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Parental guilt springs from an inexhaustible source. Even if your kids go to sleep every night safe, clean and fed, there’s still plenty to beat yourself up about. Are they creative enough? Excelling enough? Getting enough Vitamin D to stop their bones from crumbling like Oxo Cubes and their adult teeth from coming in like a splayed hand of playing cards?

Are you, in short, doing everything you can to give them The Best Possible Childhood?

In online parenting circles, The Best Possible Childhood has recently had a rebrand. Bloggers have looked with concern at the device-blue light illuminating the faces of kids who hiss like a pointy-toothed Bilbo Baggins hissing for the One True Ring whenever an attempt is made to separate them from their phone. They’ve decided that what today’s kids need is what they had: the 1990s.

In an act of collective amnesia, or...

Exclusive: Channel 4 has refused to release the findings of an independent review into whether it is an anti-racist organization, saying that putting the document in the public domain would have a “chilling effect” on internal diversity discussions.

The British broadcaster, which has a unique remit to champion under-represented voices, blocked the release of a review by consultancy Caerus Executive following a Freedom of Information Act (Foi) request by Deadline.

Instructed by Channel 4 last year, Caerus interviewed current and former staff members and provided advice on creating a “truly inclusive and anti-racist environment.”

In its decision to refuse release, Channel 4 said Caerus provided a “free and frank” analysis of the broadcaster’s progress, but publishing the document would “inhibit” internal discussions over implementing the recommendations.

Channel 4 said it was important to create a “safe space in which participants can be totally candid in offering their views and advice.” Publishing would...

ITV’s rebooted Big Brother has landed Aj Odudu and Will Best as hosts. A teaser unveiling the pair can be seen below.

The duo will share the iconic hosting role on the main show previously occupied by Davina McCall, presiding over the weekly evictions and quizzing housemates on all of the goings on in house over six weeks. The duo will also host an additional nightly live show.

ITV revealed it would be rebooting Big Brother last year and the network is now the third channel to have hosted the show in the UK, following Channel 4 and Channel 5. Big Brother airs around the world in numerous territories and is produced by Banijay-backed Initial in the UK, helmed by reality vet Natalka Znak, who recently joined Banijay.

Odudu already hosts a number of UK formats include Channel 4’s revival of The Big Breakfast and Comic Relief, while she...

Paul O’Grady viewers were left “in tears” following ITV’s emotional special dedicated to the late presenter.

The drag performer and presenter died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on 28 March aged 67, his partner Andre Portasio announced.

On Sunday (9 April) night, ITV aired a special documentary titled For The Love of Paul O’Grady, in which celebrities such as Julian Clary and Carol Vorderman paid tribute to and shared the fondest memories of the late presenter.

“He was not only brilliant as an entertainer, he was a force for good,” Carol Vorderman said, while The Big Breakfast host Gaby Roslin commented: “There’s no-one that’s ever going to be like Paul, and [his drag persona Lily Savage], ever ever ever.”

As the episode aired, radio host James O’Brien tweeted: “This Paul O’Grady tribute on ITV is so, so good. These quick turn arounds often feel rushed & opportunistic but this is very special.

“So much love from @carolvorders,...

Paul O’Grady has been remembered as a “force for good” by his famous friends including Carol Vorderman, Julian Clary and Michael Cashman.

Celebrities paid tribute to the drag queen turned TV and radio star during For The Love of Paul O’Grady on ITV on Sunday (9 April) evening, following his death last month at the age of 67.

O’Grady, who started out as a social worker while performing on the London nightclub circuit as the acerbic, platinum wig-wearing Lily Savage, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on 28 March, his partner Andre Portasio said in a statement.

Remembering O’Grady for his activism, Vorderman, 62, said: “He was not only brilliant as an entertainer, he was a force for good.”

Former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband added: “He wasn’t just a fighter for the underdog, somebody who was willing to use his platform to speak up for people who didn’t have a platform,...

Sister, the media group co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacey Snider, has unveiled a creative partnership with and taken a significant stake in new TV and tech entertainment company Yes Yes Media.

Yes Yes, an unscripted entertainment venture, is founded by broadcaster and format developer Richard Bacon, who has presented “The Big Breakfast” and “Top of the Pops” and created formats “The Hustler,” hosted by Craig Ferguson (ABC), “This Is My House” (BBC1) and “I Literally Just Told You,” hosted by Jimmy Carr (Channel 4).

The deal allows Yes Yes to leverage access to the Sister’s global network of creative companies and investments spanning television and film, podcasting, publishing and live events.

As well as creating new unscripted formats, Yes Yes Media is developing proprietary hardware and software to enable viewers to interact with these formats across multiple devices. To lead this development, Yes Yes has hired...

U.K. broadcaster ITV has revealed the schedule changes brought about by the death of popular British presenter and comedian Paul O’Grady.

At 5pm U.K. time on March 29 “Paul O’Grady’s For the Love of Dogs: A Royal Special” will be repeated on ITV1, replacing the repeat of “The Chase.”

At 8pm U.K. time on April 9, ITV will broadcast “For the Love of Paul O’Grady” on ITV1, in tribute to the departed comedian.

At 8:30pm on April 13, the new season of “Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs” will air on ITV1, as planned.

Meanwhile, ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment, Kevin Lygo, said: “We are fortunate to have had a long association with Paul, at ITV. He was a huge, inimitable talent, delighting our viewers through his comedy and entertainment with a warmth, humor and joy that audiences of all generations related to and connected with.

