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BBC Studios and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have renewed their content alliance with a comprehensive multi-year deal spanning drama, comedy, kids programming and entertainment fare. The agreement brings fresh installments of Alan Carr’s autobiographical comedy “Changing Ends” (Seasons 3-4) and standup favorite “Live At the Apollo” to ABC platforms. The pubcaster has also secured first-run rights to children’s series including preschool hit “Hey Duggee,” “Andy’s Global Adventures” with Andy Day, “Supertato,” “Deadly 60” and “Horrible Histories.”

Continuing the partnership’s second-run arrangements, ABC viewers retain access to audience favorites like “Death in Paradise,” its spinoff “Beyond Paradise,” period drama “Call The Midwife,” crime procedural “Silent Witness,” cozy mystery “Father Brown,” factual stalwart “Antiques Roadshow” and dark comedy “The Cleaner.”

The deal also covers premieres of cold case drama “Unforgotten” Season 6, the sophomore run of “Sherwood,” and most notably, BBC’s reimagined “Walking With Dinosaurs.” The...

U.K. national treasure Louis Theroux is to be awarded the annual Honorary Fellowship from the National Film and Television School (Nfts).

The British broadcaster has long been the face of documentary-making in the U.K. and overseas with his Weird Weekends, When Louis Met…, My Scientology Movie and Surviving America’s Most Hated Family shows.

Now, the prestigious London film school will recognize Theroux’s contribution to and impact on the medium as the Nfts Board of Governors names him the recipient of 2025’s fellowship prize.

“I’m massively grateful to be offered this Honorary Fellowship by the National Film and Television School,” said Theroux. “I came into the industry more than 30 years ago, feeling like a trespasser, an imposter, in a role meant for someone else, worrying that I would be found out, hoping I could keep going for a few more months, since I was enjoying it so much.

Exclusive: Ymu has made another signing, this time bringing British comedian and writer Michael Dapaah into its fold.

The UK agency has signed the multi-hyphenate, who is best known for his viral comedy character ‘Big Shaq,’ whose song ‘Man’s Not Hot’ has garnered 410 million YouTube views and over 500 million streams to date. The single has been turned into memes, and kickstarted Dapaah’s rise as a cultural, comedic and viral figure.

Dapaah first gained attention as the lead and creator of the hugely popular YouTube mockumentary series Somewhere in London (Swil), which follows the journeys of young Londoners, including Big Shaq. Two seasons of the show have amassed over 15 million views.

Dapaah has also acted in BBC One drama Noughts + Crosses, which was an adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s bestselling novel. He has been a brand ambassador and collaborator with major brands such as Nike, Apple, Beats, Gymshark,...

Are you living up to those New Year’s resolutions so far? Need a little help gaining momentum? BBC Maestro is here to help with a phenomenal deal. Sign up by January 31 and you can take 40% off any purchase. The most popular plan is their annual subscription, now $72 instead of $120. That’s just $6/month to learn a world of new skills. Use the code JANUARY2024 to get the deal.

Get the Deal $6/month bbcmaestro.com Save $48 on the Annual Plan with code JANUARY2024 What is BBC Maestro?

BBC Maestro is very similar to the well-known MasterClass series. Celebrity instructors will walk you through everything you need to know to get started on a new skill set. Gain new skills in the kitchen, learn how to create stories, and discover how to start a business!

Each course runs between 2-4 hours, and the lessons are broken into short videos.

While you...

In the delightful world of “Richard Osman’s House of Games,” Season 7 Episode 53 promises an entertaining evening of wit and competition. Airing at 7:00 Pm on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, on BBC Two, celebrity contestants Malorie Blackman, Matt Dawson, Chris McCausland, and Ranvir Singh step up to the challenge as they engage in a series of quiz rounds handpicked by the charismatic host and quiz legend, Richard Osman.

As the week unfolds, viewers can anticipate a fun-filled blend of brain-teasing questions and light-hearted banter. The celebrity quartet, including the likes of Malorie Blackman, Matt Dawson, Chris McCausland, and Ranvir Singh, competes in a range of quiz rounds that promise to test their knowledge, strategy, and quick thinking.

For fans of trivia, camaraderie, and good-natured competition, “Richard Osman’s House of Games” Season 7 Episode 53 is a must-watch. Tune in at 7:00 Pm on BBC Two to witness the entertaining dynamics of the celebrity contestants as...

In this week’s episode of “Richard Osman’s House of Games,” the delightful quiz antics continue with celebrity contestants Malorie Blackman, Matt Dawson, Chris McCausland, and Ranvir Singh. Airing on BBC Two at 7:00 Pm on Monday, December 4, 2023, the episode promises a week-long trivia showdown as these well-known faces take on a selection of quiz rounds handpicked by the affable host, quiz legend Richard Osman.

