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The feature directorial debut of actress and comedian Nina Conti, “Sunlight,” reimagines Monkey, one of the characters she performs in her ventriloquist act, as the human-sized alter ego of a woman on the run from a toxic relationship. In addition to wearing multiple hats behind the scenes of the film, Conti wears two costumes, playing both the woman and the monkey.

“The monkey is much easier,” she tells Variety.

Principal photography took place in Albuquerque, N.M., just a few dozen miles from the Santa Fe International Film Festival, where the film screened on Oct. 19 with Conti and executive producer Christopher Guest in attendance. Speaking in the El Dorado Hotel lobby right after the screening, she exuded a joyful relief that “Sunlight” was well-received by festival attendees; the film’s completion and current festival run marks the payoff to a journey that began more than 20 years ago when she first...

We’re introduced to Roy at his lowest point, alone in a motel room with nothing left to live for. But fate has other plans when a surprise visitor bursts through the door – or should I say, bursts through wearing a full-body monkey costume. Under the flashy fur lies Jane, a woman fleeing her past who saves Roy from ending his life. With her bold personality and wild ideas, Monkey whisks our depressed protagonist away on an outrageous road trip that will challenge everything he thought he knew.

Played by comedian Nina Conti in her directorial debut, Monkey is as freewheeling and fiery as the simian persona Conti has brought to stages worldwide. Joining her is Shenoah Allen as the straight-laced Roy, thrown for a loop by this bizarre stranger with grand schemes of starting a business.

As their van barrels across the deserts of New Mexico, banter and hijinks...

Argentinian director, screenwriter and producer Pablo Trapero is to chair the jury of the Progressive Cinema Competition, the competition section of the Rome Film Festival.

Trapero will be joined on the Rome jury by editor Francesca Calvelli, French actress Laetitia Casta, UK producer Gail Egan, and writer and screenwriter Dennis Lehane.

Trapero won the Silver Lion for dest director at the 2015 Venice Film Festival for The Clan. His other directing credits include crime series ZeroZeroZero.

Meanwhile, a jury chaired by Italian director and screenwriter Francesca Comencini, will award Rome’s best first feature prize to a fiction feature film in...

“This really is my first everything,” admits Arthur Conti. “Everything is so new to me.”

The young British actor isn’t exaggerating. When we meet at Soho House in London, he’s sporting the sort of wide-eyed expression of someone trying to come to terms with a couple of life-changing weeks that might be difficult to put into words.

For starters, Conti recently got back from the Venice Film Festival opening night world premiere of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” alongside director Tim Burton and fellow castmembers Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe.

“And also Sigourney Weaver’s there, and Isabelle Huppert and Taylor Russell and all these people watching me on a very big screen… and then there’s all this clapping … it’s hard to believe,” he says.

The disbelief is understandable. Because not only did Venice mark Conti’s “first ever film festival,...

Jack King’s The Ceremony has won the inaugural £50,000 Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence at the revamped Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff), which drew to a close tonight (August 21).

Yorkshire-born King’s feature debut follows two migrant workers who are forced to bury a colleague in the Yorkshire hills. When one demands to accord the dead man his rightful Islamic burial, nerves begin to fray, and a power struggle emerges.

Cast includes Tudor Cucu Dumitrescu, Erdal Yildiz, Liam Thomas, Arnold Bakshi and Mo’min Swaitat. Producers are Hollie Bryan and Lucy Meer for the UK’s Cosmosquare Films and Strive Films.

“Cinema is in a very bad way – I think it’s lost its place,” Brian Cox told the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) during a surprise appearance in the festival’s industry programme.

“I think it has lost its place, partly because of the grandiose element between Marvel and DC and all of that, and it’s beginning to implode. You’re losing the plot, I think. Television has really stolen the march, when you get incredible things like Ripley, like Succession,” said Cox.

“In terms of the work,” continued the Succession star, referencing films in the vein of Deadpool & Wolverine,...

“There are so many people who talk bollocks about film,” actor Brian Cox furiously concluded this afternoon at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

The veteran Scottish actor, now best known for his leading role in HBO’s Succession, was the surprise addition to an industry talk at the revamped Scottish fest where he characteristically shared his piece about the biz.

During the well-attended talk, chaired by Edinburgh TV Festival director Rowan Woods, Cox said he believes cinema is currently “in a very bad way” and has largely been overtaken by the work being created on television.

“Television is doing what cinema used to do,” Cox said. “Cinema has lost its place partly because of all the grandiose elements like Marvel and DC. It’s beginning to implode, so you’re kind of losing the plot. And television has really stolen the mark. Look at incredible things like Ripley and Succession. There are so many.

Brian Cox thinks cinema is “in a very bad way,” with the Marvel and DC Universes partly to blame.

