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“I believe the word we’re looking for … is motherf*cker.”

This was a correct answer to a question on a CNN comedy quiz show.

That’s right, a quiz show.

That’s right, comedy.

That’s right… CNN!

The show is Have I Got News For You, which debuted Sept. 14 and is now streaming on Max. Hosted by Roy Wood Jr. and featuring comedians Michael Ian Black and Amber Ruffin as regular panelists alongside two guests per episode, the program satirizes and reflects on the week’s news. And...

Roy Wood Jr. is getting back into the news-and-comedy game.

The comedian and Daily Show alum has been named the host of Have I Got News for You at CNN. The cable news outlet will debut its version of the long-running BBC panel show on Sept. 14.

Have I Got News for You is a BBC staple, having been on the air since 1990. The show features two teams of panelists answering questions about the week’s news, with a heavy dose of humor. CNN announced in May that it was developing its own version of the show with Hat Trick Productions, producer of the BBC show.

“For far too long immigrants have been coming to America and taking Black jobs, kudos to CNN and the immigrants at Hat Trick Productions for bringing a Black job to the States,” Wood said in a statement. “It is an honor to be a part...

Have I Got News for You returns to BBC One with a brand new episode on Friday, 7 June 2024. The episode welcomes comedian Alex Horne as host, with guest panellists Jack Dee and broadcaster Carol Vorderman. Joining the trio are the show’s regular team captains, Paul Merton and Ian Hislop, as they come together […]

Have I Got News for You: Alex Horne, Jack Dee, Carol Vorderman...

The line up for Taskmaster series 18 has been confirmed, with Jack Dee and Rosie Jones among the famous names.

Now that we’ve come to the end of yet another joyous ten weeks of Taskmaster, it’s already time to look forward to the next series.

According to the British Comedy Guide, the line up for series 18 is as follows: Andy Zaltzman, Babatunde Aléshé, Emma Sidi, Jack Dee and Rosie Jones.

The British Comedy Guide also reported that a new spin-off series called Taskmasterclass will begin on Channel 4 on Thursday 6th June. The show will highlight the contribution of “brains behind the tasks, and feature interviews with former contestants about their time on the programme”. Greg Davies and Little Alex Horne will narrate the hour-long episodes. In the first one, the hosts will discuss “whether there is any point to the seemingly pointless tasks on Taskmaster“, in the process...

The long-running satirical news quiz show Have I Got News for You returns to BBC One with another brand new episode. The episode, airing on Friday 31 May, features Victoria Coren Mitchell as host, with guest panellists Chris McCausland and Sophy Ridge joining team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop. In this episode, the guest […]

Have I Got News for You: Victoria Coren Mitchell, Chris McCausland...

CNN is taking a swing at comedy, with plans to launch a U.S. version of the long-running BBC comedy quiz show Have I Got News For You.

The program was announced during Warner Bros. Discovery’s upfront presentation Wednesday morning. CNN is calling it a limited series, with a debut set for the fall.

Have I Got News For You is in its 66th season at the BBC, having launched in 1990. The program features two teams of panelists who answer questions about the week’s news, cracking jokes and sparking discussions in the process. Hat Trick Productions, the company behind the BBC series, will also produce the U.S. edition.

CNN did not announce a host or any regular panelists (the BBC version features Ian Hislop and Paul Merton as regular panelists).

Have I Got News For You will be CNN’s first real foray into the comedy space,...

Courtesy of Studiocanal

by James Cameron-wilson

Two of the most famous characters Audrey Hepburn ever played were Eliza Dolittle and Maid Marion. In StudioCanal’s new 4K restoration home entertainment release of The Lavender Hill Mob, Audrey Hepburn shares her first film with Stanley Holloway, who played Eliza’s father in My Fair Lady, and Robert Shaw, who played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin & Marion. Not that Audrey Hepburn actually shares the screen in The Lavender Hill Mob with either Stanley Holloway or Robert Shaw, but she does get the film off to a bright start with a nuzzle with Alec Guinness The Lavender Hill Mob arrived in the middle of the golden era of the Ealing Comedy cycle, two years after Kind Hearts and Coronets and just four years before The Ladykillers. And it remains a pure joy. Unlike heist movies of the future, it manages to be...

