News

Comedians Tim Key and Tom Basden write and star in musical comedy The Ballad Of Wallis Island, here’s the trailer.

Comedian Tom Basden has had some success in feature films over the last few years, writing the scripts for Amazon Prime Video’s successful festive features Your Christmas Or Mine? and its sequel, as well as co-writing sitcom Plebs.

Tim Key, meanwhile, comes up with many of the tasks on Taskmaster, as well as acting in shows like Inside No 9 and alongside Steve Coogan in many Alan Partridge projects as Sidekick Simon. They began working together onstage in the sketch group Cowards, which also included Sefan Golazewski, who went on to write the award winning Him and Her and Mum.

Key and Basden have joined forces to write and star in musical comedy film The Ballad Of Wallis Island, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

Danny Dyer stars alongside creator and writer Ryan Sampson in Mr Bigstuff, which has now been recommissioned for a second series.

Danny Dyer may be better known these days as Mick Carter in EastEnders, but before that, he’d been a steady presence in British film for over two decades, from his debut in Justin Kerrigan’s Human Traffic through The Football Factory and Severance.

The one thing Dyer had never done was lead a sitcom – until now. Mr Bigstuff is created and written by Ryan Sampson, who’s perhaps best known for starring alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst and Celia Imrie in BBC sitcom After You’ve Gone, and for co-starring in ITV2 sitcom Plebs.

The synopsis for Mr Bigstuff reads as follows:

Mr Bigstuff explores broken families, fragile masculinity and carpet sales. It tells the story of two estranged brothers; Glen (Ryan Sampson), a nervy perfectionist striving to live the suburban...

More! Like baby chicks gape-mouthed in the nest, Doctor Who fans demand to be fed. Series 14 was gulped down in what felt like record time, and now comes the hunger. After “Empire of Death”, the mystery of Ruby’s mother was solved and the revelation that Sutekh has been Teen Wolfing it atop the Tardis since 1975, we want to know… what’s next?

A Christmas special, followed by eight new episodes is what, plus the continuation of the current companion and the introduction of a new one. Read all about it below.

2024 Christmas Special “Joy to the World”

On the press circuit for Steven Moffat’s series 14 episode “Boom”, the former showrunner confirmed that yes, the rumours are true, he’s the writer of the 2024 Christmas special. The episode is called “Joy to the World”, it’s set at least partly during WWII, features a scene on Mount Everest, and...

Considering the slippery prevarication that led up to the official word that former showrunner Steven Moffat had written a new episode of Doctor Who for series 14, this next confirmation arrived with relative ease.

In a very enjoyable and in-depth interview by Tom Spilsbury at TV Choice Magazine ahead of Moffat’s new episode “Boom” airing this weekend, the ex-Who boss confirmed rumours that yes, he’s written this year’s Christmas Special.

Moffat told TV Choice that the 2024 special might well be his final ever Doctor Who episode, but then again, it also might not be.

“I’m not against doing another one at all, but I don’t have any tremendous visceral need to do another one. As I got to the end of Boom, and as I got to the end of Joy To The World [his upcoming Christmas special], I did think, ‘Is that it? Is that the final moment?’ I...

Danny Dyer stars alongside creator and writer Ryan Sampson in Mr Bigstuff, and here’s the trailer for the new sitcom.

Danny Dyer may be better known these days as Mick Carter in EastEnders, but before that, he’d been a steady presence in British film for over two decades, from his debut in Justin Kerrigan’s Human Traffic through The Football Factory and Severance.

The one thing Dyer had never done was lead a sitcom – until now. Mr Bigstuff is created and written by Ryan Sampson, who’s perhaps best known for starring alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst and Celia Imrie in BBC sitcom After You’ve Gone, and for co-starring in ITV2 sitcom Plebs.

The synopsis, per the British Comedy Guide, reads as follows:

Mr Bigstuff explores broken families, fragile masculinity and carpet sales. It tells the story of two estranged brothers; Glen (Ryan Sampson), a nervy perfectionist striving to live...

The highly anticipated “Sonic the Hedgehog” TV series spinoff, “Knuckles,” is here and it includes a smashingly great cast that’s ready to hit you with your favorite Sega characters.

The six-episode live-action series made its premiere on Friday, April 26. According to Paramount+, the series “follows Knuckles (Idris Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior.” The show takes place between the films “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and was made by many of the same people involved in the films.

The series was created for television by John Whittington and Toby Ascher, who also serve as showrunners during production.

Here’s a complete “Knuckles” cast and character guide. All six episodes are now streaming on Paramount+.

Idris Elba as Knuckles Idris Elba and Knuckles...