The legendary actor of stage and screen — who most recently garnered critical acclaim for his award-winning role in HBO’s Succession — spoke at an Edinburgh International Film Festival panel on Saturday. When asked about the recent critical success of globally popular TV shows, Cox cited the latest MCU installment Deadpool & Wolverine as a great example of cinematic “party time.”

“What’s happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do,” Cox told the audience of television’s originality. “I think cinema is in a very bad way. I think it’s lost its place because of, partly, the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all of that. And I think it’s beginning to implode, actually. You’re kind of losing the plot.”

He discussed Ryan Reynolds and...

All official communications from the 2024 Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) organizers have described this year’s edition as “revamped” or “revitalized” — a pointed note to signpost that new management is at the helm. The declaration is perhaps odd for an event that has often trumpeted its heritage, self-styling as the world’s “oldest continuously running film festival.” For the past two years, however, Edinburgh has been at the center of a significant period of turbulence within the Scottish film industry.

All the chaos can be traced back to the finances of Scotland’s Centre for the Moving Image (Cmi), which collapsed in 2022. At the time, a statement from Cmi executives said a “perfect storm” of rising costs and falling admissions numbers due to the pandemic had been exacerbated by the current cost of living crisis. As part of the Cmi’s closure, operations at Eiff were shut down. The Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen,...

Comedian and ventriloquist Nina Conti makes her directorial debut with Sunlight, it will premiere in Edinburgh in August.

Nina Conti comes from a showbiz family, her father being noted actor Tom Conti. Nina trained with theatre director Ken Campbell, which is explored in the documentary Her Master’s Voice. Conti is best known for her ventriloquism, performing with a variety of characters, the best known of which is the sardonic Monkey.

Conti has now made her feature directorial debut with Sunlight.

The plot “follows two people on the edge of life who find purpose and romance through an unlikely connection, escaping the darkness in search of some sunlight. Disappearing into a monkey costume and creating a new persona, Jane strives to break free from a toxic relationship when she encounters a suicidal radio show host, Roy, who presents a path to freedom. After hitting the open road in Roy’s Airstream,...

Nina Conti's Sunlight will have its world premiere at Eiff Photo: Courtesy of Eiff At the city's Cameo Cinema the new director of Edinburgh International Film Festival Paul Ridd, and the festival’s producer Emma Boa announced the programme for the event’s 77th edition today, which will run from August 15 to 21.

It sees the, previously announced, inauguration of the Sean Connery Prize for feature filmmaking excellence. Ten films, all world premieres, will compete for a £50,000 prize supported by The Sean Connery Foundation. The winning film will be voted for by audiences. Talking about the award, Connery’s son, actor and director Jason, noted it was “a new era and dad would have loved it”.

Paul Ridd promises 'a spirit of collaboration and renewal' Photo: Amber Wilkinson Irreversible director Gaspar Noe will also be at the festival for an In Person event and will introduce a screening of Daria Argento classic Suspiria.

The 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has launched its entire program for the Aug. 15-21 event, where it will screen 37 new feature films and 18 world premieres.

Ten world premieres will compete for the new Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence as the fest showcases talent from filmmakers in the U.K., U.S., Canada, Mexico, Norway, China, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Iran and beyond. Screenings will take place in the heart of Scotland’s picturesque capital at some of the city’s most iconic venues including Cameo Cinema, Summerhall, and 50 George Square.

Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun, starring Saoirse Ronan, was previously confirmed as the Fest’s opening night film, with the world premiere of Carla J. Easton and Blair Young’s documentary Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands set to close. Its Midnight Madness strand will close with the body horror The Substance, starring Demi Moore.

Daisy-May Hudson’s fiction debut Lollipop, a documentary about a man’s relationship with a life-sized AI-animated doll and Nina Conti’s Cannes Great 8 title Sunlight are among 18 world premieres at the new-look Edinburgh International Film Festival.

A total of 37 feature films form the line-up of Eiff’s 77th edition, which is the first under the leadership of Paul Ridd as festival director and Andrew Macdonald as chair. The line-up includes 10 world premieres in the running for the £50,000 Sean Connery prize for feature filmmaking excellence, plus four retrospective screenings, a Midnight Madness strand and five short film programmes.

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The UK industry gathered at the Cannes UK pavilion yesterday (May 16) to celebrate the work of the eight projects taking part in this year’s Cannes Great 8 showcase.

Christopher Andrews’ Bring Them Down starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott, Sean Dunn’s The Fall Of Sir Douglas Weatherford and Marianne Elliott’s The Salt Path were among the eight titles taking part, with filmmakers taking to the stage to discuss their projects.

Scroll down to see the full line-up

The only documentary in this year’s line-up is Witches, from Elizabeth Sankey, in which the filmmaker explores the unexpected connections...

