News

Kate Beckinsale has confirmed the death of her mother, British actress Judy Loe, at the age of 78.

Loe died Tuesday, two years after the announcement of her Stage 4 cancer diagnosis. She is best known for her TV work on shows like General Hospital, Inspector Morse, Casualty and Holby City.

Beckinsale, the only child of Loe and her first husband, actor Richard Beckinsale, posted Friday on Instagram that she was “paralyzed” by grief.

“I don’t want to post this,” she wrote alongside photos of the pair. “I am only posting this because I have had to register my mother‘s death certificate and it will soon become public record. She died the night of 15 July in my arms after immeasurable suffering.

“I have not picked all the best photos, nor the best videos, because I cannot bear to go through my camera roll yet. I deeply apologize to any of...

Star Wars icon Kenneth Colley has died aged 87.The late actor - who is best known for playing Admiral Piett in George Lucas’ sci-fi franchise - “peacefully” passed away on Monday (30.06.25) in Ashford, Kent, after contracting Covid and pneumonia, his agent Julian Owen has confirmed.In a statement, Owen said: “He had been admitted after a fall with an injured arm, however he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia. He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside.“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years.“Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python's Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure for the BBC.”Colley appeared in 1980’s Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back as Admiral Piett,...

Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is bringing in new faces for its third season. According to sources close to the production, three actors have joined the cast: Andrew Richardson, Zubin Varla, and Adam Young. Richardson is set to take on a main role, while Varla and Young will appear throughout the season in recurring parts.

Andrew Richardson, a British actor with a solid background in theater, has also been seen in several films like Daughter of the Bride, The Independent, Killer Among Us, and Jack London’s Martin Eden. On television, he’s shown up in series such as Extrapolations, Fantasy Island, and The Last O.G.

Zubin Varla is also from the UK and has already done voice work for The Rings of Power. He’s acted in shows like Andor, Holby City, Will, Deep State, and Strike Back. On the film side,...

Prime Video’s hit series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has announced three new cast members joining for its upcoming third season. Andrew Richardson will be joining as a series regular, while Zubin Varla and Adam Young will appear in recurring roles.

Andrew Richardson is a British actor known for a strong background in stage performances.

He has also appeared in movies like “Daughter of the Bride,” “The Independent,” “Jack London’s Martin Eden,” and “Killer Among Us.” On TV, he’s been seen in “Extrapolations,” “Fantasy Island,” and “The Last O.G.”

Related: 10 Ways ‘The Rings of Power’ Is Different than ‘Lord of the Rings’ (& 5 Why It Is Better)

Zubin Varla, also from the U.K., has contributed voice work to “The Rings of Power” before this new casting announcement. His other TV roles include parts in “Andor,” “Holby City,” “Deep State,” “Will,” and “Strike Back.

Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has added three cast members to its upcoming third season: Andrew Richardson, Zubin Varla and Adam Young. Richardson will be a series regular, while Varla and Young will appear in recurring roles.

Richardson, a British actor with an extensive resume of stage roles, previously appeared in films such as “Daughter of the Bride,” “The Independent,” “Jack London’s Martin Eden” and “Killer Among Us.” His television credits include “Extraplotations,” “Fantasy Island” and “The Last O.G.”

Varla, also hailing from the U.K., has already been credited with voice work in “The Rings of Power.” Some of his previous TV credits include “Andor,” “Holby City,” “Deep State,” “Will” and “Strike Back.” On the film side, Varla has appeared in “A Little Life” and stage-to-screen broadcasts of “Dara” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Young, a London-based actor, is best known...

Andrew Richardson (Ponies) has been cast as a series regular and Zubin Varla (Andor) and Adam Young (Masters of the Air) as recurring in the upcoming third season of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which recently began filming at the Amazon MGM Studios series’ new U.K. production home, Shepperton Studios.

British actors Richardson, Varla and Young — who all have extensive theater background — join previously announced new Season 3 cast additions, Stranger Things‘ Jamie Campbell Bower, who will be a series regular, and Eddie Marsan, who will recur.

As usual, no information on the characters is provided. There had been speculative casting information about a new Season 3 series regular role of a sea captain in his 20s that could be who Richardson will portray.

Varla is not an entirely new cast addition to The Rings of Power — he provided voice work on three episodes...

BritBox and World Productions have revealed a first look at the return of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning Original cold-case drama Karen Pirie. Double BAFTA Scotland winner Lauren Lyle reprises her role as audience-favorite Detective Inspector Karen Pirie, with a riveting new case to solve.

