The Labour Party’s first budget has brought mixed results for the U.K. entertainment industry. While the film and TV sector welcomed an increase in the tax incentive for VFX spend, grassroots music venues have been hit by a huge reduction in the amount of tax relief they enjoy, potentially putting a number at risk. U.K. […]

Upcoming feature film “Flavia,” a family adventure about a precocious young detective, has sold across Europe, including to Sky in the U.K. The film, which features “The Hobbit” star Martin Freeman opposite Molly Belle Wright (“Deep Water”) as the eponymous detective Flavia, has started principal photography, with a first look image showing the duo alongside […]

DOCUMENTARY “Hijack” star Idris Elba is set to front a new documentary for the BBC exploring the U.K.’s knife crime academic. “Idris Elba: A Year of Knife Crime” (working title) will see the star explore the reality of knife crime and potential solutions to solving it. As part of the doc he’ll speak to offenders, […]

Mark Lewis Jones (“Outlander,” “Chernobyl”) and Nia Roberts (“Hidden,” “The Crown”) have joined the cast of upcoming S4C/Sundance Now anthology series “Still Waters” (“Y Golau:Dŵr” in Welsh). It is the second instalment of the Welsh psychological thriller, which starred Sian Reese-Williams, following “The Light In The Hall” (“Y Golau”). Reese-Williams (“Wolf”) returns for the second […]

DOCUMENTARIES Filmmaker Adam Morse, who directed Billy Zane-starrer “Lucid,” is set to get in front of the camera in a new documentary, titled “Blind Ambition,” about his career. The unscripted project, directed by Ukrainian-British filmmaker Julia Varvara, will follow Morse’s journey from losing his eyesight at the age of 19 due to the incurable condition […]

“Beckham” director Fisher Stevens is set to helm climate drama “The Montreal Protocol,” about a true story of underdog scientists who set out to repair the hole in the ozone layer and avoided a global environmental catastrophe. Jess Kimball Leslie (“Kings of America”) is adapting the story, which is in development at Stevens’ production company […]

Former BBC anchor Michael Buerk has criticized the extensive media coverage of Liam Payne’s death, calling him “a drugged up, faded boy band singer.” Buerk, who was the face of BBC News for almost 30 years until his semi-retirement in 2002, was speaking on Radio 4 show “Today” about how foreign reporting had changed over […]

“One Day” star Leo Woodall swaps TV presenting for complex math problems in his latest series, “Prime Target.” In first-look images from the upcoming Apple TV+ thriller, Woodall is dressed up as math postgraduate Edward Brooks, complete with tweed jacket and leather-bound notebook, while co-star Quintessa Swindell (“Black Adam”) plays no-nonsense NSA agent Taylah Sanders. […]

The ATS Team has tapped Workerbee’s Nicola Griffiths as SVP of production. Griffiths, who was previously head of production at Workerbee, will be based between the production company and production services provider’s U.S., U.K. and Portuguese offices, reporting to The ATS Team’s managing director and COO Danny Sanz. With expertise in securing tax credits, international […]

Cineflix Rights has sold Icelandic political drama “The Minister” and Israeli thriller “Manayek” to territories across Europe and beyond. “Manayek,” a 20-episode affair from Yoav Gross Productions, has sold its second and third seasons to France and Germany. The thriller follows a veteran internal affairs investigator who stumbles across a clear case of police corruption […]

Chelsea Peretti is among a bevvy of guest stars set to appear on the second season of Daisy May Cooper’s BBC hit comedy “Am I Being Unreasonable?” In addition to the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actor, fellow guest stars will include Tom Davis (“Wonka”), Denise Black (“Queer as Folk”), Jamali Maddix (“Never Mind the Buzzcocks”), British rapper […]

U.K.-based distributor Omega Global Media has boarded Brendan Foley’s Hans Christian Andersen-inspired crime drama “Fairytale Detective.” Each one-hour episode follows Andersen as he solves crimes in 1850s Copenhagen aided by a coterie of characters from his stories, who come to life to help him find justice. While embarking on his unusual hobby, he hopes to […]

Paramount-owned U.K. broadcaster Channel 5 has acquired premium history docuseries “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,” a Keshet International (KI) and SandStone Global collaboration. The three-part series, which has just gone into production, is based on Professor Bettany Hughes’ best-selling book of the same name. Historian and broadcaster Hughes will travel across three continents for […]

Victura Media, a new company focused on managing entertainment franchises, has launched at Mipcon with a slate of IP including a television adaptation of Dawn O’Porter novel “Paper Aeroplanes.”Victura will also distribute a number of titles from “The Walking Dead” producer Skybound Entertainment, including“PSI Cops,” “Super Dinosaur” and “Skybound Presents: Spike & Mike’s Festival of […]

U.K. public service broadcaster ITV has come under fire after a job advert for a “head of generative AI innovation” went viral. The advert, which was posted on LinkedIn as well as other job sites, says the role will include spearheading “AI-driven innovations in content creation for TV shows, films, and digital-first content across ITV […]

BritBox has inked a wide-ranging North American 20-hour content deal with Sphere Abacus for a range of titles including non-fiction, true crime, entertainment and drama. Following the deal, American and Canadian audiences with a subscription to the ad-free streaming platform will be able to watch: Suchet will be in Cannes this week for Mipcom to […]

Cheryl Cole, who shared a son with Liam Payne, has issued a statement on the death of the superstar. In a paragraph posted to Instagram, Cole pleaded with the media to stop with “abhorrent reports” and “media exploitation” of his death for the sake of their son Bear. “As I try to navigate this earth […]

NBCUniversal International has posted a record pre-tax loss following a write down of £99,297,000 ($130 million), its latest accounts show. The accounts, which were filed at U.K. business registrar Companies House last week and cover the 12 month period up to Dec. 31, 2023, were accompanied by a report that said: “Following an assessment of […]

German crime drama “Vet Jacobs – Agent on Occasion” has sold to Warner Bros. Discovery’s network Giallo in Italy. Known as “Nord bei Nordwest” in its native Germany, where the show has consistently delivered a high market share on ARD, the series stars Hinnerk Schönemann (“War Horse”) as Hauke Jacobs, a police officer turned veterinarian […]