The BFI is once again heading to the Cannes Market with its so-called Great 8 — a selection of projects from first and second-time filmmakers that it will present to international buyers.

Now in its seventh year, the 2024 Great 8 showcase is funded and produced by the BFI and the British Council, with support from the Great Britain & Northern Ireland campaign, BBC Film, and Film4. The list includes Portuguese filmmaker Laura Carreira’s feature On Falling, produced by Jack Thomas-o’Brien for Sixteen Films. The full list of titles are:

Brides – director Nadia Fall, writer Suhayla El-Bushra Bring Them Down – director/writer Christopher Andrews The Fall Of Sir Douglas Weatherford – director/writer Sean Dunn On Falling – director/writer Laura Carreira The Salt Path – director Marianne Elliott, writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz Sunlight – director Nina Conti, writers Shenoah Allen, Nina Conti Surviving Earth – director/writer ​​Thea Gajić Witches – director/writer Elizabeth Sankey

With 2022 and 2023 editions taking place online,...

Christopher Andrews’ Bring Them Down starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott, Sean Dunn’s The Fall Of Sir Douglas Weatherford and Marianne Elliott’s The Salt Path, featuring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, are among the eight films taking part in the Great 8 showcase, which presents new UK feature films from first-and second-time UK filmmakers to international distributors and festival programmers.

Now in its seventh year, the 2024 Great 8 showcase is funded and produced by the BFI and the British Council, with support from the Great Britain & Northern Ireland campaign, BBC Film and Film4.

In preparation for Cannes, unseen footage from...

The list of musicians and actors appearing in the long-awaited This Is Spinal Tap sequel keeps growing, with news that Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, The Nanny’s Fran Drescher, and more will appear in the forthcoming mockumentary.

Anyone who has seen the original film knows that drummers experience an unfortunate fate in the world of Spinal Tap, so it might not end well for Ulrich and Smith. Meanwhile, Drescher is reprising her hilarious role as record-label publicist and “hostess with the mostest” Bobbi Flekman.

Other newly revealed additions to the movie include Don Lake (The Bonnie Hunt Show), John Michael Higgins (Best in Show), Jason Acuña (Jackass), Nina Conti (Family Tree), Griffin Matthews (The Flight Attendant), Kerry Godliman (After Life), Chris Addison (Veep), and comedian Brad Williams, according to Deadline.

In addition, Paul Shaffer will be back as record-label promotion rep Artie Fufkin, who...

The list of musicians and actors appearing in the long-awaited This Is Spinal Tap sequel keeps growing, with news that Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, The Nanny’s Fran Drescher, and more will appear in the forthcoming mockumentary.

Anyone who has seen the original film knows that drummers experience an unfortunate fate in the world of Spinal Tap, so it might not end well for Ulrich and Smith. Meanwhile, Drescher is reprising her hilarious role as record-label publicist and “hostess with the mostest” Bobbi Flekman.

Other newly revealed additions to the movie include Don Lake (The Bonnie Hunt Show), John Michael Higgins (Best in Show), Jason Acuña (Jackass), Nina Conti (Family Tree), Griffin Matthews (The Flight Attendant), Kerry Godliman (After Life), Chris Addison (Veep), and comedian Brad Williams, according to Deadline.

In addition, Paul Shaffer will be back as record-label promotion rep Artie Fufkin, who...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich will try to survive the Spinal Tap drummers curse with cameos in the upcoming This Is Spinal Tap sequel.

The two musicians were named in a new round of cast announcements, per Deadline, now that production on the film has begun in New Orleans. Though we obviously don’t know for sure, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Smith and Ulrich roped into an extension of one of the best bits from 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap...

Exclusive: After leading SAG-AFTRA through its latest round of negotiations with the AMPTP, guild President Fran Drescher (The Nanny) has been set to join the sequel to 1984 cult classic This Is Spinal Tap, reprising her role as publicist Bobbi Flekman.

Other new additions to the cast include Don Lake (The Bonnie Hunt Show), John Michael Higgins (Best in Show), Jason Acuña (Jackass), Nina Conti (Family Tree), Griffin Matthews (The Flight Attendant), Kerry Godliman (After Life), Chris Addison (Veep), comedian Brad Williams, and musician Paul Shaffer. Details as to the roles of these cast members are under wraps for now.

Also now aboard the project are Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Lars Ulrich, Metallica’s co-founder and drummer, who will make cameos. Production is currently underway in New Orleans, with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer reprising their roles as the legendary heavy metal band, Spinal Tap,...

Exclusive: British comedian and writer Nina Conti has wrapped production on Sunlight, a comedy road movie set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that marks her debut as a feature director. Check out the first-look image above.