Viewers can anticipate a mix of wit, strategy, and friendly competition as the contestants navigate through the challenges laid out for them. With a diverse lineup of participants, each bringing their unique flair to the game, the episode is sure to deliver moments of humor and surprise. As the week unfolds, fans of the show can look forward to engaging in the same quiz spirit that has made “Richard Osman’s House of Games” a beloved quiz show, offering both entertainment and a chance to test...

Chris Chibnall has left a lasting legacy on Doctor Who that goes far beyond onscreen elements like the controversial Timeless Child storyline. The revelations around the Doctor's non-Time Lord origins dominated much of the discussion around the era of the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), and that noise distracted from the hugely positive strides Chris Chibnall's era made as a whole. Chris Chibnall's casting of the first female Doctor was a strong statement of intent from the showrunner, who made increasing diversity in front and behind the camera a priority on Doctor Who.

By bringing in new writers and directors from a diverse range of backgrounds, the Chris Chibnall era saw Doctor Who explore events from beyond the UK schools history syllabus. When it was created in the early 1960s, Doctor Who had a duty to educate and entertain its viewers, in line with their history homework. Chris Chibnall's era interrogated this idea,...

Exclusive: Range Media Partners has signed British-Ghanaian writer, director, executive-producer and founder of London based Dbk Studios, Koby Adom.

Most recently, Adom directed episodes of the hit Netflix series Top Boy. Previously, he directed both seasons of the BBC and Peacock series Noughts + Crosses based on the Malorie Blackman novel and executive-produced by Roc Nation.

Adom runs Dbk Studios alongside Managing Director Dola Araoye and Creative Director Domenique Fragale. Last year, the company partnered with Sky Studios to executive-produce the five-part short film series, Unearthed Narratives, from multiple Black filmmakers. The shorts, which aired on Sky, covered themes including care work, sickle cell anaemia, social media culture, ‘middle-class hobbies’ in the Black community, racism in 1950’s England, and the culture within London housing estates.

As a follow on from the short film collaboration, Dbk Studios are developing two projects commissioned for Sky Atlantic: Tales Of Giants, which is an...

Sales

Kids’ content distributor Federation Kids and Family and Zdf Enterprises have sold all three seasons of hit series “Find Me in Paris” to streamer Disney Plus as part of a worldwide multi-territory deal, while Italian state broadcaster Rai also picked up season 3 following on from its successful run of the first two seasons.

Broadcast in over 80 territories, “Find Me in Paris” (78 x 26’) follows the story of Lena Grisky, a time-travelling ballet dancer from 1905 Russia trapped in modern day Paris, and the many dilemmas she faces finding her place between two worlds. The series has also been a social media hit across all platforms, with the soundtracks registering 18 million streams across all music streaming platforms for 2020/2021 and its YouTube channel recording 46.1 million views to date.

“Find Me in Paris” is produced by David Michel, Zoé Carrera Allaix, and Cecile Lauritano for Cottonwood Media and co-produced with Zdf, Zdf Enterprises, Be-Films...

Pre-singapore Sales

ITV Studios, the commercial arm of the U.K.’s commercial TV network ITV, has struck a raft of sales and pre-sales deals ahead of the Asia Television Forum & Market that launched Wednesday in Singapore.

“The Ipcress File,” a spy thriller from Altitude Film Entertainment, was licensed to Now TV in Hong Kong and the Seven Network in Australia, Lionsgate Play in India and Southeast Asia and Tfc in Japan. Tfc also acquired adrenaline-fueled thriller “Vigil,” along with Tvnz and BBC Studios in Australia.

World Productions’ “Anne,” about an inspirational mother who campaigned for justice following her son’s death at a football match at Hillsborough, Sheffield in 1989, has been acquired by BBC Studios in Australia, Acorn TV in New Zealand and KT Corp in Korea.

Tvnz pre-bought Red Planet Pictures’ “Our House,” an edge of the seat thriller; series two of “Noughts + Crosses” (Mammoth Screen), based...

Young was director of the Nfts from 1971-92.

Colin Young, the founding director of the UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts), has passed away aged 94.

According to a statement from the Nfts, Young died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, on Saturday (November 27).

Young was born in Glasgow in 1927. He started off writing film and theatre reviews in Aberdeen, before heading to Los Angeles to study film at UCLA. After graduating, he worked as a technician at the university, and eventually made his way up through various departments to be put in charge of the Department of Theatre Arts,...

Exclusive: Jayme Lawson, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Masali Baduza are joining TriStar’s Gina Prince-Bythewood directed historical African epic The Woman King which stars Oscar winner Viola Davis.

