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As the old Kop chant goes, "We'll be coming, we'll be coming, we'll be coming down the road, when you hear the noise of the Bill Shankly boys we'll be coming down the road!" And soon we won't just be hearing the noise of the Bill Shankly boys, folks — we'll be seeing them, and the legendary Liverpool Fc manager, on our screens. As announced on the Lfc website earlier today, the Premier League leaders are teaming up with A24 and screenwriter Jack Thorne to tell the story of Shankly's reign, which took Liverpool from the pits of the English Second Division to three league titles, two Fa Cups, and a UEFA Cup while shaping the club into the team over 400 million fans support today.

Set to be produced in association with Box To Box, the studio behind Netflix phenomenon Drive To Survive, the A24 x Lfc collaboration is set to...

Is Paramount Series Insomnia Based on A True Story? The Sleep Deprivation Thriller Explained - Main Image

Is Paramount's 2024 series, Insomnia, based on a true story? While the official trailer tackles real-life experiences of what insomnia is and how sufferers deal with it, the series also depicts a thriller aspect.

So, what does this mean? Is it based on a real-life experience or perhaps a fiction-based show in which to immerse yourself? Here's all you need to know.

The True Inspiration Behind Paramount's Insomnia Series

Insomnia is an adaptation of Sarah Pinborough's sleep deprivation thriller novel of the same name.

The series' development was greenlit in March 2023 and is set to grace the UK's small screens on May 23 with six episodes, starring BAFTA Award winner Vicky McClure (This is England '86) as the titular character, Emma Averell.

Back in 2022, the author shared that the story behind Insomnia also happened...

Ewan McGregor plays a Russian count banished to an attic room in a hotel who dances, drinks, and makes snow angels in a trailer for the upcoming eight-part series A Gentleman in Moscow.

The show will premiere Friday, March 29 for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan in the U.S. before its on-air debut on Paramount+ with Showtime on Sunday, March 31. The series will also premiere on Paramount+ in Canada, the U.K. and Australia on March 29 and on Paramount+ in Latin America, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and South Korea on May 17.

An adaptation of Amor Towles’ best-selling novel, the series follows Count Alexander Rostov, played by McGregor (Star Wars franchise, Trainspotting). In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, he “finds that his gilded past has placed him on the wrong side of history,” according to a show description. “Spared immediate execution, he is banished by a Soviet...

Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters are reuniting with This is England maker Warp Films.

Matriarch Productions, which Graham and actress-producer wife Walters run together, has signed a development and production partnership with Warp.

A “number” of development projects are already underway and will be co-produced by the two companies if they are greenlit.

Graham’s breakout role came as Andrew ‘Combo’ Gascoigne in 2007 Shane Meadows film This is England, which Warp made with Film Four. Walters also acted in This is England and its proceeding TV series This is England ’86, This is England ’88 and This is England ’90.

Graham, Walters and Warp went on to collaborate several times,

Matriarch is currently working on the TV adaptation of 2021 feature Boiling Point, with Graham and Walters returning in theirs role as angsty London chef Andy Jones and Emily, respectively. Warp is backed by the Channel 4 Indie Growth Fund.

“I have...

Chanel Cresswell has joined the cast of Guy Ritchie’s series followup to “The Gentlemen” at Netflix, Variety has learned exclusively.

Cresswell will appear in a recurring role as Tammy, though further character details are being kept under wraps. Production is currently underway on the series in the U.K.

The series takes place in the same world as the film, but will feature an entirely new cast of characters. Theo James will star as Eddie, described as “the estranged son of an English aristocrat who inherits the family pile – only to discover that it’s sitting on top of the biggest weed farm in Europe.” Other cast members include Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson, Giancarlo Esposito, Peter Serafinowicz, and Vinnie Jones.

Cresswell is next set to be seen in the highly-anticipated limited series “Vardy v. Rooney: A Courtroom Drama” opposite Michael Sheen. The series is based on the...

FX and BBC have announced the main cast for the upcoming “Great Expectations” limited series, Variety has learned.

The six-episode version of the Charlies Dickens classic will star: Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham, Fionn Whitehead as Pip, Ashley Thomas as Jaggers, Johnny Harris as Magwitch, Shalom Brune-Franklin as Estella, Hayley Squires as Sara, Owen McDonnell as Compeyson, and Matt Berry as Mr. Pumblechuck.

Steven Knight is writing and executive producing the series. Tom Hardy, Ridley Scott, Dean Baker, David W. Zucker, Kate Crowe, and Mona Qureshi for the BBC will also executive produce. The series is produced by FX Productions in association with the BBC, Scott Free Productions, and Hardy Son & Baker. Lucy Forbes will serve as lead director.

“Great Expectations,” which tells the coming of age story of orphan boy Philip “Pip” Pirrip, was originally released in weekly chapters beginning in December 1860 before being published in its entirety as a novel.