Following in the footsteps of Aardman Animations legends Peter Lord, David Sproxton and Nick Park, a new wave of creators are driving the company forward. While its celebrated franchises, such as Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run are still much loved, and it has four Oscars wins with nine further nominations under its belt, Aardman is also focused on nurturing new talent, such as the creators of Oscar nominated short film “Robin Robin,” and series, such as “Lloyd of the Flies” and “The Very Small Creatures.”

Speaking to Variety from Aardman’s headquarters on Spike Island, Bristol, in the West of England, two of the creative minds behind “Lloyd of the Flies,” Aardman’s first CGI series, explain how the show evolved. In other articles, Variety speaks to Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, the creators of “Robin Robin,” and Lucy Izzard, the creator of “The Very Small Creatures.

As Reece Shearsmith just announced, it’s the beginning of the end for Inside No. 9. Filming on the horror-comedy anthology’s ninth and final series began in late 2023, which means a wrap on one of the BBC’s most consistently entertaining and inventive shows is imminent.

Oh it's the beginning of the end. #insideno9

— Reece Shearsmith ❄️ (@ReeceShearsmith) January 8, 2024

Series nine is expected to air in spring 2024, and will add a final six episodes to the existing 49 stories in Shearsmith and co-creator Steve Pemberton’s back catalogue. Barring the first look image above, which shows Pemberton in drag at an underground train station (platform no. nine?), we don’t know anything about the stories, settings or characters yet, but we do know who’ll be joining the pair as guest stars… and it’s a deep bench.

One of Britain’s greatest working actors, Eddie Marsan will appear. As will the brilliant Siobhan Finneran,...

Exclusive: Tubi has acquired Aardman Animations’ series Lloyd of the Flies.

The series, originally for Citv in the UK, will be badged as a Tubi Original in the U.S. and Canada. It will launch exclusive on the free streaming service on August 6.

The 52-episode series follows Lloyd, a young fly who is the middle child of 451, who lives in an apple with his long-suffering parents, cheeky little sister and 224 maggots. Along with his best friend, woodlouse Abacus, his faces endless endless awkward, annoying and occasionally life-threatening situations largely of his own devising, because when you’re only one centimeter high, even tiny problems can lead to massive consequences.

Tom Rosenthal plays Lloyd and Alex Lawther, who we revealed on Friday is among the leads for new FX series Alien plays Abacus. Lauren Patel (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Callum Scott Howells (It’s a Sin), Teresa Gallagher...

Industry and Rye Lane star David Jonsson, Lord of the Rings lead Morfydd Clark and Downton Abbey‘s Penelope Wilton are among the cast of BBC and Britbox International’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation, Murder is Easy.

Filming is now underway in Scotland, with Jonsson playing lead character Fitzwilliam. On a train in 1954 England, he meets Miss Pinkerton (Wilton), who tells him a killer is on the loose in the sleepy village of Wychwood under Ashe. Though the locals believes the deaths are accidents, Miss Pinkerton knows better and is soon found dead on her way to Scotland Yard. Fitzwilliams is convinced he has to find the killer before they strike again.

Clark will play Bridget, Sinead Matthews (Hullraisers, The Crown) is Miss Waynflete, Tom Riley (The Nevers, Ill Behaviour) is Lord Whitfield, Douglas Henshall (Shetland, In Plain Sight) plays Major Horton, Mathew Baynton (Ghosts, Wonka) portrays Dr Thomas, Mark Bonnar (World on Fire,...

Exclusive: Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman), Tom Basden (After Life) and Tim Key (Love Wedding Repeat) are set to star in comedy One For The Money, which Bankside Films is launching for world sales ahead of the Cannes market.

The film will chart the story of an eccentric lottery winner, Charles, who lives alone on a remote island but attempts to turn his dreams into reality by hiring his favourite musician, Herb McGwyer, to play an exclusive, private gig. Unbeknownst to Herb, Charles has also hired Herb’s ex-band mate and ex-girlfriend, Nell, with her new husband in tow, to perform the old favourites. As tempers flare and old tensions resurface, the stormy weather traps them all on the island and Charles desperately looks for a way to salvage his dream gig.

Pic is being produced by Steve Coogan and Sarah Monteith’s Baby Cow (Philomena), which is majority owned by BBC Studios.

Warning: contains spoilers for Series 4 of Unforgotten

It’s been two years since the last season of ITV’s hit crime drama Unforgotten, and at long last it’s back on our screens.

After that shocking Series 4 finale, in which we said a heartbreaking goodbye to Dci Cassie Stuart (aka the incredible Nicola Walker), we’ve got plenty of questions about the Series 5 cast.

In this latest series, when a body is found in a boarded-up fireplace, the team gets to work trying to identify who the victim is, and how long they’ve been there. We also discover that the person filling Cassie’s very large detective shoes as Sunny’s new boss-slash-bestie will be the prickly Dci Jessica James, who doesn’t exactly make a great first impression.

