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Miriam Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout in the “Harry Potter” film franchise, is lending her voice to a new kids project titled “Badjelly,” Variety can confirm.

Based on the Spike Milligan children’s book “Badjelly the Witch: A Fairy Story,” the animated series will bring to life Milligan’s original tale about two siblings who go searching for a lost cow – and stumble upon a cast of magical creatures.

Margolyes is set to play Badjelly in the project, who is described as “the wickedest witch in all the world.” When she bumps into brother and sister Tim and Rose on their adventures in the great black forest high jinks ensue. Tim will be voiced by Malachi Hall (“The Flatshare”) while Ava Diakhaby (“Shortland Street”) plays Rose.

The 13-part series is aimed at 7-11 year old and is set for delivery in 2025. The show is already in production.

“’Badjelly’ delivers a...

The Daleks are back. Indeed, it’s almost as if they never went away. The BBC has announced that Doctor Who’s 2022 New Year special is entitled ‘Eve of the Daleks’, and will see the Doctor once again spend January the 1st battling Skaro’s deadliest. Well, tradition is tradition. Both 2019’s ‘Resolution’ and 2021’s ‘Revolution of the Daleks’ put the Daleks front and centre on New Year’s Day, meaning this latest festive episode completes something of a trilogy for outgoing executive producer Chris Chibnall.

The forthcoming festive special was written by Chibnall and directed by Annetta Laufer, and sees the Tardis crew joined by Aisling Bea, Adjani Salmon and Pauline McLynn. Here’s the official story synopsis:

Sarah (Aisling Bea) owns and runs Elf storage, and Nick (Adjani Salmon) is a customer who visits his unit every year on New Year’s Eve. This year, however, their night...

Principal photography for “Man & Witch,” an homage to the fantasy films of the 1980s, has wrapped after a six-week shoot on location in Scotland and Los Angeles.

The film, directed by Michael Hines (“Still Game”) marks the comeback of child star Tami Stronach, best known for her role as the Childlike Empress in “The NeverEnding Story” (1984). Stronach plays the title role of Witch who helps a cursed goatherd in his quest for love. Sean Astin (“Stranger Things”), Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous”), Eddie Izzard (“Hannibal”) and Bill Bailey (“Hot Fuzz”) voice the goatherd’s loyal companions Dog, Goose, Sheep and Donkey, brought to life with photo-realistic puppets fabricated by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and operated by a team of puppeteers led by Damien Farrell (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”).

The cast also includes Christopher Lloyd (“Back to the Future”), Shorhreh Aghdashloo (“The Expanse”), Michael Emerson (“Lost”), Pauline McLynn...

Exclusive: Fantasy film Man & Witch has announced the addition of Jennifer Saunders, Eddie Izzard, Daniel Portman (Game of Thrones), Bill Bailey and more as shooting wraps in Los Angeles and Scotland.

Saunders, Izzard, and Bailey voice the characters of goose, sheep, and donkey, respectively, in the family film about a lonely goatherd looking for love. The trio join previously announced Sean Astin who portrays the dog. All together they support the goatherd, played by screenwriter and star Greg Steinbruner.

The animals come to life through photo-realistic puppets created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

“The goatherd is a bit of a lonely figure and an outsider who is at the bottom of the pecking order but always kind to his animals,” the film’s star Tami Stronach, of The NeverEnding Story fame, said of her real-life...

Exclusive: Charlotte Lewis has been promoted to head of comedy at Objective Fiction, the All3Media-owned production outfit behind shows including Netflix/Channel 4 co-production Feel Good.

Lewis first joined Objective in 2013 and during her seven years with the company, she has developed and produced all three seasons of BBC Three’s Witless, which has been optioned for a U.S. remake by CBS Studios. She also developed and produced Roisin Conaty’s Channel 4 show GameFace.

In her newly-created role, Lewis will work alongside head of development Kelly McGolpin. Objective Fiction’s chief creative officer Ben Farrell said she is an “outstanding producer.”