Conti directs from a screenplay by Shenoah Allen. Conti and Allen both star in the pic, with Christopher Guest serving as an Executive Producer. Metro International is handling international sales and plans to launch the pic on the festival circuit in early 2024.

Billed as a “hilariously dark and unconventional love story,” the pic follows two people on the edge of life who find purpose and romance through an unlikely connection, escaping the darkness in search of some sunlight.

Full synopsis reads: Disappearing into a monkey costume and creating a new persona, Jane strives to break free from a toxic relationship when she encounters a suicidal radio show host, Roy, who presents a path to freedom.

It takes many people to fill Richard Osman’s shoes, and not just because he wears a size 14. Back in April 2021, the TV presenter, producer and novelist announced that he was leaving his co-presenter role on Pointless to focus on his hugely successful Thursday Murder Club book series and other projects. Due to the ‘stars we see in the night sky are actually hundreds of years in the past’ nature of TV broadcast, by that point, Osman was already four months out of the job. His final episode of the regular Pointless (he’ll still appear on the celebrity editions) was filmed in December 2021 and aired in July 2022, with this touching message to Alexander Armstrong.

When Pointless returned for Series 28 in September 2022, it came with a rotating clutch of new guest-hosts sitting behind Osman’s fact-checking desk. First up was Sally Lindsay, and following her were Stephen Mangan, Lauren Laverne,...

Funny people of London, the summer is here and it’s time to grab new opportunities and get seriously comical. Buckle up, laugh fans, here we go. Open Mic Nights‘Alex Williams Presents The Dial-Up’ is a mixed bag of an open mic night held on June 15 at the London Improv Theatre. Comedy, music, and spoken word all feature and bagging a spot is easy, just turn up and say hello! (Free) Every Thursday over in Stoke Newington is the White Hart’s Open Mic night, mixing amateurs and pros for one laugh-out-loud night of open mic fun. To book your spot, check out their Facebook page. Gigs + EVENTSNot strictly in June but if you don’t book soon, this one will be gone. SNL’s Michael Che is in London for one night only on July 30 playing north London’s beautiful and intimate Union Chapel. Not to be missed.

Louisa Mellor Dec 15, 2017

We chatted to actor and writer Sally Phillips about comedy, European accents, special cuddles, writing films and more...

“I’m quite keen to meet a Finnish shaman, have you seen them?” asks Sally Phillips three minutes into an interview that’s supposed to be about her role in new family animation Ferdinand. Scrolling through her phone, she presents me with a photograph of a fearsome looking woman with Pris from Blade Runner eye make-up, wearing an elaborate headdress and holding a tambourine.

See related Star Wars: The Last Jedi review

“Look at the expression! Very, very miserable, tambourine, excellent eye make-up” says Phillips, delighted. “I play a character who looks a bit like that in Zapped! and I did something else recently where they painted a black chicken on one eye. I thought, well, it’s slowly, slowly happening, I’m turning into a Finnish Shaman.”

Despite not having visited Finland,...

Live at the Apollo is moving from BBC One to BBC Two, as the latter channel tries to become the 'home of stand-up comedy'.

Alan Carr, Dara O'Briain, Noel Fielding, Romesh Ranganathan, Katherine Ryan and Russell Kane are all already confirmed as guest hosts for the new six-episode series of 30-minute shows.

A Christmas special hosted by comedian and ventriloquist Nina Conti and featuring special guests will also air in December.

BBC Two and BBC Four boss Kim Shillinglaw said (via Broadcast Now) that the show plans to be "even naughtier and noisier" in its new home when the 11th series launches next month in a 10pm slot.

"Live at the Apollo has a fantastic reputation for bringing viewers the very best acts on the comedy circuit," she continued.

Ed Sleeman, BBC entertainment commissioning editor, said the line-up "reaffirms that Live at the Apollo is still the place to be...

Prized Apart: BBC One, 7pm

Only 6 couples are left in the running for £100,000 after last week's double elimination.

This week's survival challenge has the adventurers build a boat to get across a reservoir so that they can avoid a terrifying abseil down a 360ft waterfall.

Love Island: ITV2, 9pm

Caroline Flack hosts ITV2's tropical romance reality series, but which contestant will leave with the £50,000 prize?

Tonight you can catch up with all of this week's romances and shenanigans on the Island.

Cordon: BBC Four, 9pm

The subtitled Belgian thriller series continues with a double bill tonight.

After a new batch of patients are admitted to the Institute, food starts to become scarce in the quarantine and the army are called in to keep the cordon secure.

The John Bishop Show: BBC One, 9:45pm

John Bishop hosts another night of comedy and music from the Hackney Empire in London.

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown will return for a new series in May and, yep, Joey Essex will be back.

Host Jimmy Carr will be back on the show alongside team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson and Countdown stars Rachel Riley and Susie Dent.

