News

Exclusive: Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has rounded out its cast, bringing on 11 international talents to star opposite the returning Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. The list includes Salvatore Esposito (Gomorrah), Orli Shuka (Gangs of London), Evin Ahmad (Who Is Erin Carter?), Cristian Solimeno (The Glass Man), Nazmiye Oral (Propaganda), Yasen Zates Atour (The Witcher), Giuseppe Schillaci (Romulus), Dino Kelly (Peaky Blinders), Rico Verhoeven (Black Lotus), Velibor Topic (Outside the Wire) and Antonio Bustorff (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One).

(L-r) Rico Verhoeven, Velibor Topić and Antonio Bustorff

Wrapping principal photography on July 5th — a little more than a week prior to the launch of the SAG-AFTRA strike — Pantera marks the sequel to Den of Thieves, the action thriller from writer-director Christian Gudegast which grossed nearly $45M stateside and more than $80M WW via STX in 2018. The original film watches as a group from the L.

Itvx Hits One Billion Streams After Five Months

ITV’s streaming service Itvx has reached one billion streams, less than five months after it launched. The last time ITV hit a billion streams, in 2022, it took seven months. The service replaced ITV Hub in the UK on December 13, and integrated programs from BritBox, the streamer it ran with the BBC. March represented Itvx’s best streaming month, with 282 million streams, up 100 million year-on-year. Itx offers dramas such as The Twelve, Without Sin and A Spy Among Friends. From its archive content, early 2000s drama Footballers’ Wives is the top performing show, with One Tree Hill the top U.S. boxset. Love Island and Unforgotten are also singled out as drivers.

‘Naked Eduction’ Maker Betty TV Hires Head Of Production

All3Media’s Betty TV, the UK behind the controversial Channel 4 series Naked Education, has its first Head of Production in five...

Sky’s outgoing director of drama Cameron Roach has launched Rope Ladder Fiction, a Manchester-based independent production company.

The company’s focus will be on providing training and development opportunities to new talent and to create scripted content. It is already working with some of the industry’s most prolific broadcasters and commissioners on a range of projects, with the aim of production commencing in 2022.

Rope Ladder Fiction will also build upon Roach’s first solo project, curating Flip the Script, a training program to provide 12 paid placements for aspiring script editors in the U.K.’s Northwest run by social enterprise Sharp Futures.

Roach began his career in script and series editing on long-running drama series such as “Casualty,” before landing his first producing job on season 6 of the hit prison drama “Bad Girls” for Shed Productions. He went on to produce two seasons of “Footballers’ Wives.”

He joined...

In an internal note seen by Variety, Gary Davey, CEO of London-based Sky Studios, has revealed to staff that Cameron Roach is to step down from his role as director of drama at Sky Studios in the spring.

In his memo, Davey wrote: “Cameron has decided to take some time out and spend more time with his family in Manchester.”

Roach joined Sky Drama as commissioning editor in 2013, and worked across a range of titles including Sky Originals “Britannia,” “Bulletproof” and “Riviera.” Since autumn 2018, he has led Sky Drama in the U.K. and during this time the team have delivered hit series including “Chernobyl,” “Gangs of London” and most recently “I Hate Suzie.”

Davey added: “As well as raising the scale, ambition and critical acclaim of Sky Drama, Cameron has been instrumental in Sky’s drive to produce more diverse programming, both in front of and behind the camera.

1980: General Hospital's Tracy ignored Edward's plea for help.

1985: Bo & Hope were married on Days of our Lives.

1986: Days' Caroline told Bo that Victor Kiriakis was his father and Mary Beth Evans debuted as Kayla Brady. "History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1967: NBC daytime drama Another World was broadcast live for the final time.

1980: On General Hospital, Tracy (Jane Elliot) refused to help her father, Edward (David Lewis), when he had a heart attack.

1985: On Days of our Lives, Bo Brady (Peter Reckell...

1980: General Hospital's Tracy ignored Edward's plea for help.

1985: Bo & Hope were married on Days of our Lives. 1986:

Caroline told Bo that Victor Kiriakis was his father. 1986: Mary Beth

Evans debuted as Kayla Brady. "All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1967: NBC daytime drama Another World was broadcast live for the final time.