Unlike the previous four series, Series 5 of Unforgotten will also be made available as a bingeable box-set on Itvx as...

Rumors of TV and Radio 1 presenter Vick Hope being engaged to global DJ Calvin Harris have been circulating since last summer, and now Hope has seemingly confirmed the happy news. In a cover interview with The Mail on Sunday's You Magazine, the 33-year-old, who was wearing a large diamond ring, revealed that a "very precious thing has happened" and that "it was . . . perfect."

Harris is reported to have proposed on his farm in Ibiza last summer after the couple were spotted together at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2022. But Hope has been keen to keep the details to herself, noting that "there's a difference between secrecy and privacy."

In a world where people share every part of their lives on social media, Hope ensures the boundaries between her public persona and her private life are kept firmly in place, so don't expect any PDAs anytime soon. "We don't...

It’s 22Bc and we’re somewhere in Germany, on the northern border of the Roman empire near Frisia. Soldiers are going about their business, cleaning shields and helmets, chatting and laughing, and further along the sandy dune, under the high sun, combat training is taking place.

Enter Marcus Gallo, Grumio, and Jason Brindisi – accidental soldiers about to fight a Roman war. And for what? Because they thought joining the army in peacetime would bring them fame, food, wealth and perhaps most importantly – for Jason at least – women.

But, as with all things these boys try, it doesn’t quite work out that way. Peace is short, and now – as they are about to find out from the formidable commander – they’re on the frontline of the “Roman f***ing army” as the so-called barbarians invade.

Except it’s not Frisia, but Wales and the year is 2022. The sun was real though,...

To mark the release of Plebs: Soldiers of Rome on 12th December, we’ve been given a copy to give away on DVD.

Plebs follows the lives of three hapless young men from the suburbs as they try to get laid, hold down jobs and climb the social ladder in the big city… of Rome in 23Bc. Penned by Sam Leifer (How Not to Live Your Life) and Tom Basden (After Life) and starring Tom Rosenthal (Friday Night Dinner), Ryan Sampson (Brassic) and Jonathan Pointing (London Kills) alongside a stellar cast and inspired guest stars Including a host of TV favourites: Amanda Holden, Danny Dyer, Maureen Lipman, Simon Callow, Shaun Williamson, Lauren Socha, Tim Key, James Fleet, Michelle Keegan, Miriam Margolyes, Ellie Taylor and David Bamber.

In Plebs: Soldiers Of Rome Marcus, Grumio, Jason and Aurelius join the army in peacetime in the hope of gaining respect, to succeed in their ongoing search for romance,...

ITV has unveiled a slate of new comedy commissions, most of which will premiere on Itvx, its upcoming free streaming service.

New comedy titles include “Plebs: Soldiers of Rome,” “Deep Fake Neighbour Wars,” “Ruby Speaking Count,” “Abdulla” and “Significant Other.”

“The arrival of Itvx gives us more opportunities to commission a broad range of comedies and a dedicated place for the genre to call home,” said Nana Hughes, ITV’s Head of Comedy. The executive added that ITV aspired to showcase a “huge cross section of contemporary, diverse and inclusive comedy.”

“We want to take risks but most importantly we want our audiences to find shows that reflect them and make them laugh,” Hughes continued.

“Plebs: Soldiers of Rome” is a a feature-length special based on the award-winning comedy series “Plebs” which has had five successful seasons. “Plebs” is directed and written by Sam Leifer and co-written by Tom Basden.

ITV has greenlit an adaptation of Israeli comedy-drama Significant Other with Katherine Parkinson and Youssef Kerkour leading, along with a feature-length Plebs, an AI impressionist show and a number of other comedies.

Significant Other will be one of the flagship shows for new streamer Itvx, along with the likes of Cary Grant Biopic Archie, Helena Bonham Carter-starring Nolly and Bad Wolf’s The Winter King.

Adapted from Yes Studios’ hit, the show follows two lonely neighbors who embark on a hesitant, obstacle-filled relationship after drastic life events bring them together. Parkinson recently starred in the BBC’s Here We Go and Kerkour is best known for appearing as a Syrian refugee in Channel 4 heartfelt comedy Home.

The adaptation is being produced by It’s a Sin exec Nicola Shindler’s ITV Studios-backed Quay Street Productions, which is also behind Nolly.

Meanwhile, the British commercial broadcaster has ordered...

Comedian Ellie Taylor is one of 15 contestants on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.

While she is known best for comedy, the 38-year-old has also enjoyed a diverse career in presenting, acting and writing.

Originally from Brentwood in Essex, Taylor began modelling after being spotted while working as an intern.

Deciding it was not for her, she started doing stand-up comedy during her mid-twenties, citing comedians like Victoria Wood as early influences.

Since then, Taylor has appeared in several TV series including 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week and Plebs.

