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ITV Studios weighs into the 2025 London TV Screenings with its biggest slate in the last couple of years, certainly on the format side, and one of the weightiest lineups of any company presenting in London this week.

Its Feb. 26 showcase at the Odeon Leicester Square, open exclusively to buyers, will launch 12 brand new dramas, 26 returning seasons, 27 non-scripted titles and 10 new formats featuring must-check-out shows from many of the U.K.’s top production companies such as Sister Pictures, Quay Street Productions, Mammoth Screen, Lifted Entertainment (“Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway”) and Plimsoll Productions.

“Sister Pictures is not one of the ITV Studios family but the others are. That’s a real testament to the journey we’ve been on in the last few years of really trying to work with the best talent,” said Ruth Berry, president global partnerships & Zoo 55, ITV Studios.

It will show at the London Screenings.

Channel 4 is bringing back its big guns with a Russell T. Davies drama and the return of a David Mitchell and Robert Webb sketch comedy after 15 years.

It’s a Sin creator Davies is making Tip Toe for Channel 4, which the network describes as “exploring the most corrosive forces facing the LGBTQ+ community today.” The show follows Leo and Clive who live next door to each other in Manchester. Leo runs a bar, Clive’s an electrician, with two teenage sons. But just as life should be settling down, the world around them is growing more tense.

Speaking at a Channel 4 showcase this afternoon in London, Davies said the two leads, who he described as “big names,” are “lined up just not quite signed yet.”

Tip Toe returns to Manchester’s iconic Canal Street, made world famous by Davies’ 1990s hit Queer as Folk. On Tip Toe, he is...

Exclusive: Augustus Prew (Players) has joined the cast of the Paramount+ original drama series 1923 for Season 2. In a recurring role, Prew will portray ‘Paul’, a dapper, bookish, well-to-do young British man on a passenger ship.

1923 follows a new generation of Duttons led by patriarch Jacob (Harrison Ford) and matriarch Cara (Helen Mirren). The series explores the early 20th century, when pandemics, historic drought and the end of Prohibition plague the Mountain West and the Duttons who call it home.

Season 1 also stars Brandon Sklenar, Aminah Nieves, Darren Mann, Julia Schlaepfer, Brian Geraghty, Sebastian Roche, Jennifer Ehle, Marley Shelton, Jerome Flynn, Michelle Randolph and Robert Patrick.

As Deadline revealed last month, Dexter alum Jennifer Carpenter was cast in Season 2 of the Taylor Sheridan series. She will recur as ‘Mamie Fossett,’ a highly capable U.S. Deputy Marshall who serves warrants and makes arrests with confidence ahead of her time. Janet Montgomery...

Awards season may well be over for another year in the world of film, with the Oscars, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes just a distant memory now. But on Sunday evening, one of the biggest nights in British TV, the BAFTA TV Awards — this year hosted by comedians Rob Beckett and Ramesh Ranganathan — took place at London’s Royal Festival Hall. And on a night where the two most nominated shows, Black Mirror and The Crown, failed to snag a single win, Happy Valley, Top Boy, and The Sixth Commandment enjoyed great success in key categories, each taking home two awards apiece.

On the night, Sarah Lancashire won Leading Actress for her all-timer of a turn as police sergeant Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley, her second BAFTA for the same role. The show also snagged the public-voted Memorable Moment award for Catherine and Tommy Lee Royce’s (James Norton) remarkable final kitchen showdown.

The BAFTA TV Awards took place this sunny Sunday afternoon as the British equivalent of the Emmys awarded the best of the year’s TV on the other side of the Atlantic. The ceremony was hosted by Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett, who both hosted last year, while the event takes place at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank. Scroll down for the full list of winners.

Netflix’s “The Crown” leads the way with eight nominations. Another Netflix show, “Demon 79 (Black Mirror),” came in second with seven nominations while BBC’s “Happy Valley,” Apple TV’s “Slow Horses,” and BBC’s “The Sixth Commandment” all snagged six bids apiece.

Several US shows did well, too, with HBO’s “The Last of Us” and “Succession” each receiving five nominations — the same as ITV’s drama “The Long Shadow.” The BBC documentary “Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland...

The second half of the British Emmys — the BAFTA TV Awards — are about to kick off. The first segment took place at the end of April when the BAFTA TV Craft Awards gave out gongs for below-the-line artists nominated for their work in this year’s best TV shows. Now, the main ceremony is taking place. This one is where all the big stars rock up as the acting categories are presented tonight in what is a live, televised ceremony broadcast from the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank.

The stars are decorating the red carpet thickly and fastly while the sweat drips from the brows of our journalists just as thick and fast. It’s sweltering here in London. Props, then, must go to “The Hobbit” star Richard Armitage, who dons a pink velvet suit jacket. Velvet is a brave choice in such hot weather but he looks dashing as anything.

The BAFTA TV Craft Awards were handed out at the Brewery in East London on Sunday, April 28. The Craft Awards, like the Creative Arts Emmy, are dedicated to below-the-line categories with a dozen devoted to fictional programming, another six to factual, and four are in a combined field to make 22 categories overall. The main TV awards ceremony will commence on May 12 but, for now, scroll down for the full list of Craft Awards winners.