1980: On General Hospital, Tracy (Jane Elliot) refused to help her father, Edward...

Mark Harrison Aug 24, 2017

When have tabloid rumours been spot on about Doctor Who, and when have they been, er, less accurate?

“Look Who's the Doc's new assistant!” On Tuesday, the Mirror's front page trumpeted an exclusive reveal that Bradley Walsh would be Jodie Whittaker's companion in the new series of Doctor Who.

See related Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 6 questions answered Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 7 review: The Dragon And The Wolf

The one-time Sarah Jane Adventures guest star would be the first companion actor to have hosted a quiz show with the same name as a 1960s serial, but beyond trivia, the report has been fairly well received as far as we can see – Walsh is a decent actor, who's worked with incoming executive producer Chris Chibnall before on Law & Order UK, and a fun screen presence. But given the source, might it all be a load of bobbins?...

Documentary film The Class of 92 documented the journeys of a group of footballers as they went from fledgling youth players to worldwide icons in a matter of years.

Now, a new BBC series shows how Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt are taking on the serious side of football: owning a club.

The five players (minus fellow Class of 92 star David Beckham) star in Out of Their League, a three-part series that follows the new owners of Salford City Fc, after they decided to buy their local club in 2014. The documentary promises to give football fans a rarely-seen close look at how a football club is run, and the challenges that face everyone from the owner to the tea lady.

A future reality show?

One of the greatest things about the series is the characters it throws up. Every club across the country has its jokers,...

Non-stop flatulence, a dead possum, and being too darn sexy. Are these the most ridiculous I'm a Celebrity fights in the history of the jungle?

After Croc campmates Melanie Sykes and Vicki Michelle bickered over a pencil in last night's show (November 26), we reminisce over some of the silliest spats over the years.

From Brian Harvey's continual wind to Darren Day being too darn sexy - here are 10 absurd jungle rumbles:

1. Darren Day's too sexy for the jungle?

Sizzling sexual chemistry or far too much flatulence? It was almost impossible to keep up with Darren Day and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's love/hate relationship in the 2002 series.

Palmer-Tomkinson shocked the entire nation as she revealed the root of their tension was all down to Day's unbridled sexiness, shouting: "I'll tell you why I am very uptight. It's because I think you are so f**king sexy."

Most put it...

Suspects will return for a third series in January on Channel 5.

The semi-improvised crime drama - which stars Fay Ripley, Damien Molony and Clare-Hope Ashitey - will air four new episodes over a two-week period.

The new series begins with the return of DS Jack Weston (Molony) after a period of enforced leave.

Emmett Scanlan (The Fall), Ben Peel (The Fall), Lucy Gaskell (Casualty) and Chris Coghill (EastEnders) will all guest star in the third series.

Jody Latham (Shameless), Ray Fearon (Da Vinci's Demons) and Kathryn Drysdale (Benidorm) will also appear.

Devised by Paul Marquess (The Bill, Footballers' Wives), the series was Channel 5's first original drama for eight years. Working without a traditional script, the cast improvise their dialogue and actions based on a detailed plot synopsis.

Tumble: BBC One, 6:30pm

Presented by Alex Jones, BBC's gymnastics contest sees five of the celebrities perform acrobatic floor routines, while the remainder take to the aerial hoop.

The bottom two contenders from the first and second week will face The Vault, where head judge Nadia Comaneci will decide who to eliminate and who to save. Beth Tweddle will also perform.

Got to Dance: Sky1, 8pm

The dance auditions continue, as the contestants aim to impress the judges in order to earn a place in the live shows.

The judging panel includes former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, West End tap-dancer Adam Garcia and Diversity's Ashley Banjo. Davina McCall presents.

TV's Nastiest Villains with Joan Collins: Channel 5, 9pm

Joan Collins announces the results of an online poll in which viewers were asked to vote for TV's nastiest villain. Jr Ewing from Dallas, Walter White from Breaking Bad, Dynasty's...

Suspects will return to Channel 5 later this month.

The semi-improvised crime drama will launch its second series over two nights on Wednesday, August 20 and Thursday, August 21 at 10pm.

Fay Ripley, Damien Molony and Clare-Hope Ashitey will reprise their roles from the first series, with In the Flesh actor Luke Newberry joining the cast for the new episodes.

