Actualités

Jesse Tyler Ferguson has opened up about the criticism he received for his performance on Modern Family. Throughout all 11 seasons of Modern Family, the 49-year-old actor played Mitchell Pritchett, a Type-a environmental lawyer married to the theatrical Cam (Eric Stonestreet).

However, the depiction of Ferguson's character wasn't without its controversy, as the actor recently revealed on his podcast, Dinner's On Me. Speaking to Russell Tovey, Ferguson, who is gay himself, said that much of the backlash surrounding his Modern Family performance came from the gay community.

The Mitch actor knew to expect criticism, given how popular Modern Family was and how many viewers it reached. He expressed that the negative feelings which some LGBTQ+ viewers felt towards him and his character were because he "didn't represent their idea of... what a gay man was." See Ferguson's comment below:

Ferguson: One of the pressures I've always felt, specifically after being...

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the global star, has carved a remarkable career path in the film industry. Seamlessly having transitioned from Bollywood stardom to becoming a trailblazer in Hollywood, the actress is known best for her dynamic performances and diverse roles across genres.

From playing the ideal, dreamy romantic lead to being an action star, Chopra can do pretty much everything when she is not setting the lighting up red carpets with her jaw-dropping looks. Well, she is now set to return to our screens in an upcoming action-comedy film called Heads of State. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, it pairs her with John Cena and Idris Elba in a high-stakes tale of two mismatched political leaders navigating a global conspiracy and teaming up against a common enemy.

Promising high stakes full of explosive action, the film features the Baywatch star in yet another action role. Starring as Noel Bisset, a senior...

Doctor Who is seemingly on hold.

Showrunner Russell T Davies says he remains unclear about the fate of the iconic BBC sci-fi series for the time being.

In a production diary for the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, the showrunner said the series will never end, but he was less certain about its immediate future following Season 15, per Deadline.

Keep reading to find out more…

“We don’t know what’s happening yet, and while everyone works that out, I’ll take a pause on this page … Hopefully, we’ll have news soon,” the showrunner wrote.

A Doctor Who source explained, via Deadline: “This letter is a production notes diary for when the show is in production, or on air, and as Russell has stated within the piece, it is a pause.”

Ncuti Gatwa has confirmed his exit as the Doctor. Most recently, the Doctor regenerated as Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler.

Russell T Davies says he remains in the dark over Doctor Who’s future.

In a production diary for the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies said the BBC’s iconic sci-fi series will never end, but he was less certain about its immediate future following Season 15.

“We don’t know what’s happening yet, and while everyone works that out, I’ll take a pause on this page … Hopefully, we’ll have news soon,” the showrunner wrote.

A Doctor Who source explained: “This letter is a production notes diary for when the show is in production, or on air, and as Russell has stated within the piece, it is a pause.”

Ncuti Gatwa has confirmed his exit as the Doctor, with the drama ending on an ambiguous note, as Gatwa regenerated into Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler.

The BBC has not yet made a decision about a renewal,...

Take your fish sticks out of the fryer and whip up a bowl of custard because the Whoniverse is expanding as the BBC announces another Doctor Who spin-off! Amidst speculation about Doctor Who’s cancellation after the latest season of the timeless BBC TV series underperformed, the BBC says it’s moving forward with a preschool-style animated Doctor Who series. The untitled show finds the Doctor traveling through time, solving mysteries and problems alongside their companions and other friends. The show will run on the BBC’s pre-school channel CBeebies.

According to reports, the BBC is searching for a “passionate production company” to produce a project that does not conflict with the core show’s events or storylines. More interestingly, Disney, which co-produces the Bad Wolf and BBC Studios-produced main version with showrunner Russell T. Davies, will not be involved with the animation.

Commenting on the animated Doctor Who TV series project,...

As the days continue to pass since its controversial Season 2 finale, it seems increasingly likely that the lackluster Disney era of Doctor Who is going to end with a whimper. Russell T. Davies' second era at the helm has found itself in the middle of a storm of speculative rumors, as the future of the timey-wimey series remains in doubt. However, the latest news from the BBC instead points to the likelihood that Doctor Who's "Whoniverse" will continue to expand at pace, although Disney are likely to get booted out of the Tardis for good.

In a statement made by the BBC, it has been announced that a new animated series of Doctor Who adventures will be heading to the British children's network Cbeebies. The series "will see the Doctor travelling through time and space for the pre-school audience, solving mysteries and problems alongside their companions and other friends,...

There’s even more changes in store coming to the “Doctor Who” universe — or Whoniverse, rather — this time in the form of an animated preschool series.

