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Tom Burke and Steve Coogan are among the lineup of British stars joining Netflix’s upcoming thriller series “Legends.”

Created and written by Neil Forsyth, the series is inspired by a real-life criminal investigations following a group of British Customs employees sent undercover to infiltrate some of the U.K.’s most dangerous criminal drug gangs.

Also joining the cast are Hayley Squires, Aml Ameen, Jasmine Blackborow, Douglas Hodge, Tom Hughes, Johnny Harris, Gerald Kyd, Charlotte Ritchie.

“Legends” is set in the early 1990s, when Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise was losing its battle with illegal drug smuggling across Britain’s borders. Their solution was to send a small team of employees undercover. As per the synopsis: “But these were not trained spies. They were normal men and women, plucked from ordinary lives around the UK, put through a basic training regime and tasked with building new identities in the criminal underworld.

Steve Coogan, Tom Burke and Hayley Squires have boarded Netflix’s upcoming heist series Legends.

From the creator of BBC One’s The Gold, Legends is inspired by one of the most remarkable criminal investigations ever conducted, following a group of British Customs employees sent undercover to infiltrate some of the country’s most dangerous criminal drug gangs.

Burke, Coogan and Squires are joined by Aml Ameen (A Man in Full, Rustin), Jasmine Blackborow (The Gentlemen, Marie Antoinette), Douglas Hodge (G20, Joker), Tom Hughes (The English, Victoria), Johnny Harris (A Gentleman in Moscow, Great Expectations) , Gerald Kyd (The Assassin, Love Rat) and Charlotte Ritchie (You, Ghosts).

Show is set in the early 1990s, when Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise was losing its battle with illegal drug smuggling across Britain’s borders. In a top-secret operation, a small team of customs employees were sent undercover. Their task was to infiltrate...

Banijay Entertainment is offering an exclusive early look at its jam-packed Mipcom lineup, featuring plenty of crime dramas, historical epics, popular formats and non-fiction projects from Eva Longoria and Sarah Jessica Parker.

“Our dynamic line-up for this year’s Mipcom truly highlights the continued growth and global appeal of our catalog,” said Banijay Rights CEO Cathy Payne. “From riveting dramas such as ‘Bergerac’ and ‘Wolf Hall’ to high-end factual series like ‘Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain,’ we are eager to present a diverse and competitive slate that celebrates the power of storymaking and the outstanding talent behind our IP.”

Banijay Chief Content Officer, Development James Townley and Chief Content Officer, Operations Lucas Green added: “Our offering of distinctive and fresh formats coming from the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, U.K. and the U.S., underscores our commitment to creating popular IP like ‘Three Are The Champions,’ and evolving classic favorites like ‘By Land,...

AMC Networks’ Acorn TV and Channel 5 today announced the recommission of The Madame Blanc Mysteries, the much-loved crime drama created by and starring Sally Lindsay. The fourth season is currently in production.

Clapperboard and Saffron Cherry Productions (The World According to Grandpa) co-produce with Acorn Media Enterprises on board as an international distributor, holding exclusive rights worldwide except for the UK and Northern Ireland.

Photo Courtesy of Acorn TV

The Madame Blanc Mysteries Season 4 returns to the wonderful world of Sainte Victoire, packed with unusual antiques and objéts d’art, murder, mystery, sunshine, and laughter for seven episodes, including a Christmas special. Creator Sally Lindsay returns as Jean White, who is navigating a fledgling romance with her sidekick Dom Hayes, played by Steve Edge.

Co-writer Sue Vincent stars as mechanic Gloria Beaushaw, Robin Askwith and Sue Holderness reprise their roles as eccentric married couple Jeremy and Judith Lloyd James...

Willem Dafoe Named Artistic Director Of Venice Theatre Department

Willem Dafoe has been named Artistic Director of the Venice Biennale’s Theatre Department. Dafoe will hold the role for a two-year term from 2025 to 2026. The appointment was confirmed by the department board, headed by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. “I was first surprised then happy to receive Pietrangelo Buttafuoco’s invitation to be the Director of the International Theatre Festival of La Biennale di Venezia 2025-2026,” Dafoe said. “I realize that I am known as a film actor, but I was born in the theatre, the theatre trained me and galvanized me. I am a stage animal. I am an actor. Theatre taught me about art and life. I worked with the Wooster Group for twenty-seven years, and I have collaborated with great directors from Richard Foreman to Bob Wilson. The direction of my Theatre program will be charted by my personal development.

Is there a Falcon in the house? Yes, there is, in fact, because Anthony Mackie joins us on this week’s show to talk apocalypse survival, not listening to Taylor Swift, and of course Twisted Metal, which comes to Paramount+ next week.

Elsewhere, James has a revelation about 3 Body Problem, Kay ponders the existential dilemma of slow-burn TV, and we get into this week’s slate, which includes the hunt for Lincoln’s killer in Manhunt on Apple TV+ and the return of Itvx’s The Dry. And then there’s Love Rat, a show on Channel 5 that might have been genetically engineered in a lab to give James a breakdown.

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