Last month, it was announced that EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks and Emmerdale's Dominic Power will guest star in Suspects.

Meanwhile, Claire Cooper (Hollyoaks), Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank), Emmett Scanlan (The Fall) and Ben Peel (The Fall) will all feature in upcoming episodes.

Devised by Paul Marquess (The Bill, Footballers' Wives), the series was Channel 5's first original drama for eight years. Working without a traditional script, the cast improvise their dialogue and actions based on a detailed plot synopsis.

EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks will guest star in Channel 5's Suspects.

The network's original crime drama - which stars Fay Ripley, Damien Molony and Clare-Hope Ashitey - will return to screens with two hour-long specials in the autumn.

Emmerdale's Dominic Power, who played serial killer Cameron Murray, will also guest star in the new episodes.

In The Flesh actor Luke Newberry has also been cast, alongside Claire Cooper (Hollyoaks) and Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank).

Other guest stars for future episodes of the new season are Emmett Scanlan (The Fall, In The Flesh, Hollyoaks), Ben Peel (The Fall), Gillian Kearney (Casualty, Brookside) and Carley Stenson (Hollyoaks).

Devised by Paul Marquess (The Bill, Footballers' Wives), the series was Channel 5's first original drama for eight years. Working without a traditional script, the cast improvise their dialogue and actions based on a detailed plot synopsis.

The second series of Suspects will be comprised of five additional episodes,...

Fame Academy may only have lasted two series, but boy, did it burn bright. And even though it was over ten years ago that it was on our screens, we're still belting out David Sneddon's utter tune 'Stop Living The Lie' at our DS karaoke sessions.

But the news of series two's Alistair Griffin teaming up with Kimberley Walsh for a Tour de France single got us thinking - what happened to all of our favourite Fame Academy contestants? Well, here's what we could find out about 16 of the students over both series...

Series One

Ashley House

Ashley might have been eliminated in week one of Fame Academy (the shame) but he's not let that little disappointment hold him back. He went on to guest star in an episode of Cbbc's Mi: High... look, we promise, this gets better. He's now a sports presenter who helped launch Arsenal TV,...

Football on TV - it's a hard nut to crack.

Sure, there's blanket coverage of the sport itself - plus highlights shows - but when it comes to dramatising the beautiful game, things are a little more thin on the ground.

With this season drawing to a close and the 2014 World Cup getting underway in a little over a month, here's a look back at five times that telly took aim at footy - the results, as you'll see, are variable!

The Hurricanes (1993-1997)

This animated effort from '90s cartoon legends Dic Entertainment charted the misadventures of a fictional soccer team and their coach Jock Stone - a character based on Celtic Fc's 1951–57 manager Jock Stein.

The Hurricanes was top notch entertainment for kids - with a rocking theme tune - and there was a respectably high level of actual football content, even if our heroes always pitted their...

Channel 5 has commissioned more episodes of Suspects.

The broadcaster originally ordered 10 episodes of the semi-improvised crime drama and has aired five.

The five remaining instalments, plus some new episodes, will now form series two in the autumn, with an all-new third series also confirmed for 2015.

Ben Frow, Channel 5's Director of Programmes, said: "Suspects has been an incredible critical success for Channel 5, and praised for its innovative and game-changing approach to procedural drama.

"We're thrilled by the reaction and are excited about commissioning a further series for later in the year."

Fay Ripley, Damien Molony and Claire-Hope Ashitey star in Suspects. Working without a traditional script, the cast improvise their dialogue and actions based on a detailed plot synopsis.

Devised by Paul Marquess (The Bill, Footballers' Wives), the series is Channel 5's first original drama for eight years.

Suspects - Channel 5's stripped back cop drama: "It's electrifying"

Watch a...

Channel 5 has released a trailer for its new series Suspects online.

The police thriller - starring Fay Ripley, Damien Molony and Clare-Hope Ashitey - is the broadcaster's first original drama for eight years.

Suspects is shot in documentary style and is also partially improvised by the show's cast, who devise their own dialogue based on a detailed plot description.

Ripley plays the "witty and warm" Di Martha Bellamy, with Being Human star Molony cast as DS Jack Weston, a man of action with "acute emotional intelligence".