The series will be produced by Element Pictures.

UK filmmaker Shane Meadows is to make his first-ever BBC television drama with The Gallows Pole, produced with UK-Irish producers Element Pictures.

The series, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Benjamin Myers, fictionalises the true story of 18th-century ironworker David Hartley and the Cragg Vale Coiners.

Scheduled to shoot later this year, The Gallows Pole will be produced by Element Pictures, and executive produced by the BBC’s director of drama Piers Wenger and head of development and drama commissioning Tom Lazenby.

Set against the backdrop of the coming industrial revolution in 18th-century Yorkshire,...

Exclusive: Netflix has prevailed in a competitive auction for worldwide rights on Heart of Stone, the espionage thriller developed by Skydance Media with Gal Gadot starring. Tom Harper, who helmed The Aeronauts and Wild Rose, will direct a film that aspires to hatch a female-centric franchise with the action and global scale of films like Mission: Impossible and 007.

It is the second major deal with a streamer this week for a Skydance-generated tentpole-sized film, after Amazon acquired the Chris Pratt starrer The Tomorrow War.

The deal brings Gadot back into the Netflix fold. The actress, who just opened in Wonder Woman 1984 for WarnerMedia, will star with Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds in Netflix tentpole Red Notice, the Rawson Marshall Thurber-directed heist film.

Deadline revealed Skydance Media film in December, when David Ellison and team at Skydance signed an eight-figure deal for Gadot to star in Heart of Stone.

Exclusive: In an eight-figure deal that puts her at the upper levels of the actress salary scale, Gal Gadot has been set to star in Heart of Stone, an original international spy thriller hatched by Skydance Media that endeavors to put a female spin on action franchises like Mission: Impossible and 007. Tom Harper, who helmed The Aeronauts and Wild Rose, is in talks to direct.

The script is by Greg Rucka (The Old Guard) and Allison Schroeder, latter of whom was Oscar nominated for Hidden Figures. The film will be produced by Skydance Media’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger, along with Gadot and her Pilot Wave producing partner Jaron Varsano, Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn. Skydance Media is keeping options open on whether this will be a theatrical or streaming bow.

Gadot, whose next Patty Jenkins collaboration Wonder Woman 1984 has been set to debut Christmas Day on HBO Max,...

Historical drama "Wolf Hall" was the big winner at this year's BAFTA Television Awards celebrating the best of British television. The limited series, about Thomas Cromwell's rise to power through Henry VIII's royal court, scored both Best Drama Series and Best Leading Actor for the work done by Mark Rylance.

Other big winners included "Transparent" which won for Best International Series, "Peter Kay's Car Share" taking Best Scripted Comedy and Best Male Comedy Performance, and "This Is England '90" winning for Best Mini-Series and Best Supporting Actress for Chanel Cresswell.

The Radio Times Audience Award, the only award of the ceremony voted by members of the public, went to the Aidan Turner-led historical drama "Poldark". Suranne Jones took Best Leading Actress for "Doctor Foster," Tom Courtenay won Best Supporting Actor for his work in "Unforgotten," Michaela Coel won Best Female Comedy Performance, and BBC3's "Don't Take My Baby" won Best Single Drama.

Television award season may be over in the United States, but across the pond the red carpet is still being rolled out.

Numerous stars – including leading actor nominee Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston – were on hand for the 2016 BAFTA TV Awards at London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday night.

"Can't Stop the Feeling" singer Justin Timberlake posed together with one of his music video and Trolls costars, Anna Kendrick.

Other familiar faces on the red carpet included Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams, and leading actor nominee Mark Rylance.

The beautiful Maisie Williams stops for a red carpet snap #Baftatv...

Television award season may be over in the United States, but across the pond the red carpet is still being rolled out. Numerous stars - including leading actor nominee Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston - were on hand for the 2016 BAFTA TV Awards at London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday night. "Can't Stop the Feeling" singer Justin Timberlake posed together with one of his music video and Trolls costars, Anna Kendrick. Other familiar faces on the red carpet included Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams, and leading actor nominee Mark Rylance. The beautiful Maisie Williams stops for a red carpet...

Television award season may be over in the United States, but across the pond the red carpet is still being rolled out. Numerous stars - including leading actor nominee Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston - were on hand for the 2016 BAFTA TV Awards at London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday night. "Can't Stop the Feeling" singer Justin Timberlake posed together with one of his music video and Trolls costars, Anna Kendrick. Other familiar faces on the red carpet included Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams, and leading actor nominee Mark Rylance. The beautiful Maisie Williams stops for a red carpet...