“We are so lucky to catch these three rising phenoms who are bringing their incredible passion and talent to this beautiful ensemble,” said Prince-Bythewood.

The pic is based on true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story follows Nanisca (Davis), General of the all-female military unit, and Nawi (International Emmy nominated Thuso Mbedu), an ambitious recruit, who together fought enemies who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for. Lawson will play the ambitious and cunning head wife to Dahomey’s ruler, King Ghezo, played by John Boyega. As the warrior cast is being rounded out, Adrienne Warren...

The BBC recently announced Jodie Whitaker, along with current showrunner Chris Chibnall, will be departing Doctor Who. Their departure will occur after Season 12 premieres later in 2021 plus three specials to air during 2022. Speculation over who will be the next Doctor is inevitable, but this time around there is a candidate already waiting in the wings who passed their audition with flying colors: Jo Martin.

Ruth Doctor, officially known as the Fugitive Doctor, first appeared last season in the episode “Fugitive of the Judoon.” Her character’s initial cover backstory was immediately endearing to many Doctor Who fans, as we meet the Fugitive Doctor when she is working as a tour guide in Gloucester. In reality, she is a Time Lord on the run from Gallifreyan authorities. Although her initial appearances were a plot device and admittedly conceived as a random afterthought, bringing Martin back for a full series run will...

‘Noughts + Crosses’ Renewed For Season 2 By BBC

The BBC has renewed Mammoth Screen drama Noughts + Crosses for a second season, revisiting the alternate world of Malorie Blackman’s bestselling novels. Jack Rowan and Masali Baduza return as Callum and Sephy, now desperately attempting to flee Albion in search of a new life together. Paterson Joseph, Helen Baxendale, Bonnie Mbuli, Jonathan Ajayi, Josh Dylan, and Kiké Brimah all reprise their roles, while new cast includes Jasmine Jobson (Top Boy) and Robert Hands (Endeavour). The four-part second season will be written by Lydia Adetunji and Jerome Bucchan-Nelson, directed by Koby Adom, and produced by Sarah Lewis. Executive producers are Preethi Mavahalli, Damien Timmer, and James Gandhi for Mammoth Screen, Ben Irving for BBC One, Blackman, Lydia Adetunji, and Kibwe Tavares. The show will be distributed internationally by ITV Studios. U.S. streamer Peacock picked up the first season of Noughts + Crosses.

Mendes has worked with Nfts students during the pandemic.

Sam Mendes is to receive an honorary fellowship from the UK’s National Film and Television School, presented in London on May 24.

The award will be presented in person by Nfts chairman Patrick McKenna at the Odeon Leicester Square.

The ceremony will precede the four-day Nfts Graduation Showcase, which will be held at the BFI Southbank in London from May 25-28, and which industry members can register to attend.

Previous Nfts honorary fellows include alumni Roger Deakins, Terence Davies and Malorie Blackman; Ken Loach, Paul Greengrass and Asif Kapadia; and last year’s awardees Sally Wainwright,...

Actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton, radio personality Trevor Nelson, musician Ksi and author Malorie Blackman are among the signatories on a letter by comedian Lenny Henry asking the U.K.’s Black population to take Covid-19 vaccination jabs.

An Office for National Statistic survey shows that less than half (49%) of Black or Black British adults reported that they were likely to have the vaccine, and National Health Service (NHS) data shows that only 466,000 Black British adults have had a first dose of the vaccine so far. Some 30 million people, more than half the U.K. population, have now received their first Covid-19 vaccine dose.

The letter, supported by the NHS, has also been turned into a short film, directed by BAFTA winner Amma Asante, which features Henry alongside actors “The Rook’s” Adrian Lester, “Supergirl’s” David Harewood, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s” Naomi Ackie and “Bridgerton’s” Adjoa Andoh.

When I spoke with veteran British actor Paterson Joseph across two subsequent early mornings, we began with him asking me questions. Specifically, he wanted to know about Collider, and its audience, and whether or not I had a sense that American audiences were tuning into Noughts and Crosses, the BBC series based on books by Malorie Blackman, which had just made its debut on Peacock. As the first (and perhaps only) American journalist Joseph was talking to about the show, I was disappointed to not be able to give the …...

In the alternate universe of “Noughts + Crosses,” Africa — or “Aprica” as it’s referred to in the new Peacock series — invaded Europe 700 years ago. In present-day London (known as “Albion”), segregation laws maintain the power dynamic: A ruling class of Black “Crosses” control the country over an oppressed, impoverished underclass of white “Noughts,” who are on the brink of revolt. Against this backdrop of Prejudice and rebellion, a prohibited romance blossoms between Callum McGregor (Jack Rowan), a hapless Nought, and Sephy Hadley (Masali Baduza), a Cross, and daughter of a prominent politician. It’s a provocative set up with “Romeo and Juliet”-esque implications that doesn’t quite have the bite it seems to be striving for.