British entertainment has lost a truly unique talent. From drag to dogs, gameshows to the gay scene, trailblazer Paul O’Grady was one of our very best. Millions of us who’ve savoured his effervescent screen presence over the past 35 years have been left heartbroken by the news that he has died aged 67. O’Grady’s versatile career as a comedian, TV presenter, radio DJ and theatre performer means that there are few Britons whose lives he hasn’t touched. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that he attained national treasure status.

I first became aware of O’Grady – although I didn’t know that was his name back then – on the stand-up comedy circuit during the Nineties. As his drag queen alter ego Lily Savage, he was a roof-raising riot. With near the knuckle gags (“Me and my husband have an open marriage. I’m hopin’ he’ll f*** off...

U.K. network Channel 4 has commissioned a new documentary from Curious Films about TV host and author Paula Yates, who died following a heroin overdose at the age of 41 in 2000.

The two-part doc, titled simply “Paula,” will explore the “life and legacy” of the wildchild presenter, whose relationships with Boomtown Rats’ vocalist Bob Geldof and rockstar Michael Hutchence dominated the headlines in the late 1990s. Yates and Geldof’s daughter, model Peaches Geldof, also died of a heroin overdose at the age of 25 in 2014.

The doc promises to “reveal the real Paula Yates behind the tabloid-driven narrative, drawing on an extraordinary set of never-before-heard interviews, the words of some of those who knew her best and a wealth of archive to tell her story in her own words.”

Yates was a Channel 4 staple during her prime, fronting shows including “The Tube” and “The Big Breakfast” for which she interviewed...

Chris Evans has appeared to make a surprise announcement regarding his career.

The former Big Breakfast and Top Gear host reportedly said he will “limit” himself to radio during a chat with a fan.

His alleged answer is said to have come in response to a fan who asked if he would be on TV in the future.

According to The Mirror, Evans said of future TV stints: “No can do. Family time is everything to me.”

He reportedly added: “Radio in the Am is my limit.”

The broadcaster is married to Natasha Shishmanian, and the couple have four children together.

The Independent has contacted Evans for comment.

Evans has been a fixture on television since the early 1990s, when he co-presented The Big Breakfast.

After departing the series in 1994, the same year he hosted Channel 4’s Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush,, Evans started presenting Tfi Friday for four years,...

Chris Evans has appeared to make a surprise announcement regarding his career.

The former Big Breakfast and Top Gear host reportedly said he will “limit” himself to radio during a chat with a fan.

His alleged answer is said to have come in response to a fan who asked if he would be on TV in the future.

According to The Mirror, Evans said of future TV stints: “No can do. Family time is everything to me.”

He reportedly added: “Radio in the Am is my limit.”

The broadcaster is married to Natasha Shishmanian, and the couple have four children together.

The Independent has contacted Evans for comment.

Evans has been a fixture on television since the early 1990s, when he co-presented The Big Breakfast.

After departing the series in 1994, the same year he hosted Channel 4’s Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush,, Evans started presenting Tfi Friday for four years,...

Chris Evans has appeared to make a surprise announcement regarding his career.

The former Big Breakfast and Top Gear host reportedly said he will “limit” himself to radio during a chat with a fan.

His alleged answer is said to have come in response to a fan who asked if he would be on TV in the future.

According to The Mirror, Evans said of future TV stints: “No can do. Family time is everything to me.”

He reportedly added: “Radio in the Am is my limit.”

The broadcaster is married to Natasha Shishmanian, and the couple have four children together.

The Independent has contacted Evans for comment.

Evans has been a fixture on television since the early 1990s, when he co-presented The Big Breakfast.

After departing the series in 1994, the same year he hosted Channel 4’s Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush,, Evans started presenting Tfi Friday for four years,...

Chris Shaw, editorial director at ITN, the company best known for producing news programming for major U.K. broadcasters, has revealed that he is leaving after a career spanning four decades.

Shaw will leave at the end of March after 45 years in radio and television, 25 of them at ITN, to pursue other media interests and artistic challenges.

During his time at ITN, which began in 1985, Shaw worked in senior roles on ITV News, Channel 4 News and 5 News as well as helping build ITN Productions into an award-winning business. He was responsible for several program launches including “5 News,” “The Wright Stuff,” which is now the “Jeremy Vine Show,” “Sky News” and “Big Breakfast News.” At ITN he has helped win more than 50 industry program awards including Baftas, Griersons, Peabody, Rts Program and News awards and an Oscar nomination.

Shaw left ITN briefly to help launch Sky News in 1989 but...

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 was the big winner at the Edinburgh TV Awards, winning six of the 20 awards on offer, including Channel of the Year.

The awards returned as an in-person event this year as part of the Edinburgh TV Festival, supported by Screen Scotland. Jodie Comer, who won the 2021 Variety Outstanding Achievement Award, won the best TV actor in a drama award for her performance in Jack Thorne’s Channel 4 drama “Help.”

Actor, writer and director Diane Morgan received the 2022 Variety Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of her extensive body of work, which ranges from Ricky Gervais’ “After Life” to “Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe” and includes fan-favorite “Motherland” and and her much loved character Philomena Cunk.

Jury president Sue Vertue handed out the channel of the year award to Channel 4 director of content Ian Katz in what has been a very challenging year for the broadcaster, with the...

The upcoming British version of Jimmy Fallon’s show That’s My Jam will shoot entirely in LA after a successful pilot, Universal Studio Group chiefs confirmed today here at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

The show, which will see emerging British presenting talent Mo Gilligan in the Fallon role, filmed its pilot in the U.S. and the success of the shoot emboldened the producers to take the entire BBC series to Hollywood. The format includes celebrity guests, trivia-based games and musical performances.

Hosted by Fallon, the NBC original game show draws inspiration from musical segments on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with signature games including Launch the Mic, Air Guitar, Don’t Drop the Beat and Slay It, Don’t Spray It.