Commenting on her promotion, Lewis said: “It’s a joy to work alongside such an incredibly talented team and I’m looking forward to building on Objective Fiction’s track record of brilliant shows.”

Beginning her career in comedy entertainment, she has worked in both production and...

“Chernobyl,” “Years & Years,” “The End of the F***ing World,” “Elizabeth Is Missing,” “The Crown” and “Giri/Haji” are the international heavy hitters in the drama category that are part of the Edinburgh TV Festival awards shortlist that were revealed Tuesday.

The comedy category shortlist includes “Feel Good,” “GameFace,” “Mum,” “Defending the Guilty,” “Sex Education” and “Stath Lets Flats.”

While the awards have been delayed until Nov. 18, the festival unveiled the shortlist after a virtual cocktail session that reunited director Paul Feig with his “Last Christmas” star Emilia Clarke.

This year sees a new, one-off category titled “Creativity in Crisis” that recognizes content emerging from a world reeling under the cornavirus pandemic. Nominees include Sky News documentary “8 minutes and 46 seconds,” “A Day in the Life of Coronavirus Britain” from Candour Productions for Channel 4, “Bitesize Scotland Daily” from BBC Scotland, “Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe” from Broke & Bones for BBC Two, “Gardener...

“Guilt” and “Eric, Ernie and Me” writer Neil Forsyth is launching production label Tannadice Pictures in partnership with Objective Fiction, the production company behind Netflix and Channel 4 co-production “Feel Good.”

Forsyth will exclusively develop and write content for Objective Fiction via Tannadice Pictures, as well as develop projects with other writers through the new label. He has previously worked with Objective Fiction on BBC Four biopic “Eric, Ernie and Me.”

Forsyth’s credits include the BBC Four “Bob Servant” series and several of Sky’s “Urban Myths” episodes.

Most recently, he created, wrote and executive produced the BBC Scotland dark comedy drama “Guilt.”

Objective Fiction, part of All3Media-backed Objective Media Group, specializes in original scripted content. Credits include Channel 4’s “Year of the Rabbit” and “GameFace,” BBC’s “Witless,” and most recently “Feel Good.”

Chief Creative Officer of Objective Fiction Ben Farrell said: “Neil is a creative force.

The global TV drama market is booming with international networks and worldwide Svod platforms moving into original, local scripted production in an unparalleled way. Foreign dramas and comedies are increasingly starting to play in the U.S., on a variety of cable networks and digital platforms, in addition to broadcasters and studios scouring the globe to find the most interesting ideas to translate to North American audiences.

This year’s development season has already seen ABC working up a legal drama with Daniel Dae Kim based on Korean format My Lawyer, Mr Jo., and romantic drama Until The Wedding, based on the eponymous Israeli series, while Fox handed a script commitment to British comedy Sunny D.

The Svod services are also getting involved; Amazon is piloting a Las Vegas-set remake of DJ mockumentary People Just Do Nothing and Apple is finalizing a deal for a Richard Gere-fronted drama based on Israeli drama Nevelot.

U.S. cable network IFC and British broadcaster Channel 4 have ordered Year of the Rabbit, a six-part comedy starring Toast of London’s Matt Berry. The two broadcasters have commissioned the show from All3Media-backed Objective Fiction after it was piloted by C4 last year.

The news was announced today at the Atx Television Festival in Austin.

The series follows a group of Victorian detectives; Berry, who stars in Jim Hosking’s An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn and Matt Groening’s Netflix animation Disenchantment, plays Detective Inspector Rabbitt, a hardened booze-hound who’s seen it all, and his new, hapless, by-the-books partner, played by Parade End’s Freddie Fox. While investigating a local murder, the chief of police’s lewd but insightful adoptive daughter, played by Chewing Gum’s Susan Wokoma, becomes the country’s first female officer. Together, the trio must fight crime while rubbing shoulders with street gangs,...