Children of Men actress Ashitey will appear as the "passionate yet level-headed" DC Charlotte 'Charlie' Steele.

Suspects - which will air on Channel 5 in February - has been co-created by Paul Marquess (The Bill, Footballers' Wives, Hollyoaks) and will run for ten weeks.

The Musketeers, True Detective: 14 thrilling new shows for 2014

Catch up on all the latest TV and Movies releases in Digital Spy's...

Tonight in London, the very worst in sauciness, smut, and sexploitation will be celebrated at 2013's Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Awards.

Folk singer Woody Guthrie's debut novel House of Earth will face off against the likes of Susan Choi's My Education and Rupert Thomson's Secrecy for the dubious honour of being named the filthiest and most foul.

Each year, the awards seek to celebrate the "most egregious passage of sexual description" in a novel, so here at Digital Spy, we figured we'd get in on the act - and that's not an innuendo.

Here's a few of television's very worst sex scenes, to prove that when it comes to coitus, telly can do the awkward, the awe-inspring and the just-plain-awful as well as any piece of literature...

Additional material by Daniel Sperling and Morgan Jeffery

The Inbetweeners

You couldn't make a list like this without mentioning...

Rebecca Adlington came over all teary following a confrontation with Matthew Wright over the cooking of a possum on I'm a Celebrity last night (November 25).

The Olympic swimmer had advised Wright to keep the the fire low to stop the food from burning at the suggestion of Kian Egan, before the broadcaster started frantically gesticulating, saying: "Stop telling me what to do. I know what he wants but I can't do it when every decision I make, you undermine." However, the pair speedily made amends.

Speaking of spats in the jungle, we dig out 8 of I'm a Celeb's classic campfire fights - from Darren Day's fartgate to Janice Dickinson threatening to fry Lynne Franks' breasts - below:

1. Out, sparko!

'Dark Destroyer' Nigel Benn criticised Scottish comedian Rhona Cameron for her "constant moaning" on I'm a Celebrity back on the first series in 2002, while she in turn accused him of being homophobic.

Fay Ripley and Damien Molony will lead the cast of Channel 5's new crime drama Suspects.

The cop thriller - previously titled Evidence - is the broadcaster's first original drama series in eight years.

Ripley will play "witty and warm" Di Martha Bellamy in Suspects - which is to be shot in documentary-style, with dialogue improvised by the actors.

Being Human star Molony - currently starring in BBC One's Ripper Street - has been cast as DS Jack Weston, a man of action with "acute emotional intelligence".

Children of Men actress Clare-Hope Ashitey will also appear as the "passionate yet level-headed" DC Charlotte 'Charlie' Steele.

Suspects has been co-created by Paul Marquess (The Bill, Footballers' Wives, Hollyoaks).

The ten-part series focuses on a team of three detectives and their distinctive approaches to the job of policing, with each episode telling a discrete, self-contained crime story.

Channel 5 will air Suspects in...

Channel 5 is to produce its first original drama in eight years.

Evidence - a new procedural crime drama - will air in early 2014.

Each self-contained episode follows ten very different cases - from the committing of the crime, through its investigation and then to the final conclusion.

The series centres around three core detectives whose professional and personal approach to the job of policing drives the series.

Paul Marquess (The Bill, Footballers' Wives, Hollyoaks) will serve as exec producer on Evidence - which promises to use filming techniques and a directorial approach usually associated with factual programming and fly-on-the-wall documentaries.

"This is something new for the channel and we're working with the people who really know this kind of programming," said Ben Frow, director of programmes for Channel 5.

"It's part of my desire to broaden the channel and take calculated risks and I think it will sit comfortably alongside our...

A flash back to 1984, Sex and the City and Martha Jones? Bring it on The Carried Diaries.

News

As the TCA session continued, The CW's Mark Pedowitz was asked about the renewal odds for its shows. The news souds good for Supernatural fans, the Nikita viewers get to join the Happy Endings boosters in the "sweating it out" seats.

Speaking of Happy Endings, Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall talked with Happy Endings producers David Caspe and Jonathan Groff who remain optimistic about the series future, despite the worrysome ratings, "we've all felt from the beginning that we're the underdog show that somehow continues to scrap its way along. Honestly, we read all these articles about how we're f--ked and everything, but it sort of feels like we're always f--ked and we always keep going."

