News

Ricky Gervais made his mainstream TV debut in 1998 and quickly rose to prominence as one of the UK’s foremost figures in comedy. Gervais’ most notable initial work was playing the obnoxious boss David Brent in the UK version of The Office. He won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in the sitcom Extras.

Ricky Gervais in a still from After Life | Credits: Netflix

His most notable work in recent years was After Life, which became the most-watched British comedy in the world. In addition to his lucrative paycheck from The Office, Gervais raked in millions in his career as a stand-up comedian. The Derek actor has performed five multinational stand-up comedy tours.

Ricky Gervais’s Earnings From Stand-Up Comedy Ricky Gervais in the still poster of SuperNature | Credits: Netflix

Ricky Gervais‘s first prominent stand-up show was part of the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show,...

Halloween is spine-chilling in general, but especially so if you’re a parent.

The amount of calories you consume while stealing your children’s hard-won candy? Gasp. Running out of sweets when there’s a minibus worth of spooky kids at your front door? Whimper. The price of Halloween costumes they’ll grow out of by Christmas? Scream.

You’d be better off extinguishing the pumpkin, barricading the door and curling up with one of these family-friendly Halloween movies instead – from animated delights to cult classics – which all fall under the ooky-spooky rather than blood-and-guts end of the scale.

(All streaming info correct as of September 2023)

For Pre-school Kids Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of The Were-Rabbit (2005)

This Oscar-winning stop-motion classic was the fourth film for classic British double-act Wallace and Gromit, a cheese-loving inventor and his silent anthropomorphic dog, and like their previous short films (such as The Wrong...

Exclusive: UK production company Mad As Birds (Mab) — best known for pics such as Six Minutes to Midnight, Poms, The Vanishing, and The Almond And The Seahorse — has landed a major cash injection from a private investor as it sets out a diverse slate of projects for the Cannes market.

We understand the investment is around the seven-figure mark. The investor, whose identity has been kept private, approached the UK-based indie headed by Celyn Jones, Andy Evans, and Sean Marley with the unique deal, which is set to supercharge the company’s work across film and TV, with several Mab projects heading to the Cannes market this week.

New Mab film projects hitting the market include:

Call Girls

Directed by veteran British filmmaker Catherine Morshead, the film comes from a screenplay by writers Paul Coleman and Brennan Reece. Coleman is the BAFTA-winning writer behind the BBC comedy Car Share,...

Shane Allen, BBC’s director of comedy, is leaving the broadcaster to team with recently departed head of comedy commissioning Kate Daughton to launch a new outfit.

Boffola Pictures Limited will specialize in scripted comedy and comedy drama and is backed by “Les Miserables” producer Lookout Point.

The BBC will begin recruitment immediately for a new director of comedy. Allen is due to leave in August. Kate Phillips, director of BBC entertainment, will oversee new scripted comedy commissioning decisions while Allen oversees ongoing productions and works on the BBC Comedy Association’s inaugural plans for a city of comedy, the appointment of a Young People’s Comedy Laureate and the TV re-boot of The New Comedy Awards.

At BBC Comedy, Allen commissioned a range of hits including “Fleabag,” “Man Like Mobeen,” “Detectorists,” “Peter Kay’s Car Share,” “This Country,” “The Young Offenders,” “Upstart Crow,” “Inside Number 9” and “Famalam.” During his tenure,...

Shane Allen, the BBC’s Director of Comedy whose credits include Fleabag, This Country, and The Young Offenders, is leaving the broadcaster to launch his own production company.

Allen is joining forces with Kate Daughton, the recently departed BBC Head of comedy, to form scripted comedy and comedy drama shingle Boffola Pictures Limited, with backing from War And Peace outfit Lookout Point, which is part of the BBC Studios group.

Allen’s tenure at the BBC has seen the broadcaster have regular success in the comedy categories of the National Television Award and the TV BAFTAs. The exec has focused on bringing through new talent, including through Comedy Slices & Threesomes on BBC Three. In 2021, he established the BBC Comedy Association to engage and enable a new wave of talent on and off screen including the return to television of the New Comedy Awards.