Based on the highly acclaimed 2001 novel by Malorie Blackman, the first in the franchise, the six-part British drama series, which originally aired earlier this spring on the BBC, examines racial privilege and tackles prejudice and ignorance,...

Long before writer Malorie Blackman conceived of the story of the Doctor and her companions meeting civil rights hero Rosa Parks in Doctor Who’s “Rosa,” she imagined another alternate version of history and racism. Noughts + Crosses, the BBC and Mammoth Screen-produced series based on Blackman’s bestselling U.K. Ya book series of the same name, is making its U.S. debut on Peacock Friday, and it’s likely already on many a hardcore Whovian’s radar. However, for the rest of the American viewing public, this may be the first time you’re hearing of Noughts + Crosses. Or not. Last week, Peacock dropped a not-great U.S. trailer for the show, causing some controversy on social media, and alienating some of the audience most likely to watch this show. Here’s why Black viewers and science fiction dystopia fans should consider giving Noughts + Crosses a chance…...

The new Peacock Original series “Noughts + Crosses” presents a vision of what society would look like if Africa had colonized Europe instead of the other way around. Out Friday on Peacock, the BBC One-imported series is set in the dystopian fictional world from Malorie Blackman’s novel of the same name in which white “Noughts” are ruled over by Black “Crosses.”

Executive producer Kibwe Tavares says the series is meant to “hold a mirror” to society. He hopes it’ll encourage white audiences to take a hard look at themselves.

“Really, what we’re trying to do is have a reflection of what the world is and allow people to put themselves in the shoes of someone maybe on the receiving end of racism,” Tavares told TheWrap. “To say, look, this is how you’re acting. What would it look like if the shoe was on the other foot?...

Adapted from the first book in celebrated British author Malorie Blackman’s award-winning breakthrough Ya series, Noughts + Crosses imagines an alternate universe in which history happened in racial reverse. In this world, Africa – or “Aprica” – invaded Europe centuries ago, enslaving its people. In present-day London, “Albion,” slavery is an institution of the past, [...]

The post Peacock Sets Premiere Date For ‘Noughts + Crosses’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Barbadian British author Malorie Blackman’s popular and critically acclaimed “Noughts + Crosses” series, which uses the setting of a fictional dystopia to explore racism in the present day, is coming to NBCUniversal’s recently launched streaming service, Peacock. The timely and thought-provoking six-episode drama, which is set to launch Friday, September 4, follows the love story of two star-crossed young adults who are divided by their skin color, in an alternate universe where the racial power structure is turned on its head.

In this world, Africa — or “Aprica” as it’s referred to in the novel — invaded Europe centuries ago, enslaving its people. In present-day London (known as “Albion”), slavery is an institution of the past, but Jim Crow-esque segregation laws maintain the power dynamic: A ruling class of Black “Crosses” control the country’s politics, wealth, and culture over an oppressed, impoverished underclass of white “Noughts,” who are at the brink of revolt.

Peacock has revealed the trailer for its upcoming limited series Noughts + Crosses, premiering on the streamer next Friday, September 4. Based on the popular series of novels by Malorie Blackman, the show takes place in an alternate reality in which Europe was conquered and enslaved by Africa 700 years ago. In the present day, society is heavily segregated, and power is held by wealthy Black citizens (called "Crosses"). White citizens (called "Noughts") are poor and oppressed, and regularly subjected to state violence. The series originally aired on BBC One earlier this year and received mostly positive reviews (it’s currently …...

Peacock has acquired BBC One’s young adult drama series “Noughts and Crosses.”

Now a Peacock Original, the six-episode series, which reimages racial power structures in an alternate world, will begin streaming on Sept. 4. It originally aired on BBC One in March.

The series is adapted from the first book in British author Malorie Blackman’s Ya series. Watch the trailer, which asks “What if Africa had colonized Europe?” above.

Also Read: Harry Belafonte and Malcolm Jenkins Documentaries Lead Peacock Original Films Slate

Here is the official synopsis from Peacock:

“Noughts + Crosses imagines an alternate universe in which history happened in racial reverse. In this world, Africa – or “Aprica” – invaded Europe centuries ago, enslaving its people. In present-day London, “Albion,” slavery is an institution of the past, but Jim Crow-esque segregation laws maintain the power dynamic: a ruling class of Black “Crosses” control the country’s politics, wealth and culture over an oppressed,...

Noughts + Crosses, the BBC adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s bestselling Ya series, is coming to the U.S. after Peacock boarded the drama.

The streamer will air the six-part series as a Peacock Original from September 4.