She’s also presented shows including Snog Marry Avoid? and did a stint of hosting on Heart Radio, regularly filling in for Emma Bunton.

Taylor is a regular on Live At The Apollo and has appeared both as a performer and a host.

Outside of comedy and acting, her debut book, My Child and Other Mistakes, was published...

Stake

Newen Studios, the Paris-headquartered production and distribution group, has taken a majority stake in London-based production house, Rise Films, the outfit behind “All That Breathes,” which won the top documentary prizes at Sundance and Cannes this year. The move is part of Newen’s premium documentary ambitions and U.K. expansion plans.

Founded in 2006 by Teddy Leifer, Rise’s credits also include Emmy winners “The Invisible War” and “The Interruptors” and Oscar “Icarus.” The company is debuting in factual drama with “Thank You & Goodbye,” about the phone-hacking scandal that rocked Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, a collaboration with the creative team behind the BBC’s “The Salisbury Poisonings.”

Rise Comedy, a joint venture with Rise Films, which is run by Sam Leifer, creator of ITV comedy “Plebs,” will continue to be operated independently.

Earlier this year, Newen strengthened its strategic partnership with European producer and financier Anton and is...

French production giant takes majority stake in production company behind Netflix’s Oscar winner and ITV comedy Plebs.

Newen Studios has acquired Rise Films, the producer behind Netflix’s Oscar-winning doc Icarus.

The TF1-owned French production giant has taken a majority stake in London-based Rise, which was founded in 2006 by managing director Teddy Leifer.

Rise is best-known for its high-end documentary output which, alongside Icarus, includes Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning The Invisible War, Emmy-winning The Interrupters, Sundance winner Dreamcatcher and The Art of Political Murder.

The company is also a prolific producer of programming for broadcasters and streamers, with HBO...

The next phase of ITVs digital strategy is here as the network launches a streaming service called Itvx that will air shows months before they arrive on linear, while posting impressive revenue and profit growth and record advertising spend.

Launching later this year or next with both an AVoD and SVoD option, Itvx will kick off with dramas including Damian Lewis’s A Spy Among Friends, Helena Bonham Carter-starring Nolly and Lenny Henry’s The Little Birds, along with a new series using deep fake techniques to create hilarious celebrity set-ups, a feature film for ITV2 hit Plebs and a feature doc on the truth about Bill Cosby.

In a sign that ITV is truly embracing the streaming revolution, multiple shows will air six to nine months before being given a linear window.

Itvx, which is targeting 15,000 hours of content, will be populated with multiple ITV hits including Broadchurch and Love Island,...

How do you say goodbye to one of the best shows on the air?

Fans of Netflix's After Life will be forced to say goodbye on January 14 when the final season launches.

The streamer has unveiled our biggest look yet at the final episodes, and it looks like Tony (Ricky Gervais) has a new outlook on life.

After spending the time following his wife's death thinking that not caring was a superpower, the trailer teases him making good decisions.

We get to see Tony on a very different mission, finding very specific places to scatter his late father's ashes.

One of those places is a bar, and well, that goes about as well as you can expect when he's caught.

Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, the show follows Tony, a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer.

Whilst...

Ricky Gervais is back for his third season of After Life, and brought a new trailer in advance of the series’ Jan. 14 renewal on Netflix.

Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, the show follows Tony, a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer. While still struggling with immense grief, Tony starts to realise that making other people feel good is what can give him hope and a reason to live. After all, every end is a new beginning.

The Netflix original series is by Derek Productions. The series is created, written, and directed by Gervais, who also serves with Duncan Hayes as executive producers.

Cast includes Penelope Wilton, Ashley Jensen (Extras), Tom Basden, Tony Way (Edge of Tomorrow), David Earl, Joe Wilkinson (Him and Her), Kerry Godliman...

One of Netflix's best shows will end in early 2022.

The streamer on Tuesday announced the third -- and final -- season of After Life will touch down on January 14.

Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, the show follows Tony, a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer.

Whilst still struggling with immense grief for his wife, Tony starts to realize that making other people feel good is what can give him hope and a reason to live.

After all, every end is a new beginning.

The series is a Netflix original series from Derek Productions.

It was created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais.

The cast includes Penelope Wilton, Ashley Jensen (Extras), Tom Basden, and Tony Way (Edge of Tomorrow).

The cast also includes David Earl, Joe Wilkinson (Him and Her), Kerry Godliman (Derek), Jo Hartley (In My Skin...

Skills Review

The British Film Institute (BFI), in collaboration with skills body ScreenSkills and other industry bodies, has launched a strategic review designed to develop long-term solutions to tackle the current and emerging skills needs of the screen industries. The review will address the issues of improving inclusion of people from underrepresented groups, and the imbalance between London and the southeast of England, which are thriving, and other parts of the U.K.

