News

The BBC has confirmed an all-star cast for its latest drama from Hugo Blick.

Deadline brought you news that Bill Nighy was in talks for Clifftops back in February and the BBC has confirmed the show, now titled California Avenue, will star Nighy, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Burke and Erin Doherty, the latter of whom is fresh off the back of the runaway success of Netflix’s Adolescence.

California Avenue is set in a secluded canal-side caravan park deep in the luscious English countryside, where its peace is irrevocably disrupted by the arrival of Lela (Doherty) and her 11-year-old child, both on the run, looking for refuge in this hidden world. It is here that a fractured family will come together, ghosts and demons will firmly be put to rest and an unexpected love is forged. Nighy and Bonham Carter star as Jerry and Eddie, Lela’s parents, while Burke is showman outcast,...

Exclusive: Bill Nighy is in talks to star in Clifftops, a Hugo Blick series for the BBC set in a nostalgia-soaked 1970s trailer park overlooking the English Channel.

Deadline hears that The English writer has teamed with Drama Republic, the producer behind Netflix’s One Day, to create the six-part series, which sources said has the wit of The Royle Family and the emotional clout of The Grapes of Wrath.

Clifftops centers on a mother and daughter who escape an abusive husband to set up a home away from civilization. On the clifftops, Lela is reunited with her Bradford-born parents in a community of outcasts, set to the soundtrack and TV culture of its day.

The BBC declined to comment on the series. Nighy’s agent at Independent Talent has been contacted for comment. Blick is also repped by Independent Talent.

Nighy, Oscar-nominated for his role in Living, is currently...

ITV has officially announced its drama about the U.K.’s phone-hacking scandal and investigation, a seven-part series now entitled “The Hack” and written by multi award-winner Jack Thorne.

The unveiling of the first look from “The Hack” — which shot last year — comes just a week after the hacking controversy concerning Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids reached a new peak, with his News Group Newspapers making a historic apology to Prince Harry and agreeing to pay substantial damages.

David Tennant — who himself accepted damages from Ngn over a phone-hacking claim against the now-defunct News of the World — plays Nick Davies, the investigative journalist who uncovered evidence of hacking. Toby Jones plays his former editor-in-chief at The Guardian newspaper, Alan Rusbridger, while — in a story running parallel to the hacking expose — Robert Carlyle plays former Met Police detective chief superintendent Dave Cook, who led an investigation into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.

Exclusive: Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated actor Paapa Essiedu has inked with WME for representation in all areas, Deadline has learned.

Essiedu notched a Supporting Actor Emmy nom in Limited or Anthology Series as well as a Lead Actor BAFTA TV nom for his turn as Kwame in Michaela Coel’s HBO series I May Destroy You. He also received a BAFTA Lead Actor TV nom for The Lazarus Project.

Other recent projects include the National Theatre’s The Effect, written by Lucy Prebble and directed by Jamie Lloyd, which is transferring to The Shed in New York this year; Season 6 of the cult anthology series Black Mirror (“Demon 79”); and Working Title/Universal Christmas movie The Genie, directed by Sam Boyd and written by Love Actually‘s Richard Curtis.

Essiedu starred opposite Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun, directed by Nora Fingscheidt and based on Amy Liptrot’s bestselling memoir. The feature received...

Exclusive: Filmmaker Edward Berger says that Ralph Fiennes’ sublime performance as the cardinal charged with overseeing the election of a new pope in awards-season contender Conclave has a “whisper” of the inscrutability Anthony Hopkins displayed in his portrait of a veteran butler in James Ivory’s 1993 film The Remains of the Day.

Prefacing his comments by jokingly suggesting that “Ralph will crucify me for saying this“ and “I don’t know if this is a bad comparison,” Berger thought that the way Fiennes plays the impenetrable Cardinal Lawrence “has something of, a whisper of, Anthony Hopkins” in the Merchant and Ivory movie “that has that sort of just keeping everything inside and keeping quiet and doing it just with his eyes.”

Even though Cardinal Lawrence, the Dean of Cardinals, is undergoing a crisis of doubt, he nonetheless “projects absolute competency before a word is uttered.”

That’s a peculiarly English trait,...

Michaela Coel is set to star in, write, and executive produce a new drama series that is being co-produced by HBO and the BBC.

Titled “First Day on Earth,” the series also boasts “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong among its executive producers. Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni also executive produce for Armstrong’s Various Artists Limited, as does Jo McClellan for the BBC and Piers Wenger for A24. Filming on the series will begin in 2025.

“I am delighted to be working with Val, HBO and the BBC again, and to partner with A24; thanks to all of their combined taste, care and expertise, I feel our show is in great hands,” Coel said. “‘First Day on Earth’ is another very personal story for me which I hope will engage viewers from all over the world, and I can’t wait for audiences to go on Henri’s journey with her.”