The BBC will begin recruitment immediately for a new Director of Comedy.

The BAFTA and ratings-winning BBC comedy Car Share is to return for a special audio episode to help lift people’s spirits during the coronavirus pandemic.

Creator Peter Kay has teamed up with co-star Sian Gibson and writer Paul Coleman to pen the special episode, which will premiere on iPlayer on Friday, nearly two years after the show bowed out on BBC One.

More from DeadlineYouTube Originals Offers Some Library Titles For Free During LockdownOlivia Wilde Leads TV Doctors, Including Patrick Dempsey & Neil Patrick Harris, In Video Thank You To Covid-19 Healthcare Workers'Sesame Street's Elmo To Host 'Playdate' Special To Comfort Kids During Coronavirus Crisis; Will Air On Multiple WarnerMedia Networks

Car Share is made by Kay’s production company Goodnight Vienna and follows the lives of two supermarket workers as they travel to-and-from work every day. Over the course of its three seasons, romance blossomed between the pair and...

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, the creators of British anthology series Inside No. 9 and co-creators of dark comedy The League of Gentleman, have struck a first-look deal with BBC Studios.

The production arm of the British public broadcaster has closed the exclusive deal with the pair to develop new comedy and comedy drama projects for UK and international broadcasters. The two-year deal has been signed via BBC Studios Production Comedy.

The pair created Royston Valley-set The League of Gentleman, which aired for three seasons on BBC Two as well as three specials in 2017, and anthology series Inside No. 9, which has aired 25 episodes across four seasons as well as specials. Pemberton has also starred in Killing Eve and Britannia, while Shearsmith has starred in Peter Kay’s Car Share and Steve Coogan’s Mid Morning Matters.

Josh Cole, Head of Comedy BBC Studios Production said, “Reece and Steve are...

“The Crown” won only one of its three races at the 2018 BAFTA TV Awards on May 13 when Vanessa Kirby claimed the supporting actress prize for her riveting portrayal of Princess Margaret. While this lavish historical drama had taken home three BAFTAs at last month’s TV Craft Awards, it was bested here for Drama Series by another period piece, “Peaky Blinders.” And although Claire Foy has already collected a Golden Globe and SAG Award for capturing the essence of Queen Elizabeth II, she lost Best Drama Actress to Molly Windsor who won for the docudrama “Three Girls,” which was named Best Miniseries. (See the full list of BAFTA TV Awards winners.)

There is a threshold of six installments to qualify as a drama series at these kudos; the cap is 19, after which a show is deemed to be a continuing drama. Also up for Best Drama Series were the police...

The 2018 BAFTA TV Awards programs took place at London’s Festival Hall on Sunday, May 13. “The Great British Bakeoff” presenter Sue Perkins hosted this celebration of the best of British television for the second year running. Scroll down to see the complete list of BAFTA TV Awards winners (and nominees).

As with the Emmys, the British academy divides its TV awards into two parts. The BAFTA TV craft awards which are equivalent to the Creative Arts at the Emmys, were handed out in a ceremony on April 22 that was emceed by Stephen Mangan (“Episodes”). The lavishly produced drama series “The Crown,” which screened on Netflix on both sides of the pond, won three of its seven races at these kudos honoring the best behind-the-scenes artists and professionals.

“The Crown,” which chronicles the first years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, also leads the BAFTA TV Awards nominations for the...

The BAFTA TV Awards honor programs across a wide range of genres. Winners will be revealed in a ceremony at London’s Festival Hall on Sunday, May 13 with “The Great British Bakeoff” presenter Sue Perkins hosting for the second year running. See the full list of BAFTA TV Awards nominations below and come back to Gold Derby for complete coverage of the ceremony.

See 2018 BAFTA TV Awards full list of winners (and nominees too!) [Updating Live]

The historical drama “The Crown,” which chronicles the first years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, leads the BAFTA TV Awards nominations for the second year in a row with bids for Best Drama Series, Best Drama Actress (Claire Foy) and Best Drama Supporting Actress (Vanessa Kirby). Not surprisingly, this lavishly produced series, which screened on Netflix on both sides of the pond, won three of its seven races at last month’s BAFTA TV...