Originally commissioned by the British public broadcaster in 2016, the drama launched in the UK in March.

From Victoria producer Mammoth Screen, Green Book producer Participant Media and Jay Z’s Roc Nation, the series follows two young people: Sephy, played by newcomer Masali Baduza, and Callum, played by Peaky Blinders’ Jack Rowan, who are divided by their colour but united by love.

Sephy is a ‘Cross’, a member of the black ruling class and daughter of a prominent politician. Callum is a ‘Nought’, a white member of the underclass. The two have been friends since early childhood but their relationship grows ever more complicated as they come of age. It’s the story of...

As a powerful new wave of protests against systemic racism floods the streets of Britain, Black creatives within the TV industry have become increasingly emboldened to speak out and share their experiences of workplace microaggressions, othering and discrimination.

In the last week, “Hollyoaks” star Rachel Adedeji — who is exiting the show — tweeted her disappointment with the Channel 4 soap’s response to the Black Lives Matter campaign by revealing several examples of on-set racism, while an Instagram account called Black in TV has been sharing horror stories from sets. Elsewhere, TV production manager Richie West posted a list of microaggressions experienced by Black people that has now gone viral.

“Being Black and working in the TV industry means toeing the line…it means being one of the only black people in the office,” West lists in the statement. “It means not having your CV considered if you have a traditionally ‘ethnic’ name…...

This Noughts and Crosses review contains spoilers.

Noughts + Crosses Episode 1

Every generation has its Romeo and Juliet. The fifties had Tony and Maria finger-clicking around the Upper West Side, the nineties had Leo and a young Carrie from Homeland in a pair of angel wings, and the noughties had both High School Musical’s Troy and Gabriella breaking free, and Sephy and Callum, the star-cross’d lovers of Malorie Blackman’s young adult series Noughts + Crosses.

Adapted from the first of Blackman’s five acclaimed novels, this six-part BBC series brings Sephy and Callum’s world to the screen for the first time. It’s not our world, but a version of it in which Europe’s colonisation of Africa happened in reverse. Blackman imagined a version of the UK hewn by racist segregation seven centuries after the Aprican continent invaded Albion and enslaved its people. Now, Albion is divided...

AMC’s ad-free service AMC Premiere has acquired BBC One’s Hg Wells adaptation The War Of The Worlds, toplined by Rafe Spall, Eleanor Tomlinson and Robert Carlyle.

The three-part drama was made by Mammoth Screen and the indie’s parent company ITV Studios secured the deal with AMC as part of a raft of sales announced at the UK Screenings on Tuesday.

The War Of The Worlds is set in Edwardian England and follows George, played by Spall, and his partner Amy, played by Tomlinson, as they attempt to start a life together against the escalating terror of an alien invasion.

Executive produced by Damien Timmer, Preethi Mavahalli, Peter Harness, Craig Viveiros and Tommy Bulfin, the AMC sale means the drama is now available in 221 territories worldwide.

ITV Studios also inked international deals for two other Mammoth Screen dramas. Noughts + Crosses, based on Malorie Blackman’s young adult novel series,...

ITV Studios Global Entertainment has racked up pre-sales for its leading Mipcom title “Noughts and Crosses”, and has unveiled a number of other deals on its drama slate.

“Noughts and Crosses” has been acquired by M-Net in Africa, Russia’s More TV, Tvnz in New Zealand and on BBC First across Benelux prior to its launch on BBC One in the U.K. next year.

Based on Malorie Blackman’s novel of the same name, “Noughts and Crosses,” is a love story set in a parallel 21st century Britain, where black people – Crosses – are the ruling race while white people – Noughts – are the lower class. It’s produced for the BBC by ITV-owned Victoria producer Mammoth Screen.

ITV Studios Global Entertainment managing director Ruth Berry said: “I believe Noughts & Crosses is a brand-defining piece of television and I’m delighted that broadcasters across the world are already coming on board.

China’s Huanxi Premium has acquired BBC drama World On Fire as ITV Studios Global Entertainment unveils a raft of sales at Mipcom.

The Chinese platform is one of a number of sales for the Helen Hunt-fronted drama, which will air on PBS Masterpiece in the U.S. The Mammoth Screen drama has also been picked up by Rtl in Germany, Telefonica in Spain and BBC First across Australia and Benelux, as well as Roadshow in Australia and in Korea on Channel A for linear and KT Corp for Svod.

Separately, Noughts and Crosses, the adaptation of the Malorie Blackman novel, has been bought by M-Net in Africa, Russia’s More TV, Tvnz in New Zealand and on BBC First across Benelux prior to its launch on BBC One in the UK next year.