Fiction

Costume Design

“The Crown” – Netflix

“Silo” – Apple TV+

“Demon 79 (Black Mirror)” – Netflix

“The Great” – Lionsgate+ — Winner

Director (Fiction)

Joseph Bullman, “Partygate” – Channel 4

Lewis Arnold, “The Long Shadows” – ITV1

Peter Hoar, “The Last of Us” – HBO/Sky Atlantic — Winner

William Stefan Smith, “Top Boy” – Netflix

Editing (Fiction)

“Time” – BBC

“Happy Valley” – BBC

“Slow Horses” (episode 1) – Apple TV+ — Winner

“Slow Horses” (episode 6) – Apple TV+

Emerging Talent (Fiction)

Andrew Bogle (writer), “Kirkmoore Fudge Park” – BBC

Haolu Wang...

Not all superheroes wear capes, but Shirley Chisholm certainly did. In 1969, shortly after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress, Chisholm strode through the halls of power in a houndstooth cape coat. The coat was stylish, tasteful, and clear in its message: The Congresswoman would not be ignored.

That look is recreated in “Shirley,” Netflix’s biopic about Chisholm’s early years in the House of Representatives and her eventual run for president. In fact, it’s the very first thing we see Chisholm wearing as she poses with her fellow representatives for a Congressional class photo. For costume designer Megan “Bijou” Coates, this piece was perfect for introducing Chisholm (Regina King) as both a historical figure and a dramatic character. “It’s the cape,” she told IndieWire. “It’s all the elements of the costume: The gloves, the little fascinator, the boots. It evokes the power she had...

BAFTA announced its TV award nominations today with Netflix’s “The Crown” leading the way with eight nominations. Another Netflix show, “Demon 79 (Black Mirror),” came in second with seven nominations while BBC’s “Happy Valley,” Apple TV’s “Slow Horses,” and BBC’s “The Sixth Commandment” all snagged six bids apiece.

Several US shows did well, too, with HBO’s “The Last of Us” and “Succession” each receiving five nominations — the same as ITV’s drama “The Long Shadow.” The BBC documentary “Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland” and “The Eurovision Song Contest 2023” each received four bids.

“The Crown” was nominated in all the big categories, including Best Drama Series, Actor for Dominic West, and Supporting Actor for Salim Daw. It also received two Supporting Actress nominations — Lesley Manville and SAG winner Elizabeth Debicki.

The other Best Drama Series nominees are “The Gold,” “Top Boy,” and “Slow Horses.” The...

The Primetime Emmys dedicate an entire weekend to a collection of below-the-line categories with the Creative Arts Emmys. Similarly, the BAFTA TV Awards have the BAFTA TV Craft Awards to recognize these artists. A dozen categories are devoted to fictional programming, another six to factual, and four are in a combined field to make 22 categories overall. These awards will take place on April 28, two weeks before the main ceremony on May 12. Scroll down for the full list of Craft Awards nominees.

Fiction

Costume Design

“The Crown” – Netflix

“Silo” – Apple TV+

“Demon 79 (Black Mirror)” – Netflix

“The Great” – Lionsgate+

Director (Fiction)

Joseph Bullman, “Partygate” – Channel 4

Lewis Arnold, “The Long Shadows” – ITV1

Peter Hoar, “The Last of Us” – HBO/Sky Atlantic

William Stefan Smith, “Top Boy” – Netflix

Editing (Fiction)

“Time” – BBC

“Happy Valley” – BBC

“Slow Horses” (episode 1) – Apple TV+

“Slow Horses” (episode 6) – Apple TV+

Emerging Talent (Fiction)

Andrew Bogle (writer), “Kirkmoore Fudge...

Tubi, Fox’s ad-supported streaming service, has landed the U.S. and Canada rights to the upcoming British comedy thriller Dead Hot.

The Liverpool-set series tells the story of two twentysomethings Elliot and Jess, best friends united by a bond of grief at losing Peter—the first and only love of Elliot and Jess’ twin brother, who went missing in mysterious circumstances five years previously. Still reeling from the trauma, the best friends spiral into a hedonistic lifestyle, partying to numb their grief while clinging to a small hope that they will one day find out what happened.

The six-episode series is led by rising stars Bilal Hasna, who plays Elliot, and Vivian Oparah, who plays Jess. Penelope Wilton and Peter Serafinowicz round out the cast.

Dead Hot is created, written and executive produced by Charlotte Coben, daughter of author Harlan Coben and a producer and writer on Netflix’s popular Coben adaptations The Stranger,...

If you’d polled a million Doctor Who fans last week asking them to predict what would happen in “Wild Blue Yonder” – the second of three 60th anniversary specials – not a single one of them would have come close to guessing what that wild ride of an episode entailed. This leaves us wondering: what on earth have they got lined up for “The Giggle”, the third and final episode?

