 when a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over: ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black, and his Rutshire neighbor Tony Baddingham, controller of the independent TV franchise Corinium Television.

As tensions rise and rivalries deepen, there are spilled secrets, forged alliances, and snatched liaisons that draw wives, lovers, colleagues, friends, and families into their battle.

“The combination of Jilly Cooper and Disney+ is delightfully unexpected. We were thrilled when Dominic brought us these iconic books, and we leapt at the chance to bring them to life. We can’t wait to welcome Rupert Campbell-Black and the residents of Rutshire to the platform,” said Lee Mason,...

Exclusive: Range Media Partners has signed multi-hyphenate artist Ashley Walters (Top Boy) for representation.

Walters is an actor, writer, director, producer and recording artist best known for exec producing and starring in Netflix’s British crime drama Top Boy, created and written by Ronan Bennett. He stars alongside Kano (aka Kane Robinson) as Dushane Hill, a drug dealer plying his trade at the fictional Summerhouse estate, within the London borough of Hackney. The series, currently in its final season, has been credited with changing the television landscape in the UK through its authentic representation of Black London culture. It ran for two seasons on Channel 4 from 2011-2013 with Yann Demange directing and continuing as EP under Netflix, who brought the series back in 2018 for a further three seasons.

Walters’ acting career launched with a breakout, award-winning performance in Saul Dibb’s drama Bullet Boy. Since then, he has starred...

Julie Walters (National Treasure) and Clarke Peters (The Wire) are fronting a dark, irreverent drama based around a death pact for broadcaster Channel 4.

They will star in Clerkenwell Films’ six-part Truelove, which is written by from Iain Weatherby (Humans) and co-created with Charlie Covell. She wrote the tonally similar Channel 4 and Netflix drama The End Of The F***ing World — another Clerkenwell production.

With a core cast in their 60s and 70s, Channel 4 says the series “breaks the rules for older characters on screen and flips ageist tropes on their head in a series which promises thrilling twists and turns, irreverent humour and passionate romance.”

Walter will play Phil, an ex-senior police chief enjoying a comfortable if boring retirement, and Peters plays Ken, a divorcee and ex-special forces vet who feels similarly at sea. The pair are childhood sweetheart who never quite managed to forget each other.

At a friend’s funeral many years later,...

BAFTA nominees Lindsay Duncan and Simon Callow join Joe Stephenson’s upcoming “Doctor Jekyll,” starring Eddie Izzard.

Also added to the cast are Jonathan Hyde Tony Jayawardena (“The Crown”) and Robyn Cara.

In the film, a modern interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic 1886 novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,” Izzard plays Dr. Nina Jekyll, a recluse who finds friendship with her newly hired help, Rob, played by emerging actor Scott Chambers (“Chicken”) and they must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life. The screenplay is by first time writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern.

Joe Stephenson, director of Edinburgh and Busan selected film “Chicken” and feature documentary “McKellen: Playing the Part,” directs.

The film is produced by London based B Good Picture Company in association with Fluidity Films (“Journey’s End”). Stephenson produces with Guy de Beaujeu (“The Laureate”) with Liam Coutts (“The Good Drug”) associate producing. Christian Angermayer...

Nicôle Lecky, the creator and star of the BBC musical drama “Mood,” has signed with UTA.

The agency will represent the actor-writer in all areas. The signing comes a day after the British debut of Lecky’s buzzy drama “Mood.”

The BBC Three drama premiered in the U.K. on March 1 to rave reviews. Produced by Bonafide Films, the six-part music-based series stars Lecky as Sasha Clayton, an East London wannabe singer-rapper who’s forced to fend for herself when she’s kicked out of her family home.

After she meets party girl Carly, she’s introduced to the world of social media influencing and the divide between her dreams of becoming a singer and maintaining an online persona continues to grow.

Eventually, Sasha finds herself struggling to escape a world that’s far darker than she ever imagined.

“Mood” is based on Lecky’s one-woman Royal Court show “Superhoe,...

Exclusive: UK viewers spent triple the time watching the BBC compared to Netflix last year, according to a report from leading media analyst Enders Analysis that marks the streamer’s 10th anniversary in the nation.

Enders’ in-depth report set out to “provide context” to Netflix’s rapid UK growth since 2012, finding that the proportion of total UK viewing to Netflix was 7% in 2021, compared to 22% for the BBC.