The CBeebies show “will see the Doctor traveling through time and space for the pre-school audience, solving mysteries and problems alongside their companions and other friends,” according to the BBC’s Thursday announcement.

Things are in the very early stages, however, as the networks are still looking for a production company to both create and produce the cartoon. Meanwhile, the BBC and Disney+ are already working together on the previously announced spinoff “The War Between the Land and the Sea,” starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Russell Tovey.

“Everyone is welcome at CBeebies, including the Doctor! This much-loved franchise entertains millions around the world, so it is only right that our younger audience get to experience the wonder and the magic of the Doctor in a brand new format,...

Sundance didn’t have the plethora of late night bidding wars we used to see in the good old days of the festival, but a number of buzziest titles are actually closing deals late into the spring and into the early summer. Over 60 films came into this year’s Sundance looking for homes, and slowly but surely a number of those are finding homes. As we previously reported, the hope was that even more distributors could get creative.

Below we’ll update all the acquisitions following the festival as they arrive.

“Hal & Harper”

Section: Indie Episodics

Buyer: Mubi

Director: Cooper Raiff

Buzz: The “Shithouse” and “Cha Cha Real Smooth” writer/director’s serialized debut follows two tight-knit siblings forced to face a past tragedy when their dad decides to sell their childhood home. It’s got a strong cast, including Raiff himself, Mark Ruffalo, Betty Gilpin, and Lili Reinhart,...

UK actor and filmmaker Idris Elba has outlined his ambitions for building a bolstered film infrastructure in Africa, telling an audience at SXSW London on June 4, “I want to build the African Odeon”.

Elba noted the low number of cinemas across the continent, during a discussion on creativity as capital for change. “I would love to be able to tackle some of that, because I believe the cinema experience that we have all gone through should be experienced by a new generation, I don’t think it should all be on a phone.

“How do I do that? Building a...

Exclusive: Curzon has picked up Carmen Emmi’s Plainclothes for UK-Ireland from Magnify, ahead of its UK premiere at SXSW London.

Magnify has also closed further deals with distributors across multiple territories, including Filmin (Spain & Portugal), Cinemien & Tongariro, Films We Like (Canada), Lev (Israel), Falcon (Indonesia), and Aardwolf (airlines), with additional deals currently in progress.

Magnolia Pictures will release the film theatrically in the US.

The Sundance world premiere stars Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey and is the feature debut of New York filmmaker Emmi.

It is set in 1990s Syracuse and follows a promising undercover agent, assigned to lure and arrest gay men,...

The dust is still settling from the mind-boggling Doctor Who Season 2 finale. After two years of build-up, the second season's big mystery surrounding the return of the renegade Time Lady, The Rani (Anita Dobson/Archie Panjabi), and the destruction of Earth on May 24 came to explosive, cataclysmic blows, with the solution leaving many dissatisfied. However, with 30 minutes left in the episode, a new mystery arose as it became quickly clear that Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor was about to regenerate. After saying his goodbyes, Gatwa exploded with regeneration energy, eventually turning into... Billie Piper?

The final, universe-shattering reveal left many unable to collect their jaws from the floor, let alone their thoughts. Thus, when the trailer for the brand-new spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea, debuted straight after, many simply missed it. Available to watch in full below, the trailer gives fans their first glimpse at Russell T.

"We could make a difference, you & I... End the conflict between our species... Before it's too late." Disney+ has revealed a quick first look teaser trailer for The War Between The Land And The Sea, an epic new "Whoniverse" spin-off series about sea creatures. Teased at the end of the recent season of "Doctor Who", this fascinating sci-fi series is about the emergence of an underwater race of humanoids called Sea Devils - including one in particular. "When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, Unit step into action as the land and sea wage war." The story involves "Unit" in the Whoniverse, though there's some kind of big romance going on as well. "Only the tides could have kept them apart." Starring Russell Tovey as Barclay and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt,...

In the wake of the Doctor Who season finale that revealed the end of his time aboard the Tardis, Ncuti Gatwa has been busy paying tribute to those he worked with over two seasons of the Disney+/BBC Studios series.

In a series of Instagram Story posts, Gatwa celebrated Millie Gibson (who played Ruby Sunday) and Varada Sethu (Belinda Chandra) as the “queens of the sky”; deemed it a “joy and Honour” to work with the “legendary Jodie Whittaker” (who in the finale appeared as Thirteen to his Fifteen); hailed a “truly special” crew that made things “look like magic...