“Jimmy has big shoes to step into and Mo completely owned it,” said Universal Television Alternative Studio President Toby Gorman, adding that despite the U.S. pilot...

Channel 4 cult hit The Big Breakfast is to return this summer helmed by Mo Gilligan and Aj Odudu.

The show originally aired as an anarchic alternative morning offering on Channel 4 from 1992 to 2002, presented by the likes of Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin.

It was resurrected as a one-off special for Channel 4’s Black to Front day of Black programing last September and has now been given a four-part order that will air in August.

Gilligan is a Channel 4 mainstay, hosting the likes of The Lateish Show and co-hosting The Big Narstie Show, while Odudu was recently seen as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and is establishing herself as one of British TV’s most in-demand presenters.

ITV Studios’ Lifted Entertainment is producing the four parter, which will presumably be given a longer run if it performs.

Gilligan described the show as “history making” and Odudu said there is...

MRC Live & Alternative — the division formerly known as Dick Clark Prods. — has tapped Stephen Hill and Rob Bagshaw to serve as executive vice president of creative. The execs will report to president Adam Stotsky, who announced the appointments on Thursday.

Hill will oversee creative on all of MRC’s existing tentpole shows, which include the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and “Streamy Awards.” He’ll also handle a select number of projects currently in development. Next up, the “Billboard Music Awards” will air live across the continental U.S. on NBC Sunday, May 15 at 8 p.m. Et / 5 p.m. Pt from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

As for Bagshaw, he’ll handle creative for new franchises, as well as helping to identify formats and shepherd projects through all stages from development through production. That includes...

The Royal Television Society Program Awards 2022 started with a slap on Wednesday evening, when nominee Aj Odudu ran up to the stage and pretended to strike host Tom Allen.

“Oh my God, Aj, oh my God – I’m the one who’s lost their hair, don’t hit me,” Allen, who is bald, quipped in the evidently pre-rehearsed skit. “I never put my wife anywhere near your mouth.”

Continuing the reference to the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock, which took place at the Oscars on Sunday night, Allen continued: “I’ve got to look my best for tomorrow, I’ve got an audition for ‘G.I. Jane 2.'”

Watching from the audience at the Jw Marriott Grosvenor House in Mayfair, where the awards were taking place, were a bevy of well-known faces including “The Batman” star Andy Serkis, “Supergirl’s” David Harewood and “Succession” actor Matthew Macfadyen. Macfayden was accompanying his wife Keeley Hawes,...

Acquisition

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has picked up South African detective drama “The Cane Field Killings” starring Kim Engelbrecht (“Bullet Proof”) and Iain Glen (“Game of Thrones”). The eight-episode series, which launched last year in South Africa, will launch on Channel 4 on Apr. 10. The drama tells the story of a brilliant criminal profiler, Reyka Gama (Engelbrecht), who is struggling to comes to terms with her dark past. Having been abducted as a child by farmer Angus Speelman (Glen), Reyka now channels that traumatic experience to enter into the mindset of Africa’s most notorious criminals. The series follows her investigation into a string of brutal murders committed by a serial killer in the sugar cane fields of Kwa-Zulu-Natal.

The show is produced by Serena Cullen for Serena Cullen Productions and Harriet Gavshon for Quizzical Pictures. “The Cane Field Killings” is a co-production between M-Net and Fremantle and is distributed internationally by Fremantle.

Russell T Davies Channel 4/HBO AIDS drama It’s a Sin has continued its awards season domination by picking up six nominations at the Royal Television Society (Rts) Awards.

The show from Red Production Company also has six Broadcasting Press Guild nods and has been recognized by the Rts for Writer (Davies), Actor (Female – Keeley Hawes), Actor (Male – Olly Alexander & Callum Scott Howells), Breakthrough and the coveted Limited Series.

Host broadcaster Channel 4 picked up 28 nominations, with the BBC edging it out with 30, Sky with 10 and ITV with eight.

BBC One, ITV and Sky Arts will compete for the prestigious Rts Channel of the Year award at the March ceremony in London.

Other high-profile nominees include The Serpent’s Tahir Rahim against the two It’s a Sin actors, Stephen’s Sharlene Whyte and In My Skin’s Gabrielle Creevey against Hawes, and Jack Thorne for Help against The Serpent’s Richard Warlow...

The Royal Television Society (Rts) has unveiled the nominees for this year’s Rts Programme Awards.

“It’s a Sin” has scored six nominations, including nods for Keeley Hawes and Olly Alexander (pictured above), while Tahar Rahim has been nominated for his performance in “The Serpent.”

Of the U.K.’s broadcasters, the BBC scored the most noms, boasting 30 across 24 categories, followed by Channel 4, who scored 28, Sky with 10 and ITV who scored 8.

BBC One, ITV and Sky Arts have all been nominated for the Channel of the Year award.

The awards, which will be in-person for the first time in two years, will take place on March 29 in London. Comedian Nish Kumar will host.

“Despite the unprecedented challenges the last two years have presented every single one of us, the sheer talent and amazing professionalism from U.K. creatives both in front of and behind the camera, has truly shone through,...

James Corden, still considered one of the newer figures in late-night television, is celebrating 1,000 episodes of The Late Late Show tonight.

The Brit kicked off his run on the CBS show on March 23, 2015 and it’s been a wild ride, from jumping out of planes with Tom Cruise through to the success of Carpool Karaoke and newer segments such as Crosswalk Musical.

Corden tells Deadline that he’s feeling great about hitting the four-figure mark. “We grew up in a country where talkshows are on once a week with two blocks of maybe 20 episodes in the spring and autumn. I can’t remember a time when Graham Norton wasn’t on on a Friday night. That entire show is so incredible, it’s a hallmark of British television and they’ve done slightly less than 500 shows. It’s mad to think we’ve made 1,000 hours of television. It’s a lot to think about,...