The BBC is developing a sports based spin-off of long running panel show Have I Got News For You, currently called Have I Got Sports For You

Have I Got News For You stands as one of the longest running panel shows on television. Starting in 1990, team captains Paul Merton and Private Eye editor Ian Hislop are still with the show 34 years later. Classic moments include the show where Roy Hattersley was replaced at the last minute with a tub of lard, the show which immediately followed a scandal involving original host Angus Deayton, prompting Hislop to bring in a copy of News Of The World only for Merton to upstage him by getting the front cover printed up as a t-shirt. Then, the legendary 2008 edition hosted by Brian Blessed.

The BBC is currently in the process of developing a spin-off entitled Have I Got Sports For You. It will...

Two Ealing classics – The Lavender Hill Mob and Kind Hearts & Coronets – are heading to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray: more here.

Lovely, lovely news for fans of the wonderful Ealing Studios: a pair of its most-loved films have been given a 4K restoration, and are heading to the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format.

Charles Crichton’s The Lavender Hill Mob – which is also getting a cinema re-release in the UK this March – is arriving in a special Vintage Classics Collectors Edition set. That set includes a 64-page booklet, artcards, postcards, a Blu-ray and a 4K disc. Included too is an introduction from Martin Scorsese, and new extra features including a London Comedy Film Festival Q&a with Paul Merton.

The film is available for preorder now, and you can find more information – and get a copy – right here.

The release date for The Lavender Hill Mob on 4K disc is 22nd April,...

On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 7:00 Pm, BBC Two will air Season 12, Episode 1 of “Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.” In this episode, viewers will follow the comedic duo of Paul Merton and Suki Webster as they embark on an antique-hunting adventure.

The journey begins in Kent, with a destination set for an auction in Windsor. Paul Merton and Suki Webster, both renowned comic improvisers, take on the role of antique enthusiasts as they explore various items, ranging from a millennia-old ammonite to a set of bridge pencils.

Throughout their travels, the couple not only search for unique treasures but also uncover intriguing stories from the agricultural history of their adopted county, which, though fascinating, has a history marked by moments of violence.

Join Paul Merton and Suki Webster on this entertaining and educational escapade as they delve into the world of antiques and delve into the rich history of Kent. Tune in...

Charlotte Ivers, a guest panellist on the latest episode of Have I Got News For You, has responded to criticism of her blinking on Twitter.

On last night’s episode (14 April) of the BBC One comedy current affairs show, Ivers was introduced by host Charlie Brooker as a “Sunday Times journalist and broadcaster who worked as a special adviser to Theresa May in 2019”. He quipped: “That special advice presumably being ‘quit’.”

While the show was airing, one viewer felt compelled to ask Twitter: “Why does Charlotte Ivers keep blinking?”

On Saturday morning (15 April), Ivers quoted the tweet, writing: “I don’t f***ing know Jack are we not meant to be blinking at the moment I can’t keep up with the trends Jesus.”

In a follow-up tweet, she wrote: “(This is mildly unfair I know I do a weird fluttering thing with my eyes but I Dont Know...

When it was announced yesterday that Frankie Boyle’s BBC series New World Order had been cancelled, the comedian’s reaction was frank but restrained. “Not surprising in the current climate, I suppose,” he told fans on Twitter, many of whom had followed his superb topical panel show devotedly for the five years it was on the air. Boyle didn’t elaborate on what he meant by the words “current climate”, but it doesn’t take too many imaginative leaps to hazard a guess. New World Order was one of the few shows on TV that was sincerely and unapologetically left-wing. And politically speaking, the BBC is in the midst of a full-fledged climate crisis.

It’s not good for optics that New World Order’s cancellation comes just weeks after the BBC was embroiled in an impartiality row with Match of the Day host Gary Lineker. The dispute – prompted...

Just weeks after the shows premiered, Netflix has given Season 2 renewals to the golf docuseries “Full Swing” and the tennis docuseries “Break Point,” the streamer announced Tuesday.