Once again, Dent will be joined in Dictionary Corner by a host of celebrities including Johnny Vegas, Joe Lycett and Nina Conti. And then there's Joey Essex - who won't be in Dictionary Corner this time, but will be helping out Riley with the letters and numbers. So that's going to go well.

The former Towie star previously appeared on the show in September, when he vowed that he could handle the Countdown clock because he's "a good counter" and strangely got confused about whether or not he was on Countdown.

Meanwhile, Lee Mack, Kathy Burke, Rhod Gilbert, Sara Pascoe and Kevin Bridges are among...

Universal Pictures

It’s the most wonderful time of the year (again), and as usual it’s getting to those last few weeks before the big day when creative ideas and planning make way for frantic grabs at whatever is left on the shelves after the Black Friday zombie hordes have cleared everything out.

But fear not: because the best of Christmas is watching movies, re-watching old TV specials and trying hard to forget that George Lucas ever decided that anyone wanted a Star Wars Christmas show, there’ll always be a helping hand round these parts for those who want it.

So if you’re buying for a difficult brother, a picky sister or just for the film, gaming or TV fan in your life, what follows is a compendium of the finest gift ideas for this year’s festivities, as usual there are massive opportunities to win most of what has been included…...

Universal

To celebrate the release of Nina Conti’s new comedy show Dolly Mixtures Live on DVD, we’re giving three lucky WhatCulture.com readers the chance to win a copy.

Following her win of Best Female TV Comic at the 2013 British Comedy Awards, this must-watch DVD brings Conti’s utterly unique style of comedy straight into your living room. Get ready for gut-busting laughs as ventriloquist Nina puts the audience at the centre of the action in hilarious situations, all with the help of her side-splitting ‘family and friends’, puppets based on facets of herself and people she knows.

There’s her 12 year partner in comedy and co-writer of the show deadpan monkey ‘Monk’, eccentric white-haired Scottish ‘Granny’, Granny’s 90 year old husband ‘John’, Nina’s mini-me and extremely elequent ‘Daughter’, ‘Stefan’ her dishy Polish builder, misunderstood posh pitball terrier ‘Killer’, and of course ‘the mask.’ Arguably the naughtiest accessory in Nina’s show,...

The British Comedy Awards 2014 nominations have been revealed.

Matt Berry's Toast of London is up for six awards, while Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's Harry and Paul's Story of the Twos has four nominations.

Berry himself has three nominations, including Best TV Comedy Actor and new category Best Internet Comedy Short.

The BBC's Would I Lie to You? receives four nominations, as team captains David Mitchell and Lee Mack find themselves both up for Best Male TV Comic.

Berry, Enfield and Whitehouse are up against The Wrong Mans' Mathew Baynton in the Best TV Comedy Actor category, while Alan Carr will need to defend his Best Comedy Entertainment Personality title from Graham Norton, Ant & Dec and Adam Hills.

This year's ceremony has introduced two new categories - Best Internet Comedy Short and Best Comedy Moment of 2014. Best Comedy Film and Best International Comedy Programme have also made a return to the line-up,...

Nina Conti turns audiences ''lurid and sexual'' at her gigs. The comedienne - who performed live at Prince Harry's 30th birthday - joked the infamous mask sketch she does at her shows often results in some of her crowd turning into ''monsters''. She exclusively told Bang showbiz: ''People get very lurid and sexual quite easily, I promise that's not my fault! But often that's what happens when you put a mask on someone it actually unleashes a monster. I try for it not to go that way but on occasion is has!'' The 40-year-old star appears on stage with a variety of puppets...

Nina Conti has signed up to host a new variety show on BBC Two.

The Va-Va-Riety Show will see a mix of cabaret, burlesque, magic, musical comedy and circus performance.

A pilot episode will be filmed at London's Theatre Royal Stratford East on July 28.

The ventriloquist previously hosted a pilot show for the BBC titled Speak for Yourself.

Conti was named Best Female TV Comic at the 2013 British Comedy Awards for her appearance on Live at the Apollo.

Last night (July 10), she performed at Tim Minchin's Summertime show in Hyde Park.

The Television Academy of Arts & Sciences released this year's Emmy ballots on Monday. Now that the ballots are out, it's time for our annual two-pronged experiment, in which Dan tries to predict the likeliest nominees in each major category, while I pretend that I'm an actually TV Academy member and pick the six nominees that would make me the happiest. We are, as always, playing by the Emmy rules, which means we can't argue for someone who didn't submit themselves (say, Alan Cumming for "The Good Wife"), can't move someone from lead to supporting or vice versa, and can't declare that "True Detective" is a miniseries and therefore clear more room in the drama categories. I'm also obviously limited by what I watched and what I haven't. I've only seen a couple of "Nurse Jackie" episodes so far this season, for instance, and the sample size wasn't enough for me...

