Noticias

Celyn Jones has started filming Madfabulous in Wales, as the cast for his latest movie as director gets filled out. More here.

Earlier this year, a man best known for his acting and screenwriting – Celyn Jones – shifted into the director’s chair for the first time with the movie The Almond & The Seahorse (pictured). Actually, already, that’s not quite true. He shot that movie originally with co-director Tom Stern a couple of years back, then overhauled it in post-production. Co-starring with Rebel Wilson, the film notched up solid notices on its UK release.

Around the time of its release, Celyn Jones was talking about his next project as director, that was pretty much ready to go. That’d be Madfabulous, that he confirmed to Film Stories is now up and running in Wales.

The film is set in the 19th century, and it tells the story of the fifth Marquess of Anglesey.

Celyn Jones, co-writer of the upcoming Grange Hill movie, gives us an update on the state of the planned movie.

It’s been about a year now since we’ve had some solid information on the planned Grange Hill movie, that’s been in development for the last couple of years. Based on the iconic BBC children’s drama series, the film is being co-written by Sir Phil Redmond – who created the show – and Celyn Jones.

We learned a year or so ago that former cast member Sara Sugarman will be directing the movie, and Jones too also appeared on screen as Mr Green in the programme.

Jones has recently released his directorial debut, The Almond & The Seahorse, an absorbing drama that’s currently in cinemas. You can find out more about that, and book tickets, here.

He chatted to us for the latest issue of Film Stories magazine about that film,...

Issue 50 of Film Stories – the UK’s biggest film magazine – is now on sale, with a huge William Shatner exclusive. More here.

Introducing issue 50 – 50! – of Film Stories, the UK’s biggest film magazine. Once again, the new issue is 168 pages, on really nice paper too. And it’s jammed with big films, little films, new films, and William Shatner!

We’re 100% independent, and this issue – as always – we’re celebrating fellow independents. But also: for our 50th birthday, we’re delighted to lead with a huge new exclusive interview with Mr Shatner, covering everything from You Can Call Me Bill and Star Trek V through to tarantulas, space, the planet, and moviemaking.

We’re really proud of it. We hope you’re going to like it, and we hope you might consider supporting it. Sold primarily via mail order, and popping up in a few WHSmiths stores around the country too,...

Stuart Organ, the longest-serving actor in iconic BBC children’s show Grange Hill, has died. He was 72.

Organ died earlier this week, his reps confirmed to the BBC. They said he “died peacefully at home after a short illness.”

Organ was the longest-serving cast member in Phil Redmond’s Grange Hill. He joined in 1988 and played Mr Robson, a Pe teacher. In 1998, he landed the headmaster’s job, but he left the series in 2003 soon after production of the show transferred to Liverpool.

Grange Hill has made the careers of many a British star. It ran for 40 years virtually uninterrupted on the BBC and ended in 2008. Redmond is now forging a film version helmed by Sara Sugarman.

Organ’s other credits included Brookside, Doctor Who, The Bill and London’s Burning. He moved into theater in later life, landing roles in An Englishman Abroad and The Comedy of Errors.

According to the BBC,...

Doctor Who's 60th anniversary is set to celebrate all corners of the franchise's established universe. Showrunner Russell T Davies's first of three Specials is entitled "The Star Beast," adapting an iconic "Doctor Who Magazine" story. Pat Mills and John Wagner's classic comic strip storyline will be televised for the first time on November 25. Although "The Star Beast" may be beloved by fans, there are still many things that audiences don't know about its mischievous antagonist, Beep The Meep.

Beep The Meep hails from the Wrarth Galaxy and has caused a few problems for the Doctor and their companions in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine. Despite appearing cute on the surface, he is a cruel and sadistic individual, with a surprising comics history. Beep The Meep is one of Doctor Who's wackiest characters, and his life within the Doctor Who comic strips is full of many...

Jean Boht, the star of beloved BBC sitcom Bread, died Tuesday. She was 91.

“It is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce that Jean Boht passed away yesterday Tuesday 12 September,” her family said in a statement. “Jean had been battling Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned.”

Her husband, the composer Carl Davis, died last month.

Boht was a popular actor who was best known for her role as Nellie Boswell in Bread. Penned by Carla Lane, Bread followed a working-class family led by Boht’s Nellie, the acid-tongued matriarch. The show aired on the BBC in the late 1980s and proved hugely popular.