Martin Freeman factual drama A Confession, written by the Oscar-nominated Jeff Pope and has been sold to Seven in Australia,...

How do you adapt Malorie Blackman’s young adult novel series Noughts + Crosses for the screen? The answer, it seems, is to bring together a group that includes the BBC, Victoria producer Mammoth Screen, Green Book producer Participant Media, Jay Z’s Roc Nation, distributor ITV Studios Global Entertainment and rapper Stormzy.

The group have put together an ambitious, big-budget retelling of the books, which tell the story of love in a dangerous, alternate world where racism divides society.

Deadline spoke to star Jack Rowan, fresh from starring in gangster drama Peaky Blinders, and exec producer Preethi Mavahalli.

The six-part series follows two young people Sephy, played by newcomer Masali Baduza, and Callum, played by Rowan, who are divided by their colour but united by love. Sephy is a ‘Cross’, a member of the black ruling class and daughter of a prominent politician. Callum is a ‘Nought’, a white member of the underclass.

Kew to handle TV and digital rights to some new projects from ‘Green Book’ producer.

Green Book producer Participant has struck a multi-year distribution tie-up with Kew Media Distribution (Kmd).

The deal hands Kmd global TV and digital rights to limited new projects from Participant, mainly across documentary and narrative feature films.

La-based Participant mainly produces big-budget features such as Spotlight, Green Book and Roma but recently moved into TV.

Jeff Skoll’s outfit is a co-producer on Mammoth Screen’s forthcoming BBC adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses and was also behind Netflix’s Central Park Five...

Despite its international popularity, “Doctor Who” hasn’t been much of an awards player since the decades-old sci-fi show was revived in 2005. It did win Best Drama Series at the BAFTAs in 2006 and Best Writer for Steven Moffat in 2008, but it has gotten blanked at the Emmys even though Moffat went on to win two Emmys for “Sherlock” and the erstwhile Doctor Matt Smith later earned a bid for “The Crown.” However, “Doctor Who” had a higher profile than ever this season, with a new cast and creative team and a chance at nine nominations. Scroll down to see the show’s full list of submissions on this year’s ballot.

“Doctor Who” made history by casting its very first woman in the title role: “Broadchurch” alum Jodie Whittaker is the 13th actor to wield the sonic screwdriver — 14th when you count John Hurt‘s 2013 guest appearances the War Doctor.

Brit musician Stormzy has joined the cast of BBC One drama Noughts + Crosses, Mammoth Screen’s adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s dystopian young adult book series currently being filmed in South Africa. The popular grime artist will play newspaper editor Kolawale, a character created for the series. Jack Rowan (Peaky Blinders) stars with newcomer Masali Baduza, Helen Baxendale, Paterson Joseph and Ian Hart. The show charts the story of first love in a dangerous, alternate world where racism divides society. Exec producers on the show include Participant and Jay-z’s Roc Nation. International distribution is handled by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Anthony Kimble, who recently left Cineflix Rights after five years as Svp acquisitions and co-productions North America, has formally launched new content outfit Fugitive. Kimble will be at next week’s Series Mania, where he will be repping projects including Uncanny Valley: The Truth About Thinking Machines, a six-hour hybrid event series about A.

“Noughts and Crosses” just added another musical heavy hitter with grime supremo Stormzy set to star in the adaptation of the Malorie Blackman novels for the BBC. Jay-z’s Roc Nation is already on board and will exec produce, as will Participant Media.

Stormzy has an on-screen role and will play Kolawale, a newspaper editor and character created for the series. “As a diehard fan of Malorie’s novels, being a part of this important show is a dream come true,” he said.

“The first time I met Stormzy he informed me he was a huge fan of my ‘Noughts & Crosses’ series of books,” Blackman added. “I’m thrilled he will now be a part of the Noughts + Crosses TV production.”

The book and series are set in an alternate world where there is a ruling class of people of African descent and white people suffer discrimination and prejudice.

British musician Stormzy has joined the cast of Noughts & Crosses, the TV adaptation of Malorie Blackman's award-winning young adult book series. 

The grime artist will play newspaper editor Kolawale, a character created for the TV drama, which is being produced by Poldark banner Mammoth Screen for the BBC, with Participant Media and Jay-z's Roc Nation exec producing. 

"As a diehard fan of Malorie's novels, being a part of this important show is a dream come true," said Stormzy, whose debut album Gang Signs & Prayer became the first grime record to reach number one ...

There were a few notable episodes from last fall’s eleventh season of Doctor Who. There was the premiere, which properly introduced us to Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, the New Year’s special, which featured a lone Dalek and perhaps the most impressive outing of the run, “Rosa”, which saw the Tardis visit 1950s Alabama and the Doctor and friends meeting Rosa Parks.