“These shows quickly appealed to core fans of golf and tennis, and also recruited brand new fans from all around the world,” Brandon Riegg, Vice President of unscripted and documentary Series for Netflix, said. “Like so much of our growing sports slate, the compelling characters, competitive stakes, and vibrant storytelling reveal sides of the game you’ve never seen before, and we’re excited to follow the unpredictable turns of the year ahead.”

“Full Swing” premiered Feb. 15 and was an immediate hit for Netflix. Featuring the biggest names in golf, including Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and Brooks Koepka, the first two episodes debuted in the top 10 of the streaming charts, part of a larger trend of sports-programming success on streaming.

“Full Swing” is...

Netflix is taking another shot at both Full Swing and Break Point.

The streamer has renewed its sports docuseries for a second season.

It comes after golf series Full Swing teed off on February 15 and Break Point served up its first season on January 13. Filming has started on both to capture the 2023 seasons.

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Full Swing follows a group of golf stars on the PGA Tour including Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, on an off the course. It is produced by Vox Media Studios and Box to Box Films with exec producers Chad Mumm, Mark W. Olsen,...

The highly anticipated second season of the acclaimed documentary series “Make or Break,” featuring behind-the-scenes access to the world’s best surfers as they battle for the top title at the World Surf League Championship Tour, is set to premiere with four episodes on Friday, February 17. An additional four episodes debut on Friday, February 24.

With unprecedented access, “Make or Break” returns to the world of professional surfing, offering an intimate deep dive into the aspirations, challenges, accomplishments and personal lives of the surfers who compete to remain on the elite Men’s and Women’s World Surf League Championship Tour. This season will take viewers on location for the 2022 competition season to stunning surf locations across the globe, capturing the highs and lows of the “Dream Tour,” including the first-ever mid-season cut, international rivalries and record-breaking upsets.

Each episode in the eight-part season of the series spotlights internationally recognized surfers...

Apple TV+ has set a Friday, February 17, 2023 premiere date for season two of Make or Break. The surfing documentary series also dropped a new trailer ahead of its second season release.

Season two will consist of eight episodes, with the first four episodes arriving on Feb. 17th. The final four episodes will launch on the streaming service on Friday, February 24th.

Make or Break season two will include interviews with surfers Kelly Slater, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Stephanie Gilmore, Owen Wright, Tyler Wright, Jack Robinson, and Morgan Cibilic. Gabriel Medina, Filipe Toledo, Kanoa Igarashi, Griffin Colapinto, Italo Ferreira, Matthew McGillivray, Johanne Defay, John John Florence, and Brisa Hennessy are also featured in the upcoming season.

Academy Award and BAFTA Award winner James Gay-Rees (Exit Through the Gift Shop), BAFTA Award nominee Paul Martin, Warren Smith, and World Surf League CEO Erik Logan serve as executive producers. The series comes from Box to...

Formula 1: Drive to Survive is one of my favorite oddball word-of-mouth Netflix success stories — an unscripted show that got no particular critical attention when it premiered in 2019, only to reliably pop up in casual conversations and unexpected contexts, almost always with a preamble resembling, “I wasn’t interested in Formula 1 racing before, but…”

That series, which has now aired four seasons, found traction beyond racing aficionados with its high-octane photography and intimate access to drivers who, in the course of any given race, would normally be masked enigmas driving serpentine courses in exotic locales. While much of the world is obviously obsessed with Formula One as a sport, the Drive to Survive team passed an array of barriers of entry when it came to capturing American interest, and did it with aplomb.

For their follow-up, producers Paul Martin and James Gay-Rees have set a seemingly “easier” task with the...

“Formula 1: Drive to Survive” revs back for its fifth season on Feb. 24, Netflix announced on Thursday.

The hit docuseries, which is made in collaboration with Formula One, debuted in 2019. In May, it was renewed through 2024. Season 4 attracted the biggest audience to date and made the weekly Top 10 list in 56 countries.

Watch first-look video from Netflix for the Season 5 installment above.

Also Read:

Netflix Sets 2 New Sports Docuseries About 2022 World Cup and Six Nations Rugby

“The impact has been very profound. And this is almost more so as a result of non-fans being exposed to the sport,” Ian Holmes, Formula 1’s director of media rights and executive producer on “Drive to Survive,” told TheWrap in 2021 about the series’ effect on the international circuit’s growing popularity in the U.S.