Network: HBO

Episodes: Eight (half-hour)

Seasons: One

TV show dates: May 12, 2013 -- July 7, 2013

Series status: Cancelled

Performers include: Chris O'Dowd, Nina Conti, and Tom Bennett.

TV show description:

This documentary-style comedy series follows Tom Chadwick (Chris O'Dowd). He's 30-year-old who recently broke up with his girlfriend of five years and was also made redundant at his "pretty sexy" job reconstructing car accidents and assessing claims for an insurance company. As a result, he has an unsure sense of his own identity.

Tom is feeling pretty lost until he inherits a mysterious box of belongings from a distant great aunt. He starts investigating his lineage and uncovers a whole world of unusual stories and characters, acquiring a growing sense of who he and his real family are.

Bea (Nina Conti) is...

HBO has decided to cancel Family Tree after one low-rated season. The eighth and final episode aired in July.

A docu-style comedy, Family Tree was created and written by Christopher Guest and Jim Piddock. The story follows Tom Chadwick (Chris O'Dowd), a young man who feels lost in his life until he inherits a box family heirlooms. The contents send him searching for his roots. Nina Conti and Tom Bennett co-star.

A co-production of the BBC and NBC-Universal, the eight episodes ended up averaging just 540,000viewers.

What do you think? Did you enjoy Family Tree? Would you like to see it continue somehow? Perhaps in another form?...

Millions know him as part of C4's It Crowd or as the charming cop in Hollywood hit Bridesmaids. Now the versatile Irish actor is making his mark on the stage in Of Mice and Men

On the Cannes Croisette, in the foyer of the postmodern Jw Marriott hotel, a bundle of brightly polished people from the film industry are standing together in a roped-off area, enjoying a free drink and the illusion of celebrity. Slinking by unnoticed, trundling a small case towards the lifts, is a tall man in a hoodie, with messy hair and stubble.

Is he a TV cameraman or a seedy showbiz journalist? No, it is Chris O'Dowd, one of the most bankable stars to attend the film festival that year, 2012.

No matter how famous the Irish actor gets, following lead roles in Bridesmaids and The Sapphires (along with a disturbing television cameo in the acclaimed HBO series Girls), his ambling,...

John Bishop's Christmas Show proved popular, topping Monday's (December 23) ratings outside of soaps, according to overnight figures.

The BBC One show, featuring the likes of Nina Conti and Tim Vine, entertained 4.75 million (19.9%) at 9pm.

Earlier, Celebrity Mastermind quizzed 4.08m (18.9%) at 7pm, followed by A Question of Sport with 4.07m (17.4%) at 8pm. Would I Lie to You? gathered 3.51m (13.9%) at 8.30pm.

On BBC Two, a classic festive episode of The Good Life was seen by 1.51m (6.4%) at 7.30pm. University Challenge interested 2.63m (10.7%) at 8pm, while a broadcast of Jane Eyre appealed to 1.82m (7.6%) at 8.30pm.

ITV's final episode of Tales from Northumberland attracted 3.04m (12.3%) at 8pm (123,000/2.5% on +1). Gary Barlow's special Journey to Afghanistan was seen by 3.06m (12.7%) at 9pm (325k/1.7%).

On Channel 4, Nigella Bites brought in 817k (3.6%) at 7pm (122k/0.5%), followed by a festive Food Unwrapped with 1.02m (4.1%) at 8pm (178k/0.7%). Heston's Great British Food intrigued 820k (3.4%) at...

The British Comedy Awards took place in London tonight (December 12).

Jonathan Ross hosted the event which celebrated some of the funniest stars and shows of 2013. It aired live on Channel 4.

The winners list in full:

King/Queen of Comedy

Jack Whitehall - Winner

Alan Carr

David Mitchell

Graham Norton

Lee Mack

Sarah Millican

Best Comedy Panel Show:

Would I Lie To You - Winner

8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown

A League of Their Own

Have I Got News For You

Best Comedy Entertainment Programme:

The Graham Norton Show - Winner

Alan Carr Chatty Man

Saturday Night Takeaway

The Last Leg

Best Sketch Show:

Harry & Paul - Winner

Horrible Histories

It's Kevin

Psychobitches

Best Sitcom:

Getting On - Winner

Bad Education

Count Arthur Strong

Peep Show

Best New Comedy Programme:

Plebs - Winner

Count Arthur Strong

Cuckoo

Psychobitches

Best Male TV Comic:

Lee Mack, Would I Lie To You - Winner

David Mitchell,...

Steve Coogan, Lee Mack and Paul & Harry were among the winners at the British Comedy Awards in London this evening (December 12).

Jonathan Ross hosted the show, which aired live on Channel 4.