Boht began her career at the Liverpool Playhouse before touring the UK in stage roles, working in many West End theaters. Her other credits included Softly, Softly, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave Em and Grange Hill.

Jean Boht, the beloved star of long-running BBC sitcom “Bread” (1986-1991) died on Sept. 12. She was 91.

Boht’s family issued a statement on social media, saying: “It is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce that Jean Boht passed away yesterday Tuesday 12 September. Jean had been battling Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned.” She was a resident at Denville Hall, the home for members of the theatrical profession.

Boht’s husband Carl Davis, the BAFTA-winning composer of “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” died in August.

Boht trained at the Liverpool Playhouse and embarked on a career as a theater actor. Her television credits include “Softly, Softly” (1971), “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em” (1978), “Grange Hill” (1978), “Last of the Summer Wine” (1978), “Boys from the Blackstuff” (1982), “Scully” (1984) and “Juliet Bravo” (1981-83). In 1993, Boht was one of the stars in “Brighton Belles,” the British remake of hit U.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for the first four series of Top Boy

We head back to the Summerhouse Estate in East London for one final time with the release of much-loved crime thriller Top Boy‘s final season.

While Netflix refers to Top Boy: The Final Chapter as season three, die-hard fans know that this will technically be the fifth run of the show, as it originally began as a two-series Channel 4 drama back in 2011 before being cancelled before its time.

Thankfully, Netflix revived Top Boy in 2017 with the help of rapper Drake (aka Aubrey Graham), who remains the show’s Executive Producer, and the two original series are also on the streaming platform as Top Boy: Summerhouse.

Like those first two seasons, the three Netflix instalments centre on drug dealers Dushane and Sully, whose tumultuous on-and-off partnership has seen them face brutal rival gangs, perilous prison stints,...

With the notable exception of the beloved Carrie Fisher, many of the iconic lead actors in the "Star Wars" saga are still with us. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Natalie Portman are all going strong, and so are the stars of the space opera's most recent episodes. Some of the actors from the original film who were already veterans at the time, like Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing, died some years ago, but both enjoyed long lives beyond the average age.

Sadly, this cannot be said of numerous other actors involved in the big screen franchise and its recent TV spin-offs. Performers have died in their 70s, 60s, and 50s, many of them leaving us wishing we could have seen more years of great performances from them. Whether they had spotlight roles or were hidden behind alien masks, here are the "Star Wars" actors we lost too soon.

The discovery of cocaine at the White House on Sunday has stirred the imagination of the media and some Republicans — including Donald Trump, who wasted no time in suggesting that either Joe or Hunter Biden were the clandestine owners. While there is of course no evidence that the 80-year-old president and his son were responsible for the tiny bag found in a high-traffic area where guests touring the White House are asked to leave their belongings, rumors of illicit drug use have peppered the White House’s history.

From rumors...

UK TV presenters Ant and Dec are remaking Byker Grove, the show that made child stars of them three decades ago.

Late Late Show indie Fulwell 73 is developing the project with the I’m a Celebrity host’s Mitre Studios.

Originally broadcast between 1989 and 2006 on the BBC, Byker Grove became a household favorite as it told the story of a youth club in Newcastle. Celebrated for its handling of hard hitting and controversial storylines, the program ran for 18 series and launched many famous faces both in front of and behind the camera, including Ant and Dec as fun-loving duo Pj and Duncan. The pair have often credited the show with launching their careers.

The producers said the reboot, which isn’t attached to a broadcaster, is aimed at a primetime audience and will “engage with a new generation of teenagers navigating the different challenges faced by young adults today.”

Fulwell...

Exclusive: UK production company Mad As Birds (Mab) — best known for pics such as Six Minutes to Midnight, Poms, The Vanishing, and The Almond And The Seahorse — has landed a major cash injection from a private investor as it sets out a diverse slate of projects for the Cannes market.

We understand the investment is around the seven-figure mark. The investor, whose identity has been kept private, approached the UK-based indie headed by Celyn Jones, Andy Evans, and Sean Marley with the unique deal, which is set to supercharge the company’s work across film and TV, with several Mab projects heading to the Cannes market this week.

New Mab film projects hitting the market include:

Call Girls

Directed by veteran British filmmaker Catherine Morshead, the film comes from a screenplay by writers Paul Coleman and Brennan Reece. Coleman is the BAFTA-winning writer behind the BBC comedy Car Share,...