“Formula 1: Drive to Survive “is executive produced by James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin for Box to Box Films.

Netflix revealed “Full Swing” as the title of its upcoming docu-series following the PGA Tour and its biggest stars, and also announced the premiere date and dropped a trailer for the show.

The eight-episode series will debut globally on Netflix on Feb. 15. “Full Swing” showcases PGA players through their wins and losses, promising a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to compete — and win — at the highest levels in men’s pro golf, per Netflix’s description. Defending PGA Champion Justin Thomas are among the stars featured in the show. (Watch the trailer below.)

Also appearing in “Full Swing” are Rory McIlroy, who appears briefly in the trailer, as well as PGA players Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter, Joel Dahmen, Matt Fitzpatrick, Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, Sahith Theegala, Mito Pereira and Joaquin Niemann.

“If I want the game that I love to be played by future generations,...

Break Point Trailer 2 — Paul Martin and James Gay-Rees‘ Break Point (2023) TV show trailer 2 has been released by Netflix. Plot Synopsis Break Point‘s plot synopsis: “From the team behind F1: Drive to Survive, Break Point follows a select group of top tennis players on and off the court as they compete [...]

Continue reading: Break Point (2023) TV Show Trailer 2: Netflix’s Doc Series on Top Tennis Players on the Atp and Wta Tours...

"It's not easy to manage all the pressure." Netflix has unveiled a full official trailer for the sports doc series Break Point, about the next generation of tennis superstars on the rise. Debuting in January with half of the episodes, then more in the summer. Any big tennis fans out there? "Following a golden age of greatness, tennis' next generation is ready to take over." Exec produced & showrun by two acclaimed doc filmmakers - Paul Martin and James Gay-Rees also known for their recent popular F1 doc series "Formula 1: Drive to Survive". Break Point follows a select group of top tennis players on and off the court as they compete in gruelling Grand Slams and tournaments. Featured players include Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, Matteo Berrettini, Ons Jabeur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Nick Kyrgios, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, Ajla Tomljanovic, Sloane Stephens, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Break Point gets up close & personal with...

Exclusive: Creation Entertainment Media and Magic Frame Animation today announced that they will team up to adapt Georges Alexander Vagan’s Christmas-set book series Paul Martin and the Magic Magnifying Glass for the big screen.

The two production companies will co-develop and produce the fantasy adventure tales into a film series for family audiences. The first film is expected for release in 2025 and the scripts are currently in development.

The family fantasy adventure follows the life of protagonist Paul Martin and his adventures in a wonderful world of Christmas and snow, the broad synopsis reads. Across books, e-books, and audiobooks, the series has sold more than 100,000 copies around the world.

Originally written in French, the books and audiobooks are available in a variety of languages including English, German, Italian and Spanish. The series includes five written novels, with a sixth currently being written by Vagan.

The animated features will be...

A UK footballer-turned-commentator has been called out on a TV quiz show for his hypocrisy in taking a World Cup commentary role in Qatar, where he has previously highlighted human rights abuses.

Former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville — who usually serves as a thorn in the Tory government’s side with his comments on social media where he voices his concern for less well off people — sparked a blacklash when it was announced that he had agreed to be a pundit for Qatar’s state broadcaster beIN Sports for the World Cup – due to begin later this month in the country where human rights abuses, lack of tolerance for minority groups and treatment of migrant workers have all led critics to question why the world’s biggest sports tournament is taking place there.

When Neville made his debut as the guest host of the BBC’s topical news quiz Have I Got News For You...

The One Show hosts managed to keep the show on track after Ian Hislop and Paul Merton cracked a risky joke.

Hislop and Merton are both known for making political quips on Have I Got News For You, with Hislop having been a team captain on the BBC programme since its inception in 1990.

During their recent interview with Alex Jones and Ronan Kemp, however, the pair made a joke that put everyone in the studio on edge.

The duo were asked how they come up with content for Have I Got News For You, to which they explained the hosts usually “know what’s gonna come up” meaning that they can plan around it.

Hislop continued: “Except when something absolutely bizarre happens, like Liz Truss is Prime Minister – then you’re on your own.”

After a moment of silence, Merton added: “Oh did you feel that nervousness that went around the room then.

