News

Exclusive: Ex-Bad Robot TV boss Ben Stephenson set up his own transatlantic indie more than two years ago and the move is beginning to bear fruit.

The former BBC drama controller’s Poison Pen Studios has landed ITV drama Adultery, we can reveal, which is being penned by BAFTA-winning Fool Me Once scribe Danny Brocklehurst. Casting will be unveiled soon.

In Adultery, the audience is immediately introduced to Tom and his 15-year-old daughter Jess, who has found love with schoolmate Ollie, and the pair can’t take their hands off one another. When Tom meets Ollie’s mum Beth in the most unexpected of circumstances, the two families’ lives are potentially turned upside down forever. The show “raises questions about class, grief and the effects of social media,” according to ITV.

Having worked on hits like Westworld, Stephenson left J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot in summer 2022 and launched the ITV Studios-backed,...

Exclusive: Secuoya Studios is stepping into the UK. The Spanish powerhouse has inked a first-look development and production deal with The Castaways and This Time Next Year producer BlackBox Multimedia.

Under the deal, the two companies will join forces to co-produce premium series for the UK and Spanish markets at Secuoya Group’s facilities Madrid Content City in Tres Cantos, Spain.

The move marks the first time the Spanish studio is entering the UK market and is part of Secuoya Group’s larger strategy to produce more English-language content. At the Iberseries & Platino Industria confab in October, Secuoya Studios announced a global expansion plan to produce 30% of the studio’s content catalog in languages other than Spanish language, enabling the studio and its partners to develop multiple projects in parallel in different markets and language.

London-based BlackBox Multimedia, which was founded by former Lionsgate UK COO Guy Avshalom, has developed...

Exclusive: Channel 5 streamer My5 grew at double the rate of its competitors last year, according to research supplied by the Paramount-owned network.

Views to the All Creatures Great and Small streamer rose by 53%, Channel 5 said, which was well ahead of BBC iPlayer in second place with 24%. According to the data, which came from ratings agency Barb’s TV Viewing Minutes year-on-year growth breakdowns, Itvx was third with 22% and Channel 4 posted 15%. During this era of linear decline, UK broadcasters have consistently talked up their streaming services as a way of arresting a drop-off in overnight viewers.

My5 admittedly comes from a lower audience base than its larger rivals and Channel 5 declined to give numbers. Channel 5 highlighted shows that have broken out on My5 including All Creatures Great and Small, which airs on PBS in the U.S., and Sheridan Smith-starring thriller The Teacher. There was also non-scripted...

On Saturday 30 November 2024, ITV broadcasts The Jonathan Ross Show!

Special Guests Season 2: Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “The Jonathan Ross Show,” titled “Special Guests,” promises to be a delightful trip down memory lane. This episode will air on ITV and will highlight some of the most memorable moments from the recent series. Fans of the show can look forward to a collection of clips featuring a star-studded lineup of guests.

Among the special guests featured in this episode are global icons like Cristiano Ronaldo and the beloved Spice Girls. The episode will also showcase the comedic talents of Lee Evans and the musical prowess of Ed Sheeran. Hollywood star Emily Blunt will make an appearance, along with sports legends such as Rio Ferdinand and Thierry Henry. The charming Dame Joanna Lumley will also be part of the mix, adding her unique flair to the show. Lastly, the talented...

ITV has started filming I Fought The Law, a new drama series starring Sheridan Smith. The series is based on Ann Ming’s book, For The Love of Julie, and recounts Ming’s 15-year struggle to change the Double Jeopardy Law and bring her daughter’s murderer to justice. Screenwriter Jamie Crichton adapts Ming’s book, exploring her battle […]

ITV Begins Filming ‘I Fought The Law’, a New Drama Series Starring Sheridan Smith...

Exclusive: Grey’s Anatomy star Kevin McKidd has been cast in Cbbc’s adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson’s The Primrose Railway Children.

The Scottish actor-director, who has played Dr. Owen Hunt in 16 seasons of Shonda Rhimes’ hit drama, will portray Rob Robinson opposite Nina Toussaint-White (Bodyguard), who is his wife Sarah. Their three children will be played by a trio of emerging young talent in Ava McCarthy, Ida Brooke and Tylan Bailey.

Based on E Nesbit’s classic and penned by Tom Bidwell, The Primrose Railway Children follows Phoebe, her older sister Becks, older brother Perry and their mum who are living a comfortable life in Glasgow when suddenly they are uprooted from their lives and moved to the remote highlands of Scotland. Filming will commence this month in and around Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands. Tracey Beaker author Wilson’s book is based on The Railway Children, which was also...

BBC Adapting Jacqueline Wilson’s Ode To ‘The Railway Children’

The BBC is adapting Jacqueline Wilson’s Primrose Railway Children for TV, the author’s ode to E. Nesbit’s timeless classic. The Cbbc feature length follows Phoebe, her older sister Becks, younger brother Perry and their mum who are living a comfortable life in Glasgow when suddenly they are uprooted from their lives and moved to the remote highlands of Scotland. The book is itself based on The Railway Children, which was also remade as a movie recently starring Jenny Agutter, Tom Courtenay and Sheridan Smith. Cbbc has been going big on its adaptations lately and has also made versions of Oliver Twist and The Famous Five. The kids network has also ordered a sitcom starring Peep Show alums Robert Webb and Isy Suttie titled High Hoop about a reckless high school basketball player, along with more of channel favorite Malory Towers.