The...

Who Is Emmanuel Imani from Geek Girl? Learn More about the Actor Who Plays Wilbur - Main Image

While the main character of the story is Emily Carey's Harriet Manners navigating the fashion industry, fans also happened to be most captivated by her Agent, Wilbur, played by Emmanuel Imani on Netflix's Geek Girl.

So, who is the actor and where have you seen him before? Well, get to know more about him here!

Geek Girl's Agent Draws the Most Attention From Fans

Harriet Manners wouldn't have moved forward in her career, had she not met her fairy godmothers/agents who recruited her in fashion, Wilbur Evans (played by Emmanuel Imani) and Betty (Hebe Beardsall).

From the very beginning, Wilbur and Betty have been keeping an eye out for anyone who could stand out from the rest of the common crowds on their shows, and by the premiere of Geek Girl,...

Adrian Schiller, the British actor who starred as Lord Aethelhelm in the Netflix drama series The Last Kingdom, has died. He was 60.

Schiller died on April 3 of unspecified causes, his agent, Amanda Evans at Scott Marshall Partners in the U.K., confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. “It is with the heaviest and saddest hearts that we announce the death of our beloved client, Adrian Schiller, on Wednesday 3 April. He has died far too soon, and we, his family and close friends are devastated by the loss,” the U.K. talent agency said in a statement.

Schiller’s sudden death followed a star turn in Australia in The Lehman Trilogy, where he performed the role of Henry Lehman in the touring production.

Born on Feb. 21, 1964 in London, England, his extensive TV credits included roles in the ITV series Victoria, where he played Cornelius Penge, a footman in the royal household, Father Brown for BBC,...

Ghana is set to introduce its first film tax incentive, with a 20% tax rebate for film production.

The law, unveiled by President Nana Akufo-Addo during a State of the Nation address on February 27, implements film financing reliefs which include exemptions on import duties for film production equipment and on port taxes plus other cash levies, and income tax benefits in addition to the 20% rebate.

In his address, Akufo-Addo said: “Government, through the National Film Authority, is committed to supporting the production of world-class content and films, as well as increasing the cinema infrastructure in Ghana and, by extension, on the continent.

Victoria Stable, a legendary archivist, played a crucial role in ensuring historical accuracy in all six seasons of The Crown. Stable's knowledge and ability to find rare footage helped give The Crown its solid reputation. Season 6 of The Crown is dedicated to Stable, who sadly passed away in 2023, and her contributions are irreplaceable to the series.

Viewers who have watched the latest episodes of The Crown might be wondering who Victoria Stable is — and why The Crown season 6 is dedicated to her. Netflix's prestigious, multi-Emmy Award-winning drama returned for the first part of its sixth and final season, offering four new episodes that mainly orbit around Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki), now Prince Charles' (Dominic West) ex-wife, and her tragic death. Of course, the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) still looms large, and will remain the key focus of the drama's season 6, volume 2 — a six-episode run...

Screen Rant is happy to present an exclusive new clip from the new Prime Video series, Riches. The six-episode season is a co-production between Amazon Studios and the UK's ITV network, and it was created and written by Abby Ajayi. This high-stakes drama of a family with wealth and privilege stars Deborah Ayorinde, Hugh Quarshie (Absentia), Sarah Niles, Adeyinka Akinrinade, Ola Orebiyi, Nneka Okoye, Emmanuel Imani, and Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey). Riches is now streaming on Prime Video.

When the patriarch of the Richards family, Stephen (Quarshie), dies suddenly, his two estranged families are brought together for the reading of his will. The stakes are high, and one question is key in everyone's minds; Who will be given control of his company, Flair & Glory? When it's revealed that his long-estranged American children, Nina (Ayorinde) and Simon (Imani) will be given sole ownership, disinheriting his new British family, the stage is...

Prime Video has debuted the teaser trailer for the upcoming Western drama series The English, starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, along with its premiere date

All six episodes of the limited series will premiere on November 11 exclusively in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Nordics on Prime Video, following its November 10 UK premiere on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Additionally, The English will make its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival as their series special presentation on Sunday, October 15. The series is a co-production with Amazon Studios and BBC, in association with All3Media International who handled international sales.

The English is an epic chase Western, from award-winning writer and director Hugo Blick. The series takes the core themes of identity and revenge to tell a uniquely compelling parable on race, power, and love. An aristocratic Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke (Blunt), and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout,...

The BBC has debuted the trailer for the Emily Blunt-led western six-part drama series ‘The English’.

The story follows an aristocratic Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke (Blunt), and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout, Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), come together in 1890 mid-America to cross a violent landscape of increasingly terrifying obstacles that will test them to their limits, physically and psychologically.