Richard Ayoade and the cast of Have I Got News For You have ripped into the “national scandal” surrounding the alleged This Morning queue jump.

Presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were accused of “skipping the queue” to see the Queen’s coffin lying in state before her funeral on Monday (19 September) while filming for This Morning.

Willoughby and Schofield denied the accusations, saying that they would “never jump a queue”.

At the time of writing, nearly 70,000 people have signed a petition calling on ITV to “axe” the presenters over the alleged queue-jumping.

During Friday (23 September) night’s episode of Hignfy, host Ayoade joked that the “national scandal” was “the biggest thing that’s happened” this week.

“ITV’s Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield… apparently just appeared in Westminster Hall on Sunday without having spent the previous 36 hours queueing,” Ayoade said.

“Just appeared? Like a haunting?” comedian Roisin Conaty asked.

Britain is getting ready to bury its longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, after what is anticipated to be one of the largest state funerals in the country’s history.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather in London, with leaders from across the globe flying in to pay their respects.

Read more: A peek inside the history of Westminster Hall, where Queen Elizabeth lies in state

Elizabeth died on Sept. 8 at the age of 96.

London’s police force said her state funeral Monday will be the biggest security operation it has ever undertaken.

Here is what is expected on the day and where to watch it:

View link »

The state funeral service will begin at 6 a.m. Et (11 a.m. U.K. time) on Monday and run for an hour.

The venue is Westminster Abbey, the same church in London where the queen was crowned 70 years ago.

The list of which Canadian officials will be attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, U.K., on Monday is now clear.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister’s Office released the full delegation that will make the trip across the pond for the official commemoration ceremonies, which will take place in Westminster Abbey.

Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, will attend and be accompanied by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and her husband, Whit Fraser, along with former governors general Michaëlle Jean and David Johnston.

In addition, former prime ministers Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, and Stephen Harper will be part of the delegation.

Read more: Long queues not deterring mourners from seeing Queen Elizabeth: ‘We’ve lost someone special’

Several Indigenous leaders will also attend: Assembly of First Nations national chief RoseAnne Archibald, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed, and Métis National Council president Cassidy Caron.

Have I Got News for You viewers are reacting to Boris Johnson’s “brutal” send-off episode.

As the end of Johnson’s time as prime minister grows nearer, the satirical series recorded a special instalment, titled “Have I Got News for Boris: A Very Special Tribute”, which was broadcast on Friday (2 September).

In true Have I Got News for You style, the BBC series didn’t hold back in roasting Johnson.

Near the beginning of the episode, panellist Paul Merton noted how the BBC had billed the episode as a “tribute”, with Ian Hislop quipping: “Tribute? Funny way to spell ‘good riddance’”. When guest Janet Street Porter stated: “I hope it’s going to be balanced”, Merton replied: “Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.”

Many viewers couldn’t get enough of the episode, which one person branded a fitting send-off”. However, others found the Jack Dee-hosted episode to be disrespectful, and called...

Have I Got News for You viewers are reacting to Boris Johnson’s “brutal” send-off episode.

As the end of Johnson’s time as prime minister grows nearer, the satirical series recorded a special instalment, titled “Have I Got News for Boris: A Very Special Tribute”, which was broadcast on Friday (2 September).

In true Have I Got News for You style, the BBC series didn’t hold back in roasting Johnson.

Near the beginning of the episode, panellist Paul Merton noted how the BBC had billed the episode as a “tribute”, with Ian Hislop quipping: “Tribute? Funny way to spell ‘good riddance’”. When guest Janet Street Porter stated: “I hope it’s going to be balanced”, Merton replied: “Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.”

Many viewers couldn’t get enough of the episode, which one person branded a fitting send-off”. However, others found the Jack Dee-hosted episode to be disrespectful, and called...

Click here to read the full article.

The American Black Film Festival is spreading its international wings again, with its global screening series set to return to the U.K. later this year.

Presented by ABFF Ventures and Sony Pictures Entertainment, in association with the U.K.-based S.O.U.L. Fest, the second instalment of the ABFF Global series will take place September 16-18, and will feature screenings, panel discussions and networking events with London-based content creatives. The events will be held at the British Film Institute and other venues around London during the fifth annual S.O.U.L. Fest.