Alan Partridge star Coogan took home the Outstanding Achievement award, while Jack Whitehall received the King of Comedy accolade, as voted for by the public, for the second year running.

Mack had two reasons to celebrate, after he won Best Male TV Comic and Would I Lie To You - which he co-hosts with David Mitchell - was awarded the Best Comedy Panel Show trophy.

It was another double win for Paul Whitehouse, who was given the prestigious Writer's Guild of Great Britain Award and also celebrated winning the Best Sketch Show accolade alongside Harry Enfield for Harry & Paul.

Fresh Meat's Whitehall was awarded Best TV Comedy Actor, with Miranda Hart reclaiming her title as Best TV...

News

Fox cut back on its order of Dads, which isn’t a good sign for the critically-reviled sitcom.

Sutton Foster has joined the cast of Darren Star‘s TV Land pilot Younger according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series follows a forty-something divorcee who succeeds in lying about her age while restarting her life.

Aw, I miss Bunheads. And not just for the hot marine biologist bartender.

In talking with Vulture, Scandal-creator Shonda Rhimes discusses last week’s shocking opening scene and how it reflects the mindset of the writers’ room. “I feel like we’re fighting against the very traditional idea that we see these people and we identify with them and therefore they must be good. On our show, we see these people and we identify with them — that doesn’t mean they’re good by any stretch of the imagination. Sometimes you love Cyrus, and he is a monster.

The British Comedy Awards have revealed the nominations for this year's ceremony, with Alan Carr, Jack Whitehall and Miranda Hart all battling for prizes.

Jonathan Ross is once again hosting the awards, which will air live on Channel 4 next Thursday (December 12).

The Last Leg and its host Adam Hills lead the way with a total of three nominations.

Hills is in the running for Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist and Best Comedy Entertainment Personality, while The Last Leg is in contention to be named Best Comedy Entertainment Programme.

Jo Brand and Vicki Pepperdine are each nominated for their roles in NHS sitcom Getting On, which also receives a nod in the Best Sitcom category.

The Great British Bake Off's Mel and Sue are up against the likes of Miranda Hart and Sarah Millican for Best Female TV Comic.

Best New Comedy Programme will see competition from Count Arthur Strong,...

Comic and ventriloquist Nina Conti is shooting a game show pilot for BBC One, it has been revealed.

Audience tickets are available for the show, which has the title Speak For Yourself and follows a similar format to ITV's Mrs and Mrs. The main twist will be that Conti co-hosts the show with her two puppets Monket and Granny.

The description of the pilot claims that couples' relationships will be "put to the test" by the show.

"Nina, with the help of her cheekiest puppet characters, finds out what skeletons lurk in the cupboards of our two couples," reads the outline.

"The big questions are… how well do our couples know each other and how well do they work together? And which couple will win the big cash prize at the end of the show?"

Earlier this year Conti starred in HBO and BBC Two comedy Family Tree alongside Chris O'Dowd.

In memory of pioneering Scottish documentarian John Grierson (1898-1972), each year The Grierson Trust recognizes the best documentary filmmaking through the British Documentary Awards. This year's first prize winner for Most Entertaining Documentary was awarded to "Nina Conti: A Ventriloquist's Story-Her Master’s Voice" while the time traveling story of the deterioration of the poorest areas of London, "The Secret History of Our Streets: Deptford High Street" was awarded Best Historical Documentary. When Dawn Airey, Chariman of the Grierson Trust opened the evening he commented that, "All the nominations share one thing: the burning desire to reveal the human story at the centre of them." Here is the full list of Grierson winners- Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme -7/7: One Day in London Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme -Law of the Jungle Best Documentary on Current Affairs- Syria: Across the Lines Best Arts Documentary-Imagine: The...

Chicago – There are a few major comedies on New Releases shelves this week along with some interesting, smaller films and one of the most anticipated TV shows of 2013. What options are new in the world of Blu-ray, DVD, streaming and digital TV providers? Some of the most interesting and most unbearable comeedies of the year hit your home viewing radar. Here’s how to rank them from ha-ha to hateful.

The Heat

Photo credit: Fox

“The Heat”

Paul Feig’s mega-comedy proved that star power can go a long way in overcoming the relative shortcomings of a pretty mediocre script. There’s nothing really special about “The Heat” on paper but when you put the incredibly likable Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy (two of the most popular actresses in the world right now when one considers that both this and their other 2013 films — “Gravity” and “Identity Thief” — broke $100 million domestically) in front of the camera,...

BBC One's hugely popular Live at the Apollo returns for a new series next month, and Eddie Izzard and Jack Whitehall are among the comedians headlining the shows.

The BAFTA-nominated series features different hosts performing for 3,500 fans at the Hammersmith Apollo, alongside two special guests.