The first trailer for the upcoming DoctorWho spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea has been revealed, showing a drastic redesign of a classic foe as the Doctor's allies are left to defend humanity. As part of Disney+ and the BBC's co-production agreement, a spinoff was commissioned that focuses on Unit tackling the threat of reemerging Sea Devils in the Doctor's absence. While no release date has been given, The War Between the Land and the Sea will take place following the exit of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor and regeneration into Billie Piper's Sixteenth Doctor.

Following the release of season 15's finale, Doctor Who has released the first trailer for The War Between The Land and Sea. The trailer introduces audiences to Barclay, played by Russell Tovey, and the Sea Devil Salt, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, as the latter people's reemergence from the oceans throws...

'The Reality War' has been. Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor is gone. But if you thought that a regenerating Doctor meant that the world has stopped turning in the Whoniverse, then you are very much mistaken. Right after Doctor Who's explosive Season 2 finale aired earlier this evening, the BBC dropped our first official teaser for hotly anticipated upcoming spin-off series The War Between The Land And The Sea, a new Doctor-less series poured from the pen of Who showrunner Russell T. Davies and A Discovery Of Witches' Pete McTighe. Led by the mercurial talents of Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and main show Unit regulars Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, and Ruth Madeley, the series looks set to serve up some tense-looking close encounters of the third — and briny — kind. Check out the teaser below and you'll see what we mean;

Sea Devils left, right, and centre. Gugu Mbatha-Raw going full...

Following the epic season two finale of Doctor Who (which welcomed a new Doctor), viewers were treated to a first look at the next chapter in the “Whoniverse,” The War Between the Land and the Sea.

You can now watch the official teaser and check out the first images of Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt and Russell Tovey as Barclay by scrolling down.

Photo courtesy of BBC Studios

The five-part series also stars Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, Ruth Madeley, Colin McFarlane, Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, and Vincent Franklin.

The additional guest stars who can be spotted in the teaser are Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu, and Ann Akinjirin.

Photo courtesy of BBC Studios

When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing itself to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, Unit steps into action as...

Concurrent with the release of Doctor Who‘s twist-filled season finale, we also got a first trailer for the spinoff series The War Between the Land and the Sea, seen below.

Announced back in July 2024, the five-part series stars Russell Tovey (Quantico) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki) alongside fellow franchise vets Jemma Redgrave (as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart) and Alexander Devrient (as Colonel Ibrahim).

More from TVLineDownton Abbey: The Grand Finale Trailer Offers First Glimpse at Maggie Smith Tribute - WatchExiting Doctor Who Star Ncuti Gatwa Cheers His Companions, 'Captain Poppy' and Two 'Legends' From FinaleWednesday: Netflix Releases First Six Minutes of Season...

The world of Doctor Who is expanding, and with some familiar faces. But while some of the actors will be playing the same characters in the new spinoff, others are takin on different roles. It was at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that The War Between the Land and the Sea, from Russell T Davies, was announced with Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jemma Redgrave, and Alexander Devrient, all of whom have appeared on Doctor Who, slated to star. And now, after the Season 2 finale dropped on Disney+ on Saturday, May 31, the first trailer for the series was released, offering a look at the cast and story. But when will it premiere? Who’s playing whom? Read on for everything we know so far. When will The War Between the Land and the Sea premiere? A premiere date has yet to be announced. How many episodes are in the Doctor Who spinoff? There will be five episodes.

After the action-packed season two finale of Doctor Who, fans got a first look at the next big story in the Whoniverse. The new spin-off is called The War Between the Land and the Sea, and it’s coming soon with a brand new cast of characters.

In this new show, something terrifying rises from the ocean, an ancient and powerful species that shocks the whole world by making a dramatic appearance. As panic spreads and danger grows, Unit steps up to protect the human race while a full-on battle begins between the land and the sea.

Russell Tovey plays a character named Barclay, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw takes on the role of Salt. Alongside them, the cast includes Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, Ruth Madeley, Colin McFarlane, Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac, and Vincent Franklin.

You can also spot guest stars like Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson,...

The fifth annual NewFest Pride summer film series has a sizzling lineup. IndieWire can announce that NewFest Pride 2025 will feature the New York premiere of Sundance winner “Plainclothes” starring Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, as well as the highly-anticipated opening night film “Jimpa,” which was previously announced.