After captivating audiences as one of the UK’s most-watched dramas, the 3 x 120’ series, based on celebrated author Val McDermid’s A Darker Domain and adapted by Emer Kenny, will return for a second season in October on BritBox in the U.S. and Canada.

The first look pictures offer a glimpse into the thrilling new series, hailed as “a refreshing take on the detective genre.” After her bittersweet success in series one, Karen has been promoted to Detective Inspector and seemingly given the authority she has long been fighting for.

Just as she’s getting into the swing of her powerful new role, she is assigned...

Actor Charlie Condou is set to appear alongside Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor and Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra in the second season of Doctor Who, which starts April 12. Condou is known for roles in Coronation Street, Holby City, and Unforgotten. Here’s the Lowdown: While details of his character are under wraps, Condou expressed his excitement about […]

Coronation Street Alum Charlie Condou Joins Doctor Who...

The BBC has canceled one of their longest-running series after 23 years on the air. Established in 1922, the British Broadcasting Company is one of the oldest and largest broadcasting companies in history. Over the years, the network has been home to several long-running shows, including the sci-fi series Doctor Who, which originally debuted in 1963 and ran until 1989 before being relaunched in 2005 and is still running to this day.

In addition to Doctor Who, there are several other long-running BBC series. Coronation Street and EastEnders are two long-running BBC soap operas, which began in 1960 and 1985, respectively. Causality is a medical drama that has been a staple of British television since 1986, while Silent Witness is a police procedural drama that has been broadcast since 1996. However, another one of their long-running soap operas, which has aired on BBC Scotland since 2002, has now been canceled.

The BBC Has Canceled River City The Soap Opera Debuted...

One of the BBC’s longest-running shows is being axed in Scotland but nearly £100M ($130M) will be spent on drama in the nation over the next three years, an increase of around 25%.

Soap River City, which has aired since 2002, will end next fall, the BBC has just announced, with actors union Equity and Directors UK reacting angrily to the news.

But with the criticism that canceling long-running shows attracts front and center of its mind, the corporation has already said that its investment in Scottish drama will rise to more than £95M cumulatively between 2026 and 2028, an average of at least £30M per year. A spokeswoman for BBC Scotland said this figure has been around the £25M mark for the past five years.

BBC Scotland content boss Louise Thornton has already unveiled three new dramas: darkly comic thriller Grams from Line of Duty producer World Productions, The Young Team adapted...

Leo Woodall was four years old in 2001, when Renée Zellweger charmed global audiences as the titular hapless romantic of Bridget Jones’s Diary. The film, which earned Zellweger her first Oscar nomination, became regular viewing for the London-born actor and his family at Christmas time each year. But he never could have imagined at the time that he would one day be playing Zellweger’s love interest in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the fourth and final installment of the franchise based on Helen Fielding’s novels.

“Bridget Jones...

Actor and comedian Brian Murphy, best known for his iconic roles in groundbreaking sitcoms “Man About the House” and “George and Mildred,” passed away Sunday at his home in Kent, England. He was 92.

Murphy’s agent, Thomas Bowington, confirmed his death, noting that the actor died peacefully with his wife, actress Linda Regan, by his side. “Brian was a truly joyful and profoundly good-hearted man,” Bowington said.

A veteran of British entertainment, Murphy’s career spanned over seven decades. He began in the 1950s with Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop, where he helped transform British theater and make it more accessible to wider audiences. His early stage work included Shakespearean productions and a memorable role in “Oh, What a Lovely War!”

Television brought Murphy his greatest recognition. After appearing in classic British series like “The Avengers” and “Z-Cars,” he found breakthrough success in 1973 with “Man About the House.” The sitcom,...

Brian Murphy, an English actor and comedian best known for his roles in the ’70s sitcoms “Man About the House” and “George and Mildred,” died on Sunday. He was 92.

Murphy’s agent confirmed the news to the BBC, calling him a “joyful and profoundly good-hearted man.” His wife, “Hi-de-Hi” star Linda Regan, posted a photo of them embracing on X with the caption: “My love for you will never die. Rip sweetheart.”

Born on the Isle of Wight on Sept. 25, 1932, Murphy completed military service at Raf Northwood before pursuing acting and becoming a member of Joan Littlewood’s legendary Theatre Workshop. After nabbing several guest appearances on spy series like “The Avengers” and “Callan” as well as police procedurals “Z-Cars” and “Dixon of Dock Green,” Murphy was cast in “Man About the House.”

The sitcom ran from 1973 to 1976 and starred Murphy as George Roper, a lazy landlord who allows a...

Brian Murphy, star of 1970s UK sitcoms Man About the House and George and Mildred, has died aged 92.