The BAFTA TV Awards, honoring the best of British television in 2015, will be handed out April 24 at London's Theater Royal, Drury Lane. The kudocast will air that night on the BBC. Best Drama Series Humans The Last Panthers No Offence Wolf Hall -Break- Subscribe to Gold Derby Breaking News Alerts & Experts’ Latest Emmy Predictions Best Mini-series Doctor Foster The Enfield Haunting London Spy This Is England '90 Best Single Drama The C-Word Cyberbully Don’t Take My Baby The Go-Between Best Drama Actor Ben Whishaw – London Spy Idris Elba – Luther Mark Rylance – Wolf Hall Stephen Graham – This Is England ’90 Best Drama Actress Claire Foy – Wolf Hall Ruth Madeley – Don’t Take My Baby Sheridan Smith – The C-Word Suranne Jones – Doctor Foster Best Drama Supporting Actor Anton Lesser – Wolf Hall Cyril Nri – Cucumb...

Ant and Dec have been nominated for the the Entertainment Performance prize at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards for the 15th time. The comedic duo are set to battle against Adam Hills from 'The Last Leg' and 'A League of Their Own' panellist Jack Whitehall for the accolade 'Chatty Man' host Alan Carr took home last year at the Rts Awards this month, which honours actors, presenters, writers, programmes and the production teams. Channel 4's 'This Is England '90' has two nominations, including one in the Drama Serial category. But the show will face stiff competition from the likes of...

Despite lobbying from Chris Columbus, there isn't a new Harry Potter film on the cards just yet.

But the Potterverse will expand next year with the launch of a new play in two parts: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Below is everything you need to know about the theatrical event.

Harry Potter's 8 movie adventures ranked from worst to best

9 reasons why Harry Potter author Jk Rowling is pure magic

1. It isn't a prequel - it's a sequel

pic.twitter.com/JgbAz5iQKl

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 29, 2015

The play was first spoken about in 2013, just two years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 concluded the movie series.

It was long-rumoured to be a prequel to the events of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Not so.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is actually a sequel. The eighth part of the story picks up where Deathly Hallows left off,...

After one film and three TV outings, the This Is England saga came to a close earlier this month - or did it?

Jack Thorne, who co-wrote the TV series with Shane Meadows, told The Guardian that he would love to pen more episodes.

"I don't know what Shane wants to do," said Thorne. "But I think there isn't a single person who would not want to work with him again, as he is a genius."

The BAFTA winner added that he would happily work on "This Is England '92, This Is England '98 [and] This Is England 2000" if Meadows was willing.

"I had massive personal investment from This Is England '86 onwards," he said. "It was the longest single experience of my life, eight years in total and you can't spend so long inside those characters' heads without feeling that."

In a poll conducted by Digital Spy, 70% of users said...

Shane Meadows concludes This Is England’s final series with painful truths, great performances and a message of love and forgiveness…

This review contains spoilers.

1.4 Winter

It was the ending nobody wanted for Combo, which is why, by the law of drama, it had to happen. This Is England 90’s message of love and forgiveness above all else wouldn’t have rung out so clearly if we hadn’t seen the potential of Combo’s new start destroyed by merciless retribution.

The final shot of this episode, and so of the whole series, was Milky lowering his head in regret and shame. That revealed the show’s ultimate lesson: in the words of Woody, forgiveness is underrated. Milky’s torment at the wedding showed that the reverse is also true: if mercy is a virtue, then revenge is a weight around your neck.

The injustice of Combo’s death was searing.

UK TV ratings round-up - data supplied by Barb

Strictly Come Dancing still has the edge over The X Factor in the ratings, according to overnight figures.

The BBC One dancing competition appealed to 7.83 million (33.2%) last night from 7.15pm, while ITV's The X Factor rose to a Sunday series high of 7.12 million (30.8%) from 7pm (+1: 375k/1.6%).

Strictly remained ahead of its ITV rival across the overlap. At 7.45pm, the results show was watched by 8.06 million (33.5%) compared to the 6.71 million (27.9%) glued to The X Factor's Six Chair Challenge.

Elsewhere on BBC One, Antiques Roadshow averaged 5.54 million (23.8%) and From Darkness began with 4.05 million (17.8%)

Meanwhile, Downton Abbey continued with 6.91 million (30.7%) in the 9pm hour on ITV, with a further 375k (1.6%) catching it on +1.

On BBC Two, Licence to Thrill: Paul Hollywood Meets Aston Martin logged 974k (4.2%) from 8pm and Special Forces - Ultimate Hell Week managed 1.38 million (6.1%) afterwards.

Channel 4's This Is England '90...

This is the end of This Is England - and bringing his powerful working-class saga to a close would seem no mean feat for series mastermind Shane Meadows. Both the original movie and its TV spinoffs have been of a spectacularly high quality, Meadows' truthful scripts and the scarily authentic performances of the cast fostering our deep investment in the characters.

That said, last week's episode was a devastating outpouring of emotion that set the stage superbly for this grand finale, with Milky (Andrew Shim) plotting revenge on Combo (Stephen Graham) - the reformed thug who once viciously assaulted him.