As each obstacle is overcome, it draws them closer to their ultimate destination – the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming. It is here, where a series of bizarre and macabre unsolved murders are taking place, that the full extent of their intertwined history will be truly understood, and they will come face-to-face with the future they must live.

Penned and directed by Hugo Blick. Stephen Rea, Valerie Pachner, Rafe Spall, Tom Hughes, Toby Jones, and Ciarán Hinds co-star in the series.

Also in trailers – Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern star in teaser trailer...

Missing 1883?

Prime Video might have the series for you!

The streaming service debuted the teaser trailer and art for the upcoming Western drama series The English, starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer.

All six episodes of the limited series will premiere on November 11 exclusively in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Nordics on Prime Video, following its November 10 UK premiere on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

The English will make its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival as their series special presentation on Sunday, October 15.

The series is a co-production with Amazon Studios and BBC, in association with All3Media International who handled international sales.

The English is an epic chase Western, from award-winning writer and director Hugo Blick.

"The series takes the core themes of identity and revenge to tell a uniquely compelling parable on race, power, and love," according to the streaming service.

"An aristocratic Englishwoman,...

Click here to read the full article.

The 66th BFI London Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of world premieres at this year’s edition, including Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix stop-motion animation film Pinocchio.

The fest will also mark the debut of Creature, a collaboration between choreographer Akram Khan and Oscar winner Asif Kapadia, as well as family animation My Father’s Dragon from Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner) and Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers, The Song of the Sea).

The London festival’s series and episodic selection, now in its second year, has “a thrilling range of stories for audiences to see on the big screen,” organizers said. They unveiled a “series special presentation” as the world premiere of The English, starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, a tale of romance and revenge from television auteur Hugo Blick (An Honourable Woman, Black Earth Rising). Also premiering in the section are comedy-drama Mammals,...

Exclusive: Multi-award winning I May Destroy You and Chewing Gum creator Michaela Coel has signed with UTA in the U.S. The agency will represent the multi-hyphenate in all areas. In the UK, she will continue to be represented by Conor McCaughan and Michael Duff.

Coel was previously with CAA but the writer and performer left the agency after she said it “tried to push her” to strike a deal with Netflix for her semi-autobiographical series I May Destroy You.

Coel famously rejected Netflix’s multimillion-dollar offer due to the streamer refusing to budge on requiring a portion of back-end rights in return. The show was instead greenlit by the BBC and HBO, and brought the London-born star critical acclaim and global fame. The series scored nine Emmy nominations, with Coel winning for writing.

She is currently starring in Marvel feature Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and is in the middle of writing another BBC show,...

Exclusive: Nafessa Williams has been tapped to play Robyn Crawford in the biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the upcoming feature about the late musical icon Whitney Houston. Williams steps in for Moses Ingram. who recently parted ways with the role.

Also joining the cast are Clarke Peters and Tamara Tunie, who will play John and Cissy Houston. Naomi Ackie will play Whitney Houston in the musical biopic that is being directed by Kasi Lemmons. The screenplay will be penned by Anthony McCarten, and will take audiences on an emotional, energetic journey through Houston’s career and music.

Crawford was Houston’s longtime assistant who would later become Houston’s creative director while also remaining one of her closest friends.

Alongside McCarten’s Muse of Fire Productions, the film is being produced by Pat Houston on behalf of the Houston Estate; Grammy-winning music producer Clive Davis; Larry Mestel on behalf...

The deal, signed July 1, between French and German media giants Mediawan and Leonine to acquire a majority stake in Britain’s Drama Republic — the Emmy-nominated producer of Patrick Melrose, The Honourable Woman, The Irregulars and Black Earth Rising, not to mention the global hit Doctor Foster — has quietly created a new European television powerhouse.

Last year, Mediawan, which counts pan-European shingle Lagardère Studios and labels such as Call My Agent! producer Mon Voisin Productions among its subsidiaries, joined forces with Leonine, forming a joint venture with the fast-growing German film and TV group whose assets include Dark producer Wiedemann & Berg, and the libraries of ...

The deal, signed July 1, between French and German media giants Mediawan and Leonine to acquire a majority stake in Britain’s Drama Republic — the Emmy-nominated producer of Patrick Melrose, The Honourable Woman, The Irregulars and Black Earth Rising, not to mention the global hit Doctor Foster — has quietly created a new European television powerhouse.

Last year, Mediawan, which counts pan-European shingle Lagardère Studios and labels such as Call My Agent! producer Mon Voisin Productions among its subsidiaries, joined forces with Leonine, forming a joint venture with the fast-growing German film and TV group whose assets include Dark producer Wiedemann & Berg, and the libraries of ...

Known Associates Entertainment, the production company behind the South African adaptation of the Colombian telenovela that inspired “Ugly Betty,” is partnering with Ivory Coast public broadcaster Rti on a sci-fi drama series that marks the first co-production between the two countries, Variety has learned.