The BAFTA TV Craft Awards honor skills in 19 different categories. Nine of these are devoted to fictional programming, another four to factual, and six are in combined fields. Winners were revealed during a ceremony on Sunday, April 22 hosted by “Episodes” star Stephen Mangan. Nominations for the BAFTA TV Awards were announced on Wednesday, April 4 with that ceremony taking place on Sunday, May 13.

Fiction

Costume Design

“The Crown”

X – “Game of Thrones”

“Peaky Blinders”

“Taboo”

Director (Fiction)

Jane Campion, “Top of the Lake: China Girl”

Mackenizie Crook, “Detectorists”

Paul Whittington, “Little Boy Blue”

X – Phillipa Lowthorpe, “Three Girls”

Editing (Fiction)

“The Crown”

“Line of Duty”

“Peaky Blinders”

X – “Three Girls”

Makeup And Hair Design

“Gunpowder”

“The Miniaturist – The Forge”

“Peaky Blinders”

X – “Taboo”

Photography And Lighting (Fiction)

“Against the Law”

“Black Mirror”

X – “The Crown”

“Taboo”

Production Design

“Black Mirror”

“The Crown”

X – “Game of Thrones”

“The State”

Sound (Fiction)

“Black Mirror...

The historical drama “The Crown,” which chronicles the first years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, led the BAFTA TV Awards nominations for the second year in a row, with three bids including Best Drama Series. SAG and Golden Globe winner Claire Foy reaped a Best Actress nomination for her sensitive portrayal of the young monarch. And Vanessa Kirby contends for her scene-stealing turn as younger sister Princess Margaret. However, Matt Smith was snubbed again for his subdued take on Prince Phillip.

Not surprisingly, this lavishly produced series, which screened on Netflix on both sides of the pond, also reaped seven bids at last month’s nominations for the BAFTA TV craft awards which honor the best behind-the-scenes artists and professionals; these are equivalent to the Creative Arts Awards at the Emmys.

With its 10 episodes, “The Crown” easily crossed the threshold of six installments required to qualify as a...

Netflix and BBC1 dramas to face off in four categories.

Netflix’s The Crown and BBC1’s Taboo are to go head-to-head in four categories at this year’s Bafta TV Craft Awards.

Left Bank Pictures’ royal saga will be looking to repeat last year’s success in Costume Design and Special, Visual & Graphics Effects. It will face the Scott Free/Hardy Son & Baker drama in both categories as well as Photography & Lighting: Fiction and Sound: Fiction.

Nominations in full below

The Crown leads the way in this year’s nominations with seven nods compared to Taboo’s six and...

Louisa Mellor Jun 1, 2017

Some exciting new UK drama and comedy commissions are making their way to TV over the next year or so…

We know, we know. You still have two episodes of Fargo season two before you can think about starting season three. You’ve already fallen behind on American Gods. Your planner memory is chock-a-block with Big Little Lies and that Oj Simpson thing and some Spanish prison series your workmate bullied you into recording. You’re struggling to make time for Twin Peaks. New Game Of Thrones is just around the corner. And guess what, Netflix UK have just added a whole new season of It’s Always Sunny, those sods. You need a list of new TV show recommendations like you need a hole in the head.

See related Metroid: Other M Nintendo Wii review

And yet, as long as they keep making them, we’ll keep recommending them.

Gem Wheeler May 3, 2017

With series two over and no further episodes on the horizon, we salute funny, warm, clever sitcom Peter Kay's Car Share...

Everyday life may be full of funny moments, but it’s fair to say that most of them aren’t found during the commute to work; traffic jams, roadworks and incompetent drivers raise stress levels like little else. The prospect of watching two people make small talk in a confined space as inane radio jingles play gooseberry in the background doesn’t sound like a promising start for a comedy series. Yet somehow, Peter Kay's Car Share won a huge audience for its first series on BBC One back in 2015. After a dramatic ending to its second run this week, fans were desperate to learn what would become of star-crossed couple John and Kayleigh’s burgeoning romance, only to have those hopes dashed when star, co-writer...

