News

Exclusive: Joanne Froggatt, best known for starring in the long-running ITV/PBS period drama Downton Abbey, has signed on to join Guy Ritchie’s untitled crime series starring Tom Hardy (Venom: The Last Dance) for Paramount+ with Showtime.

Froggatt joins as a series regular alongside Mandeep Dhillon (CSI: Vegas) and Jasmine Jobson (Top Boy).

Production on the global crime series, previously known as The Associate (w/t), is currently underway in London. The show’s leads are Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren. Hardy stars as Harry Da Souza, the professional conciliator of the fictional Harrigan Irish crime family, Brosnan will play Conrad Harrigan, the Harrigan family head, and Mirren is Maeve Harrigan, Conrad’s wife, and the Harrigan family matriarch.

Froggatt will play Jan Da Souza, Harry’s wife. Dhillon will play Seraphina, Conrad’s daughter. Jobson has the role of Zosia, who works for Harry and is one of his closest associates.

Samantha Baines has a new podcast, it's daily, it's silly, it's for the whole family and it may just be the shortest podcast available at one minute long!

Silly News with Samantha Baines has all the family-friendly, hilarious, strange and wonderful Real-life news from across the globe, yes, the stories you didn't know you and your kids needed! A news show that will make you smile Plus you can listen with your children, friends of all ages and even grandma. As heard on BBC Radio London.

“I hope this new podcast makes people giggle and starts silly conversations. Would you wear a scarf made out of dog hair? It is also short enough to fit into Any length family/school commute (the podcast not the scarf)” - Samantha Baines

Samantha Baines is well known to the podcast world with two podcast awards, ten award nominations and half a million listens...

Disney+ has set a premiere date for Rivals, the Jilly Cooper adaptation starring David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, and Danny Dyer.

Lee Mason, Disney’s director of scripted content in Europe, announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival that the eight-part series will drop on October 18 in the UK. Rivals will stream on Hulu in the U.S.

It is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles and is set against the backdrop of the excess and antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England.

The series chronicles the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 and the long-standing rivalry of ex-Olympian, MP, and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and his neighbor Tony Baddingham (Tennant), controller of Corinium Television.

Poldark star Turner is TV presenter Declan O’Hara, a fierce intellectual with an even fiercer temper who is wooed to Corinium from the BBC. Other cast includes EastEnders actor Dyer as Freddie Jones,...

Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer return with their unique take on the world of food and chat. In this episode, musician and author Jordan Stephens joins them to discuss his new book, Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs. The conversation takes an intimate turn as Jordan opens up about his personal experiences and the themes explored […]

Sunday Brunch: Jordan Stephens, Lara Pulver, Vicky Pattison...

The trend of streamers bundling together to increase value and engagement continues.

The Great Bundling Craze is continuing to sweep across the streaming landscape. The biggest streamers in the marketplace like Netflix, Disney+, Max, Hulu, and others have all joined new bundles in 2024, and now smaller streamers are getting in on the trend. As part of its quarterly earnings report on Thursday, Lionsgate Entertainment announced that it was adding its direct-to-consumer service Starz to a new streaming bundle with BritBox, which should make its way to customers by the end of 2024.

Key Details: Lionsgate executives said the new bundle would be available to customers sometime next quarter. The bundle will be sold directly through starz.com There was no official word on how much the combo will end up costing. Save 70% $9.99+ / month starz.com

Limited Time: Get Starz for only $3 per month!

The new combination of Starz and BritBox will be available sometime “next quarter.

A new survey found that viewing of British TV shows in the United States grew by a shocking 40% between Q2 of 2023 and Q1 of 2024 on select platforms.

The United Kingdom may be an ocean away from the United States, but video content moves back and forth between the two with ease. An exclusive report from Deadline shows that audiences in the U.S. have registered a new level of interest in British television after strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in 2023 put a halt to new productions stateside for months. I’ll get into how much viewership for British content rose during the strikes, and which streamers offer the best British TV at the best value below.