Highlights also include an early screening of “And Just Like That…” and a free outdoor screening of Cristina Costantini’s “Sally” in partnership with the Meatpacking District Business Improvement District and Rooftop Films. NewFest Pride will take place May 29 to June 2 to kick-off LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

“In a moment when LGBTQ+ rights are under renewed attack, telling our stories boldly and unapologetically is an act of both defiance and hope,” NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff said. “The films in this year’s NewFest Pride lineup reflect the depth, diversity, and power of queer experiences — from urgent political documentaries to joyful celebrations of identity.

Exclusive: Magnolia Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to the Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey thriller Plainclothes from filmmaker Carmen Emmi.

Emmi’s directorial debut is set in 1990s Syracuse and follows a promising undercover officer (Blyth) who is assigned to lure and arrest gay men. He defies orders when he falls in love with a target (Tovey). The movie won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast when it world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and also stars Maria Dizzia, Christian Cooke, Gabe Fazio, and Amy Forsyth. A fall theatrical release is planned. Magnify will represent international sales in Cannes.

At his mother’s New Year’s Eve party, Lucas, a young police officer, loses a letter no one was ever meant to read. Amid the backdrop of the suffocating party, the search for the letter unlocks memories of a past he’s tried to forget: months earlier,...

Doctor Who has returned, for its second season, with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, alongside new companion Belinda (Varada Sethu). And this current season isn’t the only time you’ll be able to see Unit and some familiar faces, including Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. She and other characters Who fans know will be showing up in the new spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea. So could there be a crossover in the future? Doctor Who showrunner and the spinoff’s creator Russell T Davies says there are none planned for the moment. While Kate, Colonel Ibrahim (Alexander Devrient), and Shirley (Ruth Madeley) will appear on the new show, which stars two other familiar Doctor Who actors, Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, playing different characters, “it’s a brand-new story,” Davies tells TV Insider. “Some people think it’s like a Unit spinoff with Unit investigating cases of the week.

Hailed as a dynamic genre for the television landscape, sci-fi shows have garnered a multitude of fans who’ve consumed these fascinating programs with great intrigue. Whether delving into ambitious science fiction or blending genres to enhance a story, many sci-fi series create narratives that entertain audiences and build upon an overarching plot that leaves viewers invested in the ongoing trials and tribulations of the main characters.

Amidst the abundance of acclaimed sci-fi shows that take time to fully appreciate, either due to several seasons or a complicated narrative structure, some well-constructed series can be enjoyed by audiences in one day. In particular, a handful of condensed sci-fi shows emphasize how solid writing and quality filmmaking can go hand in hand to make viewer engagement the best version it can be.

Love, Death + Robots Offers Variety in Animated Storytelling Sci-Fi Has Never Felt More Exciting and Contemplative

Brimming with imaginative spectacle and mature themes,...

So many stars stepped out for the Burberry fashion show in London!

Nicholas Hoult, Orlando Bloom, and Stranger Things co-stars and real-life couple Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer were among the attendees at the Winter 2025 runway show on Monday (February 24) at Tate Britain.

The brand says, “Rendering outdoor coats and scarves, evening wear, day wear and suits in a mix of twisted British fabrics by British makers, the collection – couched in Burberry’s values of design, innovation and skill – fuses the faded interiors and fabrics found in the great country houses of England with the de facto practical.”

Burberry creative director Daniel Lee said of the story behind the collection, “Think of them as weekend escapees. It’s that great Friday night exodus from London to the countryside for long rainy walks and to disconnect in the great outdoors. It’s day-trips to grand stately homes.”

Jodie Turner-Smith, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz,...

Arrowverse has always been leaps and bounds ahead of everyone when it comes to presenting inclusion and diversity on screen, especially in the superhero genre. In this, however, one of the most notable moments was when Greg Berlanti, who was the producer behind the show, brought forth an on-screen gay kiss. This sequence had a huge impact on the audience, as this was not that prevalent in television at the time.

Wentworth Miller, Russell Tovey, and Jeremy Jordan in The Flash | Credits: The CW

So, actor Russell Tovey, who was in the scene alongside Wentworth Miller, thanked the producer for making the kiss happen, for a very special reason.

Russell Tovey detailed the impact his kiss with Wentworth Miller had on the public

Sometimes small cinematic moments turn out to have a major impact on fans and viewers alike. The same happened when actor Russell Tovey looked back at a...

The life and work of Peter Berlin, the ’70s and ’80s queer icon whose bold style and unapologetic self-expression redefined eroticism and individuality for the queer community, is the focus of a new exhibition at the Mariposa Gallery in Los Angeles. From his signature haircut to his skintight ensembles, his artistry is on full display.