Channel 4’s groundbreaking “Black to Front” initiative, which sees the network’s entire schedule led by Black talent on and off screen for one day, has garnered mostly positive reactions despite concerns about tokenism.

Among the programs was a brief return for popular 1990s morning show “The Big Breakfast,” this time with comedian Mo Gilligan and presenter Aj Odudu slipping into original hosts Johnny Vaughn and Denise van Outen’s seats on the couch, and distinguished newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald taking over from Anne Robinson on “Countdown.” “Black to Front” will continue to air into primetime, with some of the specially commissioned shows like “Highlife” and “Big Age” premiering later on Friday.

There was some concern ahead of the broadcast that the initiative was tokenistic. “As a black person in the UK TV industry all i wanted was a fair and equal shot as my white counterparts..,” comedian London Hughes...

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, a network set up in 1982 by Margaret Thatcher with a remit of championing unheard voices and taking “bold, creative risks,” is presenting an industry first on Sept. 10, when its entire schedule — including commercial breaks — will feature Black on- and off-screen talent.

Titled “Black to Front,” the initiative has taken a full year to realize since it was announced in August 2020, just months after the murder of George Floyd in the U.S. The idea emerged amid a disquieting period for the U.K. industry, which was reflecting, necessarily, on its own shortcomings around inclusion.

The major broadcasters committed an array of representation-focused talent schemes and funds and more than 5,000 people signed an open letter demanding an end to exclusive practices. The refrain, however, rang a little too familiar. “It felt like there were lots of conversations being repeated,” Vivienne Molokwu, a factual entertainment commissioner at Channel 4, tells Variety.

Exclusive: Richard Bacon is used to reinventing himself. The British presenter was notoriously booted off iconic BBC kids show Blue Peter after being caught binging cocaine, but survived the ignominy to become a near-ubiquitous presence on UK television and radio. By 2016, Bacon relocated to America to host Nat Geo’s Explorer series and later, Fox syndicated talkshow Top 30. But it’s his latest career twist that is perhaps the most remarkable: Bacon has transformed himself from the man in front of the camera, to the one creating the content — and he already has a Universal Television Alternative Studios overall deal and three series to show for his efforts.

The Brit traces this change of direction back to personal trauma in 2018, when he was struck down with suspected pneumonia on a flight from the U.S. to Britain and was placed in a medically-induced coma. He said at the time that...

You made it, it’s Friday. Thanks for reading International Insider. Tom Grater here with your weekly dose of major international headlines.

Edinburgh: TV’s New Diversity Dawn

Diversity urgency: The Edinburgh TV Festival’s advisory chair Patrick Holland told us last week that diversity would be written through this year’s event like a stick of rock. He was not wrong. Nearly every session featured impassioned and impatient calls for change following the Black Lives Matter movement, and my colleague Jake Kanter reports that there was a sense of urgency he has not seen in a decade of watching Edinburgh sessions.

A blistering MacTaggart: Setting the tone for the whole virtual event was British historian, producer and presenter David Olusoga, who delivered the centerpiece MacTaggart Lecture. It was a deeply personal address, in which Olusoga shared experiences of racism, talked about a “lost generation” of Black program makers, and a concluded with a plea that a non-diverse industry shares power. Here’s our write-up. You can also watch the speech here, or read it here.

A powerful citation: Olusoga captured a deep mistrust of diversity initiatives following decades of false dawns. His message was clear, change must come now or never. He said: “30 years of failed initiatives and ineffective training schemes, and the constant hemorrhaging of Bame, talent has left another legacy. A lack of trust so deep that the announcements and initiatives of 2020 have been met, by many black and brown people in the industry, not with enthusiasm and excitement but with skepticism born of repeated disappointment. Proving that this time such skepticism is not warranted is among the biggest challenges.”

People emboldened: Olusoga was far from alone in channeling his dissatisfaction into purposeful prose on the Edinburgh platform. Noel Clarke revealed how he made the crew on his latest show more diverse by telling producers: “Just fix it.” Jameela Jamil was her typically articulate self as The Good Place star reflected being “denied the chance to fully spread my wings” until she moved from the UK to the U.S.

Programming pledges: There were also big commitments to Black programming made by a number of broadcasters. Channel 4 said it would host a Black takeover day next year to mark 12 months since the death of George Floyd. Among the lineup will be a reboot of The Big Breakfast, hosted by BAFTA-winning Mo Gilligan. ITV, meanwhile, announced a Black History Month, with shows presented by the likes of This Morning favorite Alison Hammond.

Best Of The Fest

Elba steps back in the ring: Among the more eye-catching commissions was a BBC Two series with Idris Elba. The Luther star will provide seven disadvantaged young people with lessons in discipline, focus, and determination by putting them through an experimental boxing school. Produced by Workerbee and Green Door, it’s titled Idris Elba’s Fight School. Story here.

Tony Hall’s valedictory speech: The outgoing BBC director general talked about the broadcaster’s role amid a “pandemic of misinformation.” The BBC’s “responsibility as the UK’s most trusted news provider has never been clearer and more important” in this environment, he said. Go deeper.

And finally: Edinburgh didn’t hold its usual awards this year, so Deadline has decided to hand out a few gongs for some the festival’s lighter moments.