In its final TV outing, This Is England finally addresses that brutal moment from the '03 film - something that until now it's always danced around. There's a feeling of coming full circle that permeates this finale from the off, Meadows opening with one last example of his trademark montage.

Almost a decade since the original film's release, Shane Meadows' searing saga of working-class life and high-emotion - This Is England - drew to a close tonight.

Defying the logic that a spinoff will always be a pale imitation of the original, the three TV series - This Is England '86, '88 and '90 - have, if anything, earned Meadows even more acclaim.

But were you satisfied with what is, in all likelihood, the final instalment? Was this the perfect end - or a disappointing climax?

Or perhaps you loved the episode, but can't quite accept that this is the end. Should Meadows and his cast reunite for This Is England '92?

Join the discussion in the comments section - and vote in our poll:

This is England '90 episode 4 review: A bittersweet triumph

This is England '90: Is this really the end for Shane Meadows' searing saga?...

UK TV ratings roundup - data supplied by Barb

The X Factor held steady in the ratings on Sunday, but stayed under 7 million viewers for its latest Boot Camp two-hour special.

ITV's singing competition averaged an overnight audience of 6.81m (31.3%) at 7pm (373k/1.6% on +1), down from last week's 6.84m.

Downton Abbey's second episode dropped by around 300k viewers to 7.04m (31.3%) at 9pm (453k/3.1%).

On BBC One, Countryfile appealed to 4.43m (23.6%) at 6.30pm, followed by Antiques Roadshow with 5.27m (24.1%) at 7.30pm and the new adaptation of Cider with Rosie with 3.85m (16.9%) at 8.30pm.

BBC Two's Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week brought in 1.29m (5.7%) at 9pm.

On Channel 4, First Humans interested 1.23m (5.4%) at 8pm (221k/1.0%), followed by the latest This Is England '90 with 1.23m (5.5%) at 9pm (124k/0.9%).

Channel 5's broadcast of Just Go with It entertained 757k (4.3%) at 9pm.

Combo is back in This Is England '90, and the painful, powerful drama we know and love has returned with him...

This review contains spoilers.

1.3 Autumn

We jinxed it.

‘Why do they all seem so happy?’, viewers puzzled these past few weeks, ‘What happened to the This Is England we know and love? Where’s the drama that fills your pockets with stones and chucks you underwater, leaving you to gulp and struggle until you eventually emerge, gasping for air, battle-tired and all the stronger for it?’

It’s back, is this week’s answer. Goodbye to hugs and Hulk Hogan’s pants, hello to heart-heavy emotion and a lingering sense of dread. Instead of pop songs and nostalgia-inducing news footage, episode three of This Is England ’90 opened with a nightmare. That set the tone for what followed.

It was the most emotional hour of the run so far. Not...

Last week, This Is England '90 was a tale of two halves. Episode two of Channel 4's working-class saga replicated a little of the premiere's 'Fools Gold'-tinged '90s nostalgia, before descending into darkness.

There's no gentle easing in of the audience here - the shock reappearance of Lol and Kelly's father Mick, in a chilling nightmare sequence, ensures that episode 3 grabs you from the off.

It's an uncharacteristic move for such a grounded series, but effective, and you can forgive writer/director Shane Meadows for breaking formula to feature the terrifying Johnny Harris once more.

This latest outing - 'Autumn' - all centres around Mick, and Stephen Graham's jailed anti-hero Combo, with the two men's fates now unexpectedly but inexorably linked.

Mick was reprehensible and irredeemable, a true monster who showed no guilt or regret for his crimes. By contrast, Combo articulates his "shame and genuine remorse...

From the sequin-tastic return of Strictly Come Dancing to the promising prospect of The West Wing and Birds Of A Feather colliding as Rob Lowe and Pauline Quirke star in You, Me and The Apocalypse - pull up an easy chair for Digital Spy's top TV picks for the next seven days.

1. CSI - Tuesday, 10pm on Channel 5

After 15 years and uncountable grisly murders in Las Vegas, the CSI team will say farewell in a feature-length movie. Rejoice as William Petersen is back as Gil Grissom, alongside a host of former faces to solve one last case.

It's not a complete end, as Ted Danson has moved sideways to spinoff show CSI: Cyber, but it should be a tough act to follow.

2. You, Me and the Apocalypse - Wednesday, 9pm on Sky1

Like a TV supergroup, this needs to be seen purely because of the eye-rubbingly impressive cast. The West Wing...

Despite lobbying from Chris Columbus, there isn't a new Harry Potter film on the cards just yet.

But the Potterverse will expand next year with the launch of a new play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Below, we round up everything we know so far about the production.