His wife, Hi-De-Hi! actress and crime writer Linda Regan, posted a message on social media with a picture of the two that read, “My love for you will never die. Rip sweetheart”.

He passed away at his home in Kent in England on Sunday morning with Regan by his side, according to his agent, Thomas Bowington of Bowington Management.

“It is with the greatest of sadness that we have to announce the death of our client actor Brian Murphy,” Bowington said today. “It is almost impossible to describe the depth of his talent and humanity. A truly joyful and profoundly good hearted man.”

Through Bowington, Regan added: “I was lucky to have in my lifetime found my soulmate — Brian who I will love forever.”

An actor and comedian by trade, Murphy was...

To celebrate the release of Ellis, which will be available on DVD from 18th November, we are giving a away DVD to 1 lucky winner!

Three time Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Sharon D. Clarke takes the lead as your soon to become favourite new crime-solver – Dci Ellis – in the hotly anticipated, gritty new detective drama Ellis.

From acclaimed writers Paul Logue and Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre (Murder Is Easy), comes this gripping three-partseries, that sees the sharp and driven detective arrive at a new police station, where she must make her mark investigating seemingly impossible to crack cases, in each enthralling feature length episode.

After a mysterious leave of absence, Dci Ellis (Sharon D. Clarke) is called in to solve a series of tangled, controversial and emotionally complex cases in rural Northern England. Determined, rigorous and occasionally impatient, Ellis is a first-class murder detective, forensically attuned to detail, with...

Exclusive: Double-bafta winning Mood creator Nicôle Lecky has cast her BBC thriller series, which has been given the title Wild Cherry.

House of the Dragon star Eve Best and The Penguin’s Carmen Ejogo are leading Wild Cherry, which has rolled cameras in south England after being teased at last year’s Edinburgh TV Festival. Lecky is creator, star and producer.

Ejogo is Lorna, a self-made, successful Black businesswoman from South London who has worked hard to get to where she is. Best plays her closest friend Juliet, a woman born into the privileged gated community they both call home. The safe haven is a place where bad things never happen until their kids are implicated in a shocking scandal at their exclusive private school and Juliet and Lorna are forced to take sides. The show is described as a “provocative and deliciously honest look at mother/daughter relationships in a haze of social media,...

The AMC Networks November 2024 schedule includes the season finale of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol and the premiere of Acorn TV’s new original detective series Inspector Ellis, starring Olivier Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee Sharon D Clarke.

The month also features new film premieres, including AMC+ deep-sea thriller The Last Breath, Allblk original rom-com The Contract, and Sundance Now’s true crime documentary Dickweed on Legalization Day, among other new series, films, and specials.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol

Shudder’s “Season of Screams” lineup continues with the debut of the series The Creep Tapes, based on the cult films Creep and Creep 2, from writers and executive producers Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice.

The schedule includes new films, such as Doc of Chucky, an in-depth look at an iconic franchise; the Nick Frost-led Black Cab; dark orphanage tale Rita,...

Singapore’s Peddling Pictures, the production company behind award-winning docu-series “Riot Island,” is presenting its new six-part fiction series “Isle of Ease” at Mipcom.

Backed by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (Imda), the crime thriller is set in 1920s Singapore and follows a rookie detective investigating a murder on an offshore penal colony in Malaya, uncovering a secret botanical experiment in the process.

The series draws inspiration from a real-life prison experiment conducted by British colonial administration in 1960s Singapore. This historical event, which aimed to reform secret society gangsters, ended in a riot and resulted in Singapore’s largest trial to date.

“Riot Island” won top prizes around the world including at the New York Festivals and the Asian Academy Creative Awards. “This fiction series is our twist on it. We call it a botanical murder mystery set within a prison experiment on a colony. A nature-noir,” said Peddling Pictures’ Aditya Thayi.

Spoiler Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Interview with the Vampire season 2.

Delainey Hayles is an up-and-coming actress who earned herself an important role in the AMC series Interview with the Vampire. Based on the Interview with the Vampire books by Anne Rice, the show premiered in 2022 as the third adaptation of the series after the 1994 movie with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and the 2002 film, Queen of the Damned, starring Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah. Unlike those first two films, Interview with the Vampire the series more readily embraces the queer ideas present in Rice's original texts and makes them a core part of the show.

Arriving in the cast in season 2 is Delainey Hayles, a British actress born on March 10, 1999. Hayles replaced Bailey Bass as Claudia in season 2 after a scheduling issue (via Variety). This is Hayles' first major acting role, coming after some small but notable...

