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The following contains light spoilers for Ludwig Series 1, Episode 1, now streaming on BritBox.

David Mitchell has carved out his space in British television by playing charmingly strange characters, and that trend continues with Ludwig, the new detective comedy-drama coming to BritBox after its successful outing on BBC One. Mitchell is neither creator nor writer on Ludwig -- that would be Mark Brotherhood -- but the show feels like it was tailored to him. It's a mystery series, but at its heart, it's a workplace comedy that's just got some dead bodies in it.

Ludwig is titled after the nickname of John Taylor, a reclusive character who crafts newspaper puzzles. But when John's straight-laced twin brother James goes missing, his wife Lucy recruits John to pose as James and look for clues about his disappearance. Naturally, this half-cocked scheme spins out of control, and what follows will be immediately addictive to...

Today, in celebration of National Puzzle Day, BritBox debuted the official trailer for its Original detective comedy Ludwig, which will premiere with two episodes on Thursday, March 20 followed by one new episode weekly through the April 17 finale.

The detective show broke viewership records in the UK, with more than 9.5 million viewers and a second season already confirmed.

In the series, puzzle setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor sees his life of solitude turned upside down when his identical twin brother, James, disappears without a trace. In a quest to track James down and bring him home, Ludwig assumes his brother’s identity – but by taking over every aspect of James’s life, Ludwig is forced to confront his issues.

Unlike Ludwig, James is no hermit. Far from it, in fact. He’s a family man who also just happens to be the Dci of a busy inner-city major crimes team.

For Ludwig,...

David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin will return in for Ludwig series 2. More news can be found below these words.

David Mitchell has become a familiar face in UK comedy, whether trying to discern who’s telling the truth in Would I Lie To You? or as the uptight Mark Corrigan alongside long time comedy partner Robert Webb in Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain’s Peep Show.

He also took on the role of William Shakespeare in Ben Elton’s sitcom Upstart Crow, and reprised the role for a stage adaptation that opened in 2020 and then again when the play was restaged in 2022.

Just as Alan Davies took a left turn from stand-up comedy to drama in David Renwick’s superb Jonathan Creek, Mitchell recently moved into the realm of crime drama to play the title role in six part BBC series Ludwig.

Anna Maxwell Martin co-stars as Lucy Betts-Taylor,...

David Mitchell takes the lead role of John Taylor, a man who enjoys spending leisurely days focusing on puzzles and word games. Keeping to himself in the home of his youth, John’s world is suddenly upended one evening with an unexpected phone call from Lucy.

Her husband James, John’s identical twin brother, has mysteriously vanished without a trace. A police detective, Lucy, suspects James’ disappearance relates to a case he had been investigating covertly. With no one else to turn to, Lucy recruits the socially withdrawn John for an improbable plan.

Posing as his missing sibling, John must infiltrate the police department in hopes of finding clues to solve the mystery of James’ whereabouts. What begins as a reluctant impersonation soon pulls John deeper into the complex casework as his logical problem-solving skills prove valuable to the investigation.

This six-part BBC series follows John’s foray into adapting to his twin’s life,...

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Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is the second season of the biographical crime drama anthology series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. Season 2 of the Netflix series focuses on the real-life 1989 murders of José and Kitty Menéndez which were committed by their sons Lyle and Erik Menendez, and while you think you might know the whole story, there is so much more that you might not know which you will see in the series. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Cooper Koch, Javier Bardem, and Chloe Sevigny in the main roles. So, if you loved the crime thriller story, compelling characters, and the darkness of humanity in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix...

David Mitchell leads new BBC crime drama Ludwig, and the trailer for the show has landed. Anna Maxwell Martin co-stars.

David Mitchell has become a familiar face in UK comedy, whether trying to discern who’s telling the truth in Would I Lie To You? or as the uptight Mark Corrigan alongside long time comedy partner Robert Webb in Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain’s Peep Show.

He also took on the role of William Shakespeare in Ben Elton’s sitcom Upstart Crow, and reprised the role for a stage adaptation that opened in 2020 and then again when the play was restaged in 2022

Just as Alan Davies took a left turn from stand-up comedy to drama in David Renwick’s superb Jonathan Creek, Mitchell is now moving into the realm of crime drama to play the title role in six part BBC series Ludwig.

The synopsis reads as follows:

When...

For the most recent precedent for Grand Theft Hamlet, you’d probably have to go back nearly 20 years, to a 2006 episode of South Park. Titled “Make Love, Not Warcraft,” it found Cartman marshaling his friends to take on a super-advanced rogue player with a posse of killer crabs who has taken to killing everyone in his path in the Tolkienesque greenfields of Azeroth. This virtual psychopath sends shivers down the spines of the programmers at WoW’s corporate HQ.

After Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls’ documentary debuted earlier this week at SXSW, however, it is only a matter of time before directors see the multitude of possibilities to be mined from the gaming world, not least because the technical advances made in recent years mean that even the most basic console games can blow up to fill a cinema-size screen quite comfortably.

Documentary Grand Theft Hamlet may have been born out of the ennui bred by Covid lockdown in 2021, but it’s anything but boring.

Innovative, highly amusing and often touching, this collaborative project, competing in the documentary feature strand at SXSW, takes place entirely within the open game world of Grant Theft Auto Online. In this sprawling virtual space, temporarily out-of-work U.K.-based actors Sam Crane (who has played Harry Potter in the London production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and his friend Mark Oosterveen decide to mount a production of Hamlet, a first for both the theater and gaming worlds.

Luckily, Crane’s partner Pinny Grylls is also a filmmaker. She takes on the directing and editing, using the cellphone cameras avatars can use in the game to film from other angles and provide close-ups. The couple juggle caring for their small children with putting on the...

David Mitchell leads new BBC crime drama Ludwig, and the first details of the show have landed.

David Mitchell has become a familiar face in UK comedy, whether trying to discern who’s telling the truth in Would I Lie To You? or as the uptight Mark Corrigan alongside long time comedy partner Robert Webb in Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain’s Peep Show.

He also took on the role of William Shakespeare in Ben Elton’s sitcom Upstart Crow, and reprised the role for a stage adaptation that opened in 2020 and then again when the play was restaged in 2022

Just as Alan Davies took a left turn from stand-up comedy to drama in David Renwick’s superb Jonathan Creek, Mitchell is now moving into the realm of crime drama to play the title role in six part BBC series Ludwig.

The synopsis reads as follows:

When John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor’s (David Mitchell) identical twin,...

"This doesn't paint a very pretty picture, does it?" HBO has revealed the full official trailer for the 4 episode mini-series titled Landscapers, directed by the British filmmaker Will Sharpe, who also made this year's fantastic The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (one of my favorite films of the year). Supposedly based on a true story, which sounds about right, a devoted and mild-mannered couple decides to kill their spouse's parents. They only get in trouble when their bodies are found. Sharpe directs this "exploration of love and fantasy," which is created and written by screenwriter Ed Sinclair. Starring the talented Olivia Colman (who's also in this year's The Lost Daughter) and Emmy nominee David Thewlis, along with Kate O'Flynn, Dipo Ola, Samuel Anderson, David Hayman, Felicity Montagu, and Daniel Rigby. I like how many styles and looks there are in this trailer, all kinds of things going on. Did they do it?...

"My husband and I got ourselves into a bit of a pickle." A big time pickle. HBO has debuted a teaser trailer for a new 4 episode mini-series titled Landscapers, directed by the British filmmaker Will Sharpe, who also made this year's fantastic The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (one of my faves). Supposedly based on a true story, which doesn't seem that surprising to learn, a devoted and mild-mannered couple decides to kill their spouse's parents. They only get in trouble when two bodies are found. Sharpe directs this "exploration of love and fantasy," which is created and written by screenwriter Ed Sinclair. Starring the talented Olivia Colman (who's also in this year's The Lost Daughter film) and Emmy nominee David Thewlis, along with Kate O'Flynn, Dipo Ola, Samuel Anderson, David Hayman, Felicity Montagu, and Daniel Rigby. This is just oozing with style and all kinds of funky shots galore,...

HBO has released the first teaser for yet another prestige limited series, which are quickly becoming the network’s bread and butter since the hits of “Big Little Lies” and “The White Lotus.” Starring Academy Award winner Olivia Colman and “Harry Potter” favorite David Thewlis, “Landscapers” is a darkly comic mystery about a seemingly ordinary married couple who become the subjects of a murder investigation after two dead bodies are discovered in their back garden. Set in the northern English city of Nottingham and inspired by real-life events, the four-part series is the creation of debut screenwriter Ed Sinclair, who also happens to be Colman’s husband.

A little more about the unique love story: “As the investigation moves forward, inspired by Susan’s obsession with old Westerns and classic cinema, the fantasists cast themselves as Hollywood heroes in narratives of their own invention. Powered by Susan’s extraordinary imagination,...

The CW Network announced two new variety specials: “The Black Pack: We Three Kings” and “The Black Pack: Excellence.” The former is set to debut Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. while the premiere of the latter will be announced at a later date.