The CW won't be adapting Battle Royale into a series, after all. Now I'm hoping all this...

Waterloo Road's Zoe Lucker has revealed that she would consider returning to EastEnders. Lucker, who made her name on Footballers' Wives, played Max Branning love interest Vanessa Gold between June 2010 and October 2011. In an interview with The Mirror, the actress explained: "I was only ever contracted for the Max and Tanya storyline for a few months. "But by the time I'd left, I'd been there for 18 months, which was unexpected but brilliant at the same time. "I haven't ruled out returning to the show. (more)...

Waterloo Road fans get their first glimpse of the show's new hellraising Barry clan today (December 5) with the release of two new promotional pictures. As announced back in June, former Footballers' Wives and EastEnders actress Zöe Lucker has joined the cast of the BBC One drama as Carol Barry, the head of a Liverpudlian criminal family who have been tipped to cause mayhem at the school.

Pictured: Zöe Lucker as Carol Barry. As Carol's husband is in prison, she is the lone parent of three (more)...

Yotam Ottolenghi savours the flavours of Marrakech, 1950s TV newsroom drama The Hour returns and Michael Winterbottom explores the effects of a long stretch in prison

Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday

MondayCrime Stories

2pm, ITV1

Co-created by the people who brought us The Bill, here's a peculiar and rather worthy hybrid of fact and fiction – a fake fly-on-the-wall police procedural, starring a former real-life detective chief superintendent (Jane Antrobus). It's certainly plodding and humdrum enough to be authentic – though does chuck in the odd Columbo-style red herring to keep us interested. In this series opener, Di Jane and DS Ben Shaw (Hollyoaks' Ben Hull) investigate the case of an care home resident who's had his money stolen. Ali Catterall

The Dark Charisma Of Adolf Hitler

9pm, BBC2

Debut of a three-part series seeking to explain one of history's great inexplicables: how and why did the civilised people of a great European nation,...

'Footballers' Wives' star Cristian Solimeno and 'Torchwood' actress Amy Manson are among the new cast members who have began shooting 'Raw' series five in Dublin. The British stars join returning cast members Aisling O'Sullivan, Charlene McKenna, Damon Gameau, Keith McErlean, Tara Lee, Sam Keeley, Kelly Gough and Ger Ryan on the Octagon Films/Ecosse Films production for RTÉ.

Actor Ben Richards has split from his wife. The Footballers' Wives and The Bill star has broken up with wife Helen just months after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. Ben's doctors discovered a six-centimetre tumour in January. He then told fans that he was preparing to undergo radiotherapy treatment.

Helen took to Twitter last month to hint that there was something (more)...

EastEnders bosses have announced that former Footballers' Wives star Gary Lucy is joining the soap in a guest role. The actor is to play the part of 28-year-old Danny Pennant, a mischievous city banker who has been tipped to turn heads in Walford.

Pictured: Gary Lucy as Danny Pennant. Little is known about which characters Danny will be interacting with, but show chiefs have teased that the charmer "oozes sex appeal" and has a "compelling charisma". An EastEnders statement (more)...

Celebrity MasterChef will return next month for a new series, it has been confirmed. The cookery show's seventh run, hosted as usual by Gregg Wallace and John Torode, will play out in an early evening slot on BBC Two. A total of 16 celebrities will battle across 30 weeks of cooking challenges, culminating with the gruelling Critics' Table and final cook off. Gareth Gates, Bucks Fizz member Cheryl Baker, Footballers' Wives actress Laila Rouass and Jamie Theakston are among the series' most high-profile stars. Richard McCourt, better known as Dick from Cbbc's Dick and (more)...

Waterloo Road bosses have announced that Zöe Lucker is joining the cast of the BBC show. The former Footballers' Wives and EastEnders actress has signed up for the role of Carol Barry, the head of a Liverpudlian criminal family who have been tipped to cause mayhem in upcoming storylines.