Today, BritBox and the BBC announced the cast of Riot Women, the brand-new drama series from the multi-bafta award-winning writer Sally Wainwright.

Leading the cast and the Riot Women band are Joanna Scanlan as Beth, Rosalie Craig as Kitty, Tamsin Greig as Holly, Lorraine Ashbourne as Jess, and Amelia Bullmore as Yvonne.

Anne Reid (The Sixth Commandment) will play Nancy, Holly and Yvonne’s mother, with Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) as Jess’s Aunt Mary. Peter Davison (Doctor Who), Claire Skinner (Outnumbered), and Angel Coulby (Merlin) also join the cast.

In Riot Women, we dive headfirst into the world of five women who, along with two riotous backing singers, come together to create a makeshift punk-rock band in order to enter a local talent contest, but in writing their first original song, soon discover that they have a lot to say – and this is their way to say it.

Joanna Scanlan and Tamsin Greig have been confirmed to star in Sally Wainwright’s new BBC and Britbox drama “Riot Women.”

“Riot Women” is the new drama from “Happy Valley” creator Wainwright, about a group of middle-aged women who decide to enter a talent contest by forming a punk-rock band. After writing their first song, however, they realize they have plenty to say and now, the means to say it.

Scanlan, who is currently appearing in “Slow Horses” and “A Very Royal Scandal,” will play Beth while Greig, who’s known for “Black Books” and “Sexy Beast,” plays Holly. Joining them will be Rosalie Craig (“Moonflower Murders”) as Kitty, Lorraine Ashbourne (“Sherwood”) as Jess and Amelia Bullmore (“The Buccaneers”) as Yvonne.

The six-part series is produced by Drama Republic, the Mediawan-owned banner behind “One Day,” and has been commissioned by the BBC and BritBox. The project was originally announced...

Sally Wainwright, creator of TV hits Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, and Gentleman Jack, is turning her attention to a new BBC project, Riot Women.

The six-episode series, from Drama Republic, on Thursday unveiled its cast as filming continues in West Yorkshire, England.

Joanna Scanlan (After Love, The Thick of It) will lead the cast as Beth, along with Rosalie Craig (Moonflower Murders, Serpent Queen) as Kitty, Tamsin Greig (Sexy Beast, The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin) as Holly, Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood, Alma’s Not Normal) as Jess, and Amelia Bullmore (The Buccaneers, Vienna Blood) as Yvonne.

In Riot Women, “we dive headfirst into the world of five women who, along with two riotous backing singers, come together to create a makeshift punk-rock band in order to enter a local talent contest,” a plot synopsis reads. “But in writing their first original song, they soon discover that...

Disney is being sued for using CGI to resurrect Peter Cushing for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The actor, who played imperial commander Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope, died in 1994.

Per The Times, Tyburn Film Productions filed a lawsuit against Lunak Heavy Industries (UK) Ltd, a Disney-owned company that worked on Rogue One, over their use of Cushing's likeness in the 2016 Star Wars spin-off. The company claims it made an agreement with Cushing before his death, preventing the use of his likeness with special effects without their approval.

Related 10 Weak Films With Great Endings That Justify the Watch

Even the most disappointing and downright bad movies can be saved and redeemed by a great ending.

The legal proceedings against Lunak Heavy Industries and Lucasfilm, the studio behind the original Star Wars movies, began in 2019. According to the filing, Cushing, who passed away from cancer at...

Disney is being sued for using CGI to resurrect Peter Cushing for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The actor, who played imperial commander Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope, died in 1994.

Per The Times, Tyburn Film Productions filed a lawsuit against Lunak Heavy Industries (UK) Ltd, a Disney-owned company that worked on Rogue One, over their use of Cushing's likeness in the 2016 Star Wars spin-off. The company claims it made an agreement with Cushing before his death, preventing the use of his likeness with special effects without their approval.

Related 10 Weak Films With Great Endings That Justify the Watch

Even the most disappointing and downright bad movies can be saved and redeemed by a great ending.

The legal proceedings against Lunak Heavy Industries and Lucasfilm, the studio behind the original Star Wars movies, began in 2019. According to the filing, Cushing, who passed away from cancer at...

As per The Radio Times, another cast member for Doctor Who's upcoming second season has been announced, with it confirmed that Charlie Condou will be joining the ensemble in an as-yet-unnamed role. Rising to fame in the UK thanks to his role as sonographer Marcus Dent on the hit soap opera, Coronation Street, Condou would go on to appear in the likes of Holby City, You, Me and the Apocalypse, and, perhaps most notably, as Simon in the ITV crime drama, Unforgotten.