Netflix was level with Channel 4 but also well shy of ITV (16%) and YouTube (14%). The streamer’s proportion of UK viewing has risen over the past decade although remained broadly flat last year. Around 16.7M UK households subscribe to Netflix, a figure that has steadily increased over the past decade without floundering, according to Enders.

The analysis comes following the UK government’s decision to freeze the BBC license fee for the next two years, with many of the corporation’s staunchest opponents...

The Witcher Season 2 is just months away.

It's been a long wait for fresh episodes of the Netflix fantasy drama, and now we have our biggest taste of the season to date.

During a panel today at the Lucca Comics & Games Convention in Italy, The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, cast members Joey Batey (Jaskier) and Kim Bodnia (Vesemir), Production Designer Andrew Laws, and Costume Designer Lucinda Wright delighted fans with a surprise drop of the highly anticipated main trailer and key art for The Witcher Season 2.

Accompanying the trailer, Netflix also released a new set of first look unit images from the series, which premieres globally on Netflix on Friday December 17th.

"Convinced Yennefer’s life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen," reads the official logline for Season 2.

"While the Continent’s kings,...

Exclusive: ITV has ordered a new crime drama series starring ER’s Parminder Nagra from Line of Duty pair Maya Sondhi and Jed Mercurio.

The British broadcaster has commissioned Di Ray, a Birmingham-set, four-part series that is centered around Rachita Ray, a police officer who takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage.

The series will track a murder investigation whilst exploring the emotive subject of racism in the workplace. It asks difficult questions about what it’s like to be British but feel ‘other, while taking viewers through the murky underworld of Birmingham.

Nagra, who starred on the ABC medical drama between 2003 and 2009 and has also appeared on The Blacklist and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., will play Ray.

Ray achieves the promotion she’s been waiting for when she’s asked to join a homicide investigation.

Apple TV+ today released the trailer for the second season of its critically acclaimed comedy series ‘Trying.’

In the eight-episode second season, Nikki (BAFTA-nominee Esther Smith) and Jason (SAG-nominee Rafe Spall) are continuing to navigate the adoption process. Having been approved by the adoption panel they now find that matching with a child is not as straightforward as they had hoped. It seems like children are being snapped up by other couples while somehow they’re being left behind. Helped by their eccentric social worker Penny (Imelda Staunton), they are determined to do everything they can. When Nikki meets a little girl called Princess at an adoption event she knows instantly that this is the child for them. But there are obstacles to Nikki’s plan that may prove insurmountable.

Returning cast this season also includes Ophelia Lovibond, Oliver Chris, Sian Brooke, Darren Boyd and Robyn Cara.

Also in...

Sky has announced the production of a brand new 8-part supernatural crime thriller ‘The Rising’, adapted from the Belgian crime thriller ‘Hotel Beau Séjour.’

The series will be the first produced entirely in-house from Sky Studios, Sky’s production and development arm, who are working with executive producer Julian Stevens, producer of ‘The Fall’ (BBC Two) and ‘Informer’ (BBC Two).

The thriller will follow the story of Neve Kelly (Rugaard), who discovers that she is dead. She’s scared and confused by this new existence. But, when she realises she has been murdered, she’s furious. She’s determined to find her killer and get justice, believing that it was someone she knew.

Impulsive and restless, Neve regrets never leaving her isolated community. And, as she comes to terms with her abilities, she begins to destabilise the lives of those she left behind. Particularly her estranged father, Tom (Daniel Ings...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Sky commissions supernatural thriller “The Rising” and Channel 4 and Peacock wage “The Undeclared War”; The Garden, BBC Studios Productions and Constantin Film Development reveal senior appointments; Rakuten TV expands AVOD offering; and Disney India picks up kids series “Dr Tenali Rama Hmkd” from Cosmos-Maya.

Commissions

Sky original series, supernatural crime thriller “The Rising,” is the first series produced entirely in-house from Sky Studios, Sky’s production and development arm. It tells the story of Neve Kelly who discovers that she is dead, and is determined to find her killer and get justice, believing that it was someone she knew.