Series creator Phil Redmond has teamed up with Sara Sugarman to make a big screen version of the hit BBC drama and they promise that TV favourites will return

Nearly half a century after it first aired on BBC One, a film adaptation of the classic children’s drama series Grange Hill has been confirmed – with the original cast making a surprise return.

The series, which ran from 1978 until 2008, portrayed life in a typical British comprehensive school in the fictional London borough of Northam, and broke new ground over the years with storylines that covered racism, drug addiction and mental health.

Exclusive: Sir Phil Redmond is moving forward with his Grange Hill film adaption and filmmaker Sara Sugarman (Save the Cinema) has signed on to direct a story in part based on the character she played in the hit BBC kids show.

The film will be written by original series creator Redmond, with Sean Marley (The Almond and the Seahorse) and Celyn Jones (Six Minutes to Midnight) producing for Mad As Birds alongside Redmond’s production company Mersey Film. Phil and Alexis Redmond will EP. Redmond originally planned for the movie to launch this year and he said scripts are “pretty close.”

Plot is being largely kept under wraps, but Redmond told Deadline that the story will, in part, be based on the character Jessica Samuels, who was the rebellious head of the Grange Hill student action group in the TV series. The idea was inspired by Sugarman, who played Samuels...

"Emily in Paris" season three hit Netflix on Dec. 21, and fans of the show are being reminded of just how gorgeous and charming its star Lucien Laviscount is. Can you blame them for wondering if he's dating someone? Well, good news for anyone who's still holding out hope for a chance with the English actor: he doesn't appear to be dating anyone at the moment. He has dated quite a few stars in the past, though.

Laviscount was most recently linked to former Little Mix-er Jesy Nelson, but it turns out that Laviscount has been involved in more than a few rumored relationships that panned out to be nothing.

So who has the "Emily in Paris" star really romanced in recent years? Since his rise on "Grange Hill" in 2007, the actor has been said to have dated a number of his costars - Brooke Vincent, Dominique Jackson, Amy Childs, and...

Grace’s guest this week is the Bafta award winning director Amma Asante. From her critically acclaimed films such as Belle, and A United Kingdom, to her work on TV shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Mrs America, Amma is a giant of the film-making world. She pops round to Grace’s to discuss her teenage days on the set of Grange Hill, how she fell in love at the Europol canteen, and the importance of Mr Kipling. And, of course, the comfort foods that have seen her through it all...

Strictly Come Dancing star Molly Rainford has apologised to her professional partner Carlos Gu for “letting him down” after they ended up in the dance-off.

During Saturday (22 October) night’s show, the pair performed a Couple’s Choice routine to the Grange Hill theme tune as part of the night celebrating the BBC’s centenary.

However, the routine was criticised by the judges, with viewers suggesting that Rainford and Gu had been “stitched up” by the “slow” musical choice which appeared hard to dance to.

The pair, who have previously topped the Strictly leaderboard, scored 30 points and found themselves in the bottom half of the contestants.

Rainford and Gu were at risk of leaving the show after ending up in the dance-off during Sunday (23 October) night’s results show against comedian Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer.

The judges all voted to save Rainford, with Anton du Beke saying it was...

Strictly Come Dancing star Molly Rainford has apologised to her professional partner Carlos Gu for “letting him down” after they ended up in the dance-off.

During Saturday (22 October) night’s show, the pair performed a Couple’s Choice routine to the Grange Hill theme tune as part of the night celebrating the BBC’s centenary.

However, the routine was criticised by the judges, with viewers suggesting that Rainford and Gu had been “stitched up” by the “slow” musical choice which appeared hard to dance to.

The pair, who have previously topped the Strictly leaderboard, scored 30 points and found themselves in the bottom half of the contestants.

Rainford and Gu were at risk of leaving the show after ending up in the dance-off during Sunday (23 October) night’s results show against comedian Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer.

The judges all voted to save Rainford, with Anton du Beke saying it was...

Claudia Winkleman alluded to the chaos within the UK government on Strictly Come Dancing.

Saturday (22 October) night’s show was a BBC 100 special as part of the channel’s centenary celebrations.

During the episode, the remaining contestants danced to songs and theme tunes inspired by the BBC’s biggest shows of the last 100 years, from Doctor Who to Grange Hill.

Following James Bye’s Foxtrot to the EastEnders theme tune, host Winkleman made a cheeky dig at the last week of chaos within the government that saw Liz Truss resign as prime minister after just 44 days.