EastEnders is set to welcome actress Laila Rouass to Albert Square for a guest appearance as the new character, Ayesha. Rouass, known for her roles in Holby City, Primeval, and Footballer’s Wives, will portray a character with a history involving the Panesar family. Ayesha arrives in Walford following an invitation from Nish, revealing a long-lost […]

EastEnders: Laila Rouass to Make Guest Appearance...

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.

This week we’re heading the westernmost end of Europe to discover why Irish dramedy Faithless became a hit from a nation with a storied history of comic creations. Written by and starring Baz Ashmawy, known primarily for his TV travelogs and Sky’s 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy, the darkly comic series charts how a widowed Irish-Egyptian father in County Wicklow attempts to raise three young girls, while exploring issues such as grief, gender roles, identity and acceptance.

Name: Faithless

Country:...

Two-time Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender is coming back to the small screen, by way of Paramount+ With Showtime’s (fka Showtime) The Agency, TVLine has learned.

An adaptation of the hit French drama Le Bureau des Légendes, The Agency (fka The Department) is described as a political espionage thriller centered on Fassbender’s Martian, a covert CIA agent ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station.

More from TVLineThe Chi Season 6 Finale Marks Three Big Cast Exits (and Two Major Deaths!) - Hear From One of the Recently DepartedSarah Michelle Gellar Joins Dexter Prequel Starring Patrick Dempsey...

"Supacell" is a Netflix superhero series that follows a group of ordinary people who suddenly develop extraordinary powers. The show features a diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique abilities and personal struggles. Here are the main cast members and their characters: Tosin Cole as Michael - A young man who gains the ability to perceive and manipulate time, leading him to take drastic actions to change the fate of his partner, Dionne. Adelayo Adedayo as Dionne - Michael's partner and love interest, whose tragic fate is revealed to Michael through his powers, causing tension in their relationship.

Netflix's Supacell has received rave critical reviews upon release, bringing deserved attention to its impressive and varied cast. Although part of the popular superhero subgenre, Supacell pushes boundaries with its sly social commentary and subversive approach to conventions, centering on some atypical heroes. The result is a show that has...

Radcliffe advises the upcoming Harry Potter show's team to let the cast be kids and acknowledges social media's impact. Potential writers for the show include Martha Hillier, Kathleen Jordan, Tom Moran, Michael Lesslie, and Francesca Gardiner. The Max show will release in 2026.

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe shares some advice for the upcoming show's creative team. It was announced in April 2023 that Warner Bros. Discovery would be developing a Harry Potter TV show adaptation for their Max streaming service, which would cover all seven books of the famous novel series and include the involvement of author J.K. Rowling. It's set to debut in 2026, although the project is still in its early stages and no casting or plot details have been revealed. However, there have been reports about the writers who could join the project.

Speaking with Et Online at the recent Tony Awards, Radcliffe shared his advice for the team...

Exclusive: Willy Wonka, the eccentric founder of the Wonka Chocolate Factory from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, has been played by Gene Wilder, Johnny Depp and Timothée Chalamet on the big screen.

He’s now set to come to the small-screen in a much different way.

Deadline understands that Netflix is preparing a reality competition series based on the Roald Dahl story. This comes after the streamer acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021.

The expansive project is the latest example of a burgeoning trend in the unscripted market in the U.S. – The Bake-Off.

We hear that Netflix went out to a number of production companies, believed to include American Idol producer Fremantle, Wall to Wall, the British production company behind Who Do You Think You Are?, Nobody’s Hero, the production company behind Netflix’s Bullsh*t: The Game Show and Snack vs. Chef, and The Garden, which was...

Ian Gelder, the British actor who played Kevan Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones and the villain Zellin on Doctor Who, has died. He was 74.

“It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy heart broken into a million pieces that I’m leaving this post to announce the passing of my darling husband and life partner Ian Gelder,” the actor Ben Daniels announced on Instagram. Daniels revealed that Gelder had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer five months ago and that “neither of us had any idea that it would all be so fast.”

“He was my absolute rock and we’d been partners for more than 30 years. If we weren’t together we spoke to each other everyday,” Daniels wrote. “He was the kindest, most generous spirited and loving human being. He was a wonderful wonderful actor, and everyone who worked with him was touched by his heart and light.