“ABFF is rooted in building bridges and fostering alliances between Black content creators around the world. Spe’s support of ABFF Global has allowed us to further this mission,” said Jeff Friday, ABFF founder and CEO ABFF Ventures. “We have a deep respect for the S.O.

Click here to read the full article.

This is the first in an ongoing series on the status of progress with inclusion in Hollywood.

***

Latasha Gillespie remembers having a doctor’s appointment on May 30, 2020. It was five days after George Floyd was suffocated by a police officer, his excruciating nine-minute, 29-second death — captured on video and witnessed by millions around the world — igniting an unprecedented social response of outrage and horror. Gillespie, like many other heads of inclusion in Hollywood and at companies across the country, had been working nonstop since that moment, meeting with leadership to provide guidance and messaging and with employees to listen and hold space.

“I was in heavy mode doing this,” says the Amazon Studios head of global diversity, equity and inclusion of her state of mind upon showing up at the doctor’s office. The last section of her new patient forms, on mental health,...

Exclusive: The World Surf League (Wsl) is looking to move into scripted television and bolster its slate of unscripted projects after expanding its partnership with Box To Box Films.

It comes after the professional surfing organization and the production company behind Netflix hit Formula 1: Drive To Survive, teamed up on Apple TV+ series Make or Break, which launched in April and has been renewed for a second season.

Wsl was also behind ABC series The Ultimate Surfer, which it produced via its Wsl Studios arm, in partnership with Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group. Wsl closed its studio arm earlier this year.

The exclusive first-look deal with Box to Box Films, which was founded by Paul Martin and Amy producer James Gay Rees, will see the two companies partner to produce original unscripted and scripted projects from the five-decade archive of the group’s surfers.

Box to Box is also...

Engaging in satirical rounds of news and discussion with a revolving round of team captains and panelists has led to a successful run for the British television panel show, ‘Have I Got News for You.’ The BAFTA Award-winning BBC series has long proved that format is a success, as the program has been on the […]

The post Paul Merton and Ian Hislop Explain Have I Got News for You on BBC One Broadcast appeared first on Shockya.com.

Fleabag was the big winner at yesterday’s UK Royal Television Society Programme Awards, which were live-streamed to nominees and viewers because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The show picked up the scripted comedy award and comedy writer prize for creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

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Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin took the drama prize, while Channel 5 was named channel of the year.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, the English spin-off of the hit reality series, was named best entertainment show, while Gentleman Jack was best drama series.

Saoirse-Monica Jackson won female comedy performance for Derry Girls, and Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa won best male comedy performance.

In the drama categories, performance awards went to Stephen Graham for The Virtues and Tamara Lawrance for The Long Song.

BBC Three and Amazon Prime Video show “Fleabag” was popular at the U.K.’s annual Royal Television Society Programme Awards, picking up gongs for scripted comedy and comedy writer for Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Meanwhile, Craig Mazin won best drama writer for HBO and Sky Atlantic’s “Chernobyl.”

The awards ceremony was held behind closed doors for the first time, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Comedian and writer Paul Merton revealed the awards that were live streamed to nominees and viewers at home via the Rts website.

HBO and BBC One program “Gentleman Jack” won best drama series, while BBC Three’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K.” won best entertainment program. Channel 5 was declared channel of the year.

Saoirse-Monica Jackson won female comedy performance for Channel 4 program “Derry Girls,” over fellow nominees Waller-Bridge and Diane Morgan for BBC Two’s “Motherland.”

Ncuti Gatwa won the male comedy performance...

Britain’s prestigious Royal Television Society Programme Awards is abandoning plans to hold the event in front of a small audience of winners and Rts representatives.

Deadline revealed last week that the Grosvenor House Hotel event will be live-streamed online, with only an intimate audience of winners and organizers in attendance because of the coronavirus outbreak.

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Now, as the situation has developed, the Rts has decided to shut out the audience completely, meaning winners will not get up on stage to collect their awards. There will be no red carpet arrivals either.

Instead, winners and other observers will be able to watch the awards online. Fleabag, Chernobyl, The Circle, Love Island and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK are among the shows vying for prizes.