Izzard will top the bill in the first episode and will be joined by Josh Widdicombe and Trevor Noah.

Later in the series, Whitehall, Sean Lock, Last Leg presenter Adam Hills and Nina Conti will all perform.

The lineup in full for the new series of Live at the Apollo:

Episode 1 - Host Eddie Izzard with special guests Josh Widdicombe and Trevor Noah

Episode 2 - Host Jack Dee with special guests Seann Walsh and Milton Jones

Episode 3 - Host Sean Lock with special guests Romesh Ranaganathan and Marcus Brigstocke

Episode 4 - Host Adam Hills with special guests Andi Osho and Terry Alderton

Episode 5 -...

To mark the release of the BBC sitcvom Family Tree, we’ve been given three copies of the show to give away on DVD. The show has a gerat cast which includes Chris O’Dowd, Nina Conti and Tom Bennett.

This off-the-wall hit HBO series is comprised of 10 x half hour, single camera episodes that give the show trademark spoof documentary awkwardness, with added satirical humour.

The Chadwick family are brought to life by largely improvised performances from an ensemble case of comedy greats including Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, The Sapphires, The It Crowd) as protagonist Tom Chadwick, Tom Bennett (Midsummer Murders, Eastenders) as his best friend; BAFTA winner Nina Conti (For Your Consideration, Holby City) as his quirky sister Bea; and Michael McKean (Murder She Wrote, Homeland, The Adventures of Superman) as his British soap loving father. Supporting roles from Ed Begley, Jr. (Pineapple Express, This is Spinal Tap,...

★★★★★ From the pen of writer, actor and comedian Christopher Guest comes HBO's Family Tree, a mockumentary series that centre on one man's mission to find himself - one relative at a time. Fresh from his big screen success in Bridesmaids (2011) and The Sapphires (2012), Chris O'Dowd takes the lead as Tom Chadwick, a thirtysomething who finds purpose in a mysterious box of belongings inherited from a great aunt he had never met. The box sparks the beginning of a journey of self-discovery as Tom begins investigating his family lineage and uncovers a plethora of wild and wonderful characters along the way.

Beginning in London, Tom travels to his father's home with his sister Bea (Nina Conti) and her truth speaking, hand-puppet Monkey. When their father, Keith (Michael McKean) breaks the news of their aunties death, both siblings are thrilled to discover that they will receive some inheritance. What immediately appears to...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Oct. 29, 2013

Price: Two-dvd $29.98

Studio: HBO Home Entertainment/Warner Home Video

One of the brains behind This is Spinal Tap, Christopher Guest brings his mockumentary style to TV with the HBO comedy Family Tree.

The television show stars Chris O’Dowd (Frankie Go Boom) as 30-year-old Tom Chadwick, who loses his job and his girlfriend. When he inherits a mysterious box from a great aunt he’s never met, he begins to explore his family heritage with the help of his sister (Nina Conti, For Your Consideration), best friend (Tom Bennett, TV’s PhoneShop) and friendly neighbor Mr. Pfister (Jim Piddock, The Five-Year Engagement).

Ed Begley Jr. (TV’s Arrested Development) and Michael McKean (The Words) also star in the show.

Family Tree got mixed reviews, with Entertainment Weekly calling it “smart,” but Variety saying it’s “disappointing.”

The two-dvd set carries these special features:

“Keith’s Favorite 1970s Sitcoms,...

The first season of Family Tree finished airing on HBO early last month. HBO hasn't announced a second season renewal yet and the show's fate is still up in the air.

A documentary-style comedy, Family Tree follows an insecure young man who's perspective starts to change when a distant aunt dies and leaves him a mysterious box of belongings. This leads him to start investigating his lineage. He uncovers a world of unusual stories and acquires a growing sense of who he and his real family are.

Executive produced by Christopher Guest, the show stars Chris O’Dowd, Nina Conti, and Tom Bennett. The series is a co-production between BBC Two in the UK and HBO here in the states.

At the TCA Summer Press Tour, HBO programming president Michael Lombardo said that no decision has been made yet but, "The BBC I...

HBO's new Family Tree TV series recently completed its eight episode first season. There's been no word yet on the show's future. Should HBO cancel it or bring it back for a second season instead?

Family Tree is a documentary-style comedy that follows a young man who's feeling pretty unsure about himself after he loses his job and his girlfriend. That starts to change when a distant aunt dies and leaves him a mysterious box of belongings. This leads him to start investigating his lineage. He uncovers a world of unusual stories and acquires a growing sense of who he and his real family are.

Executive produced by Christopher Guest, the show stars Chris O'Dowd, Nina Conti, and Tom Bennett.

Family Tree may have some devoted fans but there don't seem to be many of them. It's HBO's lowest rated series...