Peter Berlin: Permission to Stare, offers visitors a rare view for the first time into the life and work of an artist whose influence on LGBTQ+ aesthetics endures. Peter Berlin, born Armin Hagen Freiherr von Hoyningen Huene in Poland in 1942 and raised in Germany, gained notoriety for his daring and meticulously crafted self-portraits, set against the backdrop of public spaces in cities like Berlin, Paris, New York, and San Francisco. These images capture Berlin in his skin-tight costumes and signature pageboy haircut, boldly challenging the boundaries of masculinity and public identity.

“Peter Berlin: Permission to...

Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones), Russell Tovey (Years and Years) and Emily Mortimer (Paddington in Peru) have joined the cast of Disney+ four-part U.K. drama Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

Written and executive produced by Jeff Pope (Philomena, Stan and Ollie), the series is produced by Etta Pictures, Pope’s production label, which is part of ITV Studios, in association with Kwadjo Dajan’s Kdj Productions. Jean Charles de Menezes’ parents and other relatives are serving as consultants for the series.

The show focuses on the events surrounding the tragic killing of innocent Brazilian de Menezes after he was mistaken for a terrorist by London police in 2005. Told from multiple perspectives of those involved, it examines how memory — both accurate and distorted — can be turned into fact and shape our understanding of the truth.

Newcomer Edison Alcaide plays Jean Charles de Menezes. Hill is Sir Ian Blair,...

Disney+ has announced the cast for its latest TV series, Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, from Jeff Pope. Details below.

There have been some excellent, original British TV series hailing from Disney+. Some of them, like Extraordinary and Renegade Nell, met their end far too soon, but Rivals was quite an experience and viewers have A Thousand Blows to look forward to. Now, there’s a new name to be added to the list of British shows on the service.

Disney+ has announced the cast for their upcoming series Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. The series, which will focus on the manhunt and eventual killing of the innocent Brazilian man who was mistaken for a terrorist, is heading to the streaming service in Spring 2025, with a specific date to be announced.

Edison Alcaide is set to play the titular victim while Conleth Hill, Russell Tovey,...

Disney+ has unveiled an all-star cast for its series about Jean Charles de Menezes, who was tragically mistaken for a terrorist after the London 7/7 bombings by police and shot dead.

Set to premiere in the spring, Jeff Pope’s series Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes has cast a newcomer in the role of de Menezes, Edison Alcaide, who will be joined by Conleth Hill, Russell Tovey, Max Beesley, Emily Mortimer, Daniel Mays, Laura Aikman and The Crown star Alex Jennings.

Mortimer will play Cressida Dick, who went on to become the chief of the Metropolitan Police, while Hill is Sir Ian Blair, who was police chief at the time of de Menezes’ death.

The series comes 20 years after 7/7 and a wealth of documentaries about the attack that shook Britain are also airing or have already aired, including Channel 4’s Shoot to Kill: Terror on the Tube about de Menezes.

Set years before George Michael’s arrest and inspired by the bathroom raids that provoked a moral panic in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1963, Carmen Emmi’s Syracuse-set thriller Plainclothes offers a unique twist on the coming-out genre. Cruising the food court and men’s room at a local mall, young undercover officer Lucas (Tom Blyth) lures men into stalls, getting them to expose themselves before they’re taken down by a cop (John Bedford Lloyd) who is not above slapping a fellow officer on the butt in the gym, a thread the film never quite pulls fully at.

Told in a non-linear structure, the thriller oscillates between two parallel timelines: one focusing on a New Year’s Eve party with Lucas’ controversial uncle after the death of his father; the other as he conducts police work at the mall. In the earlier timeline, Lucas becomes infatuated with Andrew (Russell Tovey), a...

As my first Sundance Film Festival comes to a close amid a precarious time for my community and many others, I look back on this year’s cinematic lineup with some optimism for LGBTQ representation when it’s needed most. From dark comedies about human connection to heartfelt family dramas about the shared queer experience and documentaries about the detriments of censorship and anti-trans legislation, filmmakers are holding space for progress, despite growing government-facilitated rollbacks on transgender and LGBTQ rights.

While discussing her new Mark Anthony Green-helmed A24 horror Opus at Deadline’s Sundance Studio, Ayo Edebiri admitted it “feels maybe slightly psychotic at times” to look at the news in what happened to be the first days of 2025 amid President Donald Trump’s second term in office.

“But my hope is that for me and that for other artists, that we continue to just champion each other’s work.

Set and shot in his hometown of Syracuse, New York, with family members even making cameos, “Plainclothes” is clearly very personal to writer/director Carmen Emmi. It’s much more than its plot synopsis, which tells of a 1990s period piece about an undercover police officer luring gay men into the crime of indecent exposure. In reality, “Plainclothes” is a meditation on the process of accepting oneself even as society and loved ones deem it wrong.