Pictured: Zöe Lucker and Alec Newman. As Carol's husband is in prison, she is the lone parent of three unruly children - bad boy Barry (Carl Au) and daughters Dynasty and Kacey (Abby Mavers and Brogan Ellis). Viewers will see the kids arrive at Waterloo Road's new home in Scotland as the latest recruits for headmaster Michael Byrne's pupil referral unit. Michael (Alec Newman) hopes to turn them into model students, but it quickly becomes apparent that top grades are the last thing on their minds. Lucker commented: "I'm delighted to join (more)...

Doctor Who star Matt Smith reportedly once auditioned for a role on Footballers' Wives. The drama - starring Zoe Lucker and Ben Price - aired on ITV from January 2002 to April 2006. Smith's sister Laura Jayne told The Daily Mail: "I had a friend who worked on Footballers' Wives so I covered Matt in fake tan, gelled his hair, made him wear salmon pink trousers and sent him for an audition." However, Smith - who won the role of the Doctor in 2009 - failed to impress the Footballers' Wives team. "He (more)...

EastEnders star Chucky Venn has revealed plans to start an exercise club with his co-stars. The former Footballers' Wives actor, who was cast as Ray Dixon earlier this year, said that the likes of Patsy Palmer (Bianca Butcher) and Tameka Empson (Kim Fox) will join him on a training session. "I don't have as much time to train now, but I have promised a couple of my castmates that we'll hit the gym together," Venn told Inside Soap. "Both Patsy (more)...

The Bill star Ben Richards has revealed that he is undergoing treatment for cancer. The 39-year-old actor, who also appeared in Footballers' Wives and Holby City, revealed his diagnosis on Twitter last month and described the development as the "scariest news" of his life. He has continued to update followers since, recently writing: "So, am supposed to be heading off to La today, instead I'm meeting my Oncologist to discuss my course of Chemo and Radiotherapy. Yep, time...to battle the big C. "Prognosis is good gang and should kick this into touch in about 6 months, well this should be a different journey." Richards has upheld a positive outlook about his diagnosis, telling his followers of "3 random (more)...

British actor Ben Richards has been diagnosed with cancer.

The 39 year old, who appeared in U.K. TV dramas Footballers' Wives and The Bill, received the news from doctors last month, and has put off a planned trip to Los Angeles to fight the disease.

In a series of posts on his Twitter.com page, he tells fans, "After getting (sic) scariest news... I have to now postpone my La adventure for at least six months. I was born a fighter and will fight this.

"Time to battle the big C. Prognosis is good gang and should kick this into touch in about six months, well this should be a different journey."

Richards is preparing to undergo radiotherapy treatment.

EastEnders newcomer Chucky Venn has promised that his character Ray Dixon will strive to be a good father to his son Morgan. As announced late last year, the former Footballers' Wives star has joined the cast of the Walford soap to play Morgan's biological dad. Ray used to be in a relationship with Morgan's mum Bianca Butcher (Patsy Palmer), but currently has no idea that the youngster exists. However, next week's episodes see him discover the truth when Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) tracks him down. Venn told All About Soap of his new role: "He's a former Army man. Serving in the forces taught him discipline and how to handle himself in certain situations. He's a noble individual who'd take his parental responsibilities (more)...

EastEnders fans will be introduced to Morgan's real father Ray Dixon next week after Whitney makes the surprise decision to track him down. As announced late last year, former Footballers' Wives star Chucky Venn has been cast in the role of Ray - who hasn't seen Morgan's mum Bianca for a number of years.

Pictured: Chucky Venn as newcomer Ray Dixon. The new storyline for the Butcher clan begins when young Morgan (Devon Higgs) starts asking some awkward questions about his skin colour. A flustered Bianca (Patsy Palmer) immediately claims that his real father is Barack Obama - but Whitney isn't entirely comfortable with the lie as she watches on. Whitney (Shona McGarty) also notices that Bianca is strapped for cash, so she decides that it's time to take matters into her own hands by tracking Ray down. (more)...

Here's a pairing you wouldn't expect - "X-Men" and "Superman Returns" director Bryan Singer, and the classic gothic sitcom "The Munsters".

Deadline reports that Singer is finalising a deal to direct and executive produce NBC's planned small screen reboot of the 1960s sitcom.

As previously reported, "Dead Like Me" and "Pushing Daisies" producer Bryan Fuller is behind the revival which reimagines the comedy as a "visually spectacular one-hour drama". Both the Bryan's will executive produce.