Some things we’ve known for a while: David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be back as the fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble, Neil Patrick Harris will play The Toymaker – a Who villain that we haven’t seen on TV since the sixties – and Jemma Redgrave is back as Unit boss Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.

Pretty much everything else we know has been gleaned from cryptic glimpses in teasers and trailers – so let’s put all the evidence we have so far together:...

U.K. public service broadcaster ITV launched proprietary streamer Itvx almost exactly 12 months ago with a star-studded event in London featuring talent including Helen Bonham Carter (the lead in Itvx original “Nolly”) and “Without Sin” star Vicky McClure.

Signalling its commitment to the new platform (which replaced much-maligned catch-up service ITV Hub), ITV CEO Carolyn McCall also directed $1.6 billion into original content for Itvx in 2023 alone, a bold move which briefly hit the company’s share price. “I know the London stock market was quite surprised,” she told Variety earlier this year. “But we knew that we had to do that to make this step change. Because without that, we wouldn’t be a powerful U.K. streamer.”

Itvx is primarily a free-to-watch AVOD platform, echoing ITV’s position as a commercial Psb, although it does offer an ad-free premium tier which also offers paying subscribers access to BritBox U.

Ruth Madeley's character, Shirley Anne Bingham, will continue to appear in future episodes of Doctor Who as the 56th scientific advisor to Unit. Madeley has previously worked with showrunner Russell T. Davies in his series Years and Years, and her casting in Doctor Who marks a reunion between the two. Unit, the organization Bingham is a part of, will play a significant role in Davies' new era of Doctor Who, facing various threats both alien and human.

Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson and David Tennant reveal Ruth Madeley's Unit scientific advisor Shirley Anne Bingham will return in future appearances following her role in the first 60th anniversary special "The Star Beast". Madeley starred alongside Tennant and Catherine Tate in the first episode of the long-running series' three-part 60th anniversary celebrations. In "The Star Beast", Bingham leads Unit's task force dispatched to secure a ship that has crash-landed at a London steelworks,...

David Tennant hints that Russell T Davies' new episodes of Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary stand out from previous ones. Tennant will portray a mysterious and cryptic new version of the Doctor, reuniting with Catherine Tate's Donna Noble for a trilogy of adventures in November. The second special, "Wild Blue Yonder," is described by Tennant as unlike any Doctor Who episode ever, showcasing Davies' unique style and creativity.

David Tennant teases his Doctor Who return ahead of the show's 60th-anniversary episodes, hinting that returning showrunner Russell T Davies' new stories stand out from what has come before. Portraying a familiar but cryptic new fourteenth incarnation of the Doctor, Tennant will reunite with Catherine Tate's former companion Donna Noble for a trilogy of adventures set to air in November. Across the three new Doctor Who episodes, the Fourteenth Doctor will face alien foes from decade-old Doctor Who comics, a...

The Toymaker's return after 57 years is just one of many nostalgic treats in store for Doctor Who fans in the 60th anniversary specials. Russell T Davies teases a potential link between the Toymaker and The Wire, suggesting a similarity in their methods of attacking the human race. The history of television appears to be at the center of the anniversary specials, with hints of John Logie Baird's involvement and the Toymaker using television to turn humanity against the Doctor and Unit.

It's possible that the plans of the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) share something in common with a forgotten villain from David Tennant's first Doctor Who era. Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor will reunite with Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) to confront the machinations of the Toymaker in three 60th anniversary specials written by Russell T Davies. Bizarrely, the anniversary will mark only the second time that the Doctor and the...

As earning significant profile for shows in a packed marketplace has become one of Europe’s most pressing industry concerns, a new and ambitious TV series festival is launching in Cadiz, southern Spain, as an initiative of Mediaset España and backed by shows from other key players on the Spanish TV scene, such as The Mediapro Studio and Movistar Plus+.

Speakers from the Spanish-speaking world take in writer-director-producer Armando Bo (“El Presidente”), an Oscar winning scribe for “Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” and Daniel Écija, an executive producer on key hits in the last decade in Spain such as the multi-genre free-to-air series “Estoy Vivo,” and “Locked Up” “(Vis a vis,” a key into its lift-off into premium drama selling worldwide.

Some titles screening at Cadiz are already celebrated, such as Russell T. Davies’ “Nolly,” starring Helena Bonham-Carter.

Also in the Coming Next section is Norwegian political satire “Power Play,...

A twerking hormone monster? Rapper Megan Thee Stallion will guest-star as herself in Season 7 of Big Mouth, premiering Friday, Oct. 20 on Netflix. Press play above to get a first look at Megan Thee Stallion’s animated self.

Other notable guest cast for the penultimate season include Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther), Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Padma Lakshmi (Top Chef), Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) and Billy Porter (Pose). Additionally, Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) will contribute an original song during the animated comedy’s upcoming run, which “follows the now teenage students of Bridgeton middle school as they make their way to high school,...

Masterpiece has revealed the premiere date and released a trailer for the upcoming miniseries, Nolly which stars Helena Bonham Carter as Noele “Nolly” Gordon, one of the most famous faces on British TV in the 1960s and ’70s.