Harry Potter's 8 movie adventures ranked from worst to best

9 reasons why Harry Potter author Jk Rowling is pure magic

1. It isn't a prequel

pic.twitter.com/JgbAz5iQKl

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 29, 2015

The play was first spoken about in 2013, just two years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 concluded the movie series.

It was long-rumoured to be a prequel to the events of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Not so.

"I don't want to spoil what I know will be a real treat for fans. However, I can say that it is not a prequel!

UK TV ratings roundup - data supplied by Barb

Downton Abbey's return topped the overnight ratings on Sunday, but suffered a bit of a drop from last year's opener.

The ITV drama averaged 7.39 million (34.5%) at 9pm (225k/1.6% on +1), which is down from last year's overnight score of 8.11m.

Earlier, The X Factor's Boot Camp stage managed to stay strong but dipped around 100k from last week to 6.84m (31.3%) at 7pm (415k/1.8%) for its two-hour bumper edition.

On BBC One, Countryfile appealed to 5.42m (25.9%) at 7pm, followed by Antiques Roadshow with 5.67m (25.0%) at 8pm and the latest adaptation of The Go-Between with 2.56m (11.9%) at 9pm.

BBC Two's repeat of Top Gear attracted 1.04m (4.6%) at 8pm, while Special Forces was seen by 1.30m (5.8%) at 9pm and Match of the Day 2 scored 1.85m (11.6%) at 10pm.

On Channel 4, the second episode of This Is England '90 gathered 1.21m (5.4%) at...

Last week, This Is England '90 served up a comparatively breezy opener - the calm before the storm, as actor Andrew Shim (Milky) remarked of Shane Meadows' work: "There's always going to be a dark day coming at some point."

Episode two again opens with a comic sequence; the charismatic Harvey - now Woody's replacement as the group's de-facto leader - pokes fun at the hapless Gadget, and there's some laugh-out-loud delivery from the show's secret weapon, Michael Socha ("There's a f**king bag within a bag here, dude!").

It's the summer of love, 1990, and rave culture is sweeping the nation - again, Meadows delivers more sunshine and happiness than we're accustomed to, and is still aiming for big, broad laughs with the continued presence of Flip and Higgy (even if Joe Dempsie's underplayed idiocy remains more effective than Perry Fitzpatrick's more excessive antics).

But that sickening...

From the live grand finale of Celebrity Big Brother to Strictly Come Dancing's first live show of 2015, here are Digital Spy's top TV picks over the next seven days.

Monday: Girls Can Code, 9pm on BBC Three

In a bid to inspire more girls to take up computer coding, this BBC Three two-part series combines the science of Tomorrow's World with the competitive chaos of The Apprentice. Five young women more accustomed to selfie snapping than website servers take on the male-dominated digital world.

BBC Radio 1 presenter Alice Levine (best known for Big Brother's Bit on the Side) hosts as the girls attempt to pitch their prototypes to the UK tech industry. No doubt leaving us viewers feeling old, but engrossed.

Tuesday: The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone, 9pm on BBC Two

He's already formed singing groups out of military wives, random celebrities and kids, and now he's looking...

Stephen Graham is set to make his anticipated comeback as the incarcerated Combo in Shane Meadows's This Is England '90.

The British actor - who has just teamed up with co-star Thomas Turgoose to raise money for Stand up to Cancer - revealed to Digital Spy that Combo will return as a "reformed figure".

The Channel 4 series is writer and director Meadows's final follow-up to 2010's This Is England '86 and 2011's This Is England '88 - all of which were off-shoots from the 2006 movie This Is England.

The first episode surprised fans with its unexpectedly sunny and laugh-out-loud start for the gang - which includes Gadget (Andrew Ellis), Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), Milky (Andrew Shim), Lol (Vicky McClure) and Woody (Joe Gilgun).

But Graham gave us a resounding "no" when we asked if it was going to stay that way.

"It's what Shane [Meadows] does," the Boardwalk Empire star explained.

UK TV ratings roundup - data supplied by Barb

The X Factor enjoyed its best Sunday ratings of 2015 so far, according to overnight figures.

The ITV talent show entertained an average 6.96 million viewers (30.9%) at 8pm, with a further 367,000 (1.7%) on +1. This is up by around 300k from last week, but down over 500k from Saturday's series best ratings. The Xtra Factor was seen by 480k (2.2%) at 9pm on ITV2.

The X Factor 2015 episode 6 review: It's the Rita Ora show

Later on ITV, the final part of Ray Winstone's The Trials of Jimmy Rose thrilled 2.93m (13.6%) at 9pm (310k/2.2% on +1).

On Channel 4, Shane Meadows's This is England '90 launched with 1.56m (7.2%) at 9pm (306k/2.1%). Earlier, Time Crashers brought in 465k (2.1%) at 8pm (124k/0.6%), while The 90s: 10 Years that Changed the World interested 795k (6.1%) at 10pm (127k/1.8%).