Both specials star Taye Diggs, Ne-Yo and Eric Bellinger and pay homage to the talent of the Rat Pack while celebrating excellence and camaraderie through varied musical performances while inciting audiences to sing along with the classic music. “The Black Pack: We Three Kings” is a holiday celebration of music, comedy and dance and “The Black Pack: Excellence” aims to celebrate Black excellence and culture with musical and dance performances that will feature special guests to commemorate Juneteenth. This special will also pay tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. and feature a new Juneteenth anthem.

Both specials are produced by Magic Lemonade and executive produced by Diggs, Shannon Stoeke and Rikki Hughes.

Series five took Inside No. 9 to new and unusual places: the changing room at a premier league football match, a Louisiana prison, a cemetery at night, Wood Green… In fan-treat episode ‘Death Be Not Proud’, it even revisited an old haunt. Co-creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith welcomed new guest stars including David Morrissey, Ralf Little, Jenna Coleman, Phil Davis and Maxine Peake.

The series earned Bafta nominations for Best Scripted Comedy and Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme, to go with Steve Pemberton’s 2019 Bafta win for the previous series. It offered laughter, tears, blood, a gristly beheading, and most of all, it offered variety. Streaming now on BBC iPlayer in the UK, find all the series five episode details and links to our spoiler-filled reviews below.

The Referee’s a W***er

Directed by: Matt Lipsey

Guest cast: David Morrissey, Ralf Little, Dipo Ola, Steve Speirs...

David Thewlis has been cast to star opposite Olivia Colman in the HBO and Sky crime drama “Landscapers.”

The four-part limited series, inspired by real events, tells the story of a seemingly ordinary couple who become the focus of an investigation when two dead bodies are discovered in the garden of a Nottingham house.

Thewlis will play Colman’s husband, Christopher Edwards. Additional cast members include Kate O’Flynn, Dipo Ola, Samuel Anderson, Karl Johnson, Felicity Montagu and Daniel Rigby. Will Sharpe will direct all four episodes, stepping in for Alexander Payne, who dropped out of the series in October.

“Landscapers” was created and written by Colman’s real-life husband, Ed Sinclair. The project is produced for HBO and Sky Studios by Sister in association with Colman and Sinclair’s South of the River Pictures. Executive producers include Sharpe, Sinclair and Colman, as well as Jane Featherstone and Chris Fry of Sister.

Fargo actor David Thewlis is to star opposite Olivia Colman in HBO and Sky’s limited series Landscapers, which tells the story of a couple who become the focus of an extraordinary investigation when two dead bodies are discovered in a back garden.

Produced by Sister, in association with Colman’s South of the River Pictures, the darkly comic four-part series is currently in production in the UK. Flowers helmer and Giri/Haji actor Will Sharpe is directing, as previously revealed by Deadline.

Landscapers is set in the northern English city of Nottingham and is inspired by real-life events. Created and written by debut screenwriter Ed Sinclair, it is billed as an exploration of love and fantasy. Thewlis and Colman star as husband and wife Susan and Christopher Edwards.

As the investigation moves forward, inspired by Susan’s obsession with old Westerns and classic cinema, the fantasists cast themselves as...

David Thewlis has signed on to star opposite Olivia Colman in “Landscapers,” HBO’s four-episode limited series from Sky Studios about a seemingly ordinary couple who become the focus of an investigation when dead bodies turn up in their yard.

Will Sharpe, who worked with Colman in the offbeat 2016 British comedy series “Flowers,” has signed on to direct all four episodes. The series hails from the Sister production banner and first-time TV series creator Ed Sinclair. Jane Featherstone, Chris Fry, Colman and Sinclair are executive producers for Featherstone’s Sister banner and Colman’s South of the River Pictures. Production is under way in the U.K.

Thewlis is known for his role as werewolf Remus Lupin in the “Harry Potter” film franchise. He also played Ares in 2017’s “Justice League.” Other recent credits include the 2017 edition of FX’s “Fargo,” National Geographic’s “Barkskins” and last year’s Charlie Kaufman...

David Thewlis will star opposite Olivia Colman in HBO and Sky’s long-gestating limited series Landscapers.

Colman and Thewlis (Wonder Woman, Fargo, the Harry Potter series) will play a seemingly ordinary couple who become the focus of an extraordinary murder investigation when two bodies are discovered in the back garden of a house in Nottingham, England. Production is underway in the U.K., some 15 months after Colman signed on to the series.