English actor Tom Blyth, most recognizable from the MGM+ series “Billy the Kid” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” impresses as Lucas, the cop. Blythe’s performance is an interior one, where what Lucas does is not as important as how he feels inside. Capturing that is a special gift and Blyth delivers. Early on, it’s obvious that Lucas compartmentalizes his own desires with ease while performing his job.

The Alabama Solution

Relying heavily on footage shot by inmates on prohibited cellphones, Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman’s powerful and gripping documentary isn’t an easy watch, but it’s a crucial one. The film’s focus is on corruption and abuses of power specific to Alabama’s prisons — and the heroism of the men who have found ways to evolve within a system that has no interest in participating in their rehabilitation and denies their basic humanity in every way. — Daniel Fienberg

Blknws: Terms & Conditions

Before his death in 1963, scholar W.E.B. Du Bois spent decades trying to publish an encyclopedia about people of African descent. That mission propels Kahlil Joseph’s hypnotic debut feature — a kinetic video essay blending Afro-futurist narrative, archival footage and memoir — that’s like an index of Black culture from the past 50 years. Joseph animates the fictional story of a journalist reporting on a transatlantic curatorial project with voiceover,...

When it comes to movies, timing is everything. Sexy, scary, and occasionally clumsy, Carmen Emmi’s feature-length directorial debut, Plainclothes, is an anxious and unabashed gay drama about social repression and its impacts. Set in 1997, what might a mere few years ago have been an easily digestible snapshot of an ugly, less liberated gay past is now a bitter pill with something to say about our precarious present.

Lucas (Tom Blyth) is a young police officer tasked with targeting local cruising spots in Syracuse, New York, by luring men into bathroom stalls and charging them with public indecency. Struggling with the recent death of his father and gripped by crippling anxiety, Lucas nonetheless finds himself drawn to one of his targets, Andrew (Russell Tovey), an older, married man who slips Lucas his number after he fails to make the arrest. As their sexual relationship develops, Lucas’s romantic feelings toward...

My final dispatch for Sundance 2025 is bolstered by finally having access to a large swath of films from the festival that were only made available for folks covering it remotely on Wednesday. Among those films were most of the U.S. Dramatic Competition lineup. Of that selection, the lovely anthology...

For an undercover cop in 1997, the art of baiting gay men into propositioning you in public restrooms is a grotesque art form that requires a strict adherence to the rules. You can’t say a word to your targets, relying on eye contact to convince them that your intentions are sexual. You can’t actually step into a bathroom stall, and have to goad them into unzipping while you remain in a public space. And you’re certainly not supposed to take their phone number and proceed to fall in love with them after failing to make an arrest.

Yet that’s exactly what Lucas (Tom Blyth) ends up doing in “Plainclothes,” Carmen Emmi’s directorial debut that revisits the world of undercover cops in the gay community most famously explored in William Friedkin’s “Cruising.” Distracted by family tensions caused by his father’s terminal illness and tortured by his own homosexual urges,...

A movie all too palpably real for those of us who can remember years of shame, fear and secrecy, Plainclothes follows a young cop assigned to a sting operation, arresting gay men cruising for sex in a mall in Syracuse, New York. His willingness to pose as bait dissolves when he starts facing his own sexual identity while getting obsessive about a similarly closeted hook-up. First-time writer-director Carmen Emmi’s aesthetically overworked use of low-grade video and distorted sound is intrusive, but very fine performances from Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey keep you glued to this sexy, sad, authentically gritty drama.

The strains of Omc’s “How Bizarre” coming over the speakers in a shopping mall instantly position the story in the mid ‘90s. A young cop, Lucas (Blyth), sits in the food court, serving as the tasty bait for gay men on the prowl. An exchange of eye contact,...

As the LGBTQ community continues to face threats to their safety and rights as equal American citizens, the cast and creatives of “Plainclothes” were quick to admit that things feel “terrifying” right now. But that’s what makes their film so important for others to see, they shared.

Having its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year, “Plainclothes” tells the story of a promising undercover police officer assigned to lure and arrest gay men, who defies those orders when he falls in love with a target. Starring “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” star Tom Blyth, Russell Tovey, Maria Dizzia and others, the film is set in the 1990s.

But stopping by TheWrap’s Sundance Studio presented by World of Hyatt, Tovey said that it unfortunately doesn’t feel like a story of the past.