She is one of the first east Asian actors to play the lead in a big British drama, and her new show Red Eye is a nerve-jangler. She discusses culture shock, sexism and the sheer joy of making Crazy Rich Asians

As a teenager, Jing Lusi was something of a wild child. She was smoking and drinking by the time she was 13, frequently ended up in detention at school and even got suspended for smoking on school premises. “I needed to let off steam,” she says. The actor was rebelling against her strict parents but also against the stereotype of east Asians as well-behaved, “dorky” students. Hers was one of the few Chinese immigrant families living in Southampton in the 90s. She just wanted to fit in. “I managed to get through school by adopting this persona of: ‘I’m wild and erratic, don’t pick on me because I’m not submissive.

The BBC has cancelled The Goes Wrong Show, it’s finally been revealed. More details on that not-very-good news right here.

Very sad news. The BBC has cancelled The Goes Wrong Show. For anybody who hasn’t had the pleasure, the show – created and written by Jonathan Sayer, Henry Lewis and Henry Shields, who are also part of the onscreen ensemble – follows the misadventures of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, an amateur theatre troupe who attempt to stage a different play each week in front of a studio audience, but are woefully unsuited to the task.

From malapropisms to slapstick, egocentric fights between actors, physical comedy and stunts, Sayer, Lewis and Shields wring every possible gag out of the premise, heightened by the bravura comic acting of the Mischief Theatre ensemble – Charlie Russell, Dave Hearn, Bryony Corrigan, Nancy Zamit, Chris Leask, Greg Tannahill and Ellie Morris.

The first series was...

Micheal Ward is a rising young British actor who has rapidly gained recognition for his acclaimed performances on screen. Though only in his mid-20s, Ward has already landed starring roles in high-profile TV shows and films, establishing himself as one of the most promising talents of his generation.

Ward first drew major attention for his role as Jamie in Top Boy, the Netflix revival of the hit crime drama series. His emotional performance as a conflicted teenager navigating London’s underground drug trade earned widespread praise. This breakthrough has led to other prominent parts, including co-starring in Steve McQueen’s award-winning anthology film series Small Axe. With his raw talent and versatility, Ward represents the future of Black British acting.

Micheal Ward in Top Boy (2011) Early Life and Education

Micheal Ward was born on June 18, 1997 in Homerton, London to parents of Jamaican descent. He grew up in Hackney with his mother,...

Exclusive: The race to replace Ralph Lee at the helm of BBC Studios Productions is underway, with the studio signaling its ambition by approaching some of the UK’s top unscripted executives.

Lee will step down as the CEO of BBC Studios Productions next month after a six-year stint to “pursue a new challenge” but Deadline is told that headhunter Russell Reynolds Associates is already scoping out successors.

The successful candidate will run a production unit that contributed heavily to BBC Studios’ £1.6B ($2B) content revenue last year, overseeing hits including Good Omens, Strictly Come Dancing, and David Attenborough’s natural history tentpoles.

Deadline understands that Russell Reynolds has held tentative early conversations with potential candidates including Stv Studios managing director David Mortimer, ITV Studios unscripted director Angela Jain and Karl Warner, Channel 4’s outgoing head of youth and digital.

Fatima Salaria, who previously ran The Apprentice producer Naked,...

A feast for the eyeballs! That’s what the UK’s new TV drama (British shows returning for another series this year are here) output looks like for 2024 – a year of thrills, chills and laughs, from supernatural escapism to immersive historical dramas, true stories brought to life, and plenty to feed Britain’s crime mystery obsession.

Here’s a flavour of what 2024 holds for your TV: book adaptations include a new imagining of Ian Rankin’s Rebus detective stories coming to the BBC, a scandalous adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s iconic novel Rivals (starring David Tennant), Jack Thorne’s take on Lord of the Flies, and much much more.

There’s high-stakes action in thrillers like Red Eye, Black Doves and Nightsleeper, and you can transport yourself back in time to discover the lives of a notorious eighties jewel thief in Joan, sinister Jacobean power play in Mary and George,...

Death In Paradise spin-off Beyond Paradise is back for a second series, and here’s the trailer.

As Death In Paradise nears the end of its 13th series, the BBC is preparing to launch the second series of successful spin-off Beyond Paradise, the most watched new drama of last year

The new series will see the return of Kris Marshall as Di Humphrey Goodman, Sally Bretton as Martha Lloyd, Zahra Ahmadi as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn PC Kelby Hartford, Barbara Flynn as Anne Lloyd, Felicity Montagu as Margo Martins, Jade Harison as Cs Charlie Woods, Melina Sinadinou as Zoe, Eva Feiler as Lucy, Isaac Vincent-Norgate as Ryan, Amelia Vitale as Hannah. Also returning is Selwyn the Duck.

The official synopsis reads as follows:

Shipton Abbott continues to keep Di Humphrey Goodman and his team busy, with a baffling new crime each episode. From a death on a steam train to a missing teacher,...