“Ambre” will be shot in South Africa and in Ivory Coast with actors from both countries, with a script written in both English and French. South African public broadcaster Sabc has pre-licensed the series, which is slated to air in 2022.

“In the vein of ‘American Gods’ and ‘Black Earth Rising,’ ‘Ambre’ is a futuristic action thriller about courage, hope and the heroism of youth in desperate times,” said producer Lebone Maema, who co-created the 6 x 60’ series with Ivorian writer Binta Dembele.

“‘Ambre’ epitomizes Known Associates’ vision for creating premium African global content. We are thrilled to pioneer co-productions between African countries across languages and cultures for a worldwide audience,...

Amazon and the BBC have assembled a stellar cast for the forthcoming drama series The English.

The series is produced by Drama Republic.

The epic western will be led by Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer.

It is written and directed by multi-award-winning Hugo Blick and set in the mythic mid-American landscape in the year of 1890.

The series follows Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), an Englishwoman who arrives into the new and wild landscape of the West to wreak revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son.

Upon meeting Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join together and discover a shared history which must be defeated at all costs, if either of them are to survive.

The cast will also include Rafe Spall, Tom Hughes, Stephen Rea, and Valerie Pachner (The Kingsman).

Additional cast includes Toby Jones,...

Cast also includes Rafe Spall, Tom Hughes, Stephen Rea, Valerie Pachner, Toby Jones and more

Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer are starring on “The English,” a high-octane epic Western series at Amazon, BBC One, which has just begun production in Spain.

Set in the mythic mid-American landscape in the year of 1890, “The English” follows Cornelia Locke (Blunt), an Englishwoman who arrives into the new and wild landscape of the West to wreak revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son. Upon meeting Eli Whipp (Spencer), an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join together and discover a shared history that must be defeated at all costs, if either of them is to survive.

“The English” is written and directed by Hugo Blick and consists of six, hourlong episodes.

Along with Blunt and Spencer, the cast for the Western includes Rafe Spall (“The Salisbury Poisonings,...

Production has begun on the BBC and Amazon Studios’ Western series “The English,” starring Emily Blunt. Details around the project were first revealed by Variety last year.

Produced by “Doctor Foster” outfit Drama Republic, the six-part series — which is currently filming in Spain — is led by Blunt (“A Quiet Place”) and Chaske Spencer for BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K., and Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in association with All3Media International.

Written and directed by “The Honourable Woman” creator Hugo Blick, the show is set in the mid-American landscape of 1890, and follows Cornelia Locke (Blunt), an Englishwoman who arrives into the new and wild landscape of the West to get revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son. Upon meeting Eli Whipp (Spencer), an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth,...

BBC One and Amazon have rounded out the cast for their six-part Western The English, with the likes of Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga), Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom) and Toby Jones (Marvellous) joining headliner Emily Blunt.

Produced by The Irregulars outfit Drama Republic and written by The Honourable Woman scribe Hugo Blick, The English follows Cornelia Locke (Blunt) as she arrives in the mythic mid-American landscape in 1890 seeking revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son.

Upon meeting Eli Whipp (Spencer), an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation by birth, they join together and discover a shared history that must be defeated at all costs, if either of them is to survive.

Other cast includes Tom Hughes (A Discovery of Witches), Stephen Rea (The Shadow Line), Valerie Pachner (The Kingsman), Ciaran Hinds (The Terror), Malcolm Storry (The Princess Bride...

Emily Blunt is set to saddle up and lead The English, a six-part “high-octane epic Western” for the BBC and Amazon Studios.

Twilight alum Chaske Spencer will also star in the drama series from Hugo Blick (Black Earth Rising, The Honourable Woman) and produced by Drama Republic (Doctor Foster, Us, Black Earth Rising).

Other cast members include Rafe Spall (The Salisbury Poisonings, Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom), Tom Hughes (A Discovery of Witches, Victoria), Stephen Rea (The Shadow Line, The Honourable Woman), Valerie Pachner (The Kingsman), Toby Jones (Marvellous, Detectorists), Ciaran Hinds (The Terror, The Woman in Black), Malcolm Storry (The Princess Bride, Doc Martin), Steve Wall (Raised by Wolves, The Witcher), Nichola McAuliffe (Tomorrow Never ...

Emily Blunt is set to saddle up and lead The English, a six-part “high-octane epic Western” for the BBC and Amazon Studios.

Twilight alum Chaske Spencer will also star in the drama series from Hugo Blick (Black Earth Rising, The Honourable Woman) and produced by Drama Republic (Doctor Foster, Us, Black Earth Rising).

