News

After a year that’s seen TV dominated by royals, from the inescapable coverage of the Queen’s death to the much-debated fifth season of The Crown and Harry and Meghan’s tell-all Netflix documentary, Prince Andrew: The Musical feels like a darkly fitting conclusion. Naturally, there will be people who slam this Christmas special, written by and starring impressionist Kieran Hodgson, for the title alone. Should you make comedy about these serious allegations – sexual abuse, sex trafficking and paedophilia – at all?

In the end, Patm doesn’t actually try to. This is not a South Park-esque edgelord musical retelling, with jokes making light of Andrew’s behaviour. In fact, the allegations are largely tap-danced around, while the royal is painted as a general wrong ‘un. Instead, we go on a journey through Andrew’s life, with lengthy compilations of archive footage overlaid with a voiceover from Hodgson as Andrew,...

When a drag queen called Baga Chipz is selected to play Margaret Thatcher in a TV show, and that’s not even the most delicious bit of casting, you know you’re onto a winner. In Channel 4’s Prince Andrew: The Musical, Prince Charles, will be played by none other than Munya Chawawa – the British-Zimbabwean comedian who has made a career, in part, out of mocking the royal family’s colonial connections.

Earlier this year, the comic shared a skit on Instagram in which he plays the gilded trio of Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Charles, all reminiscing fondly on colonial times. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because we colonised it,” his Prince Charles says at one point, giving a spot of fatherly advice to his son.

In another video, he skewers Prince William and Kate Middleton over their controversial trip to Jamaica in March.

As if Prince Andrew wasn’t already disgraced enough, a musical TV special is set to satirize the embattled British royal still further.

Featuring Harry Enfield, one of Britain’s best-known impressionists, “Prince Andrew: The Musical” will focus “on the key events, relationships and controversies of Andrew’s life, including a reimagining of the former-hrh’s bombshell interview with Emily Maitlis,” according to the logline.

Andrew’s disastrous 2019 interview with then “Newsnight” anchor Maitlis was widely mocked and condemned and proved to be the catalyst in Andrew’s banishment from public life.

The musical was written by Kieran Hodgson, who will also play Andrew.

“Kevin & Perry Go Large” star Enfield has been cast as former Prime Minister Tony Blair while Emily Maitlis will be played by “Starstruck’s” Emma Sidi.

Joining them are Munya Chawawa (“Taskmaster”) as Prince Charles, Jenny Bede (“Catastrophe”) as Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson (nicknamed Fergie...

Emma Sidi has landed the role of broadcaster and MacTaggart Lecture giver Emily Maitlis in Channel 4’s upcoming satire Prince Andrew: The Musical.

Maitlis’ bombshell BBC interview on Newsnight with Prince Andrew, in which the royal denied a friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and made several eyebrow-raising statements, led to cascade of events that saw him step back from royal duty.

Maitlis has since left the BBC and was credited for delivering a barnstorming MacTaggart at this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival. The musical special will feature a reimagining of her interview with Prince Andrew, with emerging British comedy star Sidi playing the journalist.

Kieran Hodgson (Two Doors Down), who has written the show to a musical score along with Freddie Tapner, plays the royal and will focus on events, relationships and controversies in his life.

Further central cast announced today are Munya Chawawa as Prince Charles and Jenny Bede as Prince Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson.

Also cast are Joe Wilkinson as a newspaper vendor; Harry Enfield (Harry Enfield and Friends) as Prime Minister Tony Blair and Baga Chipz (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK) as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Hat Trick Productions is making Prince Andrew: The Musical, with Adam Reeve producing and Stu Mather and Jimmy Mulville the executive producers. Hodgson is an associate producer.

The program was first unveiled in August at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

Who are the stars of tomorrow in TV, film and theatre?

Digital Spy presents its predictions for 2015 - in no particular order, here are seven young actors, writers, comedians and musicians who look destined to make an impression on the world of entertainment this year.

1. Billy Howle

After graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2013, Billy Howle quickly landed television work in Channel 4's New Worlds and on ITV's Vera.

But the young actor first came to our attention last year with his powerful performance as the troubled James in sorely underrated countryside thriller Glue.

Next up for the talented Howle is a plum role in BBC One's adaptation of Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie, which is due to be broadcast later in 2015.

2. Hannah Britland

A graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Hannah Britland launched her television acting career with early roles in Misfits and Skins.

Exclusive: Sex tape romance, from the director of Resistance and Jadoo, stars the daughter of Joely Richardson and Tim Bevan.

Post-production is underway on Nothing Like This, the new British feature from director Amit Gupta (Resistance, Jadoo).

The film is produced by Dean Fisher (City Rats, Squat) and is the first feature from production company Canary Wharf Films – a joint venture between Fisher’s Scanner-Rhodes Productions and Urban Way Productions.

The cast is led by Ray Panthaki (28 Days Later) and Daisy Bevan (Elizabeth), the daughter of actress Joely Richardson and Working Title boss Tim Bevan.

Panthaki plays actor Jay, whose sex tape made him an internet sensation and ruined his career. His parents refuse to speak to him, his acting career is reduced to offers for condom commercials and no girl wants to date the man on that tape but things start to change when Jay meets Hannah, played by Bevan. This relationship...