It was a moving, timely episode that tackled racism in a bold and unflinching way that was pretty surprising for a sci-fi series that’s ostensibly about running away from monsters. And now, it’s been officially recognized as a superlative installment of British television, too, as “Rosa” won a gong at the inaugural Visionary Honours Awards for its “positive social impact.”

The Visionary Honours Organisation describes itself as the “UK’s first social impact entertainment & media awards,” that “aims to be a catalyst for social...

A new TV adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic “The Count of Monte Cristo” is in the works for a major British broadcaster, with Lydia Adetunji and Amit Gupta writing the series. It will be the first screen version of the story to feature a black count in the title role.

The 19th-century novel followed Edmond Dantes as he sought revenge after being wrongly framed and imprisoned for treason. The classic tale has inspired countless film and TV adaptations. The new series is the first project from Neon Ink, the fledgling U.K.-based production company set up by former ITV Studios execs Kate Lewis and Julia Walsh.

French author Dumas wrote about his own African heritage and the discrimination he faced in his own life. Having a black count in Adetunji and Gupta’s take on his story, which will retain the period setting, will be a first, with casting...

There’s a lot of elements that make Doctor Who great – spectacular acting, set, costume and creature design, direction, etc. – but it’s hard to argue that a good script isn’t key for a show that’s known for its big imagination. And for those interested in the writing of the long-running sci-fi series, the BBC has now released a selection of scripts from the modern version of the show on its Script Library service for your reading pleasure.

There are currently 14 scripts available to read online, plucked from across the past 14 years of the revived series and from the pens of various writers. Season 3 opener “Smith and Jones” from former showrunner Russell T. Davies is the earliest script up for grabs, while the most recent is the premiere of season 11, “The Woman Who Fell To Earth,” Jodie Whittaker’s first adventure as the Thirteenth Doctor which was written by current showrunner Chris Chibnall.

It has to be said that the quality of Doctor Who season 11 has been a little up and down so far, but six episodes in and it seems a pattern’s emerging: historical adventures are where this new era of the show excels. Three weeks after the superlative “Rosa,” we have “Demons of the Punjab,” another installment that travels back to a dark period of human history and tells an intelligent, genuinely moving story.

Wanting to pull a Back to the Future and visit her grandmother Umbreen when she was younger, Yaz gets the Doctor to take the Tardis to 1947, right on the cusp of the Partition of India. What’s more, it’s Umbreen’s wedding day to someone who’s not her grandfather, a Hindu man named Prem. As Yaz comes to terms with this discrepancy in her family history, the Doctor has to solve the mystery of...

Peaky Blinders star Jack Rowan and newcomer Masali Baduza are to lead the lineup of the BBC’s dystopian drama Noughts + Crosses.

The six-part series, which is produced by Victoria producer Mammoth Screen for BBC One, will also star Timeless’ Paterson Joseph, Wallander’s Bonnie Mbuli, Love Type D’s Kike Brimah, Cold Feet’s Helen Baxendale, The Last Kingdom’s Ian Hart, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’s Josh Dylan, Goodbye Christopher Robin’s Shaun Dingwall, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’s Rakie Ayola and Jonathan Ajayi.

The adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s young adult book, the series tells the story of first love in a dangerous, alternate world where racism divides society. It is written by Toby Whithouse (Being Human), Lydia Adetunji (Riviera), Nathaniel Price (Tin Star) and Rachel De-Lahay (Kiri) and filming has begun in South Africa.

Noughts + Crosses follows two young people Sephy and Callum,...

80 signatories signed a letter which was delivered to Downing Street today.

A group of creatives and actors, led by Lenny Henry, have penned a letter to Downing Street calling for the introduction of a diversity tax relief for TV and film.

The letter, signed by 80 signatories and published in The Guardian this morning, was delivered by Henry and actor Adrian Lester at 2pm today. It asks that productions meet three of four criteria to benefit from the “representation tax relief”.

The criteria are:

female/Bame/disabled director female/Bame/disabled writer female/Bame/disabled director of photography off-screen staff are...

Something that’s marked new showrunner Chris Chibnall’s Doctor Who apart from his precursor Steven Moffat’s vision of the show is that it emphasizes the humanity and the adventure of the story instead of the humor and scares. When we heard that this latest episode, sporting the punning title “Arachnids in the U.K.”, would involve creepy giant spiders, it seemed that Chibnall was trying his hand at cooking up some Moffatesque family-friendly horror. And in a sense he did, but he can’t help but add his own flavor as well by sprinkling in his patented character work and real-world themes.

In “Arachnids in the U.K.,” the Doctor returns her friends to their hometown of Sheffield, half an hour after they left in the premiere. And also right on time to investigate the arrival of some enormous creepy-crawlies in the city. It seems it’s all...