Nolly played Meg Richardson in the hit ITV soap Crossroads before she was abruptly axed at the height of the show’s success. With the boss’ words “all good things must come to an end” ringing in her ears, Gordon found herself thrown out of the show that was her life for almost 20 years. Her firing was front-page news.

Nolly will premiere on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 9/8c on PBS. The series also stars Mark Gatiss and Con O’Neil.

The biopic comes from It’s A Sin creator Russell T Davies and is produced by ITV Studios-backed Quay Street Productions.

Disney+ has announced the casting for its upcoming 5-part thriller series ‘Playdate’ produced by Quay Street Productions and Brightstar.

The series cast will include Denise Gough, Holliday Grainger (Strike, The Capture), Ambika Mod, Jim Sturgess, Bronagh Waugh, and Michael Workeye (My Lady Jane, This Is Going to Hurt).

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name from Alex Dahl, the series is adapted by Catherine Moulton and directed by Eva Husson.

Also in news – ‘Batman’ immersive pop-up to hit central London to celebrate ‘Batman Day’ & the 15th anniversary of ‘The Dark Knight’

The story will follow Elisa as her world is turned upside down when her young daughter Lucia is kidnapped at a sleepover. Who is the mystery woman who took Lucia, and what secrets does she know about Elisa?

Nicola Shindler (Nolly, Stay Close, It’s A Sin) will produce or Quay Street Productions; Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward for Brightstar; Johanna Devereaux,...

Exclusive: Amazon Studios has rounded out its cast for the actioner Heads of State with the addition of Paddy Considine (House of the Dragon), Stephen Root (Barry), Carla Gugino (Leopard Skin), Jack Quaid (The Boys), Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso), Richard Coyle (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), Clare Foster (Sherlock), Katrina Durden (Doctor Strange) and Aleksandr Kuznetsov (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore).

The actors join an ensemble that John Cena, Idris Elba and Priyanka Chopra Jonas lead, as previously announced. No details as to their roles have been disclosed.

While plot details are also being kept under wraps, the film is being described as Air Force One meets Midnight Run. Ilya Naishuller (Nobody) is directing from a script by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec, who were themselves working from an initial draft by Harrison Query. The Safran Company’s Peter Safran and John Rickard are producing, with Cena, Elba and...

ITV’s digital business is starting to build. The UK network’s revenue from the segment was up £24M ($30.2M) to £106M in the first quarter of 2022 on a year-on-year comparison, a 49% uptick.

Streaming hours were also up 128 million following the move to switch its main digital service from ITV Hub to Itvx, which has launched a slate of original such as Nolly and A Spy Among Friends.

However, the Love Island and Malpractice broadcaster saw its overall external revenues dip 7% from £834M a year ago to £776M this quarter. Within that, Media and Entertainment was down £50M to £495M and ITV Studios was basically flat at £457M.

The M&e division houses the ITV network, which remains reliant on the volatile TV ad market, while ITV Studios key deliveries for the quarter included Nolly, Django for Sky, Big Beasts for AppleTV+ and Queer Eye for Netflix.

“ITV Studios continues to demonstrate significant strategic momentum,...

U.K. broadcasting giant ITV’s revenues dipped in the first quarter of 2023, but streamer Itvx has seen a growth uptick, according to figures released on Thursday.

The financial and operating performance for the three months to March 31 was “as expected,” ITV said, with total external revenue down 7% at £776 million ($979 million), compared to £834 million ($1.05 billion) over the same period in 2022.

Revenue at production unit ITV Studios was flat at £457 million (2022: £458 million). Deliveries in the U.K. and internationally included “Nolly” for Itvx, “Django for Sky,” Big Beasts for AppleTV+ and “Queer Eye” for Netflix.

ITV’s media and entertainment revenue was down 9% at £495 million (2022: £545 million), with total advertising revenue down 10%, which the broadcaster says is “better than the wider TV advertising market.” Within this, digital advertising revenue was up 30% at £87 million compared to the same period in 2022.

Free ad-funded streamer Itvx was the strong performer with total digital...

U.K. TV giant ITV on Thursday reported a 10 percent advertising revenue drop for the first quarter of 2023 amid macroeconomic clouds, slightly less pronounced than its forecast for a roughly 11 percent decrease, with the current second quarter forecast to record a 12 percent decline.

The company, led by CEO Carolyn McCall, said that April ad revenue dropped 12 percent, with May forecast to be down around 10 percent and June to be down around 14 percent.

ITV reported a 7 percent decline in total first-quarter external revenue for the January-March period to £776 million ($979 million) and detailed results for its key business units.

Quarterly revenue at its production arm ITV Studios was virtually unchanged at £457 million ($577 million). Shows delivered in the latest period in the U.K. and internationally included Big Beasts for Apple TV+, Sky’s Django, Itvx’s Nolly and Queer Eye for Netflix.

Meanwhile, revenue in ITV’s core media and entertainment unit...

Shindler’s credits include ‘It’s A Sin’ and ‘Happy Valley’.

