Jilly Cooper fans have reason to rejoice: “Rivals” is returning for a second season. Based on Cooper’s bestselling “bonkbuster” of the same name, the series stars Emily Atack, Aidan Turner and David Tennant as residents of a fictional English village called Rutshire where they regularly fight, flirt and fornicate. The book was first published in […]

Jordan Bolger (“This Town”) and Max Fincham (“Invasion”) have been cast as the leads in upcoming Netflix drama “The Witness.” Based on the true story of the violent murder of Rachel Nickell in 1992 in front of her two year-old son Alex while walking through a London park, “The Witness” explores the aftermath of the […]

Sky scripted exec Meghan Lyvers has addressed a question some people have been asking over the recent “The Day of the Jackal” reboot, starring Eddie Redmayne, namely whether it needed to be a reboot at all given the departure from the source material. “The Day of the Jackal” was first published as a novel in […]

Journalists from The Guardian and The Observer have gone on strike for 48-hours in protest over a potential sale of the latter. The Observer is The Guardian’s sister paper, which comes out weekly on Sundays. It emerged earlier this year that the Scott Trust is considering a sale of The Observer to the relatively nascent […]

Rachel Shenton, Emily Atack and Joanne Whalley have been cast as the leads in upcoming U.K. psychological drama “The Rumour,” which depicts how small-town gossip can spiral out of control. Based on Lesley Kara’s novel, the new five-part series sees Shenton play Joanna, a mother who moves to a quiet town with her young son […]

Rachel Griffiths drama “Madam” has sold to a slew of territories across the Asia-Pacific region including Hong Kong and Philippines. The comedic drama stars Griffiths as New Zealand local Mack Leigh who discovers her husband has been visiting sex workers, prompting her to open her own “feminist, ethical brothel.” Rima Te Wiata (“The Wheel of […]

David Davoli, president of international at Anonymous Content, said the company is exploring new partnerships in Germany and Italy. It would mark the seventh joint venture for Anonymous, which already has partnerships with companies in Brazil, Spain, France, the Nordics and the U.K. In October Variety exclusively revealed they had struck a deal for their […]

Netflix’s European heads have unveiled a series of sneak peeks and new commissions, including a Season 3 order of “The Law According to Lidia Poët” in Italy and a three-part reunion special of France’s “Nouvelle Ecole.” The third season of “The Law According to Lidia Poët,” which was unveiled by Tinny Andreatta, VP of content […]

AMC Networks International U.K. and PBS America are among the latest channels to join free TV streamer Freely in the U.K. The two broadcasters, along with news network GB News and shopping channel QVC, have inked a deal with Everyone TV, the org. behind Freely to offer their channels on the platform. The deals mean […]

Jacob Elordi drama series “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” has been acquired by the BBC for the U.K. The five-part adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel, which also stars Ciarán Hinds and Odessa Young, will be broadcast in the U.K. on BBC One and the BBC’s proprietary streamer iPlayer. It will drop […]

U.K. culture minister Lisa Nandy has committed to continuing the BBC’s licence fee model until at least 2027. However she has said she is going to consider all funding options for the broadcaster’s “long-term sustainability” during the next Royal Charter review. The BBC is governed by a document called a Royal Charter which is periodically […]

Timothée Chalamet has revealed he lost out on roles in action franchises like “Maze Runner” and “Divergent” after being told “You don’t have the right body.” The film star, who now plays the lead role in blockbuster sci-fi series “Dune,” said he even tried to put on weight in order to change his physical appearance […]

Eva Björg Ægisdóttir’s best-selling crime series “Elma” is set for a TV adaptation after Icelandic production company Glassriver optioned the rights. The series follows police detective Elma, who returns to work at the local police station in her small hometown of Akranes, Iceland, after a disastrous romance goes wrong. “When a woman’s body is found […]

The highly-anticipated third season of “The Traitors” U.K. is set to return sooner than planned. U.K. audiences will finally be able to watch on Jan. 1 on BBC One and iPlayer. The third season will once again feature host Claudia Winkleman overseeing a group of civilians in the Scottish Highlands as they compete for a […]

Sky exec Karl Holmes has been tapped to lead Disney+ EMEA. Holmes, who will take on the role from January, will be based in Londo. He was most recently COO for Europe at Sky as well as chief consumer revenue officer for the U.K., CFO for the U.K. and Ireland and group chief data officer. […]

Hit drama series “Rivals,” which debuted to great fanfare on Hulu and Disney+, follows the fortunes of genteel television boss Lord Tony Baddingham (played by David Tennant) as he fights to preserve his independent commercial television station Corinium. It’s a drama that ITV boss, Dame Carolyn McCall, may well be watching closely. McCall, who has […]

Legendary “Pulp Fiction” producer Lawrence Bender has boarded “Red Alert,” a new Israel drama inspired by real-life events, as exec producer. Five-part series “Red Alert” is based on the terror attacks of Oct. 7, telling the stories of five citizens who found themselves in unimaginable life-or-death situations as cold-blooded slaughter takes place around them. “This […]

“Red One” star Mary Elizabeth Ellis has joined the cast of Irish wedding comedy “Ditched.” Based on bestselling novel “Bride Squad Runaway” by Caroline Grace-Cassidy and Lisa C. Carey, the feature film features Ellis as feisty and commitment-phobic sports journalist Lauren who embarks on a road trip through Ireland with two best friends after one […]

An immersive experience based on hit game show “The Traitors” is set to open in London next year. “The Traitors: Live Experience” will enable fans to take a seat at The Round Table, have a go at missions and attempt to uncover the Traitors in their midst. Tickets cost £29.50 per person ($37) and will […]