News

Approval has been granted for council officers to move forward with the sale of the leasehold for Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios.

The council will retain ownership of the freehold of the UK studios, which has housed productions including Hellboy and BBC drama series such as The Outlaws and Poldark, while selling on a long-leasehold to a private bidder. Councillors voted six to three in favour of the proposal during yesterday’s meeting (October 14).

Councillors accepted an amendment to ensure that the final decision on sale plans would be considered by the committee at a later date. This amendment was...

The UK studio landscape is set for another shakeup with Bristol City Council pushing on with a decision to sell Bottle Yard Studios, where Sherlock, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Outlaws were filmed.

Bottle Yard is the only film and TV studio in the UK owned and managed by a local authority but the council of late has decided that it has “hit a glass ceiling” and should be sold, according to council leader Tony Dyer.

At an extraordinary council meeting last night, the amendment calling for a pause and delay to the sale was ruled out of order, and the long leasehold of the studio will now very likely be sold. The final decision on the sale will be considered by the committee at a later date and a separate amendment to bring sale plans back for scrutiny and a democratic vote once they are decided upon was agreed unanimously.

The UK’s producer trade body and actors union have called on the government to rejoin the AI debate and consider legislation before it is too late.

AI is set to play a central role in the upcoming contract negotiations between Pact and Equity but John McVay, who runs the former, and Lynda Rooke, who is president of the latter, concurred on the need for government to protect the industry via legislation.

“They’ve kicked the can down the road [on AI],” McVay said of the government at today’s Creative Cities Convention. “There is case law established in America about AI copyright. On the one hand you’ve got the [UK] government saying ‘let’s wait and see’ but if you go further down the road then they will say ‘we don’t like it, it’s going to go more extreme’. And then they will chill investment.”

McVay, whose body represents...

Actors present included Rob Delaney, Brian Cox, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, David Oyelowo, Tobias Menzies, Sheila Atim, Imelda Stauntion, Jim Carter, Andy Serkis, Rakie Ayola and Penelope Wilton.

UK entertainment union Equity is “strike-ready” ahead of its negotiations with producers trade body Pact, according to Equity general secretary Paul Fleming.

Speaking at the rally in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA in London today (July 21), Fleming told Screen, “Strike action is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The question as to whether we go on strike, as part of our negotiations that are coming up, is down to the...

Lights, camera, solidarity.

The UK actors union, Equity, is gearing up for an extraordinary show of support as they join forces with SAG-AFTRA across the pond. Equity members are set to march in unison this week in a rallying cry that will resonate from London to Manchester, per Deadline.

Read More: Unscripted Shows Like ‘The Voice’ And ‘The Masked Singer’ Expected To Remain Largely Unaffected By Hollywood Strikes

The star-studded lineup includes Equity heavyweights like General Secretary Paul W Fleming and President Lynda Rooke, alongside special guest John McDonnell, the former Shadow Chancellor for the Labour Party. And that’s just the beginning, as more notable attendees will be unveiled in the coming days.

The vibrant procession will weave through the iconic streets of Leicester Square in London and Media City in Manchester, the bustling hub for BBC, ITV, and numerous production companies. Banners and flags will flutter in the air,...

The performing arts and entertainment trade union will hold rallies in London and Manchester.

Equity, the performing arts and entertainment trade union in the UK, will hold rallies in solidarity with its US sister union SAG-AFTRA this Friday in London and Manchester.

The rallies will take place at 12pm on Friday, July 21 in both cities. The London rally will be at Leicester Square, with speakers including Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming, president Lynda Rooke, and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell. The Manchester rally will be at Media City, near the Metrolink tram stop.

According to the union, the rallies are open to “Equity members,...

UK actors union Equity is to rally in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA later this week in London and Manchester.

Attendees announced so far for the rally taking place at 12 p.m. GMT (4 a.m. Pt) on Friday include Equity General Secretary Paul W Fleming, Equity President Lynda Rooke and John McDonnell, the former Shadow Chancellor for the opposition Labour Party. More attendees will be announced in due course.

Protestors will march from London’s Leicester Square and Manchester’s Media City – the workplace of hundreds of BBC and ITV employees, along with multiple production companies – in support of striking actors in the U.S.

Equity said “there will be a colourful display of banners, flags and signs for people to hold, and we’ll hear from speakers from the entertainment industry and trade union movement.”

The union has been clear it will “stand in unwavering solidarity” with SAG-AFTRA since the strike...

Other signess include Sky, Paramount, Apple TV+ and Screen Scotland.