“Still to come, Hamza [Yassin] takes on a tricky ballroom dance and if he’s any good at leading, the country’s got a job for him,” she quipped.

Yassin performed a dance to celebrate the BBC’s nature programming and scored 35 points.

With Truss resigning on Thursday (20 October), the Conservative party will find a...

Claudia Winkleman alluded to the chaos within the UK government on Strictly Come Dancing.

Saturday (22 October) night’s show was a BBC 100 special as part of the channel’s centenary celebrations.

During the episode, the remaining contestants danced to songs and theme tunes inspired by the BBC’s biggest shows of the last 100 years, from Doctor Who to Grange Hill.

Following James Bye’s Foxtrot to the EastEnders theme tune, host Winkleman made a cheeky dig at the last week of chaos within the government that saw Liz Truss resign as prime minister after just 44 days.

“Still to come, Hamza [Yassin] takes on a tricky ballroom dance and if he’s any good at leading, the country’s got a job for him,” she quipped.

Yassin performed a dance to celebrate the BBC’s nature programming and scored 35 points.

With Truss resigning on Thursday (20 October), the Conservative party will find a...

Strictly Come Dancing is set to pay tribute to the BBC’s 100 years this weekend.

The main show on Saturday (22 October) will see each couple dance to a theme tune to a BBC show, or a song heavily featured on the broadcast network.

This will mark the first time that Strictly has based its entire week’s theme on the corporation.

The episode will begin with a group number that will show the Strictly professionals and judges gate crash some of the BBC’s best-known shows.

With several of this year’s celebrity contenders being stars of BBC shows, this week’s theme will feature some of them dancing to the songs that have been a large part of their careers.

James Bye, who plays Martin Fowler in EastEnders, will dance the foxtrot with Amy Dowden to the soap’s theme tune.

Wildlife presenter and cameraman Hamza Yassin, who achieved...

‘Ticket To Paradise’ first weekend, plus ‘Avatar’ re-release.

Olivia Wilde’s thriller Don’t Worry Darling heads the new films at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, with attention finally turning to the film itself after several weeks of extraneous gossip.

The Warner Bros film is opening in 697 cinemas, making it the widest opening in the territory for a film directed by a woman – ahead of the 691 locations of Olivia Newman’s Where The Crawdads Sing in July.

It will then expand to 783 cinemas in the UK and Ireland across its first week.

Written by Katie Silberman, Carey Van Dyke and Shane Van Dyke,...

Gwyneth Powell, who starred in the BBC’s long-running kids drama series Grange Hill as Bridget McClusky has died aged 76, her agent confirmed Monday (12 September).

Her representative, Matthew Lacey, said in a statement on behalf of the family that the actor died after “complications following a major operation for a perforated colon”.

Per the BBC, he added that she “passed away peacefully” with her husband, actor Alan Leith, and niece beside her last Thursday (8 September).

“Gwyneth will be greatly missed by her adoring family and friends along with her many fans from multiple TV appearances,” he added.

Powell played Mrs McClusky, arguably Grange Hill School’s best-known head teacher, for eleven series between 1981 to 1991.

“At first, Mrs McClusky was written as a ‘twin set and pearls’ role, but I was quite young at the time and didn’t want to play it like that,” she told the BBC in 2008.

“My...

British soap star Ashvin Luximon has died suddenly, age 38.

The actor was best known for his role in long-running BBC soap EastEnders, where he played Asif Malik from 1999 to 2003. In total, Luximon appeared in 146 episodes.

His family revealed that he died from an aneurism on July 23rd, and paid tribute to their “loving son, brother and friend”, whose death, they added, had “hit them all hard.”

Prior to his role in EastEnders, Luximon had appeared as a child actor in school drama Grange Hill. He’d also worked on screen in British Airways promotional videos.

Former Eastenders star Ashvin Luximon has died from an aneurysm at the age of 38, his family has confirmed.

He died on 23 July, with the funeral taking place on 11 August.

Luximon is best known for playing Asif Malik (the naughty school friend of Martin Fowler) in the BBC soap from September 1999 to October 2003, appearing in 146 episodes.

His family set up a tribute page and are raising money for various charities in his name.

They said in a statement: “Ash’s unexpected passing has hit us all hard, but we want to take the time to remember his larger than life spirit.

“He loved and was loved by so many. He sang a mean karaoke tune and had a voice loud enough to hear from space! He brought laughter and the best cuddles.