The focus of the review is film and high-end television production, and its scope is across the entire talent development pipeline, from secondary education, further and higher education through to vocational training, apprenticeships and continuing professional development.

The U.K. Skills Review will be trialed through pilots in 2022-23.

BFI chief executive Ben Roberts said, “Future proofing the industry’s skills is one of our key strategic priorities. This review will help us to stay ahead of...

Exclusive: Oscar and Emmy-winning British production company Rise Films is developing the first major television drama series on the phone-hacking scandal that shook the very foundations of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in the early noughties.

Rise Films, which made Oscar-winning Netflix doping documentary Icarus, will use the series to provide an insider’s perspective on the industrial-scale illegal information gathering at British tabloid newspaper, the News Of The World, after securing exclusive access to the journalists and private investigators who intercepted the voicemails of Hollywood stars, politicians, and murder victims.

The series will be penned by Luke Neal, the breakout writer behind ITV’s David Tennant drama, Des, which told the story of British serial killer Dennis Nilsen and was the broadcaster’s highest-rated drama of 2020. Saul Dibb, the helmer of The Salisbury Poisonings, BBC One’s most-watched drama in six years, has been attached to direct the phone-hacking series.

An inter-generational zombie horror-comedy, an Alan Partridge-presented travelogue, Rowan Atkinson fighting a bee… 2021 British TV comedy is a broad church, and that’s before we’ve come to all the stand-ups slicing up their Edinburgh shows into streaming half-hours and Daisy May Cooper playing a 17th century witch. Here’s the info about those new shows and more.

This list will be kept updated through the year as new commissions, casting and release dates arrive. Here’s a look back at the new British comedies that arrived in 2020, here are the new British dramas on their way this year, and here are 2021’s best returning British TV series.

And Did Those Feet

In addition to a second series for The One Show-spoofing This Time With Alan Partridge, the son of Norwich is back to poke fun at the history TV genre. With a working title of And Did Those Feet,...

Exclusive: HBO is teaming with Knocked Up creator Judd Apatow to make a two-part documentary on legendary U.S. comedian George Carlin, with UK outfit Rise Films producing alongside Apatow Productions.

HBO Documentary Films has commissioned Apatow and his longtime collaborator Michael Bonfiglio to direct the films, which will feature interviews with Carlin’s family and friends, material from his stand-up specials and TV appearances, as well as material from his personal archive.

Born in New York City in 1937, Carlin became renowned for his razor-sharp observational comedic style on language, politics, religion and the world. He filmed the first of his 14 HBO stand-up specials in 1977 and appeared on The Tonight Show more than 130 times. As well as filling comedy venues, he also wrote a number of books, which sharpened his credentials as a social critic. Carlin died in 2008 at age 71.

Apatow has talked about the project previously, though he did...

Netflix has launched a new trailer for season 2 of Ricky Gervais’ ‘After Life’ and this time Tony tries hard to give back to the people that helped him.

Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, the comedy-drama series follows Tony (Ricky Gervais), a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer.

In series 2, whilst still struggling with immense grief for his wife, we see Tony try to become a better friend to those around him. Each grappling with their own problems and only to be intensified by the looming threat of the local newspaper being shut down.

Will the town’s local Am-Dram show lift everyone’s spirits?

The six-part series is created, written, directed and stars Ricky Gervais, Penelope Wilton, David Bradley, Ashley Jensen (Extras), Tom Basden, Tony Way (Edge of Tomorrow), David Earl, Joe Wilkinson (Him and Her), Kerry Godliman (Derek), Mandeep Dhillon,...

Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar, with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors. They also shoot the breeze about their new films, The Dare, World of Darkness,...

Exclusive: Netflix’s Arthurian legend series Cursed has added Humans and Troy: Fall of a City actress Bella Dayne.

Dayne joins previously announced cast including Katherine Langford, Devon Terrell, Gustaf Skarsgard, Peter Mullan and Lily Newmark. In a series-regular role, she will play Red Spear, described to us as “a regal and ruthless viking captain, with an eye for treasure. … Loyal to no one, the Red Spear and her crew raid villages along the coast of Britain until a Fey stowaway boards her ship and entangles their fates.”

Netflix gave a 10-episode order to the project, which is based on comics supremo Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler’s upcoming illustrated book. Zetna Fuentes (Jessica Jones) and Jon East (Killing Eve) are among directors on the drama epic, which is a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of the young woman (Langford) who would become the Lady of the Lake.

In one of the first deals this development season, James Corden has set up an animated comedy project at Fox.

Titled “Dead Henry,” it is described as a buddy comedy set in the limitless but strangely familiar world of heaven, where Henry searches for the meaning of life in the afterlife.