The project would mark the third time Singer has helmed a pilot, following "House" (which he still executive produces) and ABC's American remake of British sexy soap "Footballers' Wives" which never got to air.

The director is to film a pilot of the boxer's life for HBO. What other sports stars' stories would make good TV?

American premium cable channel HBO has commissioned film director Spike Lee to make a pilot for a series based on the life of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson.

Da Brick will reflect aspects of Tyson's New Jersey upbringing and early career and is said to be a boxing equivalent to Entourage, whose creator Doug Ellin is also involved in the project. South London newcomer John Boyega, whose only previous role was as Moses in Joe Cornish's Attack the Block, has been cast as the main character.

A boxing drama is a good fit for HBO, which built its audience on world-title fights going as far back as 1975, when the channel screened the Ali v Frazier "Thrilla In Manilla" via satellite in the Us. It does however beg...

Ben Richards has admitted that he would consider taking a role in a soap. The actor, whose previous credits include The Bill and Footballers' Wives, revealed that he had missed out on a role in Coronation Street due to his "shocking" Northern accent. "I remember conversations with the casting agent and I literally did a tour of England and ended up in Pakistan which is quite interesting," he told RTÉ Ten. "She said, 'Ben, if ever you are in this show, we'll have to make it a London family coming in!' I read for a character who's not in it anymore, I can't remember and the lad that got it had a good, nice, strong Northern accent. Asked if he would consider a role in EastEnders, Richards commented that he would make a decision based on the character. "We'll see, the most important (more)...

On this date in...

1984: Ed told Maureen he wanted to have lots of babies on Guiding Light.

1986: Frannie had a memory about Doug Cummings on As The World Turns.

2001: Brandon Routh debuted on One Life To Live as Seth Anderson.

2008: Jack met Janet on As The World Turns.

2010: Lost aired its final episode.

Celebrating a birthday today are:

Mary Fickett (ex-Ruth, All My Children; ex-Katherine, The Edge Of Night) - 79

Joan Collins (ex-Eva, Footballers' Wives; ex-Christina, Pacific Palisades; ex-Alexandra, Guiding Light; ex-Alexis, Dynasty) - 79

Mark Arnold (ex-Robert, Scripts & Scruples; ex-Rob, One Life To Life; ex-Joe, Santa Barbara; ex-Steve, Rituals; ex-Gavin, Edge Of Night; ex-Buck, Guiding Light) - 54

Kelly Monaco (Sam, General Hospital; ex-Livvie, Port Charles) - 35

Tom Baran (Gabriel, The Omegas, ex-Casey, Scripts & Scruples; ex-Tony, As The World Turns) - 28...

Whether it's everyone and your Gran telling you to read Steig Larsson, or critics hailing an obscure Danish drama on BBC4 as the best thing since The Wire, it's clear we're basking in a golden age of Scandinavian fiction (although that's probably not the best cliché for a region often lacking in sunlight).

Inevitably, this successful invasion by our Viking cousins has been followed- by a slew of English-language adaptations (tagline: "For when you're too lazy, or stupid, to read subtitles."). Amongst others, we've had Kenneth Branagh busting chops as Wallander, a remake of The Killing screened recently on cable channel AMC in the Us, and David Fincher's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will be with us by the end of the year.

All of which, I'm sure, contributed to the decision to re-release this 1984 television relic. But it would be a mistake to lump Annika in with that current trend.

As a child, Jim Loach – son of Ken – swore he would never follow his father into film-making. But that didn't last. Here he talks to Cath Clarke about his first feature

When Jim Loach was a kid he thought Bafta award statuettes were doorstops – that's what they were used for in his house. "Sometimes the heads would fall off because they'd been picked up so many times," he says, grinning. He tells the story to explain how far removed his "normal" childhood, growing up in Bath, was from his dad's job. Dad is Ken Loach, and he is the second youngest of his five children. "Sorry, I always feel it's a slightly boring answer, but that's the way it was," explaining the lack of glamour at home. No shelf dedicated to the back catalogue then? "God, no, not at all." At one point Jim and his sister swore a "blood...