Louisa Mellor Apr 7, 2017

Filming is well underway on the fourth series of the brilliant Inside No. 9. Here's who to expect among the guest cast...

Series one and two of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's consistently inventive, continually surprising anthology strand Inside No. 9 have recently landed on Netflix UK, which will hopefully bring it to the attention of those who didn't catch it on the first run. If you're among them, then run, don't walk, etc. It's simply one of the best shows around.

See related  The X-Files: an episode roadmap for beginners The X-Files: Fox wants more episodes in 2018 Dirk Maggs Interview: Hitchhiker's, Douglas Adams, Superman, Batman, & more...

And thrillingly, more of it is incoming. Hot on the heels of the recently aired third series, filming is already well underway on a fourth, to comprise six new standalone stories.

As soon as there's a sniff of an official broadcast date,...

facebook

twitter

google+

Episode one of handsome new BBC supernatural period drama The Living And The Dead feat. Colin Morgan ends on a gripping hook…

This review contains episode 1 spoilers.

Ashley Pharoah, the creator of The Living And The Dead, made his name writing genre TV with a twist. He and Matthew Graham added a time travel mystery to the police procedural in Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes, then spliced the supernatural with court drama in Eternal Law.

Pharoah’s new series The Living And The Dead plays the same game. It’s a traditional Victorian ghost story with Something Else Going On. Two events in the first episode alert viewers to this fact – the vapour trail of a modern airplane in the 1894 Somerset sky and the closing sight of a twenty-first century woman, iPad in hand, walking around the nineteenth-century farmhouse in which the story is set.

“Wolf Hall” is among one of this year’s big House of Fraser British Academy Television Award winners. The Mark Rylance–led historical drama won two BAFTA TV Awards alongside mini-series “This Is England ’90” and comedy “Peter Kay’s Car Share” at last night’s ceremony. Rylance continued his award season dominance winning a BAFTA for his lead performance as Thomas Cromwell in “Wolf Hall.” Rylance picked up a BAFTA Film Award and Oscar earlier this year for his supporting turn in Steven Spielberg’s Cold War–era feature “Bridge of Spies.” “Wolf Hall” also won the BAFTA for Drama Series defeating “Humans,” “The Last Panthers,” and “No Offence.” “This Is England ’90” won the mini-series prize in addition to Chanel Cresswell’s supporting performance for the Sheffield-set drama. While “Peter Kay’s Car Share” earned citations for scripted comedy and Peter Kay for male performance in a comedy. Suranne Jones...

Historical drama "Wolf Hall" was the big winner at this year's BAFTA Television Awards celebrating the best of British television. The limited series, about Thomas Cromwell's rise to power through Henry VIII's royal court, scored both Best Drama Series and Best Leading Actor for the work done by Mark Rylance.

Other big winners included "Transparent" which won for Best International Series, "Peter Kay's Car Share" taking Best Scripted Comedy and Best Male Comedy Performance, and "This Is England '90" winning for Best Mini-Series and Best Supporting Actress for Chanel Cresswell.

The Radio Times Audience Award, the only award of the ceremony voted by members of the public, went to the Aidan Turner-led historical drama "Poldark". Suranne Jones took Best Leading Actress for "Doctor Foster," Tom Courtenay won Best Supporting Actor for his work in "Unforgotten," Michaela Coel won Best Female Comedy Performance, and BBC3's "Don't Take My Baby" won Best Single Drama.

Oscar winner Mark Rylance won another award at the House of Fraser British Academy Television Awards on Sunday, where he was named the best actor in a dramatic television series for “Wolf Hall.” “Wolf Hall” was also named the best drama series, “Peter Kay’s Car Share” won for scripted comedy series and “This Is England ’90” won for best miniseries. Acting awards went to Rylance, Suranne Jones for “Doctor Foster,” Tom Courtenay for “Unforgotten,” Chanel Cresswell for “This is England ’90,” Peter Kay for “Peter Kay’s Car Share,” Michaela Coel for “Chewing Gum”and Leigh Francis for “Celebrity Juice.” “Wolf Hall” went into.