Pete Dillon-Trenchard Oct 22, 2018

Spoilers ahead in our review of Thirteen's first historical adventure, "Rosa"...

This Doctor Who review contains spoilers.

Doctor Who Season 11 Episode 3

When it was revealed that the third episode of this year’s Doctor Who run would feature the story of Rosa Parks, you could hear the collective clenching from the other side of the internet. After all, there were so many ways in which this could go horribly, horribly wrong. More than any historical figure the Doctor has met on their travels, Parks is such an important figure to so many people, and her fight such an emotive one.

In tackling events and subjects such as these, there are two major pitfalls that need to be avoided: First, the history needs to be handled with appropriate respect and reverence, and Parks not robbed of her agency. It’s all too easy to imagine a story written...

Fall behind? Read our previous Doctor Who recap here.

The first two episodes of Doctor Who Season 11 made many viewers tear up because of what it meant to see a woman play the fictional hero, to be (re)united with the Tardis. Episode 3, “Rosa,” co-written by famed British author Malorie Blackman and showrunner Chris Chibnall, was an even more emotional tearjerker because it was about guarding the history made by real-life hero Rosa Parks, the black woman who refused to give up her seat for a white passenger on a crowded bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.

As we saw at...

This week’s episode of Doctor Who was one of the more publicized installments of season 11, as it came as something of a surprise that the British sci-fi show was tackling the U.S. civil rights movement. Particularly, the moment that kicked it off; the day Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up for a white woman on a bus, thereby starting an all-important chain of events. Could the series approach this event in such a way that it could make for an entertaining time-traveling adventure but while still treating it with the respect it deserves? Remarkably, the answer is an easy, unequivocal yes.

“Rosa,” from writers Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall, is certainly the most well-written episode so far this season. The past two have been oodles of fun but the deft handling of a tricky subject matter demonstrated here is on another level. Obviously, we wouldn’t...

We knew from set pics that Doctor Who season 11 would take a trip back in time to the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and now, it’s been announced that this will form the backbone of episode three of the show’s eleventh season. Titled “Rosa,” the installment will feature the Doctor and her friends encountering the important historical figure.

“Rosa” will star Sherlock‘s Vinette Robinson as Rosa Parks along with Josh Bowman as an unknown character named Krasko. The episode’s penned by acclaimed novelist Malorie Blackman and showrunner Chris Chibnall and directed by Mark Tonderai (Black Lightning). It’s also one of several this season to be filmed in South Africa, along with today’s episode.

For more, here’s the official synopsis for “Rosa”:

“If she can live here her whole life, a couple of hours ain’t gonna kill me. They ain’t gonna kill me,...

Doctor Who (Photo credit: BBC)

After directing two episodes of the new season of Doctor Who, Jennifer Perrott could be excused if she felt a tad nervous before today’s global premiere of the iconic BBC show.

To the contrary: Perrott tells If there was no discussion about the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the first female doctor in the show’s 55-year history during pre-production or the shoot in Cardiff.

“It was never a talking point on set or when I met Jodie that she is female,” says the director, who got the gig after the showrunner Chris Chibnall saw her 2016 short The Ravens, which starred Sarah Snook, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor and Indianna Gregg.

“Not once was there ever a discussion about, ‘Ok so there is this moment and you are a female Doctor Who so we will attack this differently.’ The Doctor is an alien, hundreds of years old,...

Jay-z’s Roc Nation and Participant Media have joined the eagerly anticipated TV adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s popular novel series “Noughts & Crosses” as exec producers. Roc Nation will also handle the soundtrack for the show, which is set in an alternate world where there is a ruling class of people of African descent and white people suffer discrimination and prejudice.

“Poldark” producer Mammoth Screen is making the series for the BBC, which now has two major U.S. partners, including socially conscious producer Participant Media. Blackman said Roc Nation and Participant will “bring an extra dimension to the production that I can’t wait to see – and hear.”

The series follows two young people, Sephy and Callum, who are divided by their color but united by burning injustice. Sephy is a “Cross,” a member of the black ruling class and daughter of a prominent politician. Callum is a “Nought,...

Jay-z's entertainment company Roc Nation and Participant Media have both joined the BBC's upcoming drama series Noughts & Crosses, coming from Poldark producer Mammoth Screen. 

Roc Nation will handle and release the soundtrack to the six-part series, based on Malorie Blackman's young-adult novel series set in an alternative world where the dark-skinned ruling class of the Crosses looks down on the white Noughts.

Both Roc Nation and Participant will exec produce the show, currently in preproduction and set to be distributed by ITV Studios, which owns Mammoth Screen.

"It is genuinely thrilling to have the Roc Nation team ...