Corden is credited as an executive producer and for the story of the potential series. Sam Leifer and Ben Turner will serve as writers and executive producers. Corden will executive produce under his Fulwell 73 banner along with Fulwell’s Jeff Grosvenor. Teddy Leifer of Rise Films will also executive produce. “Dead Henry” will be a co-production between CBS Television Studios — where Corden and Fulwell are under an overall deal — as well as Fulwell 73, Rise Films, and Fox Entertainment.

Fox has a long history of animated comedies, with the network’s Animation Domination lineup on Sundays anchored by longtime favorites “The Simpsons,...

The zombie apocalypse is coming to the U.K. and will be seen on British and U.S. TV after ITV and Hulu greenlit “Zomboat!” The upcoming comedy will star Leah Brotherhead (“White Gold”), Hamza Jeetooa (“Doctor Who”), Ryan McKen (“White Dragon”), and Cara Theobold (“Downton Abbey”). It will bow on the ITV2 channel this fall and then on Hulu.

The story follows the aftermath of a zombie onslaught being unleashed on the British city of Birmingham. Sisters Kat and Jo, together with unlikely travel companions Sunny and Amar, flee for their lives, by canal boat.

As they journey along the canal in their tightly packed living quarters, friendships develop, alliances form, arguments occur and romance blossoms. Along the way, they realize there is no escaping the problems of everyday life, even in a zombie apocalypse.

Zomboat! will be made by Noho Film & Television production, which is run by former...

Comedy Central is celebrating International Women’s Day with the launch of all-female sketch comedy series Flaps.

The company’s international division has partnered with Viacom Digital Studios International to launch the digital short-form series.

The nine-part series features a lineup of female comedians, including Maddie Rice, who starred in the theatrical version of Fleabag, Beth Rylance (Plebs), Bronwyn James (Harlots), Danielle Vitalis (Attack The Block) and Elinor Lawless (The End of Hope). Each sketch is written by different female writers, including Harriet Kemsley, Sarah Morgan, Gemma Arrowsmith, Kat Butterfield and Cassie Atkinson.

Topics covered include when to fly the flag for feminism, joining a bride tribe, running late for work, social detoxing and dealing with a hangover from hell. Flaps was produced by Viacom Digital Studios International, and was produced and directed by Lucy Forbes (In My Skin).

The series is premiering across Comedy Central International’s Facebook and...

John Malkovich is set to portray a Harvey Weinstein-like “depraved Hollywood mogul” in a world premiere UK production of David Mamet’s new play Bitter Wheat.

Just how close is the fictional character to Weinstein? In a trailer for the upcoming production at London’s Garrick Theatre, Hollywood is described as a “hell hole” where “bloated monsters devour the young.”

“Everything in Hollywood is for sale except the awards, which are for rent,” reads the website for the Garrick’s production.

Check out the trailer above.

Mamet’s Bitter Wheat, which the playwright will direct in the Garrick production, will star Malkovich as Barney Fein, described by the theater as, yes, a bloated monster and “studio head, who like his predecessor, the minotaur, devours the young he has lured into his cave. His fall from power to shame is a mythic journey which has been compared to The Odyssey...

Viacom is ramping up its slate of digital originals with three new series from Comedy Central International.

The digital studio is launching female focused series Bad Cramps and Laughing at Salad and scripted series Waiting.

Bad Cramps comes from the mind of Georgie Fuller and Danni Jackson, stars of Comedy Central’s digital short Bad Snappers. The duo are back with a sexy, raucous and completely inappropriate take on everything from one-night stands to heavy periods. The series, which consists of six, five-minute episodes, launch today on Comedy Central UK’s YouTube and Facebook pages, with more regional releases in the coming weeks.

Laughing at Salad, which will launch in January, is a nine-part sketch series that features an all-female line up, including Maddie Rice, Beth Rylance, Bronwyn James, Danielle Vitalis and Elinor Lawless. Each sketch is written by different female writers, including Harriet Kemsley, Sarah Morgan, Gemma Arrowsmith, Kat Butterfield...

Exclusive: The Ink Factory has successfully mined the library of John le Carré with "The Night Manager" and "The Little Drummer Girl" and it seems that the company is now looking do the same with acclaimed British author Roald Dahl.

I hear that Simon and Stephen Cornwell’s firm is rebooting Roald Dahl’s "Tales of the Unexpected" for TV and has set up a number of writers to work on the project. The company is working closely with the Roald Dahl Estate on the project.

The series, which was originally produced by Anglia Television for British commercial broadcaster ITV between 1979 and 1988, told a different story each week with Dahl’s trademark sinister and comedic undertones with a twist at the end.

Joseph Baxter Nov 14, 2018

Nine Lives, a novelette from the late sci-fi great, Ursula K. Le Guin, is being developed as a movie.