“Please use this space to share thoughts, photos and memories. Please be respectful.”

They added: “As a family we...

The U.K. government’s decision last week to shut down the pioneering BFI Young Audiences Content Fund sent shockwaves around the industry. Among those incensed was Anna Home, chair of the Children’s Media Foundation (Cmf), a non-profit organization focused on securing the best media choices for young people on all platforms. Home, a BAFTA-winning TV producer whose credits include “Grange Hill” and “Jackanory,” shares her thoughts on the matter in an exclusive column for Variety.

The U.K.’s TV industry is a creative powerhouse that is up there with the best in the world. It survives on a mix of international investment, commercial funding and public subsidy and the kids’ sector is in the same mould. But there are some subtle differences that makes kids a special case in a country which has a long history of supporting its culture through public service funding. The recent closure...

Emily in Paris has a new hunk in town for season two, and his name is Lucien Laviscount. The British actor first broke into the acting scene in 2007 after landing a reoccurring role in the British soap series Grange Hill. Lucien's talents took him across the pond eight years later when he starred as a preppy bad boy in Ryan Murphy's highly successful thriller series Scream Queens. Fun fact: His character's name, Earl Grey, was a comedic homage to his hometown roots. Since then, he's added several more credits to his résumé including Katy Keene and Trust, a new steamy thriller starring Nina Dobrev. Now, Lucien is gearing up to win over fans' (and Emily's) hearts in season two of Netflix's over-the-top drama series Emily in Paris, where he'll be playing Alfie, a charming transplant from England and a competing love interest. Get acquainted with the actor ahead.

What do you do when the plug is pulled permanently on your TV show, with just a handful of episodes to go? How do you wrap up over a decade of storylines and characters in twenty-five minutes? How do you mark the end of an era? That was the dilemma facing the makers of Byker Grove, the occasionally-gritty teen drama about a Tyneside youth club when it was finally axed in 2006. The show had been a tea-time institution, running on BBC One every autumn since 1989 The last episode of the eighteenth and final series went out on December 10th, fifteen years ago this week.

The show’s final story has gone down in history as one of the all-time bonkers meta TV endings. In the episode, titled ‘Deus Ex Machina’, the teenage Grovers learn that they’re characters in a TV show, manipulated for the entertainment of an omnipotent writer,...

Set in the very near future where scientists have discovered a method of matching people with their perfect romantic fit using DNA, eight-part Netflix Original The One is technically a sci-fi drama. Really though, it’s a crime thriller revolving around the murky circumstances in which the cash cow company behind the matching service was created. Written by Misfits and Crazyhead creator Howard Overman, The One is based on the 2017 novel of the same name by John Marrs. It’s a cat-and-mouse game between wealthy, driven CEO Rebecca (Hannah Ware) and police detective Kate (Zoë Tapper).

While you’re solving the show’s mysteries, we’ve taken the liberty of solving that nagging background question of where you might have seen its cast on screen before…

Hannah Ware – Rebecca Webb

Prior to The One, actor and model Hannah Ware’s biggest roles were over in the US. She starred opposite...

1964: Primetime soap opera Peyton Place premiered on ABC.

1988: Santa Barbara's Eden Capwell was raped.

2009: Guiding Light's Alan Spaulding died.

2010: As the World Turns' Carly and Jack married one last time."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

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

On this date in...

1964: Primetime soap opera Peyton Place premiered on ABC. Based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 1957 film adaptation. Peyton Place ran for 514 total episodes with the series finale airing on June 2, 1969.

In the first episode, Dr. Michael Rossi...

Actor-director played parts in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Absolute Beginners, EastEnders.

Graham Fletcher-Cook, the brother of Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher who had a small role in that film and acted in Eddie The Eagle and Sid And Nancy, has died. He was 55.

A spokesperson for the family confirmed Fletcher-Cook died of cancer on an undisclosed date a while ago. The London-born actor and director got his first taste of acting on a visit to the set of Bugsy Malone in 1976 arranged through The Anna Scher Theatre drama school.

After that he found work on a multitude of films such...

1974: CBS aired the final episode of The Secret Storm.

1978: UK serial Grange Hill premiered.

1977: Ryan's Hope's Frank was devastated over Jill.

1995: Days of our Lives' Sami and Lucas had sex."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

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

On this date in...