On BBC One, Countryfile appealed to 5.16m (28.2%) at 6.30pm, followed by Antiques Roadshow...

This Is England '90 hit our screens this evening (September 13), and star Vicky McClure has revealed that the cast went through an unusual filming process for the new series.

McClure, who plays Lol on the Channel 4 show, revealed that director Shane Meadows stopped the cast from rehearsing, instead deciding to put them in front of the cameras straight away.

This is England '90: Is this really the end for Shane Meadows' searing saga?

Speaking to the Daily Star, McClure said: "What was different this time round is everybody knows their characters better than we've ever known them.

"We didn't rehearse – which is a first for [Meadows] – and we didn't do a read-through but just went straight to set."

Speaking about the experience, the actress said: "It was nervewracking because we're going back on to a really successful show and we want to do it justice even more than before and up our game.

"De-de-de-ding-ding / dig-a-dig-a-ding / a-flinky-flonk / wanky-shank ding-dong."

So this is England, 1990 - and Shane Meadows' latest follow-on from his 2006 film appears, on the surface, to be the saga's sunniest outing to date.

Our first reunion with the gang - 2010's This Is England '86 - was perhaps the most bleak. Replete with rape, murder and betrayal, it was to be admired rather than enjoyed.

The following year's '88 didn't spare the heartbreak either, but ended on a more optimistic note - and the beginning of '90 follows through on that, kicking off with a more positive outlook.

First episode 'Spring' - the four episodes being divided into the four seasons - opens with some good-natured larks, as Gadget (Andrew Ellis), Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) and Milky (Andrew Shim) wangle a free school lunch off of dinner lady kitchen boss Lol (Vicky McClure).

Milky's insistence that "the good times will come again" is...

Shane Meadows’ This Is England returns for a final visit to Lol, Woody, Shaun and the gang in This Is England ’90…

This review contains spoilers.

3.1 Spring

This Is England ‘90 hadn’t been on two minutes before someone said the n-word. Why does Gadge say he queues up outside Lol’s kitchen for hooky school dinners? Nostalgia. He wants to eat what he used to eat when he was a kid and he was happy.

That’s an undeniable part of this series’ attraction. Hearing the music, seeing the clothes and watching them watch the telly we used to when we were kids and we were happy. (What cold, adult heart wasn’t instantly warmed by the sound of the words ‘mint’ and ‘custard’? Or jolted into gleeful reminiscence at the sight of Contra on the Nes and Take The High Road on ITV?)

Nostalgia though, is just the flashing neon...

Don’t want to miss the autumn start dates for Arrow, The Flash, Doctor Who, The Walking Dead and more? Then step this way…

Like squirrels busily gathering up nuts to tide us over the cold season, we've been scurrying around the internet in search of TV start dates. Below is the harvest so far, which will be updated as and when new dates come in.

UK start dates for Us shows (the likes of Arrow, The Flash and Orphan Black), are in poor supply at this stage, but will be added as soon as they're confirmed. As 2016 draws nearer, we'll add next year's premiere dates too.

So you won't miss the return of your favourite show, or the first outing of a promising-sounding brand new one, have a shufty at the below...

Returning Us Shows

American Horror Story: Hotel – Wednesday the 7th of October, 10pm, FX (Us); Tuesday the 20th of October,...

As This Is England ’90 comes to TV, we look back over the rest of Shane Meadows’ brutal, funny and warmly empathetic series…

Try a bit of mental calculation: how many punches in total would you say you’ve seen thrown on screen? Bloodied faces? Kicks to the head? Unless you’ve kept your TV and film intake to a strict diet of family animation (and even then…), that total is likely to be swirling around the thousands.

Now, think of the number of times an on-screen attack has stopped your breath in your chest. When each kick has landed with nauseating weight and filled you not with ringside exhilaration but with dread. In short, how often have you been made to really care about an act of on-screen violence?

That was Shane Meadows’ aim in This Is England, the 2006 feature film that introduced the world to Shaun, Woody, Lol, Combo,...

It's 10 years since cameras started rolling on Shane Meadows' seminal This Is England and now the award-winning saga is about to draw to a close, with This Is England '90 launching on Channel 4 this Sunday.

The Berlin Wall and Margaret Thatcher have fallen, tie-dye and bowl cuts are in vogue and there's plenty of sex, drugs and all-night raves - but This Is England's final TV outing also explores how old friends grow apart over time.

"This series, as it unfolds, we start to look at the summer of love - and the drugs become more serious," says Meadows. "Things start to change - for the better for some, and for the worse for others."

For the cast, This Is England '90 brings to an end an epic journey they never expected to embark upon. "I don't think any of us ever thought that we'd do any sort...

This week sees several big-rating shows make their returns, alongside some intriguing new prospects. From the premiere of Channel 4's Hunted to our final visit to the This Is England gang, these are Digital Spy's top picks over the next seven days.