The drama series “Wolf Hall,” starring recent Oscar Best Supporting Actor winner Mark Rylance, led all television series with four nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, whose BAFTA TV Awards will be handed out on April 24 in London. “Wolf Hall” was nominated for Drama Series, Leading Actor (Rylance), Leading Actress (Claire Foy) and Supporting Actor (Anton Lesser), following its six nominations in the BAFTA craft categories, which were announced on March 22. Other programs with multiple nominations include the drama “This Is England ’90” and the comedies “Chewing Gum” and “Peter Kay’s Car Share.” Also Read: 'The.

Exclusive: Unigram slate includes Kill Your Friends TV spin-off and Shazam film.

Kill Your Friends producer Gregor Cameron and Grammy-nominated songwriter Amanda Ghost, former president of Epic Records, are re-teaming with billionaire financier and Warner Music owner Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries (AI) to launch UK production outfit Unigram.

Partners Cameron and Ghost - the latter was also an executive producer on AI-backed Kill Your Friends - will oversee London-based outfit Unigram, which will concentrate on music-oriented film, TV and multi-media projects.

AI will back the new venture and have a first-look at new projects on the slate.

The company is currently working with Tim Reid (Peter Kay’s Car Share) and Dhiraj Mukherjee, one of the founders of music app Shazam, on a feature about the history of the app, best known for its music identification capabilities.

Unigram is also in development on a Kill Your Friends TV spin-off set in the present day.

Former TV producer...

This week includes several brand new shows to get excited about while one cult series says goodbye.

From the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead to the finale of Hannibal, these are Digital Spy's top TV picks over the next seven days.

Monday - Fear the Walking Dead, AMC UK on BT at 9pm

The long-awaited spinoff to The Walking Dead arrives in the UK a week after the Us premiere, and the reviews have been pretty positive.

Taking place during the beginnings of the zombie outbreak, the series focuses on a new bunch of characters in Los Angeles, including a married couple played by Kim Dickens and Cliff Curtis. Expect plenty of screams.

Tuesday - Rectify, AMC UK on BT at 9pm

Hot on the heels of Fear the Walking Dead is another Us export in the form of this SundanceTV drama. Three seasons have aired in the Us...

Believe it or not, 2015 is half done already - and the past six months have delivered some top-notch television, much of it brand new drama, comedy and documentaries.

Picking the finest from a particularly fine crop was no easy task, but these were our rules: it had to launch in 2015, it must have aired one series / season in its entirety and it had to be a continuing series.

So no-one off pieces - e.g. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - and nothing that got the chop - sorry, Banished.

Here - in original broadcast order - are the DS Staff Picks from the year so far.

Marvel's Agent Carter - Morgan Jeffery, TV Editor

Hopes were high for Marvel's Agent Carter - not least because fans had been clamouring for a series featuring Hayley Atwell's heroine ever since her 2013 One-Shot short film.

Happily, this 8-part first season met and...

Peter Kay had 176 driving lessons before he passed his test. The comic actor - whose recent sitcom 'Car Share' was set entirely inside a motor vehicle - was useless behind the wheel and failed his test on four occasions before passing on the fifth attempt. During an appearance on Alan Carr's talk show 'Chatty Man', the 41-year-old star said: ''I can drive but it took me five times to pass. I was not very good at driving. It would not click. It took me six years, 176 lessons. I started when I was 16 in 1990 and passed in 1996.

The BBC has defended iPlayer after streams fell for the third month in a row, under continued pressure from rival on demand services including Netflix, Amazon, Channel 4, ITV and Sky.

The catch-up service had 271 million requests for TV and radio programmes in April, which is down from 278m in March, 299m in February and 343m in December, which set an all-time high record.

Peter Kay's Car Share sitcom was the most popular show overall, with 1.5m for its premiere episode and 3.7m for the series in total.

iPlayer chief Dan Taylor-Watt has posted a blog to "correct some misleading headlines", explaining that the service's popularity often fluctuates.