The scripted television industry has “changed enormously” for women, according to UK producer Nicola Shindler, who was honoured at Series Mania last night with the festival’s Women in Series Award 2023.

Shindler made her name producing Russell T Davies hit drama Queer as Folk in 2000. When she began her career as a script editor there had been very few female producers with whom to work. “But my generation kind of moved up in the UK to be producers. A lot of those women have gone on to be executive producers.

U.K. producer Nicola Shindler received on Tuesday the third Women in Series Award at Series Mania, Europe biggest TV festival.

Few awards seem such just reward. From serving as a script editor on “Cracker” (1993), Jimmy McGovern’s breakout, to producing his “Hillsborough” (1995) and executive producing “Queer as Folk” (1999) which heralded Russell T. Davies as a major writing talent, very few producers have been so consistently successful down the decades.

Shows produced by Shindler in just the last 10 years take in Sally Wainwright’s “Happy Valley” (2014), Harlan Coben’s “The Five” (2016) and “Safe” (2018), Davies’ “Years and Years and It’s a Sin, his consecration, and now “Nolly,” made by Shindler out of Quay Street Productions, her new label launched in 2021 as part of ITV Studios.

“Her lineup is amazing,” said Francesco Capurro, head of the Series Mania Forum, introducing the Award on Tuesday.

All of which raises the huge question of...

French TV festival Series Mania started out playfully with a slew of humorous digs directed at its starry guests during the opening ceremony, including Brian Cox, back in town to hold a masterclass and introduce the latest episode of his smash hit “Succession.”

“I didn’t have time to watch Season 3. I have to see my children grow up, Brian!,” exclaimed host Daphné Bürki, before introducing this year’s opening show “Greek Salad” by Cédric Klapisch: “A prequel to ‘Norwegian Omelette,’ always starring Romain Duris,” Bürki joked.

Series Mania general director Laurence Herszberg joined in on the fun, giving a shoutout to “Emily in Paris’s” Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, attending with co-star Arnaud Binard: “She became a symbol of a Parisian woman. I hope there isn’t too much weight on your shoulders, Philippine!”

Jumping from stage onto the screen, Herszberg also starred alongside artistic director Frédéric Lavigne in...

More details are emerging about the planned Doctor Who spin-offs, one of which is set to feature Jemma Redgrave, as showrunner Russell T. Davies says an episode of the new series is “one of the greatest things I’ve ever made in my life.”

Since striking a mega international distribution deal for the show with Disney+, Davies, who is showrunning the series for the second time, has been clear that spin-offs will arrive as part of an expanded ‘Whoniverse.’

One of those spin-offs will be based on military research organization Unit and will star Redgrave as Kate Stewart, BBC sources confirmed. Redgrave has played Stewart in 10 episodes of Doctor Who since 2012 and the spin-off will focus on her running of the unit, which has appeared on and off in Doctor Who for the past 50 years.

She will potentially appear in the Doctor Who Christmas special later this year alongside new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

Nicola Shindler, CEO of Quay Street Production and the producer of such acclaimed British series as It’s A Sin, Queer as Folk and Happy Valley, has been named the recipient of this year’s Woman in Series award by international television festival Series Mania.

Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg and Francesco Capurro, director of the festival’s industry section, the Series Mania Forum, unveiled the news on Wednesday, timed to International Women’s Day.

The Women in Series award, presented in association with female professionals associations the European Women’s Audiovisual Network and Pour Les Femmes Dans Les Médias, honors the vision and leadership of “a remarkable woman from the audiovisual industry.” Shindler will receive the prize at a gala ceremony in Lille, France on March 21.

A prolific producer, Shindler has been a driving force in high-end British drama for decades. She’s worked with the likes of Russell T. Davies,...

ITV Studios – the parent company behind labels including Blumhouse Television and Tomorrow Studios – is not for sale, ITV boss Carolyn McCall has categorically told Variety.

Rumors began floating last fall that McCall, who has been at the helm of ITV since 2018, was considering selling off the conglomerate or potentially parceling some of it off. But in an interview with Variety McCall put paid to that idea.

“We don’t really comment on speculation but I will say ITV Studios is not for sale,” McCall said. “We’re an integrated producer-broadcaster so the benefits of that integration are very – it’s very important to Studios, but it’s also very important to the network.”

McCall also flatly denied plans to break up the company: “We wouldn’t do that. Because that wouldn’t make any sense.”

ITV Studios is the production arm of U.K. media conglomerate ITV, which also includes...

The story behind the rise of Viagra is getting a TV feature treatment for the BBC.

Written by Matthew Barry (Industry, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and exec produced by Russell T. Davies (Doctor Who, It’s a Sin, Years and Years), Men Up comes from Quay Street Productions (behind Davies recent drama Nolly and founded by Nicola Shindler, who exec produced It’s a Sin) and Boom.

Men Up is inspired by the true story of one of the world’s first medical trials for what would become the now world-famous drug, which were held in Swansea’s Morriston Hospital in Wales in 1994.