1955: On Love of Life, Ben gave Judith (Virginia Robinson) a warning, and Paul (Richard Coogan) received pressure to marry Judith from her father.

1974: After a 20 year run, the final episode of The Secret Storm aired on CBS.

1977: On Ryan's Hope, after an emotional confrontation,...

One could say that Amma Asante’s latest, Where Hands Touch is part of a trilogy of films. Before the Holocaust drama starring Amandla Stenberg, she directed David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike in A United Kingdom and before that, she helmed Belle starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw. All three films are set in different time periods and tell different narratives that explore multiracial identity as well as interracial relationships. Asante sat down with us at the New Hollywood Podcast to give us some poignant insight about her films and how there’s a wealth of untold stories just like Where Hands Touch that seldom make it to the forefront.

Born in London and the daughter of immigrant parents from Ghana, Asante started off as an actress, starring in the British school drama Grange Hill. She shifted to filmmaking and directed A Way of Life in 2004, but started to get attention for the aforementioned Belle,...

1964: Primetime soap opera Peyton Place premiered on ABC.

1988: Santa Barbara's Eden Capwell was raped.

2009: Guiding Light's Alan Spaulding died.

2010: As the World Turns' Carly and Jack married one last time."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

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

On this date in...

1964: Primetime soap opera Peyton Place premiered on ABC. Based upon the 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious, the series was preceded by a 1957 film adaptation. Peyton Place ran for 514 total episodes with the series finale airing on June 2, 1969.

In the first episode, Dr. Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) arrived from New York City to set up practice in town.

1974: CBS aired the final episode of The Secret Storm.

1978: UK serial Grange Hill premiered.

1977: Ryan's Hope's Frank was devastated over Jill.

1995: Days of our Lives' Sami and Lucas had sex."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

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

On this date in...

1955: On Love of Life, Ben (David Lewis, who later won a Daytime Emmy Award for his...

Riz Ahmed and Billie Piper star in the new thriller, City Of Tiny Lights. Here's our review...

Fresh out of Rogue One, HBO’s The Night Of, and a very welcome stint on Girls, Riz Ahmed’s got the good sense to be taking advantage of his current profile, spreading himself around and trying a few different things. City Of Tiny Lights is certainly different, in that no one really makes private-eye noirs anymore, but is significant mainly in that it shows Ahmed as a leading man whose presence can be banked on to get a few British bums on seats.

Horses should be held on that one, of course: you don’t expect it to smash any box-office records. But it marks a point in his career: he’s the star, and essentially the only reason anyone, other than big fans of director Pete Travis’ Dredd, is going to see it.

Ryan Lambie Mar 22, 2017

Fearsome monsters, grasping hands, and a suggestive tree. Here are 10 fantasy movie moments that scarred us as kids...

Sooner or later, you're going to see a scary movie. Whether you sneak down and watch a horror film on late night television, watch a Nightmare On Elm Street sequel round a friend's house or watch clips of slasher movies on YouTube, horror movies are always out there, waiting in the wings for the young and curious.

See related The Last Kingdom series 2 episode 1 review The Last Kingdom series 2: politics, battles and arselings What can we expect from new BBC drama, The Last Kingdom?

But long before most of us graduate to the stage of our lives where we start seeking out 18-rated movies of gore and terror, we reliably encounter scary moments in what might initially seem to be harmless family adventure films.

The 1980s was an...

Alex Westthorp Nov 16, 2016

Remember when Grange Hill went to the Isle Of Wight? Or the escaped puma? Here are 12 memorable school trip episodes from the early years...

With just over thirty years worth of screen time, there are plenty of memorable moments in Grange Hill. From its inception in February 1978 the programme proved both entertaining and controversial. It tackled many difficult subjects head-on: bullying, vandalism, racism, censorship, shop-lifting, school uniform protest, teenage pregnancy and - most famously of all - drugs. However, every now and again it would attempt to give viewers a break from the everyday and head off on a day trip or weekend excursion.

See related DC Comics movies: upcoming UK release dates calendar Batman V Superman: where does it leave the Justice League? Batman V Superman: Michael Shannon fell asleep watching it Zack Snyder interview: Batman V Superman

Join us and H5 on a bit of escapism then,...

Alex Westthorp Oct 3, 2016

It's 40 years since Multi-Coloured Swap Shop made its television debut and kick-started the Saturday morning kids' TV slot...