The cast includes Clara Rugaard (“I Am Mother”), Nenda Neururer (“A Brief History of Struggle”) and Solly McLeod (“Boxing Day”), alongside Daniel Ings (“I Hate Suzie”), Emily Taaffe (“Rare Beasts”), Alex Lanipekun (“Spooks”) and Robyn Cara (“Ackley Bridge”).

The eight-part drama was commissioned by Zai Bennett,...

Lee Mason has been a commissioner at UK broadcaster Channel 4.

Disney+ has appointed commissioner Lee Mason as its director of scripted content for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Mason, who has been at UK broadcaster Channel 4 for nine years, will join the 100m-subscriber strong platform this summer.

His appointment rounds out vice-president of original productions Liam Keelan’s senior commissioning team, which also features Mason’s former C4 colleague Sean Doyle, who joined as director of unscripted production in January.

Mason will take charge of drama and comedy commissioning for Disney+’s brands, including fledgling general entertainment section Star.

Disney Plus has hired Channel 4 commissioner Lee Mason to join its scripted team for Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea), Variety has confirmed.

Set to join the streamer this summer, Mason will serve as director of scripted content for Emea, reporting into Liam Keelan, VP of original content for Europe and Africa at Disney. He will work alongside Johanna Devereaux, the platform’s other director of scripted content.

Mason first joined Channel 4 in 2011, and has commissioned shows including “It’s a Sin,” now a major hit for HBO Max, and “The End of the F***ing World,” which was a high-profile co-production with Netflix. Other shows include “Ackley Bridge,” “Adult Material,” “Help,” “Screw” and “The Birth of Daniel F Harris.”

Keelan, a former BBC Studios scripted executive, has steadily been building out his team of commissioners for Disney Plus, which launched in Europe just over a year ago. Most recently, he...

Apple TV+ has announced that the second season of its acclaimed British comedy series ‘Trying’ will debut globally Friday, May 14. The series, which has been renewed for a third season, will premiere new episodes weekly, every Friday, exclusively on Apple TV+. In the eight-episode second season of the series Nikki (BAFTA nominee Esther Smith) and Jason (SAG nominee Rafe Spall) are continuing to navigate the adoption process. Having been approved by the adoption panel they now find that matching with a child is not as straightforward as they had hoped. It seems like children are being snapped up by other couples while somehow they’re being left behind. Helped by their eccentric social worker Penny (Imelda Staunton) they are determined to do everything they can. When Nikki meets a little girl called Princess at an adoption event she knows instantly that this is the child for them. But there are...

Exclusive: UK indie The Forge has secured TV adaptation rights to Barbara Taylor Bradford’s bestselling series of books known as The Emma Harte Saga.

The deal covers eight novels, including her latest work, A Man Of Honour, which is a prequel to her famed 1979 book A Woman Of Substance and is due to be published by HarperCollins in November.

A Woman Of Substance, the first in the series, has sold more than 30 million copies. The story follows a servant girl who through talent, true grit, hard graft, ambition, and drive becomes a huge success as a tycoon, founding a business empire and a family dynasty. The novel was previously adapted for TV back in 1984.

The other six books are: Hold The Dream; To Be The Best; Emma’s Secret; Unexpected Blessings; Just Rewards; and Breaking The Rules.

The deal was brokered by Barbara Taylor Bradford’s...

Exclusive: Here’s a hot one: Killing Eve star Jodie Comer and The Irishman actor Stephen Graham are on the brink of signing up for a Channel 4 drama that will be set in a UK care home during the coronavirus crisis, Deadline can reveal.

The four-part series is housed at All3Media-backed production outfit The Forge, which has reunited the stellar team behind the BAFTA-winning National Treasure to make the topical drama, including writer Jack Thorne and director Marc Munden.

Details on the plot are being closely guarded by those involved, but we hear that the action will be set in and around a British care home in 2020. The show was originally called Home, but producers are now rethinking this title.

UK care homes have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 19,000 residents dying because of the disease. As a result, they are now at...

Bukky Bakray, star of Brussels, Dublin and San Sebastian-winning film “Rocks,” Aleem Khan, director of Cannes Critics’ Week Label title “After Love,” and Kate Byers and Linn Waite, producers of British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) debut award-winner “Bait,” are among 34 participants of the 2020 BAFTA Breakthrough initiative.

Supported by Netflix, the new talent initiative supports emerging talent across film, games and television. In this round, 23 participants have been announced from the U.K. and 11 from the U.S., with applications opening this month in India and in 2021 in China.