Other cast members include Rafe Spall (The Salisbury Poisonings, Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom), Tom Hughes (A Discovery of Witches, Victoria), Stephen Rea (The Shadow Line, The Honourable Woman), Valerie Pachner (The Kingsman), Toby Jones (Marvellous, Detectorists), Ciaran Hinds (The Terror, The Woman in Black), Malcolm Storry (The Princess Bride, Doc Martin), Steve Wall (Raised by Wolves, The Witcher), Nichola McAuliffe (Tomorrow Never ...

Sean is out for revenge on the fourth episode of AMC's thrilling Gangs of London.

In an exclusive clip at Sunday's all-new episode, we see Sean turning a gun on a pivotal character.

It's a wild scene and one that solidifies the fact that the series is not holding back.

We've already had a string of wild developments in the first three episodes, and it's only going to get crazier as we venture into the back half of the season.

Gangs of London tells the story of a city being torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control it and the sudden power vacuum that's created when The Head of London's most powerful crime family is assassinated.

The series stars an ensemble cast that includes Joe Cole, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Humans), Colm Meaney, Lucian Msamati, Michelle Fairley Paapa Essiedu, and Pippa Bennett-Warner.

For 20 years, Finn...

Netflix has revealed the latest round of casting for the upcoming “Cowboy Bebop” live-action revamp, and among them is non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park. Park, who toured nationally with the Broadway version of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” will play fan-favorite character Gren, who will also identify with they/them pronouns. Gren is the right hand to Ana (Tamara Tunie), owner of the hottest underground jazz club on Mars.

In the original Japanese anime series that ran 1997 through 1998, the arc Grencia Mars Elijah Guo Eckener, as they’re known fully, was explored in the two-part episode “Jupiter Jazz.” An aspiring saxophone player at the club known as the Rooster House and a veteran of the Titan War, Gren was subjected to experimental drugs that increased their estrogen and caused them to grow breasts. Gen’s fluid sexual identity ascended the character to a rare LGBTQ representation in anime.

“Revolutionary as the original anime was,...

The upcoming “Cowboy Bebop” live-action series at Netflix is rounding out its main cast with six new additions.

Geoff Stults, Tamara Tunie, Mason Alexander Park, Rachel House, Ann Truong, and Hoa Xuande have all joined the series. They join previously announced series stars John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Alex Hassell, and Elena Satine.

Based on the anime series of the same name, “Cowboy Bebop” is described as the jazz-inspired, genre-bending story of a rag-tag crew of bounty hunters on the run from their pasts, as they hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals. They’ll even save the world for the right price.

Stults will appear as Chalmers, who is said to be the epitome of a Western lawman. He is also Jet Black’s (Shakir) former co-detective in the Issp’s Homicide Division. He wears a chronic smile that makes you want to punch him square in the face…...

Geoff Stults, Tamara Tunie, Mason Alexander Park (Hedwig and the Angry Inch National Broadway Tour), Rachel House, Ann Truong and Hoa Xuande have joined the cast of Cowboy Bebop, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the cult Japanese animated series. The space western hails from Tomorrow Studios, Marty Adelstein’s joint venture with ITV Studios, Midnight Radio, writer Chris Yost and Sunrise, the studio behind the original series.

The six join previously announced cast members John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir as Jet Black, Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, Alex Hassell as Vicious and Elena Satine as Julia.

Based on the worldwide phenomenon from Sunrise Inc., Cowboy Bebop is the jazz-inspired, genre-bending story of a rag-tag crew of bounty hunters on the run from their pasts,...

The inquest into the accidental death of British cameraman Mark Milsome has concluded with a verdict of accidental death, but the matter is far from over.

Chinyere Inyama, senior coroner at the West London coroner’s court said on Friday: “Mark Milsome died an accidental death. Shortly before the execution of the stunt, the risk of Mr Milsome being harmed or fatally injured was not effectively recognized, assessed, communicated or managed.”

Milsome, 54, was killed in an accident on the Ghana sets of BBC/Netflix series “Black Earth Rising” in 2017.

Evidence was presented during this week’s inquest that stated that a new stunt coordinator was brought in just three weeks before the fatal accident; the speedometer in the vehicle that caused Milsome’s death was not working; and there was no safety briefing before the stunt was executed.

Inyama said he needs further evidence about stunt safety protocols, and would...

An inquiry into the fatal incident that took the life of UK cameraman Mark Milsome closed today with a ruling of “accidental death”. Milsome was killed in November 2017 in Ghana while filming a stunt scene on BBC and Netflix series Black Earth Rising.

The inquest took place at West London Coroner’s Court this week. The final verdict read: “‘Mark Milsome died an accidental death. Shortly before the execution of the stunt, the risk of Mr Milsome being harmed or fatally injured was not effectively recognised, assessed, communicated or managed.”