Imagine the excitement - it's just before 9.30am on Saturday 2nd October 1976. It's almost like Christmas has come early, such is the anticipation. The nation's kids, who hitherto got their kicks at the Saturday morning pictures, settle in front of their television screens and press the button marked 'BBC1'. Those who read their parents' Radio Times know a new show is about to start with Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ Noel Edmonds at the helm. 28 year old Noel is cool and down with the kids. Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen - the Doctor and Sarah Jane from Doctor Who - are to be the first star guests, and you can actually speak to them live by telephone! The TV set warms up and the familiar blue and yellow BBC...

Alex Westthorp Sep 19, 2016

We revisit Tom's Midnight Garden, Moondial, The Chronicles Of Narnia and a few lesser-known UK children's TV series...

Read our look-back at UK kids' fantasy dramas 1980 - 1984 here.

By 1985 British TV's children's drama had really hit its stride, achieving "a balanced diet of programmes" as Edward Barnes, the head of the BBC children's department observed. The late 80s, arguably, saw a new golden age for spooky and magical kids drama. Excellent production values, improved significantly by well-honed special effects work using Quantel, Paintbox and Harry, and moreover some interesting casting - often of very talented newcomers - produced some of the most memorable dramas of the era.

The second half of the decade saw the BBC riding high on the back of the success of their state-of-the-art adaptation of John Masefield's Box Of Delights. Meanwhile, anthology series Dramarama was going from strength to strength on ITV.

Alex Westthorp Sep 14, 2016

Did fantasy dramas Chocky, The Box Of Delights and Dramarama leave an impression on you as a kid? Revisit those nightmares here...

Spooky, always magical and occasionally downright scary dramas are the bedrock of kids' television. For me, the pinnacle of this sort of programme was reached in the 1980s. The decade saw a new approach to both traditional and contemporary drama by both UK broadcasters: ITV committed itself to regular seasons of children's plays with Dramarama (1983-89), a kind of youth version of the venerable BBC Play For Today (1970-84), which saw the 1988 television debut of one David Tennant. The BBC, building upon an impressive body of work from the early 70s onwards, produced some of its very best family drama in this era, embracing cutting edge technology to bring treats like The Box Of Delights (1984) and The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (1988) to the screen.

Jenny Morrill Sep 6, 2016

Den Of Geek raises a glass to some lesser-known soap star pop singles, from Coronation Street to Neighbours and more...

“Do you remember the guy who played that guy in that thing? His song was good wasn't it?”

The above is an example of a conversation regularly heard in our house. The only variants are that sometimes it was 'that girl from that thing', and a lot of the time the song was far from good.

Well sod it – I think we as a nation need to have more discussions about Craig McLachlan and Stefan Dennis. It's the only way our society will grow. So here are 12 songs from Soapland that weren't done by Kylie, Jason, or Kylie and Jason.

1. Kevin Kennedy (Curly Watts) – Bulldog Nation

Here we see Coronation Street's finest and supermarket manager extraordinaire with an indie effort from 2000. Did You Know - Kennedy...

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The director of Once, Begin Again and Sing Street talks to us about his new film, getting films noticed, and Hollywood...

Well, Sing Street is just great. The new movie from writer-director John Carney, it tells the story of a young Irish teenager by the name of Cosmo, who – long story short – sets up a band to impress a girl. Yet that sells a funny, nerdy and quite brilliant film short.

Director John Carney – off the back of Once and Begin Again – made the movie. And he spared us some time for a chat about it…

Huge congratulations on Sing Street, which is one of our favourite movies of the year. It’s interesting, though, that it opens opposite a not-very-good X-Men movie this week, and they’re going head to head!

Oh great! [Laughs] That’s like Bernie Sanders and Trump!

I did wonder how you felt about it!

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In its special episodes, Saved By The Bell wasn't afraid to get real. Or kill ducks. All together now, "I'm so excited! I'm so excited!..."

Saved By The Bell wasn't just Zack and Slater having a dance off. Yes it was. However, the show also tried its hand at a number of 'very special episodes'. These typically featured problems encountered by all teens at some point, like drinking half a can of beer, dead ducks, and getting off your tits on Pro Plus.

I grew up watching Saved By The Bell, and thanks to its teachings I am a well adjusted individual. Not like those weirdos who only ever make one joke about how they're a bit odd, and everything they ever write is a rubbish variation of that joke mixed in with jokes about Bungle.

Let's have a look at how Zack, Josh, Twinkie and Billy...