The talent was selected through cross-industry global juries comprising leading industry professionals, including actors Paapa Essiedu (“I May Destroy You”) and Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”), filmmaker Amma Asante (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) and Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue.

The participants will receive one-to-one mentoring and career guidance, full voting membership of BAFTA, and access to BAFTA events and networking opportunities,...

With streaming dominating the industry — and suddenly becoming the “new normal” in a changing world — IndieWire is taking a closer look at the news cycle, breaking down what really matters to provide a clear picture of what companies are winning the streaming wars, and how they’re pulling ahead.

By looking at trends and the latest developments, Streaming Wars Report: Indie Edition will offer a clear picture of what’s happening overall and day-to-day in streaming for the indie set. Check out the latest Streaming Wars Report for updates to the bigger players in the industry.

More from IndieWireStreamers See Huge Subscriber Gains as Viewers Seek Out Indoor EntertainmentStream of the Day: How 'Ganja & Hess' Became Much More Than a Black Vampire Story Buzzy Originals

Can Indie Streamers Keep Up as Studios Pivot to VOD?

This week, I watched both “Bloodshot” and “The Way Back” from the safety of my own home,...

Gentleman Jack’s Suranne Jones, Chernobyl’s Jared Harris and writer Craig Mazin are among those nominated for the 2020 Royal Television Society Programme Awards. The British TV awards will be handed out by writer and comedian Paul Merton on March 17 at The Grosvenor Hotel. Channel 4 drama The Virtues is recognized in both the female actor category with Niamh Algar and male actor with Stephen Graham, while Jones will compete against Algar and The Long Song’s Tamara Lawrance. Harris is up against Graham and Top Boy’s Michael Ward. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy Fleabag goes head-to-head with Channel 4’s Derry Girls, both of which have secured nominations in the Scripted Comedy and Female Comedy Performance categories. Waller-Bridge has also received a nomination for Writer – Comedy, alongside Danny Brocklehurst for Brassic and Sex Education’s Laurie Nunn. Ncuti Gatwa has also been recognised for Comedy Performance (Male) in Netflix hit Sex Education.

Exclusive: The BBC is adapting crime novel You Don’t Know Me with The Crown writer Tom Edge and Mrs Wilson producer Snowed-In Productions.

Deadline understands that the British public broadcaster is remaking Imran Mahmood’s novel as a four-part drama.

You Don’t Know Me tells the story of a young man, who stands accused of murder. The evidence is overwhelming. But at his trial, this man tells an extraordinary story. It is about the woman he loves, who got into terrible trouble. It’s about how he risked everything to save her. He swears he’s innocent. But in the end, all that matters is this: do you believe him?

The series, which is expected to film later this year, is adapted by Edge, who worked on the first two seasons of Netflix’s royal drama The Crown. He also created Netflix comedy Lovesick and has written projects...

Studiocanal has launched the first trailer for the reimagining of Noël Coward’s classic comedy ‘Blithe Spirit’ featuring Dan Stevens.

The film follows best-selling crime novelist Charles (Dan Stevens) who is struggling with catastrophic writer’s block and a stressful deadline for his first screenplay. His picture-perfect second wife Ruth (Isla Fisher) is doing her best to keep him focussed in the hope of fulfilling her dream of heading to Hollywood. Charles’ desperate search for inspiration leads him to invite Madame Arcati (Judi Dench), a medium recently exposed as a fraud, to perform a séance in their home. They all get more than they bargained for when Arcati accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife: the fiery and jealous Elvira (Leslie Mann) who embarks on a mission to kill Charles so she can spend eternity with him which leads to an increasingly comical and deadly love triangle.

Directed...

In 2008, opera director Phyllida Lloyd’s pop-cornball big-screen debut, “Mamma Mia!,” more than earned its exclamation point, grossing more than $600 million worldwide. Three years later, her more serious-minded follow-up, “The Iron Lady,” earned Meryl Streep an Oscar. Most people would agree that was a not-too-shabby start for a helmer of any gender. But instead of making another movie, Lloyd went back to the stage, directing a trio of statement-making all-female Shakespeare productions.