The award for Inevitable Zoom Moment goes to: ITV content chief Kevin Lygo, who had to interrupt his controller session to let his dog out of the room. The Modesty Prize is awarded to: ViacomCBS UK’s programming boss Ben Frow, who told his industry peers: “I am the most creative channel controller in this country.” The Roast Of The Week gong goes to: BBC comedy controller Shane Allen. In a vintage bit of Allen tomfoolery, as he turned on his camera to join the festival, he pretended to be on the phone and joked: “Sorry, it was Channel 4, they want to buy another old format. Ian Katz, he’s taking more treasures than the British Museum.” Tenet Time

It’s finally here: It has become the cinematic talking point of the summer – will Tenet be the savior of the big screen experience? – and Christopher Nolan’s time-bending epic is finally here.

Positive indicators: The film began its international-led roll-out this week, and early signs were promising, with the film taking $2M in Korean previews. The pic also opened in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Italy and Spain on Wednesday (August 26) but Warner Bros is being tight-lipped about box office numbers and has asked exhibitors not to spill the beans as it looks to control the narrative in this tricky, unprecedented situation. Our sources are predicting a $25M opening for its first five days, and some are saying $30M+. One analytics company also told us the film’s pre-sales were significantly outstripping previous Nolan pics.

Choppy waters: However, no one is taking the smoothness of the release for granted, as this pandemic continues to move the goalposts on an almost daily basis. Korea, so far one of the lockdown good news stories in terms of its rapid and effective response to the virus, is experiencing a significant second wave and is implementing stricter preventative measures, which could disrupt cinema takings. Several key European territories, notably France and Spain, are also facing increased lockdown measures.

Exhibitor’s view: Nancy Tartaglione spoke to Cineworld boss Mooky Greidinger to get his take on the current situation. The exec spoke about reopening its Regal cinemas in the U.S., and what he thinks the prospects for Tenet are. Read the interview here.

Roll Out The Red Carpet

The new reality: Venice Film Festival kicks off next Wednesday, and chatter among the international community is zoned in on how a major festival can operate in the pandemic era. Safe to say, with reduced screening capacity, distancing, and various other safety measures, it isn’t going to look like any other festival we’ve seen before.

Unearthing gems: It’s not the most eye-catching line-up of films in Venice’s history, but there’s always gold to be found. Cineastes could be in line for a treat with Hopper/Welles, a documentary capturing a meeting between the two famed film figures with never-before-seen footage. You can see a clip from the movie here. This week, Deadline also brought you first trailers for Majid Majidi’s Sun Children and Out Of Competition drama Mosquito State.

Show of support: The fest revealed today that eight artistic directors from major film festivals around the world will fly into Venice to take part in the opening night event, each taking to the stage to deliver a statement talking up the importance of such events in the cinema ecosystem. Read more.

Life on the Lido: Deadline will be boots on the ground in Venice, so check in regularly with us for insight into how a pandemic era festival looks and feels.

On the horizon: It might be six months away, but the Berlinale is already unveiling plans for its 2021 edition, including making its acting awards gender neutral.

Recovery Plan

Long-lasting impact: The world is going to be dealing with the impact of the coronavirus for many years to come, and governments are game-planning for ways to stimulate their economies and save embattled businesses. One of many hard-hit sectors is culture, which has been financially devastated by months of closures and cancellations.

France’s €2Bn package: In France, the government outlined its €2Bn plan to save the cultural sector. It’s part of an overall €100Bn stimulus package for the country’s economy, which will be unveiled in full on September 3. The country is looking to get business back on track and to kick-start the economy. During the announcement, French Pm Jean Castex urged people to get back to the big screen: “I say to the French: Go to the cinema, go to the theater, you risk nothing.”

Best Of The Rest

The master: From Hero to Shanghai Knights and the IP Man series, Donnie Yen has firmly established himself as one of the biggest Chinese movie stars on the planet. He’s also crossed over into westerns films with roles in the likes of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the upcoming Mulan. But how did he get there? Deadline caught up with Yen this week in the latest entry in our The Film That Lit My Fuse video series to find out. Watch the video.

Biohackers is back: After a successful global launch on August 20, Netflix has moved quickly to renew its original series Biohackers. The show is the streamer’s latest buzzy commission out of Germany, which has served up hits including Dark and How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) in recent years. Here’s our scoop.

After Parasite: Following an act such as Parasite and its Oscar glory was never going to be easy for anyone involved. Star actor Song Kang-ho is going to give it a go with Broker, which he will lead for Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, making his Korean cinema debut. Read our story.

BritBox original: Chernobyl star Jared Harris is leading the cast of The Beast Must Die, one of the first original productions from new streamer BritBox. Filming starts next week. Here’s our scoop.

Tequila time: Omar Chaparro is one of Mexico’s biggest stars, having led the mega-grossing local series No Manches Frida. We had the scoop this week on his latest lead role in Sony’s comedy Tequila Re-Pasado.

And finally…

Sad news this week that Colin Levanthal, a key player in UK film’s famously successful period in the 1990s, had passed away at the age of 73. Deadline spoke to several of those close to the well-liked and highly respected executive to gather remembrances. Read our obituary.

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has announced several new commissions, including “The Birth of Daniel F Harris,” an eight-part drama by Pete Jackson (“One Normal Night”) from Clerkenwell Films, makers of the BAFTA-winning Netflix and Channel 4 show “The End of the F***ing World.”

The series follows Danny, whose sheltered world turns on its head when he turns turns 18, and must find the monster who killed his mother.

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve Black representation on and off screen representation, Channel 4 has announced a new Black-led comedy series and a new unscripted series set in the Black community – which will feature in a Black Takeover day at the channel in 2021.

Channel 4’s whole schedule will go Black on that day starting with a one-off special edition of “The Big Breakfast,” hosted by Mo Gilligan, BAFTA-winner for “The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan,” followed by some of the channel...