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BBC One has ordered a TV series based on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. Here's why TV should fare better than previous adaptations...

In 2007 New Line Cinema produced The Golden Compass. It was planned as the first in a trilogy, with the hope that it would provide a similar motion picture event to the studio's Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Instead, it nearly killed the studio. We looked at what went wrong with the movie in an earlier article: a tale of studio interference, patronising the audience, and not committing sufficiently to a story.

Now New Line has returned to the source material, and this time hopes are high. It was announced yesterday that Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter's newly formed Bad Wolf production company would be working with New Line to produce an adaptation for BBC One. Considering one of the problems with the...

Doctor Who stuntman Derek Ware has died, aged 77.

Ware worked on the show from the very first episode and on several stories throughout the 1960s and '70s.

As part of his work on Doctor Who, he formed stunt team Havoc, providing the riders, fallers, drivers and horsemen who fought during Jon Pertwee's first years as the Doctor (via TobyHadoke.com).

Ware stopped working for the programme in 1971, and went on to appear on TV shows including EastEnders, Z-Cars and Grange Hill in both stunt and acting roles.

His film credits included The Italian Job, on which he was responsible for its iconic Mini chase, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Owners explore studio potential after location shoots for Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Channel 4’s Humans.

Since hosting location shoots for Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age Of Ultron and ITV’s Code Of A Killer, owners of business and technical park Londoneast-uk in Dagenham are exploring the potential of a full-time film and TV studio at the site.

UK facilities management company Sog Group runs the 17-acre east London site, which is situated at the former manufacturing plant of pharmaceutical company Sanofi.

To date the site has hosted location shoots for Channel 4’s Humans, ITV’s Code Of A Killer and BBC crime-drama series New Blood as well as Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron.

According to a spokesperson for Sog, Lewis is in talks with Barking and Dagenham council, Film London and production companies about the potential for developing a full-time studio facility at the site, which is already hosting other commercial businesses.

“I can see...

When we found out last week that Gordon the Gopher and other childhood favourites were being revived for a special, we got so excited we dug out our Edd The Duck lunchbox and started reminiscing about our first loves: Andi Peters, Zoe Ball and Phillip Schofield.

But when we started to talk about some of our favourite kids' TV programmes, there were blank faces in the office. And in fact, when we've brought up these classics in the past, we've been met by general bafflement. So below, we present just 7 of our favourite kids' TV shows that no-one remembers... Do you?

1. Incredible Games (1994-1995)

It only aired for two series from 1994 to 1995, but The Incredible Games was one of the cleverest kids' games shows ever, and no-one seems to remember it.

Essentially The Crystal Maze for kids, it was set in a fictional Tron-like skyscraper, and featured a bunch of...

Georgia May Foote has swapped the Weatherfield cobbles for the BBC dancefloor and joined Strictly Come Dancing.

The former Coronation Street actress is the fourth celebrity to be confirmed for the new series, following the announcements of Jeremy Vine, Ainsley Harriott and fellow soap star Kellie Bright.

"I am so excited to be part of Strictly 2015," Foote said. "It is something I have always wanted to take part in and now I just can't wait to get started.

"I love dancing and I love a challenge so this is the perfect experience for me."

The 24-year-old, who was unveiled on this morning's (August 13) BBC Breakfast, is best known for playing Katy Armstrong on the ITV soap from 2010 to 2015, but also starred in Grange Hill as Alison Simmons.

So the secret is out! So excited to be part of @bbcstrictly 2015! Eeeek! Thanks for all your messages!

— Georgia May Foote (@georgiafoote) August...

The latest batch of famous faces for Pointless Celebrities has been unveiled.

The upcoming run will see the likes of Scott Mills, Greg James, Sarah-Jane Crawford and Trevor Nelson taking part.

Former F1 stars David Coulthard and Nigel Mansell will also appear, as well as child stars from Grange Hill and Willy Wonka.

Father and son Gary and Harry Lineker are teaming up. Angellica Bell and Michael Underwood will work together, too.

A pop music episode will see Eternal sisters Vernie and Easther Bennett, Sinitta and Union J's Jaymi Hensley participating.

Jedward and Louie Spence are showing up for a Halloween special, with Kym Wilde and pantomime favourites The Krankies popping up for Christmas.

Hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman, celebrities must rack their brains to come up with answers nobody else can think of.

Each question has been put to a panel of 100 people, before the show...