Still, one wonders whether Lloyd’s sabbatical from cinema was by her own choice or by forces that seem none too keen on privileging women’s stories. Now she’s back with a movie called “Herself,” which is head-and-shoulders the strongest of the 20 Sundance films I’ve seen so far. It’s small and stars no one that anyone in Hollywood would consider “bankable,” but I’m convinced this inspirational Dublin-set drama could go all the way: . Don...

The year 2019 was a particularly good year for Brits in Hollywood, culminating in half of the Primetime Emmys heading to the other side of the pond with the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Succession creator Jesse Armstrong winning big.

British and Irish writers have always done well in the U.S. both in television and on the feature side, but the last few years have been particularly kind to those making the 6,000-mile trek to Tinseltown, from The Mentalist and Gotham’s Bruno Heller to Saving Mr Banks and Terra Nova writer Kelly Marcel and Catastrophe co-creator Sharon Horgan.

As such, Deadline is taking a look at the next generation of British and Irish writers who are making waves in the UK and stand a good chance of landing a hit U.S. series.

Kirstie Swain

After working on long-running British dramas including Holby City, Casualty and EastEnders via the BBC Writers Academy,...

While Netflix continues to tell the tale of Queen Elizabeth II with “The Crown,” Starz is bringing the story of the first Queen Elizabeth to a small screen near you with a series order for new drama “Becoming Elizabeth.”

Created and written by award-winning playwright and television screenwriter Anya Reiss, “Becoming Elizabeth” is the “fascinating story of the early life of England’s most iconic Queen,” according to Starz. “Long before she ascended the throne, young Elizabeth Tudor was an orphaned teenager who became embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court. With no clear heir, the death of King Henry the VIII sets into motion a dangerous scramble for power. His surviving children find themselves pawns in a game between the great families of England and the powers of Europe who vie for control of the country.”

“Elizabeth struggles to control her own destiny and take...

Starz has greenlit its latest royal drama — this time focusing on the early years of Queen Elizabeth I.

The Lionsgate-owned cable network has commissioned The Forge, the British producer behind Roadkill and Collateral, to make eight-part series Becoming Elizabeth.

The show was created by playwright Anya Reiss, who wrote theatre productions Spur of the Moment and The Acid Test. Her TV credits include Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge and BBC One soap opera EastEnders. Reiss will serve as the lead writer alongside Emily Ballou (Taboo), Anna Jordan (Succession) and Suhayla El- Bushra (Ackley Bridge).

Becoming Elizabeth centers on the young Elizabeth Tudor, an orphaned teenager who becomes embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court on her journey to secure the crown.

The executive producers are Reiss and The Forge’s George Ormond and George Faber. Karen Bailey, Starz’s senior vice president of original programming,...

The new Leeds hub will be spread over a number of sites.

The UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts) is to open a hub in northern English city of Leeds next year, its third outside of Nfts Scotland in Glasgow and its main school in Beaconsfield, just outside London.

Nfts director Jon Wardle said the school recognises “the direction of travel is more out of London production”, which will require more skilled talent in the regions.

The opening follows Nfts sponsor Channel 4’s relocation of its national headquarters to the Yorkshire city. The Leeds hub will be...

The CW has partnered with Canada’s CBC on a new short-form samurai drama starring The Girlfriend Experience’s Emily Piggford.

Warigami is a ten-part series, consisting of ten minute episodes that is a contemporary samurai saga. Wendy Ohata, played by Piggford, has just made three startling realizations: One, she has a twin brother; two, she’s a kami-jin – a descendent of an ancient Japanese people who can turn paper into deadly weapons; and three, there’s a kami-jin warrior hunting her down for reasons she doesn’t understand.

The series is created by Eddie Kim and directed by Jason Lapeyre, who directed Lifetime’s Who Killed Jon Benet?, with showrunner Andrew Allen, who worked on digital drama Rush: Inspired By Battlefield. Kai Bradbury (The Terror), Akiel Julien (The Next Step), Miho Suzuki (Colossal), and David Hewlett (Stargate: Atlantis) also star.

It is produced by First Love Films and distributed by New Form.

The film-maker on the state of Britain, working with non-professional actors and the similarities between grime and opera

Penny Woolcock was born in Buenos Aires in 1950 and moved to Europe as a teenager. Her career spans art, film, TV and opera. Her fiction films, such as Tina Goes Shopping and 1 Day, often feature non-professional actors. Her documentaries include One Mile Away, which saw her brokering a truce between rival Birmingham gangs. She has directed operas ranging from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers to John Adams’s Dr Atomic at New York’s Met. Woolcock also directs the Yorkshire school drama Ackley Bridge, the third series of which is now on Channel 4. She lives in north London.