Channel 4 has announced that it is rebooting its iconic morning show The Big Breakfast after an 18-year hiatus, with BAFTA-winning British comedian Mo Gilligan hosting a one-off special.

The revival will form part of a Black Takeover Day in 2021, during which the British broadcaster will mark a year since the international protests and debates sparked by the killing of George Floyd on May 25.

ITV Studios will produce The Big Breakfast revival after the show was originally made by Charlie Parsons’ production company Planet 24. Channel 4 promised to recapture the show’s anarchic spirit and said it will be reimagined through an “unashamedly Black British lens.”

The original show ran for 10 years and launched the careers of countless television executives, as well as catapulting the likes of Chris Evans to stardom. Evans went on to become the BBC’s highest-paid star, which included presenting the Radio 2 breakfast show and...

Exclusive: British TV and radio host Richard Bacon is continuing his segue into production with an overall deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal Television.

Bacon will develop and produce non-scripted shows for the World of Dance and The Wall studio. He is already in development with a couple of projects with the company.

This comes after he created The Hustler, a mystery-based gameshow that was handed a series order by ABC last year. The show, which is hosted by Craig Ferguson, is produced by All3Media’s Studio Lambert, the company behind Undercover Boss and The Circle.

Bacon is a well-known figure in the UK, where he used to host BBC kids’ series Blue Peter as well as The Big Breakfast and presented on BBC radio.

In the States, he previously hosted Nat Geo’s Explorer series, where he hiked with President Barack Obama through Yosemite National Park, and Fox syndicated talkshow Top 30,...

ITV Studios has reshuffled the management of Eggheads producer 12 Yard following the departure of Andy Culpin to Elisabeth Murdoch-backed 110% Content.

The Weakest Link co-creator Culpin has joined 110% Content, which was set up by former ITV entertainment chief Siobhan Greene, as creative director. The company is backed by Shine Group founder Murdoch. Culpin was Managing Director of 12 Yard.

Michael Mannes, who was Deputy MD of the company, becomes MD following Culpin’s departure after joining the business in 2005. Meanwhile, Liz Gaskell becomes Creative Director.

Mannes has has produced shows including primetime BBC One quiz shows Who Dares Wins and In It to Win It, ITV’s Big Star’s Little Star, and Insert Name Here on BBC Two. Prior to this he was at the BBC, where he worked on the first series of Strictly Come Dancing, while he started his career at Planet 24 on The Big Breakfast.

Gaskell has...

FX is known for its edge and unpredictability. But one of the secrets to the brand’s success over the past 25 years has been management stability.

Under the leadership of FX Networks and FX Prods. chairman John Landgraf, the company has coalesced into a tight-knit group of seasoned pros in programming, marketing, production, research, business affairs, distribution and the myriad other disciplines that drive a linear cable network. Key Landgraf lieutenants — including entertainment president Eric Schrier, original programming president Nick Grad, marketing chief Stephanie Gibbons, program strategy president Chuck Saftler and communications chief John Solberg — have tenures of 15 years or more. All but Gibbons have been with FX since before Landgraf arrived in 2004. When Landgraf was promoted the following year to president, it marked his first experience at the top of a sizable organization.

“I thought I needed to be smart and know everything,” Landgraf recalls. In short order he learned a crucial lesson.

The BBC has revealed its programming plans to cover the May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and Suits star Meghan Markle.

The British public broadcaster has lined up The X Factor host Dermot O’Leary and Crimewatch and Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young to present the nuptials alongside BBC news presenter Huw Edwards. Ore Odubda, who won Strictly Come Dancing, the British version of Dancing with the Stars, Radio One’s Tina Daheley and The One Show host Alex Jones will join, marking the BBC’s most diverse line-up to cover a royal wedding.

The BBC is the only broadcaster allowed to film the actual ceremony, which takes places in St George’s Chapel in Windsor, but it will share its coverage with global networks.

The broadcaster has also lined up major radio plans including Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, who also appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here,...

Entertainment One (eOne) has struck an overall deal with nascent British production company Fired Up Films.

The company will co-produce and serve as the studio on scripted and non-scripted content from Fired Up Films, which was established last year by former Kowalski Media chief Simon Howley and Million Dollar Car Hunters producer Jon-Barrie Waddell.

Fired Up Films, which has offices in the UK, Ireland and L.A., aims to produce scripted and non-scripted shows, focusing on blue-chip documentaries factual entertainment formats, feature docs and drama projects.

Between the pair, who first worked together on groundbreaking Channel 4 series The Big Breakfast over 20 years ago, they have produced shows such as Nat Geo’s Hitler’s Hidden Drug Habit, Discovery’s How Jaws Changed The World, Animal Planet’s Texas Rodeo Tikes, History’s How Bruce Lee Changed The World and The Great Train Robbery – A Tale of Two Thieves, which airs on Netflix.

'Top Gear's executive producer has quit the show. The BBC motoring programme has been dealt another blow after Lisa Clark announced she was leaving just five months after she was brought in by new presenter Chris Evans. She said in a statement: ''After an extremely busy five months I am moving on from 'Top Gear' to new projects which I will be announcing in the new year. I'd like to wish production all the very best with the show.'' Lisa, who previously worked alongside Chris as a producer on 'The Big Breakfast', was hired in the summer as a replacement for Andy...

Channel 5 is launching a new Saturday morning show to rival the likes of BBC One's Saturday Kitchen Live.

Matt Barbet and Gaby Roslin will present the two-hour live show every Saturday from 9.30am to 11.30am.

It will include panel discussions with celebrity guests, as well as news round-ups and a weekly recap.

Roslin said: "It's going to be fun and Matt is a really nice guy. He's really very engaging and he has got a lovely twinkle in his eye and a lovely sense of humour."