John Savident, best known to fans of the UK soap Coronation Street as Fred the butcher, died on Feb. 21 at the age of 86.

“He was a much-loved husband and father of two and will be sorely missed by all who knew him,” his rep said in a statement.

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A cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

Sue Nicholls, who plays Audrey Roberts on the ITV sudser, reacted to her onetime...

John Savident, who played the booming voiced Fred Elliott in British soap Coronation Street, died Wednesday. He was 86.

His agent confirmed his passing in a statement to press, saying: “We are sad to announce the death of the actor John Savident who died on Wednesday 21 February. He was a much-loved husband and father of two and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

Savident joined ITV soap in 1994 as a butcher with a disastrous love life. His comic timing and turn of phrase made him one of the long-running program’s most familiar faces before his character was killed off in 2006 after almost 1,000 episodes. His quirk of adding the words, “I say” in between others has been widely parodied in the UK.

The Coronation Street X account shared an image of the actor, and wrote: “Everyone at Coronation Street is deeply saddened to learn of John Savident’s death.

One Day is a Netflix miniseries adapted from a popular novel, following the romantic bond between Dexter and Emma over 20 years. The series features a talented cast, including rising star Leo Woodall as Dexter and Ambika Mod as Emma, with notable performances from Amber Grappy, Jonny Weldon, and more. Viewers can expect emotional twists and turns as Dexter and Emma navigate their careers, relationships, and the possibility of a lifelong connection.

Warning: This guide contains loose spoilers for One Day in order to describe certain characters' roles.

Adapted from the 2009 David Nicholls novel of the same name, One Day is a Netflix miniseries that premiered on Feb. 8, 2024. The story follows Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley, two British university students who meet and spend a wonderful day together (Jul. 15th) before going their separate ways following graduation the next day. Over the next 20 years, brief snapshots of Dexter and Emma's romantic...

Acorn TV, the Anglophilic streaming service, has partnered with Paramount’s British broadcaster Channel 5 on a new three-part detective drama series starring Sharon D Clarke.

The two networks have ordered Ellis, a feature-length series that stars Clarke as the eponymous detective.

Clarke, who is best known for her role on British hospital drama Holby City, is a three-time Olivier Award winner and a 2022 Tony Award nominee and has starred in series including BBC’s Showtrial and appeared in Rocketman.

The series follows Dci Ellis, a tenacious cop who is parachuted into failing investigations. Each two-hour episode sees Ellis – accompanied by her right-hand man DS Harper, played by Andrew Gower (Outlander) – arrive at a different police station, where she will have to win over the local detectives and immerse herself in the cases she has come to solve. As a black female cop, Ellis is used to being dismissed and overlooked,...

Death In Paradise returns to our screens in February, and the BBC have released plot and cast details.

Death In Paradise has been one of the BBC’s most successful dramas in recent years. Created by Robert Thorogood in 2011, the show’s thirteenth series is about to hit our screens. It has seen Ben Miller, Kris Marshall, Ardal O’Hanlon and current detective Ralf Little solve a remarkably high number of murders for such a small Caribbean island.

Last year, Marshall’s character Humphrey Goodman starred in spin-off Beyond Paradise, which paired him with Not Going Out star Sally Bretton and relocated the action to Cornwall. Proving popular with viewers, it recently returned for a Christmas special and a second series will be broadcast this year.

A further spin off, entitled Return to Paradise was announced last year, with action taking place in Australia.

Death In Paradise itself is back for a new series,...

According to a report, Warner Bros. Discovery is open to developing multiple shows based on Harry Potter for their Max streaming service. A group of writers, including Martha Hillier, Kathleen Jordan, Tom Moran, and Michael Lesslie, are developing ideas for the TV adaptation. It is still early in the process and too soon to know what the potential Harry Potter spinoffs could look like.

Multiple shows based on Harry Potter are a possibility, according to a new report. It was announced in April 2023 that Warner Bros. Discovery would be developing a TV show adaptation based on Harry Potter for their Max streaming service, which would cover all seven books in the famous novel series. The project is still in its early stages, with no casting or plot details.

In a new report, Deadline stated that “Max is open to the possibility of developing more than one idea based on Harry Potter.

Exclusive: The Harry Potter television series is moving closer to fruition.

In April, Warner Bros. Discovery revealed that a series, based on the classic wizarding world, would be coming to its streaming service Max.

Deadline understands that things in Potterworld are now heating up with a marathon of pitches underway from writers vying for the right to adapt J.K. Rowling’s seven books.