Warner Bros, Disney, BBC, Sky, Paramount and Apple TV+ are among the organisations that have signed a pledge from UK performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity to tackle bullying and harassment in the TV industry

Equity has led on the creation of a Statement of Commitment which aims to safeguard cast and crew, make productions more accountable, and open up reporting lines for those who have experienced inappropriate behaviour on productions.

The statement commits to:

Safer castings and auditions, with professional recruitment standards and auditions undertaken in appropriate workspaces.

Major U.S. studios, streamers and British broadcasters have combined to launch a Statement of Commitment Against Bullying, Harassment and Inappropriate Behaviour in TV.

Organized by actors’ union Equity, today’s flagship pledge includes creating safe casting and audition spaces, a requirement for producers to have clear respect at work policies and anti-bullying and harassment training to be completed by cast and crew before they start work. The Commitment, which can be read in full below, is similar to the BBC’s on-set guidelines for overcoming bullying and harassment, which were updated last year. BBC Studios also rolled out a similar Pledge to all of its shows last week.

The pledge also includes “notification to be given in advance” around any nudity and simulated sex acts followed by discussion and agreement with the artist. For scenes of an intimate nature, an intimacy co-ordinator should be engaged if acceptable to the actors involved,...

U.K. performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity has issued a statement of commitment against bullying, harassment and inappropriate behavior in TV.

The statement is developed by 21 major U.K. and international organizations, including AMC, Apple TV+, BBC, The Casting Directors’ Guild, Channel 4, Channel 5, The Co-operative Personal Management Association, Disney, Equity, HBO, Intimacy Directors & Coordinators, ITV Studios, Northern Ireland Screen, Pact, Paramount, Personal Managers Association, S4C, Screen Scotland, Sky, Tac, and Warner Bros.

Equity called for a meeting of these organizations and together, they arrived at a pledge to creating a working environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect — and bullying and harassment is not tolerated — with any issues raised swiftly responded to and action taken.

In practical terms, this means the creation of safe casting and audition spaces, where professional recruitment standards will be adopted and auditions undertaken in appropriate workspaces; and producers...

Festival

Zurich Film Festival has revealed the lineup for its Hashtag section, which is devoted to “a topic that is trending on social media,” the event said Thursday. This year’s section screens films under the title #MyReligion, and deals with “questions of faith, euphoria and modern deities.”

“Whether in the U.S.A., Russia or the Middle East, we are seeing a comeback of religions,” Christian Jungen, Zff artistic director, said. “This often leads to conflicts in coexistence within multicultural societies. That’s why this year we are concentrating our efforts on the topic of faith, its merits and its dark sides. But we are also highlighting the substitute religions that are out there now for secular people, such as the Tiktok cult.”

The selected films are Adamma Ebo’s comedy “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.,” Tarik Saleh’s thriller “Boy From Heaven,” Tarik Saleh’s coming-of-age drama “The Realm of God,...

U.K. performing artists’ union Equity has elected Lynda Rooke as its new president.

She will oversee Equity’s policy-forming council as well as the appeals committee and standing orders committee. Rooke has been elected for a 2-year term, running from 2022-24.

She will take over from Maureen Beattie, who served as president for two terms over four years.

“It is an honour not only to be elected president of Equity but to serve alongside a renewed, progressive Council,” said Rooke. “Together we will prioritize better pay and dignity at work for our members and raise Equity’s profile further in the wider fight for social justice.”

Beattie added: “I am beyond thrilled with the results of Equity’s election for president and council. I look forward to great things as the Union’s ruling body builds on the achievements of the past few years led by the frankly magnificent Lynda Rooke.

Endeavour Series 8 Episode 2: ‘Scherzo’

Warning: this Endeavour review contains spoilers.

For those of us who don’t share Morse’s musical bent – and we’ll be due a snooty glare from our man Endeavour, as his wicked(ish) stepmother Gwen (Lynda Rooke) would no doubt be the first to warn us – a word on that episode title is needed. A scherzo’s a movement in a symphony or sonata distinguished by its light, playful tone. Bit of fun on writer Russell Lewis’s part, surely? Well, yes and no.

‘Light’ and ‘playful’ aren’t words we’d always associate with Endeavour, especially in the current series, with its bitter echoes of the grief and disillusionment left by a death in Venice. Yet ‘Scherzo’ begins fittingly enough for a comic opera, with scenes that are more reminiscent of HBO’s recent drama The White Lotus. Playful music; acid colours more...