Barbet added: "I remember watching Gaby doing The Big Breakfast, which was a huge show. She has got tonnes of experience and there is an awful lot she can teach me.

"I'm looking forward to sitting alongside her and hopefully making her laugh and enjoying what we're talking about but also learning a thing or two."

Roslin's recent TV experience includes guest-hosting Lorraine,...

Chris Evans has denied reports that Zoe Ball has screen tested for the new series of Top Gear.

The Sunday Mirror claimed that the Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two presenter impressed producers during a try-out opposite the new host, and was now seen as a frontrunner for the job.

However, Evans wrote on Twitter: "Hilariously inaccurate story in 2days paper. Re my good friend Zoe Ball excelling in Top Gear screen test. She hasn't even been for one."

Ball and Evans have known each other for a long time, having both separately appeared on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast and with Ball acting as Evans's relief presenter on his Radio 2 breakfast show.

Evans initially said that he would "definitely 100%" have a female co-host, after it was announced that he would take over the show following the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

"I want to...

With The Voice not returning to screens until January, Ricky Wilson has put his free time to good use by recording the Zig & Zag theme tune.

Ricky teamed up with his Kaiser Chiefs bandmate Simon Rix to record the song for the puppet duo's upcoming Cbbc return.

Written by original creators Ciarán Morrison and Mick O'Hara - who also voice the titular characters - the new Zig & Zag show will follow the pair as they wreak havoc in the suburbs after crash landing on Earth.

Coronation Street star Debra Stephenson is also involved in the series, which will run for 26 episodes next spring.

Zig and Zag have been around for absolutely ages, having made their debut on Irish TV way back in 1987.

UK viewers will remember them from The Big Breakfast back in the 90s, and more recently on Big Brother's Little Brother in 2010.

They had number one singles in Ireland,...

Just as the former Top Gear team heads over to Amazon Prime, the BBC show has plugged in a new executive producer. Lisa Clark will step in for Andy Wilman who left the motoring series after Jeremy Clarkson was exited and who is joining Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for their new program at Amazon. Chris Evans has strapped into the Top Gear driver's seat for the BBC and will reunite there with Clark, with whom he previously worked at The Big Breakfast and Don't Fo…...

Just as the former Top Gear team heads over to Amazon Prime, the BBC show has plugged in a new executive producer. Lisa Clark will step in for Andy Wilman who left the motoring series after Jeremy Clarkson was exited and who is joining Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for their new program at Amazon. Chris Evans has strapped into the Top Gear driver's seat for the BBC and will reunite there with Clark, with whom he previously worked at The Big Breakfast and Don't Fo…...

American Idol was announced to be coming to an end after 15 seasons yesterday (May 12), but did you know that Ryan Seacrest used to have a co-host?

Brian Dunkleman hosted the Fox competition's first season alongside Ryan Seacrest, before the latter took sole control. History has not been kind to poor old Brian since, with Fox TV CEO Dana Walden joking about a possible reunion for the pair.

"Where is Brian Dunkleman? If you give me his number, I will call and invite him," she joked, though Dunkleman gave as good as he got last night:

I knew American Idol would never last without me #Cancelled

— brian dunkleman (@briandunkleman) May 11, 2015

To honour Dunkleman, we have collected a few hosts of massive shows that you may have cruelly forgotten, starting with the man himself.

1. Brian Dunkleman (American Idol)

The comedian co-hosted the Fox series with Ryan Seacrest for its first season, which...

Zig & Zag are making a comeback.

The alien puppet duo - who once appeared on The Big Breakfast - will star in their own animated series in spring 2016.

According to Broadcast, Cbbc and Irish broadcaster RTÉ have commissioned 26 11-minute episodes of what they are calling a "bright, vivid and funky" sitcom.

Written by creators Ciarán Morrison and Mick O'Hara, Zig & Zag will follow the pair's life in the suburbs after a crash landing on earth.

Morrison and O'Hara will also voice the characters, with former Coronation Street star Debra Stephenson also part of the voice cast.

Zig & Zag made their TV debut on RTÉ's The Den back in 1987, before arriving in the UK on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast five years later.

Northern Ireland Screen, the Irish Film Board and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland have provided funding for the project.

If, like us, you like a bit of magic on television, you're in luck - BBC Three is about to bring a brand new magic show your way! Killer Magic, which begins tonight, sees five very different magicians - Dee Christopher, Chris Cox, Ben Hart, Damien O'Brien and Jasz Vegas - try to come up with the best trick on a theme.

They all mark each other, though, and the loser faces a very dangerous, seriously scary 'killer trick' at the end of it all... you know, the kind that's ended magicians' careers or even left them slightly dead. Oh dear. To find out more, we caught up with the fivesome - read on for 11 killer things they told us...

1. They don't actually spend all their time showing each other tricks.

"I imagine it's like plumbers getting together and being like, 'How do you plumb a U-bend? I've got this variation.

Gaby Roslin will guest present Lorraine next week.

The 50-year-old will fill in for Lorraine Kelly from Monday, February 16 to Friday, February 20.

The presenter is taking the week off to spend time with her family over the school holidays.

She said: "Lorraine is without doubt the kindest, sweetest woman on telly with a wicked sense of humour. They are very tough shoes to fill and I'm hugely touched that she's asked me to look after her show whilst she's away. I can't wait."

Roslin previously hosted The Big Breakfast with Chris Evans, and has also worked on the BBC's Top Dog and Food Inspectors. She currently hosts her own show on BBC London Radio.

Guests on Lorraine next week include Ashley Roberts, Sam Bailey, Claire Sweeney, Nadia Sawalha, John Whaite and Dean Edwards.

Last year, Kelly celebrated her 30th year in breakfast television with a special edition of her long-running show.