The legacy of the influential sci-fi author, Ursula K. Le Guin, appears to be highly coveted in the immediate aftermath of her death this past January, with live-action adaptation projects continuing to join the queue. While prospects are glistening for a movie adaptation of The Telling, as well as a properly-reverent movie adaptation of Le Guin’s sprawling magnum opus, the Earthsea novels, the latest project is a bit more of an esoteric choice from her works, a 1969 novelette, called Nine Lives.

Nine Lives is expected to commence production in the summer of 2019 with U.K. producers Gavin Humphries (Pin Cushion) of Quark Films and former Sony Pictures International producer Josephine Rose, reports Deadline. Tom Basden will co-write the script with Siri Rodnes, an actress and burgeoning filmmaker,...

Exclusive: Sci-fi giant Ursula K. Le Guin’s acclaimed novelette Nine Lives is being reworked as a feature by UK producers Gavin Humphries (Pin Cushion) of Quark Films and former Sony Pictures International producer Josephine Rose.

Tom Basden, BAFTA-nominated for Netflix series Fresh Meat and a regular actor and writer on ITV2 comedy Plebs (recently picked up for remake by Seth Rogen), is co-scripting the adaptation with Nfts alum Siri Rodnes, who will also direct. The team is in discussions with cast.

Set on a moon-base for off-world drilling, the darkly comedic Nine Lives follows two jaded workers whose excitement at the prospect of incoming human company is dashed when they are instead sent ten clones. The story’s themes of cloning, individualism and the importance of social connection hit home when the story was published by Playboy in 1968 and still resonate today.

Rodnes, whose 2016 short Take Your Partner was BAFTA-nominated and played in Berlin,...

Exclusive: Cast is now set for Ricky Gervais’ new Netflix Original comedy series After Life, which is under way in London.

Joining Gervais will be Downton Abbey and Doctor Who star Penelope Wilton, Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones star David Bradley, Ashley Jensen (Extras), Tom Basden (Plebs), Tony Way (Edge of Tomorrow), David Earl (Cemetery Junction), Joe Wilkinson (Him and Her), Kerry Godliman (Derek), and Mandeep Dhillon, Jo Hartley, Roisin Conaty and Diane Morgan (all from David Brent: Life On The Road).

Gervais is creator and will star in, direct and executive-produce the series which is about Tony (Gervais), a man with a seemingly perfect life. However, after his wife Lisa suddenly dies, Tony changes. After contemplating taking his own life, he decides instead to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes from now on. He thinks it’s like a super...

Exclusive: CAA has signed a trio of folks who scored trophies for comedy at the BAFTA TV Awards on Sunday: Murder in Successville‘s Tom Davis and James De Frond and This Country writer–director Tom George.

Davis and De Frond took home the Best Comedy Programme BAFTA for Murder in Successville, the semi-improvisational BBC Three series that teams Davis’ Detective Inspector Sleet with a different celebrity each week to solve a killing. Davis and De Frond last year co-founded Shiny Button Productions, a TV and film production company specializing in scripted content that operates as an independent production label within Tiger Aspect Productions.

Davis also stars in Action Team, a spy-action spoof series airing on ITV2, and recently starred in the sequel Paddington 2. He has also appeared on The Morgana Show, Bad Education, Drunk History and Plebs. Writer-director-producer De Frond worked on Leigh Frances’ sketch show Bo’Selecta!

In this edition of TV bits: Seth Rogen has yet another TV project in the works Manchester By The Sea director Kenneth Lonergan will make more films for Amazon Speaking of Amazon, they’re going to be making their first animated series for adults The Daily Show’s Hasan Minhaj gets his own Netflix talk show Transparent will […]

The post TV Bits: Seth Rogen Remaking ‘Plebs’, Kenneth Lonergan Signs For More Amazon, Amazon’s First Animated Adult Series, and More appeared first on /Film.

The career of actor/writer/director/goofball Seth Rogen is pretty incredible. Starting as an actor working on just about anything Judd Apatow invited him on, Rogen now has a production company that keeps putting out hit after hit. Rogen is hoping to keep that streak going with his newest project, a U.S. remake of the British comedy “Plebs.”

According to Deadline, Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures, which he runs with Evan Goldberg, is working on an American adaptation of the popular British comedy series.

Seth Rogen is to develop a U.S. adaptation of hit British comedy Plebs after optioning the rights from British production company Rise Films. Rogens' production company Point Grey Pictures, which he runs with his partner Evan Goldberg, is developing the project for U.S. broadcasters and is in the early stages of the process. Point Grey Pictures has found success producing movies such as Neighbors, Sausage Party and The Disaster Artist, as well as TV series such as AMC's Pr…...

UK indie Rise Films is producing the series with Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures.

George Clooney is set to narrate and exec produce a political crime documentary series for Amazon produced by UK indie Rise Films.

Screen sister publication Broadcast has learnt that the SVoD service is on the brink of ordering a six-part series based on non-fiction book The Art Of Political Murder.