“The world moves in circles, and you would hope that,...

Though it's been more divisive than ever as of late, Doctor Who fans that are still in love with the show will be eating good this year as not only is Ncuti Gatwa set to return in Season 2 on Disney+, but a new limited spinoff series titled The War Between the Land and the Sea is also set to debut at some point in 2025. Now, ahead of the premiere of both, star Russell Tovey says the big difference between the main show and the new series is that the spinoff feels more like an independent production than anything else.

Speaking with Collider at this year's Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Tovey called The War Between the Land and the Sea "its own special creation" while discussing the spinoff, which is set to bring back classic Doctor Who villains the Sea Devils for the limited affair. As someone who...

With gay rights coming back into the crosshairs in almost every country across the globe, Carmen Emmi’s slow-burn drama is sobering reminder of just how far these things have progressed in the past 30 years. Taking place primarily in 1997 — unfolding in flashback from the framing device of a family New Year’s Eve party being held a few years later — it takes a little while to find its feet. Once the main players are established, though, and experimental flashes of harsh analog video become a more recognizable manifestation of its ugly-beautiful aesthetic, Plainclothes builds to a very satisfying conclusion, putting a torrid but meaningful gay love affair at the center of a universal coming-of-age story.

Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Tell-Tale Heart is an unlikely reference point, not because Plainclothes is a genre film — though it shares a tiny bit of DNA with William Friedkin’s much more...

As we continue into 2025, fans can expect a few things from the world of Doctor Who. The main event is of course, the return of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor in Season 2, expected sometime this spring, according to the teaser we got after the 2024 Christmas Special "Joy to the World." The other is the upcoming miniseries, created by current Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, The War Between the Land and the Sea. It was quickly dubbed "the Unit spin-off" ever since it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con last summer. The War Between the Land and the Sea wrapped filming just before Christmas. The spin-off will star Jemma Redgrave, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Russell Tovey, Ruth Madeley, Colin McFarlane, and Alexander Devrient.

The second Ncuti Gatwa Doctor Who series is heading our way this year and Juno Dawson has been announced as one of the writers.

Doctor Who series 2 is coming together nicely it seems and will be heading to small screens sometime this year. Russell T Davies is looking over the series again as well as the upcoming The War Between The Land And The Sea spin-off, which just got some interesting updates from star Russell Tovey.

As reported by Deadline, Juno Dawson has now joined the Doctor Who writers room to work on the second series alongside previously announced writers Pete McTighe, Inua Ellams and Sharma Angel-Walfall.

“I started watching Doctor Who with my grandma when I was ten-years-old in the 1990s,” Dawson said of the news. “From writing fan-fiction for an audience of one, to scripting the best TV show of all time is truly a dream come true.

Bestselling author Juno Dawson has entered the Tardis for the upcoming Doctor Who.

Dawson, who pens a Doctor Who spin-off podcast, is one of a number of new faces joining Russell T Davies’ regenerated series, also including Pete McTighe, Inua Ellams and Sharma Angel-Walfall.

The new series will come out later this year.

Dawson is a best-selling author whose works include This Book is Gay and Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. Her Doctor Who: Redacted BBC podcast features former Doctor Jodie Whittaker and is about a group caught in a supernatural conspiracy as they learn that everyone who’s ever met the Doctor is disappearing and being forgotten.

Dawson is also writing Altitude Television’s adaptation of Eliza Clark’s novel Penance, while her YA trio Clean, Meat Market and Wonderland were optioned for TV several years back by Sky Studios-backed indie The Lighthouse.

“I started watching Doctor Who...

Russell Tovey has been teasing the upcoming Doctor Who spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea. Find more about his comments below.

The War Between The Land And The Sea, a spin-off miniseries of Doctor Who, was announced last July to much interest. We’ve since heard very little about it, but star Russell Tovey chatted to Variety recently about his role in Carmen Emmi’s Plainclothes. Inevitably, the conversation turned to Doctor Who and what fans can expect from the spin-off.

“It has been one of the most joyful jobs I’ve ever done,” Tovey commented. He also mentioned he loves the character he plays, but wouldn’t expand on who that character might be. The actor previously played Midshipman Alonson Frame in two episodes in 2007 and 2010 respectively.

He did however reveal that the creatures in the series have appeared in the show previously.

“Well, the story...

