News

One of the consequences of the BBC’s decision to start up their own streaming service (how dare they) is that a lot of their shows will soon be departing from their competitors.

Britbox, in partnership with ITV, launched in the UK last November, and now the content available elsewhere has started to catch up. Today we’re going to run through the wealth of titles that’ll exit Netflix UK at the end of March. There’s a lot to run down, too. And yes, this is redundant for American readers. You’re more than welcome to stay for tea, though (which is more than just a cultural stereotype).

First up – and probably of most interest – are the BBC comedies leaving on March 30th:

A Bit of Fry and Laurie (4 Seasons) Absolutely Fabulous (6 Seasons) Almost Royal (2 Seasons) Daniel Deronda (1 Season) Extras (2 Seasons) Fawlty Towers (2 Seasons) French and Saunders (6 Seasons...

Stephen Moore, best known for his roles as the paranoid android Marvin in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” radio series and the Silurian Eldane in “Doctor Who,” has died. He was 81.

“The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” producer Dirk Maggs confirmed Moore’s death Sturday on Twitter, writing, “Our dear friend Stephen Moore has died. A fine actor, a lovely man and the original and most iconic voice of Marvin The Paranoid Android in The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. Our thoughts are with his family and our memories of him will always make us smile. Rip Stephen.”

Moore got his start on “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” in 1978, voicing Marvin in the franchise’s original radio series where he stayed for four more series, the television show, the records and the audio books. He also voiced several “Hitchhiker” roles outside of Marvin, including Gag Halfrunt,...

The X Factor will never be the same after Peter Dickson confirmed his departure from the show.

Dickson has been the distinctive voice of the show since it first started in 2004.

Rachel Adedeji saying goodbye to Peter Dickson is the only tweet we need today

The X Factor 2015: Everything we know so far including the judges, auditions and rumours

"After the best 11 years with the X Factor, it's time for me to check out and cut loose," Dickson confirmed on Twitter.

Dickson began his career at the BBC and was the corporation's youngest ever TV news presenter at the age of 17.

He had stints on BBC Radio 2 as an announcer and worked on The Steve Wright Show on Radio 1. His own Peter Dickson's Nightcap ran for four years on Radio 2.

The X Factor 2015: 8 stars who could replace Voiceover Man Peter Dickson on the show

The X Factor...

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse are reportedly making plans for their 25th anniversary.

According to Radio Times, the pair will celebrate their career milestone with a BBC special.

As well as featuring archive footage of their previous work, they are thought to be working on new material.

The pair worked together for the first time in 1990 when they starred in Harry Enfield and Chums.

Late last year, Enfield filmed a charity spoof of the 'Whatever's Comfortable' Southern Comfort advert to raise money for Save the Children.

Enfield and Whitehouse reunited in 2014 for a special spoof documentary to mark the 50th anniversary of BBC Two.

Watch Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's Question Time sketch below:...

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse are among the stars who will feature in new programmes to mark BBC Two's 50th anniversary in April. The comedians, who starred in 'Harry Enfield's Television Programme' and 'Harry Enfield and Chums', will reunite for an hour-long tribute to the channel's most iconic shows and TV personalities. 'Harry and Paul's Story of the Twos' will feature spoof characters including Joan Bakewell Tart, Gerald Manley Paxman, John Cleese-Shop-Sketch, Mark Egghead, Germaine Dreary and Russell Somebody. Harry said: ''BBC Two gave me my big solo break with 'Harry Enfield's Television Programme' almost 25 years ago. They have been loyal to...

It's been 10 years since Kathy Burke stuck two fingers up at stardom. Here she talks about loving theatre, hating writing – and why Richard Dawkins gives her the hump

'Don't write about how much I'm chain-smoking," grumbles Kathy Burke. "Everyone opens with, 'After the fourth cigarette … ' and it's boring. So don't be doing that, Ryan, else I'll say you're just the same as everyone else." She releases a tight laugh and takes another puff. I mean: takes another sip of rosehip tea.

We're up on the roof of London's Tricycle theatre, sitting on two rickety chairs beneath a blank November sky. Downstairs, Burke has spent the morning directing a new production of Once a Catholic, Mary J O'Malley's comedy set in 1957 at Our Lady of Fatima convent school. Burke is a versatile actor, adored for her populist, prickly comedy: she was Linda, the voracious ginger foghorn with porthole specs in...

The Irish Film & Television Academy (Ifta) is to host an In Conversation With… event on Thursday, August 26th which will centre around the work of Irish writer, director and actor Graham Linehan. Graham has written or co-written a number of modern televisions most popular comedies and is best known for his work on 'Father Ted', 'Black Books' and 'The It Crowd'. In his early years, he worked in collaboration with Arthur Matthews on a number of high profile sketch shows including 'Alas Smith and Jones', 'Harry Enfield and Chums', 'The All New Alexei Sayle Show' and the Ted and Ralph characters in 'The Fast Show'.