The cast also includes Kate O’Flynn, Dipo Ola, Samuel Anderson, Karl Johnson, Felicity Montagu and Daniel Rigby. Ed Sinclair, Colman’s husband, wrote the series, which is based on real events, and ...

David Thewlis will star opposite Olivia Colman in HBO and Sky’s long-gestating limited series Landscapers.

Colman and Thewlis (Wonder Woman, Fargo, the Harry Potter series) will play a seemingly ordinary couple who become the focus of an extraordinary murder investigation when two bodies are discovered in the back garden of a house in Nottingham, England. Production is underway in the U.K., some 15 months after Colman signed on to the series.

The cast also includes Kate O’Flynn, Dipo Ola, Samuel Anderson, Karl Johnson, Felicity Montagu and Daniel Rigby. Ed Sinclair, Colman’s husband, wrote the series, which is based on real events, and ...

Baba Lenga is quite a character. When the unassuming bathroom attendant played by Dipo Ola is first introduced, he’s just trying to get through his thankless shift spraying cologne and handing out towels next to the toilets. He takes his job seriously, but not so seriously that, when push comes to shove, he will let a couple of hard-partying coke-heads snort a few lines. But a switch gets flipped when Baba spots that same couple in the back alley, and the aggro dude is getting a little too forceful with his hired “date.” It’s then that we see Baba’s dark side, and soon after we learn where it came from: This current U.K. bathroom attendant is a former child soldier from the Congo. His past is haunted, his secrets are black as night, and all he wants is to chase the light bursting from this adoring...

In what looks a key moment in the streaming revolution, Disney has announced that from Oct. 1 it will shutter its kids channels in the U.K. following the launch of Disney Plus and an inability to reach new carriage deals with Sky and Virgin Media.

All three linear Disney brand channels – Disney Channel, Disney Xd and Disney Jr – will be taken off air, though other Disney-owned networks such as National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild and Fox will remain. Last year, Disney did the same in New Zealand shortly after Disney Plus was launched there.

“The direct-to-consumer service, which garnered more than 54.5 million subscribers worldwide in its first seven months, will now premiere all the latest films, series and specials from the three Disney Channels, along with offering a rich and expansive back catalogue of Disney Channel titles in the U.K.,” said Disney’s official statement.

Although Comcast-owned Sky...

Showtime is moving Ethan Hawke’s The Good Lord Bird later in the year – a shift designed to put more context around the abolitionist miniseries as the focus sharpens on the issue of systemic racism in the U.S.

The Hawke drama was originally intended to premiere on August 9 but will now move its launch to October 4 in a slightly earlier slot – 9pm rather than 10pm.

The series, which is based on James McBride’s award-winning novel, is told from the point of view of Onion (Joshua Caleb Johnson), a fictional enslaved boy who becomes a member of John Brown’s motley family of abolitionist soldiers and eventually finds himself participating in the famous 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry. Brown’s raid failed to initiate the slave revolt he intended but was a key instigating event of the Civil War.

The network is understood to have consulted with the producers and...

Showtime has moved up the premiere date of its upcoming miniseries “The Comey Rule” based on former FBI director James Comey’s memoir. It will air over two nights on Sept. 27 and 28.

Last week, Showtime announced that “The Comey Rule,” which stars Brendan Gleeson as President Donald Trump, would air in late November. The election is scheduled for Nov. 3. Showtime told TheWrap yesterday it was likely to move up.

Additionally, Showtime picked up the six-episode drama “We Hunt Together” from BBC Studios, which “explores the intoxication of sexual attraction and the dangerous power of emotional manipulation. As two conflicted detectives (Eve Myles and Babou Ceesay) track down a pair of deadly killers (Hermoine Corfield and Dipo Ola), the series reveals how finding a volatile form of solace in another can have dire consequences.” It will premiere on Aug. 9, moving back the Ethan Hunt-led “Good Lord Bird” to Oct. 4.

Also...

Showtime has officially moved the premiere date for its miniseries about former FBI Director James Comey and his tumultuous relationship with President Donald Trump to prior to the presidential election.

The move comes after backlash from the cast and crew, expressed in a letter written by series writer and director Billy Ray. In the letter, Ray said he was told that the decision to air the two episodes after the election was “made at the very highest levels of Viacom.”

“We all were hoping to get this story in front of the American people months before the coming election. And that was a reasonable expectation considering that we’d been given a mandate by the network to do whatever was necessary to deliver by May 15,” Ray wrote.

His and the cast’s wishes have now been granted, as the series will air over two consecutive nights on Sept. 27 and 28. News...