Earlier in the week, the court had heard from Milsome’s father Doug Milsome, a highly regarded cinematographer with credits including Full Metal Jacket, who claimed industry standards “should never have allowed” his son to be in danger.

“I have shot Bond movies and death-defying action sequences far more complex than the ones that killed my son,” he was quoted by the BBC as saying.

The widow of cameraman Mark Milsome, who was killed in an accident on the Ghana sets of BBC/Netflix series “Black Earth Rising” in 2017 hopes that a new inquest into the death will end her three-year quest for answers.

Milsome, 54, was fatally injured when a Land Rover Defender crashed into him during filming. The series, written and directed by Hugo Blick, was produced by Forgiving Earth Limited. It stars Michaela Coel (“I May Destroy You”) and John Goodman (“Atomic Blonde”).

Following Milsome’s death, his wife Andra instructed international accident lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to support her through the inquest process.

Caroline Davies, the solicitor at Irwin Mitchell supporting Andra and daughter Alice, said: “The last few years have been incredibly difficult for Andra and Alice as they attempted to try and come to terms with Mark’s sudden and unexpected death.”

“Understandably, they have many concerns regarding how he died.

An inquiry into the death of Mark Milsome, the UK cameraman who was killed while filming on the set of BBC and Netflix series Black Earth Rising in Ghana in November 2017, is underway.

The final inquest had been due to take place in June at the West London Coroner’s Court but was delayed due to pandemic reasons. It will now take place from today (October 20) and run for four days.

Milsome, who had also worked on Game Of Thrones and Saving Private Ryan, was fatally injured when a Land Rover Defender crashed into him during the filming of a night time stunt scene.

At a pre-hearing last year, it was alleged that the stunt was changed at the last-minute, placing Milsome dangerously in the car’s path, and that the drivers were inexperienced. The inquest will look into concerns raised by the family that cost-cutting was a factor in the stunt going wrong.

In today’s Global Bulletin, Netflix picks up four originals in Nigeria, Amazon Prime Video gets Noggin in several major European markets, Walter Presents buys three Polish series, and Iwc Schaffhausen and the BFI announce finalists and jury for this year’s Filmmaker Bursary Award.

Streaming

Netflix has announced a slate of new original series and films from Nigeria, doubling down on its commitment to finding and promoting talent on the African continent.

One new series and three Nigerian films were secured by Netflix in various stages of production, with some ready to debut immediately.

“Far From Home” is a six-part series created by Chinaza Onuzo and Dami Elebe, who double as executive producer and writer. Produced by Inkblot Productions, It follows Ishaya, a teenage artist who wins a scholarship that launches her from her humble surroundings into the world of Nigeria’s 1%. Actor-producer Funke Akindele is confirmed for a lead role.

The Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant-starring limited series The Undoing has been in the works for quite awhile now. Ordered in 2018 and originally scheduled for March of 2020, the series hit the backburner due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now HBO has decided that enough is enough and has given the intriguing show a release date.

The Undoing is set to premiere the first of its six episodes on Sunday, October 25 at 9 p.m. Et. Episodes of the show will first air on HBO and will also be available to stream via HBO Max. Here is the series’ tense first teaser, fittingly punctuated by a heartbeat of a score.

There’s an air of Eyes Wide Shut to that teaser and it’s not just because of the presence of Nicole Kidman. In The Undoing, Kidman stars as Grace and Grant stars as her husband Jonathan Fraser. HBO’s enigmatic description...

The Undoing will finally see the light of day this October.

The long-delayed HBO drama reunites Kidman with Big Little Lies writer and Executive Producer David E. Kelley, and is set to premiere October 25.

The series was initially set to launch in April, but was postponed due to Covid-19.

It follows Grace and Jonathan Fraser (Kidman and Hugh Grant), who are living the only lives they ever wanted for themselves.

Overnight a chasm opens in their lives: a violent death and a chain of terrible revelations.

Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster and horrified by the ways in which she has failed to heed her own advice, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child (Noah Jupe) and her family.

The series also stars Edgar Ramirez (Emmy® nominee for American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace and Carlos) as Detective...

Michaela Coel's impactful series I May Destroy You is a must-watch on BBC One and HBO this summer, but did you know it almost ended up on Netflix? During a recent interview with Vulture, Coel explained she was in talks to create her impactful show on the streaming service for $1 million but ran into a disagreement over ownership. Despite being the show's creator, writer, director, and lead actress, Netflix resisted when she asked for a percentage of the copyright.

"She said, 'It's not how we do things here. Nobody does that, it's not a big deal.' I said, 'If it's not a big deal, then I'd really like to have five percent of my rights.'"

I May Destroy You is not only thought-provoking, it's personal to Coel. The main character, Arabella, is drugged and raped after a night out with friends - loosely based on Coel's own...