Key Details: British series accounted for three of the top five most-watched programs between January and May 2024. Streamers like Netflix and Prime Video have boosted their commissioning of shows outside the United States.

BritBox is back with new titles this August! After adding the first two seasons of the Emmy Award-winning espionage series “Killing Eve” starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, the British streamer will add the junior and senior seasons throughout the month.

Multiple acclaimed United Kingdom dramedies will have their North American and United States premieres this month, including the first season of Channel 4’s “The Change,” created and written by and starring Bridget Christie, and the second season of “Avoidance,” written by and starring Romesh Ranganathan.

Whether you’re looking for a docuseries on King Charles or a multi-part crime thriller, find out everything coming to BritBox in August, including The Streamable’s top picks for the month!

7-Day Free Trial $8.99+ / month BritBox.com What are the 3 Best Shows, Movies, and Specials Coming to BritBox in August 2024? “The Change” Season 1 | Thursday, Aug. 1

Award-winning stand-up Bridget Christie leads the cast as Linda,...

BBC Studios has announced the titles coming to BritBox in August 2024, which include everything from new BritBox Originals to classic British fare. BritBox is a digital video subscription service offering the largest collection of British TV in the U.S. and Canada.

The August lineup features season one of The Change, starring Bridge Christie, season two of Romesh Ranganthan’s family dramedy Avoidance, and seasons three and four of Killing Eve, starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh.

Bridge Christie in The Change

BritBox is also adding two royal programs this August: The White Princess (also starring Comer) and My King Charles, a documentary investigating the monarch’s complicated path to the throne. BritBox crime Original Granite Harbour, starring Romario Simpson and Hanna Donaldson, returns for its second season on August 15.

BritBox is a digital subscription video-on-demand service offering the largest and most comprehensive, unmissable collection of British entertainment available all in one place.

Jilly Cooper’s Rivals have nearly entered the building. Disney+ has unveiled a trailer and first looks for the adaptation that will launch later this year starring David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson and Danny Dyer. Scroll down for some more pics

Set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, Rivals dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 when a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men is about to boil over: Ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and his neighbor Tony Baddingham (Tennant), controller of the independent TV franchise Corinium Television. The series is set to debut on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other countries later this year.

Nine characters are introduced via the wave of images including Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack), Caitlin O’Hara (Catriona Chandler), James Vereker (Oliver Chris), Freddie Jones (Dyer), Paul Stratton (Rufus Jones), Valerie Jones...

Disney+ is building buzz for its Jilly Cooper adaptation Rivals by teasing first-look images of the eight-part series. The series will stream on Hulu in the U.S.

Rivals is part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles and is set against the backdrop of the excess and antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England. Scroll on for more images.

Rivals chronicles the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986 and the long-standing rivalry of ex-Olympian, MP, and notorious womanizer Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and his neighbor Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), controller of Corinium Television.

Poldark star Aidan Turner is TV presenter Declan O’Hara, a fierce intellectual with an even fiercer temper who is wooed to Corinium from the BBC. Other cast includes EastEnders actor Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones, a self-made electrics millionaire.

Among the wider ensemble is Nafessa Williams (Black Lighting), Bella Maclean (Sex Education), Katherine Parkinson...

BBC One is set to kick off Season 2 of the thrilling drama series “Avoidance” with an explosive Episode 1 airing at 8:30 Pm on Friday, April 5th. In this highly anticipated premiere, viewers are in for a rollercoaster of emotions as Jonathan’s desperate bid to win back Claire takes a dramatic turn when he uncovers a shocking secret she’s been hiding. Meanwhile, Dan and Courtney receive an unexpected surprise during their baby scan: it’s a boy!

As tensions rise and secrets unravel, “Avoidance” promises to deliver heart-pounding drama and unexpected twists that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. With compelling storytelling and stellar performances from the cast, this season opener is not to be missed.

Join BBC One for an unforgettable evening of television as “Avoidance” returns with a bang. From love and betrayal to new beginnings, this episode sets the stage for a gripping journey ahead.