Byker! Byker! Byker! Byker Grove! A-ha, A-ha, A-ha!

Geordie youth club drama Byker Grove was one of the greatest children's TV shows of the '80s and '90s, and next month it will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special party in Newcastle.

But what ever happened to the stars of the show? We look back at some of the programme's breakout stars and forgotten favourites.

1. Declan Donnelly played Duncan

In the show's first series, Dec was going solo as 'Duncan' and it wasn't until he was united with Ant's 'Pj' that he truly became a central figure in the series. While they are remembered as being best buddies on the show, Duncan did end up nabbing Pj's girlfriend Debbie. After Pj went blind in a paintball accident. Hardly the stuff of best mates in retrospect.

2. Ant McPartlin played Pj

Responsible for scaring a whole generation of children out of ever going paintballing,...

Model and TV presenter Melanie Sykes is the first credible rumour for the 2014 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.

The 44-year-old, who found fame in the '90s Boddingtons TV adverts, has been tipped to take part by the Daily Star.

Should Tulisa head to the jungle for I'm a Celebrity?

Previous rumours for the series have included more far-fetched suggestions such as Tulisa Contostavlos, magician Dynamo, Tom Daley and Coronation Street's Michelle Keegan.

Sykes's TV career has included presenting jobs on The Big Breakfast, Loose Women and chat show Today with Des and Mel.

She also presents ITV daytime series Let's Do Lunch with former I'm a Celebrity King of the Jungle Gino D'Acampo.

I'm a Celebrity returns for a 14th series with hosts Ant & Dec in November.

More4 will broadcast a special tribute to Lord Richard Attenborough tonight (August 26).

The one-off programme will look back at the career of the actor and director, who died aged 90 on Sunday (August 24).

Steven Spielberg, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Penelope Wilton, Hayley Mills and Sir Kenneth Branagh will be among the friends and colleagues who will reflect on their memories of working with Attenborough.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, broadcaster Melvyn Bragg and former Channel 4 Chief Executive Michael Grade will also appear.

The special will also include archive material from many of Attenborough's films, including Brighton Rock, 10 Rillington Place and Gandhi.

Channel 4's Chief Executive David Abraham said: "As well as being one of Britain's finest actors and directors, he was also one of the founding fathers of Channel 4.

"He was Deputy Chairman from 1982 to 1987, having turned down the Chairmanship as he was busy making Ghandi. He was then...

Wil Jones Aug 26, 2016

What did Jason Statham get up to before he became an action superstar? Hint: it involved quite a lot of metallic body paint...

The other week, a piece of footage hit the internet which sent ripples through the very foundations of our culture. It wasn’t an alternative angle on the Zapruder footage. It didn’t show a well-loved celebrity being debauched in a hotel room. It wasn’t a leak of the Star Wars: Episode VII trailer. No, it was the BBC posting a clip of a young Jason Statham diving for England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

It took us back to a time when names like Chev Chelios, Frank Martin and Lee Christmas were just twinkles in a screenwriter’s eye. Back to the 90s, when The Stath was merely a diver-turned-male-model, jobbing his way in adverts and music videos. Come with us now...

Well, it's definitely better than Daybreak.

It might not be the highest praise ever heaped on a breakfast TV show, but ITV's big cheeses will probably be breathing a sigh of relief this afternoon that they haven't found themselves another laughable turkey.

Good Morning Britain: Reactions and reviews round-up

Good Morning Britain launch: As it happens - Live Blog

Despite numerous revamps and hosts, Daybreak was doomed from its opening show, which failed to match the hype and was an uncomfortable hybrid of its predecessor GMTV, ITV's fierce rival BBC Breakfast and most oddly of all, The One Show.

Good Morning Britain's launch has, deliberately, been much more low key. The tabloids have been fed some quotes from Susanna Reid and her poaching from the BBC gave the Daily Mail plenty more reasons to ogle at her "pins", but the show hasn't suffered from the same pre-debut hullabaloo...

Goodbye Daybreak. Good morning, erm, Good Morning Britain.

ITV's latest attempt to revive their breakfast schedules and make a dent in the ratings of their fierce rivals at BBC Breakfast comes in the shape of four familiar faces from morning television.

Sky's Sean Fletcher and Charlotte Hawkins, former GMTV host and all round good egg Ben Shephard and the star attraction, who ITV no doubt hope is the jewel in their crown, Susanna Reid.

Poached from the BBC and fresh from a successful run on Strictly Come Dancing, ITV are hoping she's the perfect mix of sharp journalism and warm presenting. Just don't say the words Christine or Bleakley.

Will Good Morning Britain be ITV breakfast's biggest hit since Roland Rat? Or have we got another Daybreak disaster on our hands?

From 6am on Monday (April 28) morning we'll be live-blogging the launch and trying to avoid dropping ketchup from our bacon sandwich on our keyboard.

Josh Duhamel treated his son, Axl, to a breakfast with Goldie Hawn in La on Saturday. The actors were joined by Goldie's son Oliver Hudson, who brought his wife, Erinn Bartlett, and the couple's two boys, Wilder and Bodhi. The big breakfast bunch dined at Early World Cafe in La's Brentwood neighborhood. Josh went with a casual look for the meal, donning a pink button-down shirt, light gray jeans, black sneakers, and a baseball cap, while toting little Axl in a car seat. Meanwhile, Goldie, who turned 68 last month, wore her signature oversize sunglasses and a layered black and blue ensemble. At one point, Oliver doted on Axl as Josh held him up in his car seat. The only way the outing between the two Hollywood families could have been more star-studded is if Fergie and Kate Hudson got in on the fun! Josh and Fergie have been busy enjoying...