Michaela Coel’s breakout success in the U.S. is largely credited to Netflix. The streamer was the domestic distributor of her acclaimed comedy series “Chewing Gum,” for which Coel won a BAFTA for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Program, and she later appeared in an Emmy-winning episode of “Black Mirror” and fronted the 2018 Netflix musical film “Been So Long.” Netflix also released the Coel-starring drama series “Black Earth Rising” outside the United Kingdom in 2019. Coel’s history with Netflix made the streamer a natural destination for her latest project, “I May Destroy You,” but the creator walked away from a mega-deal in order to maintain ownership of the series.

In a new profile published by Vulture, Coel reveals that Netflix made her an offer for “I May Destroy You” in spring 2017 worth $1 million. The series is based off Coel’s personal experience of being sexually assaulted during the making of “Chewing Gum.

After playing the legitimate face of the Dumani crime family in Sky One’s ultra-violent hit Gangs of London, Paapa Essiedu is back on screen in his second buzzy role of 2020. BBC/HBO’s I May Destroy You is an accessible series about a challenging subject – consent and recovery from sexual assault. Inspired by real experiences, the 12-part drama created by Michaela Coel is currently airing on BBC One on Monday and Tuesday nights.

Though his character Kwame’s story is yet to get moving, Essiedu is already delighted by the response. His friends and family outside the industry “are just buzzing to see [him] on BBC One,” he laughs. “If this is as good as it gets, a lot of people would still be pretty happy.”

If that’s humility, it feels genuine. There’d be plenty to boast about if Essiedu had the inclination. Repeatedly picked as a standout in reviews,...

It's been five years since Michaela Coel landed on our radar with her offbeat comedy Chewing Gum. Since then, Coel has popped up on TV, a movie musical (Been So Long), and, briefly, in a major movie franchise (Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi). Coel returns back to television in a major way with the confrontational, crackling, and very timely HBO drama I May Destroy You. I May Destroy You marks Coel's second TV outing where she is wearing numerous hats. This time around, those hats are: Creator, executive producer, writer, and …...

In 2015, Michaela Coel’s screenwriting debut was the brilliant Chewing Gum, an E4 comedy that earned her two Baftas, an Rts win, several nominations and a considerable weight of expectation for what she’d write next.

What Coel wrote next is I May Destroy You, a BBC-HBO co-production announced last year under the working title of January 22nd. It’s the autobiographically inspired story of Bella (played by Coel), a young London writer whose drink is spiked on a night out. When she tries to piece together the events of what happened, Bella goes on a personal journey through trauma and pain that examines questions of sexual consent, liberation and exploitation in contemporary London.

Arriving on HBO and BBC One this June, here’s the latest trailer and more…

I May Destroy You Geek Lowdown

How many episodes are there? 12 x 30-minute episodes in season one

Air date:...

I May Destroy You, the sexual consent drama from rising British star Michaela Coel, is set to debut on HBO on Sunday June 7 at 10:30pm.

This comes as the series, which is made up of 12 half-hour episodes, launches on the BBC in the UK on June 8.

The series, which was previously known as January 22nd, explores the question of sexual consent in contemporary life and how, in the new landscape of dating and relationships, we make the distinction between liberation and exploitation. It was created by Chewing Gum creator and Black Earth Rising star Coel.

It also stars Weruche Opia (Inside No9), Paapa Essiedu (Kiri) Aml Ameen (Yardie), Adam James (Belgravia), Sarah Niles (Catastrophe) and Ann Akin (Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams), Harriet Webb (Plebs), Ellie James (Giri/Haji), Franc Ashman (Peep Show), Karan Gill (Flesh & Blood), Natalie Walter (Horrible Histories) and newcomer Samson Ajewole.

Coel plays Arabella Essiedu,...

After dazzling audiences’ with the raunchy Brit comedy “Chewing Gum” in 2015, British actress and writer Michaela Coel is back with an HBO series seeking to navigate the topical waters of sexual consent.

As the HBO synopsis states:

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Arabella Essiuedu (Coel) — easily distracted, non-committal, and carefree — finds herself feted as the ‘voice of her generation,’ with an agent, a book commission and a helluva lot of pressure. After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, her life changes irreversibly and Arabella is forced to reassess everything: her career, her friends, even her family. As Arabella struggles to come to terms with what has happened, she begins a journey of self-discovery.

The first trailer, released today, presents Arabella’s world as one filled with drinking and partying...

“Game of Thrones” and “His Dark Materials” actor Lucian Msamati is to narrate wildlife documentary film “Okavango – A Flood of Life” from “River Monsters” producer Icon Films, which has partnered with international producer-distributor Fremantle on global sales.

Originally filmed in full 8K, the documentary special explores Africa’s greatest oasis, the Okavango Delta, and is told through the eyes of the region’s indigenous river people.