The cast includes Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones, Misfits, Riviera), Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk, The Pact), Alexandra Roach (Killing Eve, Sanditon, No Offence), Phaldut Sharma (Sherwood, Romantic Getaway), Paul Rhys (A Discovery of Witches, Rellick), Steffan Rhodri (House of the Dragon, Temple), Mark Lewis Jones (Gangs of London, The Phantom of the Open...

ABC has added Augustus Prew to “The Hurt Unit” pilot’s cast, the network confirmed to TheWrap.

Prew will play Gus, a member of the Hurt Unit team who weighs his aspiration to become a surgeon after recently being accepted into medical school with the high stakes job. As his job throws him into the depths of peril, Gus must decide if he truly wants to continue this line of work for the rest of his life.

The news comes just a day after “Gotham” actor Ben McKenzie was announced to star in the pilot as as Danny, a surgeon whose heroic yet perilous risk-taking tendencies tend to come with some serious consequences.

Also Read:

Ben McKenzie to Star in ABC’s ‘The Hurt Unit’ Pilot

The official logline for the pilot is as follows: “‘The Hurt Unit’ is a cutting-edge medical drama about a highly skilled team of trauma...

Exclusive: Augustus Prew has been cast as a series regular opposite Ben McKenzie and Michelle Ortiz in ABC’s medical drama pilot The Hurt Unit, written by Matt Lopez and John Glenn and to be directed by Marc Webb.

The Hurt Unit follows a highly skilled team of trauma surgeons and nurses led by Danny (McKenzie), a self-made surgeon, who race into the field to treat the patients who won’t make it to the hospital in time. When the sick and the injured can’t get to the ER, the Hurt Unit (Hospital Urgent Response Team) brings the ER to them.

Prew will play Gus, a member of the Hurt Unit team, who has just been accepted into medical school and has his sights set on becoming a surgeon. When faced with the life-and-death stakes that come with being a member of the Hurt Unit, Gus must decide whether...

It’s a Sin exec Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions is producing a six-part thriller about the aftermath of a flood for ITV and BritBox International.

After the Flood comes from BAFTA-nominated writer-actor Mick Ford and stars Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders) as PC Joanna Marshall. Following a devastating flood, she finds an unidentified man dead in a lift in an underground car park and, while police assume he became trapped as the waters rose, she becomes obsessed with discovering what happened to him.

After the Flood also stars Philip Glenister as property developer Jack Radcliffe and Lorraine Ashbourne (I Hate Suzie) as Marshall’s mum Molly. Nicholas Greaves and Matt Stokoe also feature. The series will air on ITV 1 and Itvx in the UK and on BritBox in the U.S., Canada, Australia, South Africa and across Nordic markets.

Shindler’s ITV Studios-backed...

The world premieres of Cédric Klapisch’s Amazon Prime Video show “Greek Salad” and Anna Winger’s Netflix series “Transatlantic” will open and close the 2023 edition of Series Mania.

The event will feature masterclasses with “Succession” star Brian Cox, “Westworld” producer Lisa Joy, who also will preside over the international competition jury, Klapisch and renowned French actors Cécile de France (“Lost Illusions”) and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (“Emily in Paris”).

Series in the international competition this year include Arte’s “Grace of Heaven” (France/Belgium); Apple TV+, France Télévisions, Hulu Japan’s “Drops of God” (France/U.S./Japan); Paramount+’s “Fleeting Lies” (Spain); Mega TV’s “Milky Way” (Greece); Reshet 13’s “Red Skies” (Israel); Filimo, Namava’s “The Actor” (Iran); Viaplay’s “The Fortress” (Norway); and Prime Video’s “The Power” (U.S.)

The international jury, which also includes French actor Emmanuelle Béart, British showrunner-screenwriter Chris Chibnall (“Broadchurch”), French-British singer-songwriter and actor Lou Doillon,...

Exclusive: Two time Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter is reteaming with The Crown director Jessica Hobbs on period drama The Offing, which Beta Cinema will launch sales on at next week’s EFM.

Emmy winner Hobbs, who is currently directing HBO drama The Palace with Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant, has directed the second-most episodes of Netflix’s smash series The Crown, including multiple eps with Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.

Their new collaboration is an adaptation of Benjamin Myers’ well-received novel set in post war northern England. The film charts the intense and uplifting relationship between a teenage boy and a hard drinking, foul-mouthed, bohemian recluse called Dulcie (Bonham Carter).

Casting is underway for the 16 year-old Robert, a shy, nature-loving son of a miner who sets out to see a little more of the world before he follows his father down the pit. Under Dulcie’s eccentric tutelage, his life opens up to food,...

Shortly before Christmas, the eminent British critic and broadcaster Matthew Sweet embarked on a sponsored, round-the-clock watch of a new DVD set of “Crossroads,” the dogged ITV soap that first ran between 1964 and 1988. The prevailing idea was that negotiating the boxset’s 700 episodes might be as arduous — perhaps even as deadly — as any cross-Channel swim or Himalayan hike; that impression was soon confirmed by Sweet’s running Twitter commentary, which vacillated between the amused, the bemused and the increasingly discombobulated.