What can we expect from this third season of Ackley Bridge?

In a way, the underlying story is the same. It’s about life in a small provincial town, where the Muslim community,...

Greenlit means a project is officially a go, so all you have to do is follow these leads to stay up to date. You never know where you’ll find an opportunity to land an audition!

Misbehaviour: Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jessie Buckley have joined Misbehaviour, directed by the BAFTA-winning Philippa Lowthorpe (Three Girls). The film tells the story of a stage invasion at the 1970 Miss World competition, hosted by comedian Bob Hope. As 100 million people around the world watched on TV, the Women’s Liberation Movement interrupted proceedings at the Royal Albert Hall with flour bombs, with further news made when the Miss World crown was awarded to a black woman for the first time. Filming starts in London next month, with casting by Shaheen Baig.

Ackley Bridge: The Yorkshire school drama Ackley Bridge returns for a third series, shooting on location from January 2019. Having seen a new academy through a raft of troubles,...

Channel 4 and Netflix have renewed “The End of the F***ing World” for a second season. The renewal was one of a number of new commissions – including a new drama from Russell T. Davies (“Queer as Folk”) – announced by the British broadcaster ahead of the Edinburgh Television Festival.

BAFTA- and Emmy-nominated “The End of the F***ing World” enjoyed the best launch week ever for an exclusive single series or stunt launch when it debuted on All 4, the broadcaster’s streaming platform, last October. The teen comedy drama, which was created and written by Charlie Covell, based on a graphic novel by Charles S. Forsman, then launched on Netflix in January, finding a new legion of fans.

“We’re so proud that this global success story began at Channel 4 and that a second series is on its way,” said Beth Willis, Channel 4’s head of drama. “Charlie’s witty,...

Channel 4 is looking for a new drama chief after Beth Willis joined British production company The Forge.

Willis is to become a partner at the company, which produces series such as National Treasure and Kiri. Willis, who became Head of Drama at the UK network in June 2016 following the departure of Piers Wenger to the BBC, was responsible for commissioning National Treasure and Kiri as well as Netflix co-pro The End of the Fxxking World and soap Ackley Bridge.

Prior to joining Channel 4, Willis worked at the BBC as co-executive producer on the re-launch of Doctor Who and also worked with Jane Featherstone at Kudos, producing the first two series of Ashes to Ashes for the BBC.

Willis said, “The last six years at Channel 4 have truly been a privilege – I will miss the people and culture enormously – it’s a very special place. But when George Faber asked...

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's production company called Stolen Picture has launched a new initiative where they will work with up-and-coming writers on a collection of young-adult projects and they are calling it the Righta Incubator. There are already two film projects in development.

The first project is called We Never Sleep, and it's a detective comedy-thriller that will "tackle bullying, justice, morality, mental health and post-Brexit small-town life."

The second one is called Chemistry, and it will be "a fast-paced genre hybrid that will pose questions about what it means to be human as the show follows protagonists on the run for their survival."

There are currently five writers that have been brought on board this Righta Incubator and they include BAFTA-nominated Olly Cambridge (Pls Like), Gemma Copping,, playwright and writer Phoebe Éclair-Powell (Tin Star), comedian Ellliot Steel and Faryal Velmi, who have written a series called Ackley Bridge.

Stolen Picture, the production company founded by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, has launched a new drama initiative to work with up-and-coming writers on young-adult projects, with two series already in development.

The first project from the Righta Incubator initiative, “We Never Sleep,” is a detective comedy-thriller that will tackle bullying, justice, morality, mental health and post-Brexit small-town life. “Chemistry,” the second project, is a fast-paced genre hybrid that will pose questions about what it means to be human as the show follows protagonists on the run for their survival.

Pegg and Frost formed London-based Stolen Picture with former Fox Searchlight and Bad Wolf executive Miles Ketley last year. There has been keen interest in the new indie banner’s projects, given the founders’ loyal following and string of film and TV hits.

Horror comedy movie “Slaughterhouse Rulez” is in production, and half-hour paranormal investigator comedy “Truth Seekers” is in development.