Martha Hillier, Kathleen Jordan, Tom Moran and Michael Lesslie are among those who are presenting their visions to the streaming service and Warner Bros Television, sources said. It’s an interesting mix of Brits and Americans. We’ve heard that the group of writers were commissioned by Max to create pitches for a series reflecting their take on the IP.

We hear the first round of pitch meetings happened in Los Angeles this week and sources said that the top choices will go on to the next round in the UK.

Indo-British sports drama “A Game of Two Halves,” which tackles themes of identity crisis and racial dissonance, is set for a global bow in 2024.

Directed by British Asian filmmaker Khayam Khan (“Bus Ride”), the film is set across the U.K. and India. It chronicles the transformative, coming-of-age journey of Sanjay, a young British student who discovers his true self not amidst the academic pressures of a prestigious university, but on the dusty fields of Hyderabad, India, while teaching soccer to underprivileged children.

The cast includes Saaj Raja (“Eternals”), Harish Khanna (“12th Fail”), Lucy Jackson (“The Ride”), Swaroopa Ghosh (“War”), Nikkita Chadha (“Barbie”), Sudha Bhuchar (“Mary Poppins Returns”), Chizzy Akudolu (“Holby City”), Rajiv Kumar Aneja (“Tiger Nageswara Rao”), Pawan Chopra (“Asur”) and Sachin Chaudhary (“Sacred Games”).

The film is written by Shirley Day (“My Day”). It is produced by Nicola Gregory and Sheila Nortley under the banners K Squared Films,...

Exclusive: Priscilla Parish has quietly stepped down as the head of drama at BBC Studios after four years.

Parish joined the BBC’s commercial production unit in October 2019 from Line of Duty and Bodyguard producer World Productions.

Her departure was not announced by BBC Studios, but the company confirmed the news to Deadline. Her replacement is expected to be announced soon.

Mark Linsey, president of scripted at BBC Studios Productions, said: “We want to thank Priscilla for all her work and wish her all the best for the future.”

Parish has overseen shows including BAFTA-winner Time, starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. A second season recently launched with Bella Ramsey and Jodie Whittaker.

Also on BBC Studios’ slate is the upcoming Kidnapped, which will dramatize the abduction of model Chloe Ayling. Parish was also an executive producer on Netflix feature Luther: The Fallen Sun.

BBC Studios has suffered some blows in recent years,...

Scottish actress Lauren Lyle has made a mark in showbusiness with her ability to play diverse characters and showcase her comedic chops. While Lyle is best known for her role in Outlander, she has already begun to land starring roles in TV shows and movies and is expected to continue rising in the industry. Lyle's transition to leading roles is evident in her top-billing in the independent slasher film Mercy Falls, where she shines despite the script's lack of depth.

Scottish actress Lauren Lyle isn't quite a household name yet, but she has already made a mark on showbusiness in series like Outlander and Karen Pirie. Getting her start in the mid-2010s in a variety of supporting roles on British television, Lyle often impressed with her ability to play a diverse range of characters and her comedic chops. Soon, Lyle began landing more serious roles, and by the 2020s...

After Di Jimmy Perez deliberately sacrificed his career in the name of justice (if not the law) and went off to pastures new with nurse Meg at the end of series seven, Shetland now has a new sheriff in town. Sort of.

While DS Tosh performs the duties of acting Di at Lerwick Police Station, detective Ruth Calder has come up from London in search of a missing witness in a serious crime case. It just so happens that Calder is an old Shetlander who left the islands as a teenager and was glad to be rid of the place, where she’s confronted by some old ghosts.

Ugly Betty and Agatha Raisin’s Ashley Jensen plays Calder, along with a new guest cast of Scottish stars as well as Shetland’s returning favourites. The latter includes Alison O’Donnell as DS Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh, Steven Robertson as DC Sandy Wilson,...

There is no cure for “Doctors,” the long-running soap that has been canceled by the BBC after 23 years for financial reasons.

Created by Chris Murray, “Doctors” debuted in 2000 and followed the lives of the staff of a National Health Service doctor’s surgery and and a university campus surgery and the lives of their families and friends in the fictional town of Letherbridge in the U.K.’s West Midlands. It has featured the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Eddie Redmayne, Sheridan Smith and Nicholas Hoult.

“Doctors” stands canceled after 23 years, 24 seasons and 4,389 episodes. It scored four BAFTA nominations, had numerous wins at the British Soap Awards and has also won gongs at the Royal Television Society and Writers’ Guild of Great Britain awards.

The BBC said in a statement: “We have taken the very difficult decision to bring daytime drama ‘Doctors’ to an end after 23 years. With super inflation in drama production,...