A clumsily aspirational, shot-as-live serial set around a motel in the British Midlands — some distance removed from the working-class, Northern grit of ITV’s better known, Bob Dylan-approved “Coronation Street” — “Crossroads” became notorious for its combination of wobbly sets, inexplicable plot shanks and stretches of dead air deployed to trick out the U.K.’s yawning schedules. One argument goes it could only have been a ratings success in...

At the mention of Crossroads, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘wobbly scenery’. This British soap about a bizarre motel ran on ITV between 1964-1988 and earned legendary status thanks to its cheap production values (it had a third of the budget of its closest rival Coronation Street), but that didn’t stop it pulling in 18 million viewers at its 1970s peak.

Itvx’s latest drama Nolly – which depicts the shock sacking of Crossroads’ leading lady, Noele ‘Nolly’ Gordon, played by Helena Bonham Carter – shows just how precarious the production was. Scripts were delivered weekly – and savagely. If you didn’t get one, that was how you found out your character had been binned. Time and budget restraints meant everything had to be filmed in one take, so mistakes were left in, and if the episode under-ran the producer would make the motel phone ring and characters would...

Criticisms made by Russell T. Davies about the state of modern TV writing reveal a lot about what audiences can expect from Doctor Who's future. In a joint interview with fellow Doctor Who fan and writer Mark Gatiss to promote their new drama Nolly, Davies spoke of the poor quality of TV scripts he sees during his work as a screenwriting mentor. While the comments have received some backlash on social media, they do hint at the possible direction of Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Who season 14.

Talking about the young writers he mentors, Davies observed (via The Times) that there is a generation of up-and-coming screenwriters that are "trapped into wanting a job in that medium purely to increase representation." Rtd adds, "I read their scripts and they’re rubbish." This gives some insight into the writers Rtd might be looking to involve in Doctor Who season 14. It is...

Britain’s age of peak TV may be over, or at the very least plateauing, today’s BFI stats suggest.

Following a year in which many major productions including Bridgerton, Lord of the Rings and Apple TV+’s Slow Horses rolled the cameras, spend on high-end TV nonetheless fell by 4 on last year’s record figure to £4.3B (5.3B). Both inward investment – shows commissioned by non-uk players – and domestic UK spend fell by a similar amount, with the former accounting for 84 of the total figure.

Although the drop is small, the news is a surprise to a booming industry that had seen a mega 155 rise in 2021 and now accounts for a far bigger slice of the TV/film pie. The slight dip contrasted with a strong year for film, which saw spend grow by an impressive 27, although local indie film continues to flounder.

In 2020, high-end TV spend dipped dramatically due...

Production spend in the UK high-end TV (Hetv) and film industries reached a record £6.3Bn (7.8Bn) in 2022, BFI statistics released today reveal.

This was up £1.8Bn on the figure recorded in the pre-pandemic 2019 and is £600M more than last year’s previous record of 5.6Bn.

Inwards investment accounted for 86 of the total (£5.4Bn) as international streamers and studios continue to invest in the UK’s film and TV production hubs. The BFI’s figures also reveal a welcome box office uptick of more than 50.

Hetv once again contributed most of the spend (£4.3Bn) – 69 of the 2022 total. Feature film production provided nearly £2Bn, a welcome increase of 27 of 2021’s figure, though independent filmmaking saw investment drop of 31 to £174M.

The Hetv numbers includes £938.8M from an increased number of ‘film’ productions made for streaming platforms.

Domestic Hetv production spend was £632.7M, 15 of total TV production spend, and 31 higher than pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

As the credits rolled on another episode of Crossroads on 4 November 1981, the switchboards at ITV started to jam. After watching the show’s beloved Midlands motel go up in flames, hundreds of viewers picked up the phone in tears to ask one question: would Meg Mortimer, the onscreen alter ego of actress Noele “Nolly” Gordon, make it out of the blaze alive? The odds for Meg, last seen clutching some sleeping pills, didn’t look good. The Sun claimed in a front-page splash the next day that some fans had even phoned up hospitals to ask about the injuries she might have sustained in the fire.

It was the culmination of nearly five months of outrage and hysteria that had begun in June, when news first broke that Gordon’s much-loved character would be written out of the soap. This was not a mutually agreed parting of ways – it was against Gordon’s own wishes.

As the credits rolled on another episode of Crossroads on 4 November 1981, the switchboards at ITV started to jam. After watching the show’s beloved Midlands motel go up in flames, hundreds of viewers picked up the phone in tears to ask one question: would Meg Mortimer, the onscreen alter ego of actress Noele “Nolly” Gordon, make it out of the blaze alive? The odds for Meg, last seen clutching some sleeping pills, didn’t look good. The Sun claimed in a front-page splash the next day that some fans had even phoned up hospitals to ask about the injuries she might have sustained in the fire.

It was the culmination of nearly five months of outrage and hysteria that had begun in June, when news first broke that Gordon’s much-loved character would be written out of the soap. This was not a mutually agreed parting of ways – it was against Gordon’s own wishes.