Monday - Doc Martin, ITV at 9pm

Martin Clunes is back for his seventh series as the grumpy doctor down in sleepy and pretty Cornwall, and the show's relaxed humour and atmosphere remains as popular as ever.

Sadly this episode doesn't include Sigourney Weaver's bizarre appearance, you'll have to wait a few weeks for that one. The opening episode sees Martin realising he needs to change to fix his marriage with Louisa (again), and so decides to go to a therapist. This cannot go well.

Tuesday - Ballers, Sky Atlantic at 10pm

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has already become box office gold, and now he's moving...

Hot weather or not, there's something about the summer that seems to reduce the television landscape to a barren desert. But with autumn comes an influx of TV gems - both new series and familiar favourites.

These are just a few we recommend - and check back tomorrow for part two of our autumn 2015 TV guide, with even more terrific telly.

1. This Is England '90 - Channel 4

Shane Meadows' searing saga draws to a close, as we dip into the lives of Lol (Vicky McClure), Woody (Joseph Gilgun) and Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) one last time. Picking up two years after the last instalment, there'll be heartbreak and hilarity as the gang embrace rave culture and the Stone Roses, and face an uncertain future. Begins September 13 at 9pm on Channel 4.

2. Doctor Who - BBC One

Peter Capaldi returns for his second series as the enigmatic Time Lord, with...

Hot weather or not, there's something about the summer that seems to reduce the television landscape to a barren desert. But with autumn comes an influx of TV gems - both new series and familiar favourites.

These are just a few we recommend - and check back tomorrow for part two of our autumn 2015 TV guide, with even more terrific telly.

1. This Is England '90 - Channel 4

Shane Meadows' searing saga draws to a close, as we dip into the lives of Lol (Vicky McClure), Woody (Joseph Gilgun) and Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) one last time. Picking up two years after the last instalment, there'll be heartbreak and hilarity as the gang embrace rave culture and the Stone Roses, and face an uncertain future. Begins September 13 at 9pm on Channel 4.

2. Doctor Who - BBC One

Peter Capaldi returns for his second series as the enigmatic Time Lord, with...

Shane Meadows has revealed he scrapped a planned storyline for Stephen Graham's Combo in This Is England '90.

Fans needn't stress though - Combo will appear in the four-part series. You'll just have to be patient.

"I actually wrote Combo in from the start," Meadows revealed at a series press launch.

"Stephen Graham had this lovely storyline that was written in, and we shot - but there's something about his character and the way he affects the people that means he just seems to find his way in further in.

"I won't give away at which point [his first appearance] happens, but that storyline will unfold."

Meadows confirmed that Combo's cut scenes could end up online, so you'll still get a chance to see the excised material on the Channel 4 site.

This Is England '90 begins on Sunday, September 13 at 9pm on Channel 4.

Is This is England '90 the end?...

Shane Meadows' This Is England spin-off series continues with This Is England '90, starting on Channel 4 on the 13th of September...

Shane Meadows fans have sat patiently in anticipation of the follow-up to This Is England '88 for four years now, and by all accounts, This Is England '90 is going to be well worth the wait.

Co-written by Meadows and Jack Thorne, This Is England '90 is set to pick up the stories of Shaun, Woody, Lol and the gang two years after we last saw them them, in the second summer of love. Following his 2013 music documentary The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone, it's territory that Meadows is well-versed in.

Take a look at the first trailer and synopsis, here.

Channel 4 has confirmed the air date for the four-part drama, which starts on Sunday the 13th of September at 9pm. That gives anyone who needs...

This Is England '90 now has an air date.

The final chapter in the series will begin on Channel 4 on Sunday, September 13 at 9pm.

Two years after the events of This Is England '88, the upcoming four-part outing follows the same group of youths in the north of England including Lol (Vicky McClure), Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) and Woody (Joe Gilgun).

Flip (Perry Fitzpatrick), Higgy (Joe Dempsie), Smell (Rosamund Hanson), Kelly (Chanel Cresswell), Harvey (Michael Socha), Trev (Danielle Watson), Gadget (Andrew Ellis) and Milky (Andrew Shim) are back as well.

This Is England '90 is written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne. Meadows is also behind the camera.

The miniseries will premiere its first episode at the Edinburgh International Television Festival later this month.

Ahead of the debut of This is England '90 on Channel 4, one of the show's stars has hinted at another possible follow-up.

In an interview with The Guardian, Joe Gilgun - who plays Woody - said that while he's prepared for the show to end, there could be a This is England '92.

"If the stories are there, then why not?" said Gilgun, who admitted he's "devastated" to be saying goodbye to the series.

"And it's an institution now, and you wouldn't want to ruin that. So there might be a '92, I've heard talk of it… But I'm sort of prepping myself for this being the end. And I'm devastated. Devastated."