Gentleman Jack’s Suranne Jones, Chernobyl’s Jared Harris and writer Craig Mazin are among those nominated for the 2020 Royal Television Society Programme Awards. The British TV awards will be handed out by writer and comedian Paul Merton on March 17 at The Grosvenor Hotel. Channel 4 drama The Virtues is recognized in both the female actor category with Niamh Algar and male actor with Stephen Graham, while Jones will compete against Algar and The Long Song’s Tamara Lawrance. Harris is up against Graham and Top Boy’s Michael Ward. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy Fleabag goes head-to-head with Channel 4’s Derry Girls, both of which have secured nominations in the Scripted Comedy and Female Comedy Performance categories. Waller-Bridge has also received a nomination for Writer – Comedy, alongside Danny Brocklehurst for Brassic and Sex Education’s Laurie Nunn. Ncuti Gatwa has also been recognised for Comedy Performance (Male) in Netflix hit Sex Education.

Tony Hancock’s two leading film roles are a reminder of the extremes of his comic genius. Paul Merton talks about the legacy of his hero – and how comedy is too coarse today

Seven years before his suicide, Tony Hancock tried to become a movie star. The Rebel (1961) is a comedy about a clerk who quits his job and moves to Paris to become an artist, despite his total lack of talent. Scripted by Half Hour creators Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, it was a deluxe bespoke vehicle, designed to take Hancock across the Atlantic and turn him into the new Peter Sellers.

Brits flocked. Homegrown critics raved. And Hollywood absolutely hated it.

Jon Shepodd, who played the family patriarch Paul Martin for one season of Lassie, has died. He was 89.

Shepodd died Wednesday in London, his daughter, Lynn, reported on Facebook.

During the fourth season of CBS' Lassie in 1957, Ellen Miller (Jan Clayton) sells the farm to Paul and his wife Ruth Martin (Cloris Leachman), and they adopt the orphan Timmy (Jon Provost). Shepodd and Leachman, however, were on the show for only a few months.

"Cloris did not feel particularly challenged by the role," Provost wrote on...

Mansion block in London was ‘cherished haven’ for comedian and his brother after grim childhood

A block of flats over a newsagent and a dry cleaners, on a busy main road in Brixton, south London, might not be everyone’s dream home, but to the teenage Charlie Chaplin, having survived a childhood as grim as any Dickens novel, it was a palace.

The comedian Paul Merton unveiled the English Heritage blue plaque on Glenshaw Mansions, honouring the home Chaplin shared with his older brother Sydney and recalled as “a cherished haven”.

Continue reading...

Simon Brew Nov 2, 2016

Film 2016 returns tonight with a new guest presenter approach. Full details lie within...

Tonight marks the return to our screens of the BBC’s one-time flagship film programme, Film 2016. And following the announcement at the end of the summer that Claudia Winkleman was standing down as co-host of the show, the BBC has finally announced her replacement.

Or replacements.

For the BBC has opted to go with a rotation of guest presenters for the new series, who in turn will accompany the returning resident critic Danny Leigh. There’s precedence for this in film programmes, I should note. Following the death of Gene Siskel, the late Roger Ebert continued to present a television film review programme with guest presenters for a while after. And that was deemed quite successful, if not quite - inevitably - up to majesty of seeing the original duo together.

The...

It’s been a couple months since the last edition of What’s Up Doc? placed Michael Moore’s surprise world premiere of Where To Invade Next at the top of this list and in the meantime much shuffling has taken place and much time has been spent on various new endeavors (namely my Buffalo-based film series, Cultivate Cinema Circle). Finally taking its rightful place at the top, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hagedus’ Unlocking the Cage is in the midst of being scored by composer James Lavino, according to Lavino’s own personal site. Though the project has been taking shape at its own leisurely pace, I’d expect to see the film making its festival debut in early 2016.

Right behind, the American direct cinema masters is a Texan soon to make his non-fiction debut with Voyage of Time. Just two weeks ago indieWIRE reported that Ennio Morricone, who scored...

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Catch Tenth Doctor, David Tennant hosting Have I Got News For You? tonight! We’re not really used to seeing him presenting, but in the past, he’s done stints on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Red Nose Day, so it’s not completely unprecedented. The satirical show will, as always, feature Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, the former of whom is...