Pamela Anderson has opened up about her past experiences in a new memoir.

The former Baywatch star has released the new book, which makes several claims about many people from her past, including Tim Allen, and is also the centre of a new Netflix documentary.

While promoting the memoir, Anderson, who has been married six times, revealed details of her former relationships, and explained her decision to marry so many times.

The actor suggested that most of her exes “treated her badly”, telling The Times: “I also would not allow anyone to abuse me and didn’t want my kids to think it was Ok. And so that was always my red line.”

However, she named Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner as the one man she thinks treated her with “complete and utter respect”.

Following Hefner’s death in 2017, Anderson paid tribute, calling him her “friend and mentor”.

It was...

Soap operas are microcosms of life. Streets and squares, farms and motels; all the triumph and despair of human existence compressed into a few houses, a few lives. It’s no surprise then, that Russell T Davies – on a hot streak afterA Very British Scandal and It’s a Sin – has turned his attention to the Golden Age of the British soap opera. His three-part drama, Nolly, streaming now on Itvx, has a similarly telescopic scale: a portrait of a woman, and a portrait of a nation.

Nolly is the story of Noele Gordon (Helena Bonham Carter), the star and matriarch of Crossroads – the Midlands-based soap opera that ran from the 1960s through to the end of the Eighties. Nolly, as everyone calls her, is a legend: loved by co-stars, adored by the public, tolerated by directors. But a new era is approaching, and executives at Atv (one of the broadcasters...

Pamela Anderson has opened up about her past experiences in a new memoir.

The former Baywatch star has released the new book, which makes several claims about many people from her past, including Tim Allen, and is also the centre of a new Netflix documentary.

While promoting the memoir, Anderson, who has been married six times, revealed details of her former relationships, and explained her decision to marry so many times.

The actor suggested that most of her exes “treated her badly”, telling The Times: “I also would not allow anyone to abuse me and didn’t want my kids to think it was Ok. And so that was always my red line.”

However, she named Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner as the one man she thinks treated her with “complete and utter respect”.

Following Hefner’s death in 2017, Anderson paid tribute, calling him her “friend and mentor”.

It was...

Upon waking up on Monday, it was immediately clear that The Last of Us had aired a future classic. The acclaim was relentless, with many sharing their appreciation of the HBO video game adaptation’s latest instalment next to the water cooler, via social media, and, in this writer’s case, on the tube. Fans yet to view the episode were urged to “prepare” themselves – and for good reason: “Long, Long Time” was marvellous and moving as hell. It was beautifully written and impeccably acted. It was worthy of all the hype; I just wish I hadn’t been privy to the adulation beforehand.

*Spoiler alert – you have been warned*

It’s odd for a new TV show to depart from its format as early as episode three, but that’s exactly what The Last of Us did. Viewers who tuned in when the episode went out live, whether in...

Eva Green has described the “humiliating” experience of having her WhatsApp messages read in court.

The Casino Royale star is currently in the middle of a High Court battle with a production company over the failed sci-fi film A Patriot.

Green, 42, was due to play the lead role in the project, but the production collapsed in October 2019. She is now suing production company White Lantern Film, claiming she is entitled to her 1m fee for the abandoned project despite its cancellation.

White Lantern Film is bringing a counterclaim against the French actor – who was also an executive producer on the project – alleging she undermined the independent film’s production, made “excessive creative and financial demands” and had expectations “incompatible” with the movie’s budget.

Last week, court papers seen by The Guardian showed Green allegedly referring to one of the film’s executive producers, Jake Seal, as a “devious sociopath...

DC’s Peter Safran has defended the decision to shelve Batgirl despite the fact filming had been completed.

The Warner Bros film, which cost 90m (£73.7m) to shoot, had its release cancelled in August 2022.

Lead star Leslie Grace, who played Barbara Gordon, and the film’s directors, Bad Boys for Life’s Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, expressed their shock at the news in respective statements.

At the time, several rumours circulated surrounding the decision, with an official statement claiming it reflected the “leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max”.

CEO David Zaslav said of the decision: “We’re not going to put a movie out unless we believe in it.”

Since then, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and Safran were hired to overhaul DC’s release slate, and, on Tuesday (31 January), they broached the subject of Batgirl, saying that...

EastEnders will experience a shakeup to its traditional TV schedule due to the ongoing Fa Cup.

An episode of the popular BBC soap is being shuffled from Wednesday 8 February at 7.30pm to Tuesday 7 February.

Episodes of Waterloo Road and Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon will also be moved to air after EastEnders.

The replay between Fulham and Sunderland will air on BBC One on 8 February in EastEnders’ usual slot.

The move comes a week after Coronation Street also had its schedule disrupted by the airing of the fourth-round Fa Cup tie between Manchester City and Arsenal, on Friday 27 January.

The latest episode of the ITV soap aired a day early on Thursday evening (26 January) instead.

As Radio Times reports, EastEnders fans are currently enjoying a number of major storylines, including character exits and a terminal tumour narrative.

In other TV news, it was announced today (1 February) that Red...