Laila Rouass's Holby City character is to take a central role in the medical drama's 2011 storylines, series producer Myar Craig-Brown has revealed. Earlier this month, it was announced that the former Footballers' Wives and Primeval star had been cast as new regular character Sahira Shah, a brilliant surgeon and devoted mum. Show bosses have already confirmed that Sahira has a dark history with fellow newcomer Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry), who has been guiding her career. In an interview with Inside Soap, Craig-Brown promised big things for the character of Sahira after being asked to disclose details (more)...

Laila Rouass has joined the cast of Holby City, taking on the role of new regular character Sahira Shah. The former Footballers' Wives and Primeval actress has already started filming with the BBC medical drama and will make her first appearance in the show in February. Sahira is a brilliant surgeon who quickly finds herself competing with Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) for the position of top dog at Holby following her arrival on screen. Another ongoing storyline will focus on Sahira's dark history with Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry), who has been guiding her career. Fans will also see the married newcomer struggle to resist a growing attraction to Greg Douglas (Edward MacLiam). Speaking of her new role, Rouass commented: "I'm over the moon to be joining the cast of Holby and am enjoying bringing the character of Sahira Shah to life. Like (more)...

Phina Oruche has admitted that her Hollyoaks role is the most challenging of her entire career. The former Footballers' Wives actress joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap earlier this year, signing up for the part of devoted mum Gabby Sharpe. In an interview with Closer magazine, the star was asked whether she is enjoying her time on the teen show. She replied: "Yeah, it's a different way for me to go, like I haven't played a mum before. I had a break, obviously, to have a baby so it was quite interesting coming back. It was a different way to go to be a mum. "The cast are so strong and (more)...

Joe Absolom was booted off 71 Degrees North last night at the semi-final stage of the reality show. The TV actor was given the chop by his rivals Gavin Henson and Susie Amy, who both voted for him at the final elimination. Amy and Marcus Patrick only picked up one vote each and will join Henson, who won this week's immunity challenge, in the three-way final next week. Absolom was generally regarded as the biggest threat to rugby star Henson and the Welsh sportsman admitted that his vote was tactical rather than based on talent. Henson revealed: "I voted for Joe because he was the strongest one here I think. It's given me an easier ride in the final." Footballers' Wives actress Amy commented: "I voted for Joe tonight because he's had more ups and downs than everyone else and I doubt he wants to be here." Speaking (more)...

Gillian Taylforth has stated that only her Eastenders character Kathy Beale could rid former on-screen husband Phil Mitchell of his drug addiction. The Footballers' Wives actress, who starred in the BBC soap from 1985 to 2000, argued that her character had the ability to turn Mitchell's life around again after helping him through his alcoholism in a previous storyline. Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Taylforth commented: "It sounds as though everything is going downhill for Phil again, doesn't it? If Kathy was still alive, I think she'd get in there and sort it all out - she was always like that, wasn't she?" "Good old Kathy, always someone to rely on. She (more)...

Susie Amy has said that she adores fellow 71 Degrees North contestant Andrew Castle. The ex-Footballers' Wives actress said that she bonded well with the other stars on the ITV1 reality show. Amy told Metro: "I'd worked with Marcus Patrick before so he was a familiar face, Gavin Henson was the strongest so everyone wanted to be on his team and I adore Andrew Castle. "I thought of him as a wholesome family man but he's got the most fantastic dirty sense of humour. Even when he was being negative he brought the mood up (more)...

Hollyoaks newcomer Alex Fletcher has revealed that she is excited about joining the show. The former Brookside star, who recently took part in Celebrity MasterChef, will play Diane O'Connor in the soap and admitted that she has complete confidence in show producer Paul Marquess. Speaking to Pa, she said: "Paul is an amazing producer, and I'm not just saying this to get brownie points. He is the guy who did the live episode of The Bill and was the chief exec on Footballers' Wives - he just knows how (more)...

Adam Rickitt has admitted that he turned down the chance to return to Coronation Street. The 32-year-old quit the role of Nick Tilsley in the ITV soap in 1999 but made brief comebacks in 2002 and 2003. Shortly after ITV announced that the part was being recast, Footballers' Wives star Ben Price was confirmed as Rickitt's replacement. Rickitt told Celebritain: "I was checked out at the time as to whether it's something I would be keen to do, and to be honest however much I loved doing the show and working with the people at that time I find (more)...