Aisling Bea And Matthew Lewis Join Romesh Ranganathan Comedy ‘Avoidance’

Aisling Bea and Matthew Lewis are among the cast who have joined the upcoming season of Romesh Ranganathan’s BBC comedy Avoidance. Filming started this week, and the returning cast includes Jessica Knappett (Drifters), Kieran Logendra, Mandeep Dhillon (Afterlife), Lisa McGrillis (Mum), and Bruce Mackinnon (The Catherine Tate Show). Also joining the show are Louise Ford (The Windsors), Olive Tennant (Belfast), Alex Ranganathan, Jessica Ransom (Horrible Histories), Paula Wilcox (Upstart Crow), Philip Jackson (Brassed Off), Ed Kear (Here We Go), Colin Hoult (Murder in Successville), Michael Spicer (The Room Next Door) and Brona C Titley (The Outlaws). “I’m delighted to be back on set with this amazing cast, so much so it almost makes up for the crushing agony of my recent spandex-filled wardrobe fitting,” said Ranganathan.

Afua Hirsch And Peter Frankopan To Lead History Podcast

Afua Hirsch and...

“Avoidance,” featuring BAFTA-winning British comedian Romesh Ranganathan, will premiere on BritBox International in North America and South Africa in September.

Created and written by Ranganathan and Benjamin Green (“Romantic Getaway”) and starring Ranganathan, the series follows anti-hero Jonathan who is struggling to get back on his feet after breaking up with partner Claire. After Claire has accused him of being impossible to live with and keen to avoid conflict at all costs, Jonathan moves in with his sister and her wife. For the sake of his nine-year-old son, Spencer, Jonathan starts to rebuild his life and pull himself together.

The series will premiere Sept. 20. “Avoidance” is also available on BritBox in Australia.

BritBox will also debut Season 2 of “The Curse” on September 6. Set 18 months after the first season, which saw the show’s cast accidentally pull off the biggest gold heist in history, this time the action moves to Spain...

The BBC invested £128.5 million ($165.7 million) into TV and radio content in the first two years of its Creative Diversity Commitment, a year ahead of target. In doing so, it exceeded the original commitment of £112 million into on-screen and on-air diversity and inclusion.

The commitment, which was made in 2020 – £100 million for TV and £12 million for radio – in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, was met last year with scepticism from some U.K. industry leaders who called it “smoke and mirrors.”

That sentiment appears to have been disproved with the BBC saying that it has “broadcast a huge array of TV programs across the year which authentically reflects our audiences, nurturing diverse voices and working with diverse casts and crews,” citing “My Name Is Leon,” “Avoidance,” “Ranger Hamza’s Eco Quest,” “Una Marson: Caribbean Voices,” “The Wedding” and the “Women’s Euros” as examples.

In the second year of the commitment,...

David Mitchell is returning to the BBC for genre-bending detective comedy Ludwig, which features on a five-strong comedy slate alongside Hulu co-production Dinosaur and a show from The Duchess star Michelle de Swarte.

Unveiling his first major comedy slate at this afternoon’s BBC Comedy Festival in Cardiff, the corporation’s Comedy Director Jon Petrie said the shows reflect “the depth and range of our offerings which champion British creativity.”

The slate is led by Ludwig, Peep Show star Mitchell’s first BBC project since Upstart Crow, which follows the eponymous protagonist as he takes on the identity of his brother, Dci James Taylor, who has disappeared off the face of the earth. Mitchell’s Ludwig lives in quiet solitude, designing puzzles for a living under his nom-de-plume, and he struggles to adapt to being a twin who happens to be a successful Dci leading Cambridge’s busy inner-city major crimes team.

Exclusive: Doctor Who star David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Aidan Turner are featuring in an ensemble cast for Disney+’s adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals.

Unveiled at last year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, Rivals is part of iconic British author Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles and is set against the backdrop of the drama, excess and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England.

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Set in the fictional upper-class county of Rutshire, Rivals dives headfirst into the cutthroat world of independent...