Director Shane Meadows also said that it feels like the end of the This Is England story - although he didn't completely rule out a return either.

"It does feel like the end, at the moment," he said.

Here's one of those 'This'll make you feel old' factoids - it's two years since the last ever episode of Skins aired.

E4's groundbreaking hormone-fest wrapped up on August 5, 2013 - with an older Cook (Jack O'Connell) heading off into an uncertain future at the close of 'Rise (Part Two)'.

Cook was but one of 27 major characters featured on Skins across three 'Generations' - in a total of 61 episodes, split into seven series. But where are the teen tearaways of Roundview College now?

Generation One

1. Nicholas Hoult

Hoult played Tony Stonem - the pre-eminent bad boy of Skins - across its first two series. Later badly hurt in a traffic accident and forced to rely on others, Tony had mellowed by his final episodes.

Now aged 25, Hoult has become a bona-fide Hollywood star with roles in this year's Mad Max: Fury Road and the much-anticipated book adaptations Dark Places and Kill Your Friends.

Channel 4 drama and Shane Meadows' latest, This Is England '90, has got a first trailer, and a synopsis...

Shane Meadows' This Is England saga is said to conclude with his next TV series - This Is England '90.

It will consist of four episodes and promises to reunite lots of familiar faces from the film and the two previous TV dramas, This Is England '86 and This Is England '88.

The synopsis for the new series reads like this:

"Gazza’s tears. Hubble’s launch. Saddam’s invasion. Mandela’s release. This is 1990. This is England. And Lol, Woody, Shaun, Milky, Smell, Gadget, Harvey, Kell, Trev and Combo are back for the final chapter of Shane Meadows’ multi award-winning landmark series…

"It’s two years on since the less-than-festive Christmas of ‘88, with some of the gang embracing the new decade with more gusto than others. But a...

This Is England '90 is to premiere its first episode at The Guardian's Edinburgh International Television Festival in August.

The final TV offshoot of This Is England will be presented at a screening by writer Shane Meadows.

Channel 4 has not yet confirmed when it will subsequently air the miniseries.

It was also announced today (June 22) that comedian Frankie Boyle will be hosting the Edinburgh TV Awards as part of the festival.

Festival Director Lisa Campbell said: "Last year Frankie Boyle became one of the TV Festival's favourite speakers. We're delighted he'll be returning - he's thoroughly entertaining, often controversial - he'll undoubtedly add a spark to our 14th TV Awards."

Also attending will be writer Julia Davis, who will present the first episode of a two-part special of Hunderby.

She has a British Comedy Award and BAFTA Award under her belt for the dark comedy, which returns to Sky Atlantic later this year.

Vicky McClure has promised a "powerhouse" final series of This Is England.

The Channel 4 drama will return for a final four-part outing - This Is England '90 - later this year.

"All the characters are back - and on amazing form," said McClure, who has played Lol since the original 2006 film.

The actress also spoke about the upcoming third series of Line of Duty - set to introduce a new nemesis for AC-12, played by Danny Mays.

McClure was nominated at last night's House of Fraser BAFTA Television Awards for her performance as Kate Fleming in the BBC Two cop thriller.

However, Gemma Jones (Marvellous) ultimately won out in the Supporting Actress category, which also included nominees Amanda Redman (Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This) and Charlotte Spencer (Glue).

Sherlock, True Detective and Happy Valley among winners at BAFTA Television Awards 2015

BAFTA Television Awards 2015: The winners in...

2015 promises to deliver a wide variety of new and original programming - from a revamped version of a children's classic to new British fantasy and ambitious international thrillers.

But it would be remiss of us not to tip our hats to the huge roster of fan favourites heading back to our screens - these are Digital Spy's picks for the 15 best shows returning in 2015.

1. Broadchurch - ITV

It's been an agonising wait, but Chris Chibnall's BAFTA-winning thriller will return to our screens on January 5, with David Tennant and Olivia Coleman returning to front the cast as detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, James D'Arcy, Charlotte Rampling and Torchwood's Eve Myles are among the new cast additions for series two, which promises to reveal why Alec is still in Broadchurch and what's next for Ellie (Coleman) after she uncovered her husband's dark side.

2. The Walking Dead...

Meet the spooky new trailer for Hammer's upcoming The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death...

There are some key faces missing from Hammer's upcoming production, The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death. Following the success of The Woman In Black, there's no Daniel Radcliffe for a start, nor is director James Watkins back behind the camera. Jane Goldman hasn't penned the screenplay this time either.

But then The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death is set to be a different story, set during a different time. Taking place 40 years after the first haunting at Eel Marsh House, this time a bunch of children evacuated during World War II arrive there. And as you might expect, there are spooky goings on.

Tom Harper has taken on the director's chair this time, having previously directed The Scouting Book For Boys, along with episodes of Peaky Blinders, This Is England '86 and Demons.