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Jeremy Clarkson took a battering during his first appearance on the BBC since he was sacked for punching a producer. The former 'Top Gear' presenter appears on tonight's episode (02.09.15) of 'Have I Got News for You' and is the butt of most of the jokes. When guest Richard Osman asks Jeremy if he plans to call his 'Top Gear' successor Chris Evans, fellow guest Camilla Long tells the presenter: ''Go on Jeremy, punch him.'' To which Richard replied: ''You remember how to punch don't you?'' before panellist Paul Merton jokes: ''Oooh, he's rolling up his sleeve.'' However, Jeremy - who is fronting a...

Ronaldo will be in cinemas 9th November 2015. It’s directed by Anthony Wonke and Produced by Paul Martin. Filmed over 14 months with unprecedented access into the inner circle of the man and the sport, this is the first official and fully authorised film of one of the most celebrated figures in football. For the

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It’s been a surprisingly interesting month of moving and shaking in terms of doc development. Just a month after making his first public funding pitch at Toronto’s Hot Docs Forum, legendary doc filmmaker Frederick Wiseman took to Kickstarter to help cover the remaining expenses for his 40th feature film In Jackson Heights (see the film’s first trailer below). Unrelentingly rigorous in his determination to capture the American institutional landscape on film, his latest continues down this thematic rabbit hole, taking on the immensely diverse New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights as his latest subject. According to the Kickstarter page, Wiseman is currently editing the 120 hours of rushes he shot with hopes of having the film ready for a fall festival premiere (my guess would be Tiff, where both National Gallery and At Berkeley made their North American debut), though he’s currently quite a ways away from his $75,000 goal.

For the second year, Sony Pictures Television is holding its Diverse Directors Program, which seeks to provide opportunities to talented artists of diverse backgrounds. The program offers qualified candidates the chance to shadow established TV directors on episodes of various hour and half-hour scripted Spt series. "This program is an important element of Sony Pictures' larger commitment to diversity and inclusion of people and ideas," said Paul Martin, Svp and chief…...

Cristiano Ronaldo is the subject of a new documentary.

Ronaldo offers an unprecedented look at the Real Madrid star, as the release will follow a year of his life.

The release, from the makers of Senna and Amy, will include never-before-seen footage as well as access to Ronaldo and his family, friends and teammates.

Filmed on location in Madrid, Lisbon, Madeira, Brazil and the USA, it provides an insight into the level of sacrifice, pain, isolation and determination that has gone into making the player one of the most celebrated footballers in the sport's history.

Ronaldo will be available in cinemas, digitally, on DVD and on Blu-ray this autumn.

The feature is directed by Anthony Wonke and produced by Paul Martin.

Marvel's Agents of Shield: Channel 4, 8pm

In the penultimate episode of the series, some shocking sacrifices are made when Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the team have to fight the Inhumans.

Meanwhile, Calvin (Kyle MacLachlan) faces a tough decision when he has to choose between his heart and his job as the woman that he loves comes close to finishing her quest.

Have I Got News For You: BBC One, 9pm

Comedian Jack Dee sits in the host chair tonight to present the satirical current affairs quiz show.

The last episode of the series also sees James Acaster joining regular team leaders Ian Hislop and Paul Merton.

Big Brother Timebomb: Live Eviction: Channel 5, 9pm

Spend the evening in with a bumper packed Big Brother schedule starting with the main show at 9pm, followed by Bit on the Side at 10:30pm and live streaming from the house at 11:30pm.

Do you love watching antique shows? FilmOn has several antique shows from the UK you can view, including the interestingly named “Flog It,” currently available on their service. The BBC television show is now airing on Yesterday and stars Paul Martin and his team of antiques experts as they field people’s requests to analyze their antiques. The experts decide whether the antiques have value and if that value is enough to take it to auction. In one of the episodes airing on FilmOn’s Yesterday channel, heirloom honers in Skegness are hoping experts Elizabeth Talbot and David Barby willy say their items can be taken to auction. Some items featured include [ Read More ]

The post Watch Antiques Show Flog It for Free on FilmOn appeared first on Shockya.com.