Commissioned by Japanese broadcaster Nhk last year, “Okavango – A Flood of Life” sees veteran natural history filmmaker Brad Bestelink and his team at Natural History Film Unit use the latest technology to film a full seasonal cycle on the Delta.

Botswana-born Bestelink has spent most of his life living and working in the Delta. His credits include two-part documentary, “The Flood,” for National Geographic, which was set in the Delta, and “Savage Kingdom”, also for Nat Geo.

Fremantle will be distributing an HD version...

BBC America’s critical and fan darling Killing Eve is returning for a third season! Of course, there wasn’t even time for doubt, since the Killing Eve Season 3 announcement was made in April at the AMC Networks Summit (BBC America is co-owned by AMC and BBC Studios), only one day after the second season premiere. Interestingly enough, the network continued its preemptive renewal strategy in January 2020, giving an early order for Season 4!

Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, and Fiona Shaw star in the series that follows MI6 operative Eve (Oh) as she tracks psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Comer)—or is it the other way around? It is based on Luke Jennings’ Codename Villanelle book series.

Killing Eve Season 3 is on its way shortly, and here’s everything we know!

Killing Eve Season 3 Release Date

Killing Eve Season 3 is now set to arrive on Sunday, April 12 at 9 p.m.

This new, earlier,...

Production on fantasy epic “The Witcher” Season 2 has commenced in the U.K., with a planned launch in 2021, Netflix announced.

The show also announced seven new cast members joining “The Witcher” for S2, including Kristofer Hivju, the Norwegian actor who played the red-bearded wilding leader Tormund Giantsbane on “Game of Thrones.”

Netflix last month claimed “The Witcher” Season 1 was tracking to be its biggest original TV series debut to date. However, that’s according to a new metric invented by the company that found 76 million member households watched at least 2 minutes of the show in the first four weeks after its Dec. 20 release.

The streamer renewed “The Witcher” for Season 2 last fall with an eight-episode order, more than a month before the freshman season hit the streaming service. The show represents “a massive new franchise that we’ll develop season after season,” Netflix chairman/CEO Reed Hastings said on the...

The Witcher Season 2 is officially in production.

Netflix confirmed Friday that the hit series is filming in in the United Kingdom, and dropped some tidbits about the sophomore run.

As expected, there are many new faces headed to the series.

The new cast includes Yasen Atour (Young Wallender) as Coen, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, Thue Ersted Rasmussen (Fast and Furious 9) as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) as Lydia, Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) as Nivellen, and recent graduate Mecia Simson, as Francesca.

Returning to the cast for season two are Henry Cavill who leads the cast of The Witcher saga, playing the role of Geralt of Rivia. Anya Chalotra returns as the sorceress Yennefer, Freya Allan as Ciri, and Joey Batey as fan-favourite Jaskier.

Also back in recurring roles are MyAnna Buring (Kill List) as Tissaia, Tom Canton (Good Karma Hospital) as Filavandrel,...

Netflix has added new seven cast members for season 2 of The Witcher as production begins in the UK for a planned 2021 launch.

Joining the second season are Yasen Atour (Young Wallender) as Coen, Agnes Bjorn as Vereena, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, Thue Ersted Rasmussen (Fast and Furious 9) as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) as Lydia, Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) as Nivellen, and recent graduate Mecia Simson, as Francesca.

Returning for season two are Henry Cavill, who leads the cast of The Witcher saga, playing the role of Geralt of Rivia. Anya Chalotra returns as the sorceress Yennefer, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as fan-favourite Jaskier.

The series will be directed by Stephen Surjik (Umbrella Academy) who will direct 201 and 202, Sarah O’Gorman (Cursed) for episodes 203 and 204, Ed Bazalgette (The Last Kingdom) for episodes 205 and 208, and Geeta Patel (Meet The Patels) for episodes 206 and...

HBO’s “Chernobyl,” Netflix’s “Sex Education” and indie film “Wild Rose” took top prizes at the U.K.’s second annual Cdg Casting Awards, held on Feb. 11 in London.

Meant to spotlight the full breadth of the profession, the Cdg Casting Awards feature competitive categories for theatre, television, film and commercials.

Divided into two categories, the television arm awarded prizes for both drama and comedy.

“Chernobyl” casting directors Nina Gold and Robert Sterne took home top honors for drama – a category that also included “Killing Eve,” “Black Earth Rising,” “Line of Duty 5,” “The Long Song” and “Years and Years.”

For comedy, “Sex Education” casting director Lauren Evans bested nominees for “Catastrophe,” “Stath Lets Flats,” “After Life,” “Ghosts” and “Brassic.”

The lone film prize went to “Wild Rose,” a musical dramedy about a would-be country singer in Glasgow. The prize went to Kahleen Crawford, who was named twice in this category,...