These days, gay men can arrange sex by a smartphone app as easily as ordering a pizza. But back in the ’90s, when “Plainclothes” takes place, such trysts not only had to be coordinated in person, but could be punished by arrest. Audiences of a certain age and demographic almost certainly remember the risk and fear (not to mention the illicit excitement) of the hunt, back when undercover police monitored public “tearooms” for lewd behavior. In writer-director Carmen Emmi’s “we’ve come a long way, baby” debut, the cops take it one step further, luring frisky men into exposing themselves.

But what if the officer in question was closeted and one of these strangers slipped him his phone number? That’s the intriguing — if credulity-stretching — premise of “Plainclothes,” which casts Tom Blyth (the outlaw star of Epix’s “Billy the Kid”) as Lucas, a second-generation cop with all kinds of identity issues.

Tom Blyth may have starred in Francis Lawrence’s box office hit “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” but that doesn’t mean the British actor is moving on from independent film.

Case in point: “Plainclothes.” In writer-director Carmen Emmi’s feature debut, Blyth stars as Lucas, an undercover cop in 1990s Syracuse, N.Y., who falls in love with Andrew (Russell Tovey), one of his targets in a sting operation going after gay men for public indecency in a mall bathroom.

“There is just something really refreshing about the scrappiness of a smaller film like [“Plainclothes”],” Blyth tells me during a Zoom video interview for this week’s “Just for Variety” podcast from Senegal, where he is shooting Claire Denis’ “The Cry of the Guards.” “I’ve done a bunch of them this year and last year. I’ve gone back to that kind of on purpose.

It didn’t take much for Russell Tovey to connect with “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird’ star Tom Blyth. The actors first met on Zoom before filming writer-director Carmen Emmi’s gay indie drama “Plainclothes.”

“Instantly I was just like, ‘This guy’s the real deal,’” Tovey says on this week’s “Just for Variety” podcast. “He’s a Brit and I’m a Brit and we’re both out there doing our thing. I was so charmed and excited to work with him and he is a real actor, and he’s got an absolute passion for independent film. He is all about honesty and authenticity in telling the story, and that’s what I’m for. The relationship between those two and their connection and their chemistry is fundamental to this story working.”

Those two in “Plainclothes” are Lucas (Blyth), an undercover cop in 1990s Syracuse,...

Like “Cruising” for the 1990s New Queer Cinema set, Carmen Emmi’s feature debut “Plainclothes” features the most emotionally (and physically) naked performance yet from rising British star Tom Blyth. He plays Lucas, a rookie cop somewhere outside Syracuse assigned to post up in one of those bland, sad Malls of America, hoping to lure men into a toilet stall — and into exposing themselves or more.

This clandestine, bait-and-catch operation was the sort of problematic police procedure that got people like George Michael into trouble for lewd conduct. Here, it forms the basis of a thriller — and one with shades of romance when Lucas’ own secret attraction to men starts overtaking him. And especially in the form of Russell Tovey, sparking a hesitant hook-up and possible romance after Lucas catches Andrew (Tovey) in the bathroom, only to end up lingering too long.

IndieWire shares an exclusive clip for the film in the video above.

Production on Bridgerton‘s fourth season is currently underway as Netflix gears up for the chapter following Luke Thompson‘s Benedict Bridgerton and his love story with Yerin Ha‘s Sophie Baek. As Season 4 production carries on, Thompson’s adding a new acting gig to his busy schedule. According to Variety, Thompson will appear in the forthcoming play An Oak Tree from Tim Crouch at London’s The Young Vic Theatre this spring. Thompson is one of many who are set to appear in the production put on by Francesca Moody Productions. Additional performers include Game of Thrones vet Indira Varma, Gangs of London‘s Sope Dirisu, and Russell Tovey among others. Liam Daniel / Netflix The play, which is set to run between Tuesday, May 6, and Saturday, May 17, will see Crouch joined by a different guest artist who has neither seen nor read the play before stepping on stage. Guest...

The Doctor Who franchise has had a lot of success through spinoffs over the years. From Torchwood to The Sarah Jane Adventures, the Whoniverse has explored everything from mature themes to family-friendly fun. Up next is The War Between the Land and the Sea, a high-stakes series featuring the return of classic villains: the Sea Devils!

The War Between the Land and the Sea began filming in August 2024. Created by Russell T. Davies and Pete McTighe, the five-episode series marks the return of some series favorites: Unit's Kate Lehbridge-Stuart (Jemma Redgrave), Shirley Anne Bingham (Ruth Madely) and Torchwood's General Pierce (Colin McFarlane). New cast members include: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Russell Tovey, and Alexander Devrient. Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor is not expected to feature, but we could be surprised.

The series is poised to be the highest-stakes spinoff yet, with the Sea Devils waging war on the world. The...