Ocean’s Eleven star Clooney is co-producing the series through Smokehouse Pictures, his indie that is responsible for political feature films including The Ides of March and Argo.

Teddy Leifer’s Rise Films has produced a raft of high-end feature documentaries including The Invisible War and Who Is Dayani Cristal?, but is best known in the UK for producing three series of ITV2 Roman comedy Plebs.

It is the most significant Amazon order for a British indie since W Chump & Sons secured Jeremy Clarkson’s The Grand Tour.

The Art Of...

UK indie Rise Films is producing the series with Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures.

George Clooney is set to narrate and exec produce a political crime documentary series for Amazon produced by UK indie Rise Films.

Screen sister publication Broadcast has learnt that the SVoD service is on the brink of ordering a six-part series based on non-fiction book The Art Of Political Murder.

Ocean’s Eleven star Clooney is co-producing the series through Smokehouse Pictures, his indie that is responsible for political feature films including The Ides of March and Argo.

Teddy Leifer’s Rise Films has produced a raft of high-end feature documentaries including The Invisible War and Who Is Dayani Cristal?, but is best known in the UK for producing three series of ITV2 Roman comedy Plebs.

It is the most significant Amazon order for a British indie since W Chump & Sons secured Jeremy Clarkson’s The Grand Tour.

The Art Of...

Exclusive: Supernatural series from Indian Summers producer sets director and cast.

Netflix is in advanced negotiations to join BBC One series Requiem as a co-producer.

The 6 x 60-minute supernatural thriller, which is due to shoot in Wales from next week, will follow a young woman after the death of her mother.

Produced by Indian Summers and The Missing outfit New Pictures, the series is penned by Australian writer Kris Mrksa, who has written episdoes for Australian series including The Slap, Underbelly and Glitch.

Director will be former Screen Star Of Tomorrow Mahalia Belo, whose short Volume premiered at Sundance and won the British Independent Film Award for Best Short Film. Nfts graduate Belo most recently completed Ellen, a single 90 minute drama for Channel4 starring Jessica Barden

Set for a starring role in the series will be emerging UK actress Lydia Wilson, who has previously scored supporting roles in TV series Ripper Street and movies Star Trek Beyond and About Time...

He can barely make rent - let alone save humanity

Dylan Edwards (High-Rise, Pramface, E4′s forthcoming Wasted) and Natasha O’Keeffe (Sherlock, Peaky Blinders, The Last Panthers) have announced the release of their brand new digital series Difficult Second Coming.

Difficult Second Coming is a digital series following 20-something Jc and his merry band of misfits as they struggle with life in the big smoke. However Jc also happens to be the second coming, Jesus Christ reborn – and he’s struggling to make any impact whatsoever. Not only does nobody know who he is, but like a lot of his generation, he can barely make rent – let alone save humanity!

Difficult Second Coming stars, alongside Dylan and Natasha, Joel Fry (Plebs, Game of Thrones), Fiona O’Shaughnessy (Utopia), Emer Kenny (EastEnders) and Sally Dexter (Poldark).

Naughty Plebs favourtie Ryan Sampson is going to spend autumn pulling off some crazy pranks for ITV2.

Sampson and an ensemble of rising comedy stars will rope the public into taking part in bizarre (and totally fake) reality shows for the new sketch series Glitchy.

Unsuspecting passers-by on the streets will become the stars of phoney competitions like Britain and Ireland's Next Top Hand Model, Date My Daughter and 24 Hours in a Phone Box - and surely embarrass themselves along the way.

An unlucky few might even have an unwelcome encounter with Memzo, a petty thief-turned-creepy street magician.

"I'm beyond excited that ITV have let us loose, giving our own twisted take on all of our favourite TV shows," Sampson said. "It's going to be brilliant. And weird. And weirdly brilliant!"

His revolving cast of co-conspirators includes Ellie White (House of Fools), Gabby Best (Top Coppers), Colin Hoult (Derek), Mona Yousefi...

Spirit Entertainment

To celebrate the upcoming release of Anti-Social on DVD, available to buy from 14th September, we’re giving 5 lucky WhatCulture readers the chance to win a copy.

Inspired by the spate of smash and grab robberies that hit the news between 2012 and 2013, this action-packed gangland thriller is set amidst London’s sub-cultures, with Dee (Gregg Sulkin), an anarchic graffiti artist, confronting the system, and his brother Marcus (Josh Myers) a smash and grab robber, trying to make it rich with a jewellery store crime wave. For the pair being anti-social is a way of life.

As Dee finds acceptance with the city’s art scene, Marcus becomes a rising underworld face and his ambitions escalate. But when a savage gang war erupts, Dee is forced to remember who he is, as Police and rival criminals close in on the family and Marcus’ gang defiantly prepare to take down...