"BBC iPlayer usage changes significantly depending on the season with higher volumes of requests in the autumn and winter months, and lower volumes in the spring and summer," he said.

"Also, as the majority of iPlayer consumption is still catch-up TV,...

Marvel's Agents of Shield: Channel 4, 8pm

The sci-fi action continues in 'The Dirty Half-Dozen', as Lincoln Campbell (Luke Mitchell) is held prisoner with Mike Peterson (J August Richards).

Meanwhile, Gonzales and Coulson have to ignore their differences to fight together against Hydra.

Big Brother Timebomb: Live Eviction: Channel 5, 9pm

Emma Willis reveals the latest evictee from the Big Brother: Timebomb house as voted out by the public. Will Adoja, Eileen or Sarah be evicted tonight?

We also get to catch up with all of yesterday's action from the house with all the latest gossip, drama and tasks.

A League of Their Own: Sky1, 9pm

Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders, Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and TV presenter Alex Brooker join the A League of Their Own gang for the latest helping of the comedy sports quiz.

James Corden hosts, with regulars Jamie Redknapp and Andrew Flintoff joining him as team captains.

Inspector George Gently topped the ratings outside of soaps on Wednesday (May 13), according to overnight figures.

The BBC One drama brought in 5.45m (26.7%) for its 90-minute episode at 8pm, while Peter Kay's Car Share continued strongly with 4.59m (22.5%) at 9.30pm.

On BBC Two, Antiques Road Trip averaged 830k (4.9%) at 7pm, before The Great Chelsea Garden Challenge interested 1.34m (6.7%) at 8pm, and The Great British Garden Watch gathered 1.16m (5.5%) at 9pm. Rory Bremner's Election Report followed with 1.27m (7.5%) at 10pm.

ITV's Give a Pet a Home warmed the hearts of 2.08m (10.4%) at 8pm (166k/0.8% on +1), while Newzoids amused 1.56m (7.3%) at 9pm (151k/0.9%). The Delivery Man was seen by 932k (4.6%) at 9.30pm (87k/0.7%).

The World's Most Expensive Food was devoured by 1.71m (8.6%) on Channel 4 at 8pm (166k/0.8%), while The Island with Bear Grylls thrilled 2.22m (10.6%) at 9pm (284k/1.9%).

Big Brother was Channel 5's highest rated programme of the night with...

The Affair: Sky Atlantic, 9pm

Smart, steamy and complex, this Golden Globe-winning new drama arrives in the UK tonight, having already won plaudits for its 10-part first season in the Us.

Dominic West and Ruth Wilson star as Noah and Allison, a couple whose affair has dramatic repercussions, in this must-see series. It launches with a double-bill, with episode two following the premiere at 10.15pm.

Peter Kay's Car Share: BBC One, 9.30pm

This warm and very funny sitcom starring Peter Kay and brilliant breakout star Sian Gibson continues tonight.

This week, John (Kay) has had a fancy hands-free phone kit fitted in his car - but Kayleigh (Gibson) only wants to discuss the previous night's events.

Murder in Successville: BBC Three, 10pm

BBC Three's oddball comedy entertainment series continues, as DJ Greg James is recruited to help solve the murder of Reese Witherspoon - yes, you read that right.

Inspector George Gently: BBC One, 8pm

Martin Shaw returns as Alan Hunter's inspector in a new four-part series - the show's seventh.

In 'Gently with the Women', our man, Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) and Coles (Lisa McGrillis) investigate the rape of a prostitute, a case that stirs up animosity from their colleagues.

Peter Kay's Car Share: BBC One, 9.30pm

Car Share is Peter Kay's first sitcom for over 10 years and is co-written with his series co-star Sian Gibson.

The show - about two colleagues who take part in a company car-share scheme - launched on iPlayer ahead of its broadcast premiere and has already won over many with its good-natured humour.

Inside No. 9: BBC Two, 10pm

Series two of this weird and wonderful anthology series from the brilliant minds of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton draws to a close tonight.

In 'Séance Time', Tina -...