Warning: contains spoilers for Inside No. 9 “Plodding On”.

Look carefully at the end credits for Inside No. 9 finale “Plodding On” and in among the names of the many, many previous guest stars who came back to send the anthology show on its way is one puzzling entry. Between Denis Lawson from “A Quiet Night In” and Rula Lenska from “The Devil of Christmas” is the name: Europa Lepus. You won’t find them on IMDb because Europa Lepus is not an actor but a form of Latin for the European Hare. That’s right, not content with hiding a statue of a hare inside every one of its 55 episodes, Inside No. 9 also hid a hare in its finale end credits.

That level of commitment to Easter eggs went even further for the finale. Visit the cryptic crossword published by The Guardian newspaper on the day the finale...

Reese Witherspoon will produce Legally Blonde prequel series Elle for Prime Video. Here are the details.

According to Deadline, a prequel television series to Legally Blonde has been ordered at Amazon Prime Video.

Reese Witherspoon, who starred in the two feature films, will produce the series through her Hello Sunshine production company, alongside Lauren Neustadter, Lauren Kisilevsky and producer of the original films Marc Platt.

Elle will serve as a prequel to the original 2001 film, which saw Witherspoon play Elle Woods, a sorority queen who follows her ex boyfriend to law school to win him back, only to find herself flourishing as an aspiring lawyer.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White And Blonde followed in 2004. A straight to DVD sequel, Legally Blondes, which Witherspoon produced, starring twins Milly and Becky Rosso, was released in 2009. A hugely successful stage musical premiered in 2007, which transferred to Broadway and eventually the West End in...

Exclusive: All Creatures Great and Small scribe Jamie Crichton is taking on ITV’s latest campaigning drama, a series about the fight to repeal the notorious double jeopardy law starring Sheridan Smith.

Details about the drama first started emerging last night and we can reveal it will be titled I Fought the Law and is produced by Mary & George indie Hera Pictures.

Based on Ann Ming’s book For the Love of Julie, the series tells the heart-breaking story of Ming’s 15-year-long battle for her daughter Julie’s murderer to face justice. Ming’s daughter was found in the bathroom of her house in 1990, 80 days after she had disappeared, and the man who killed her was twice acquitted following mistrials before eventually admitting to the murder. The archaic double jeopardy law meant he couldn’t be tried twice for the same crime and it is this law that Ming and her family successfully overturned.

Succession star Sarah Snook and singer-actress Nicole Scherzinger were among the big winners at the 2024 Olivier Awards, which were revealed this evening at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Scroll down for the full list of winners.

Snook picked up the Best Actress gong for her multi-character performance in the Sydney Theatre Company’s version of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play also picked up Best Costume Design for Marg Horwell. Scherzinger landed Best Actress in a Musical for her turn as Norma Desmond in the recent revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway-bound Sunset Boulevard.

Elsewhere, the Best Director award went to Jamie Lloyd for the Savoy Theatre production of Sunset Boulevard while Vanya starring Andrew Scott landed Best Revival. Mark Gatiss won Best Actor for The Motive and the Cue. Will Close nabbed Best Supporting Actor for his role in the National Theatre’s...

Exclusive: Judy Craymer would just love it if Barbie filmmaker Greta Gerwig could just make herself available to complete the Mamma Mia! movie trilogy.

“Hey, Greta, if you’re free to do anymore projects…” jokes Craymer, the driving force that has kept the “Money, Money, Money” pouring into the box office for musical Mamma Mia!, featuring the songs of Swedish pop stars Abba, for a quarter of a century.

Saturday night will mark an incredible milestone for a show that has taken over $5.685 billion at the box-office worldwide in ticket sales and is responsible for a further $17 billion in supplementary expenditure from spending on hotels, restaurants, transport and merchandising globally in the 25 years since opening night at the Cameron Macintosh-owned Prince Edward Theatre on April 6, 1999.

Those figures do not include the hundreds of millions of dollars that movie offshoots Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again have amassed.

Reese Witherspoon is returning to produce a television adaptation of Legally Blonde for Amazon Prime Video. Here are the details:

According to Variety, a TV series set in the world of Legally Blonde is in development at Amazon Prime Video. Witherspoon will produce the television series through her Hello Sunshine production company, though it hasn’t yet been confirmed if she will also reprise her role.

Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, who previously created and wrote for Gossip Girl and The Oc, are attached to write the series.

With Amazon eager to exploit the titles in the MGM back catalogue it now owns, the aim is to make Legally Blonde into a multi-show franchise, with a second potential spin-off also in its early stages.

Podcast: Mars Attacks! (1996) and Legally Blonde (2001)

The original 2001 film starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a sorority queen who follows her ex boyfriend to law school to win him back,...

With Robert Downey Jr. tasting the Oscar glory for his immaculate performance in Oppenheimer, it’s time for his ex-partner Sarah Jessica Parker to shine at the Olivier Awards. Known for starring in HBO’s Sex and the City, the actor, who was previously tied to the Iron Man Star, starred opposite her husband of 26 years, Matthew Broderick, in Neil Simon’s 1968 play, Plaza Suite.

Following her brilliance in the play, the Hocus Pocus Star is now one of the frontrunners for the Best Actress accolade in the UK’s most prestigious Theatre Awards Ceremony.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick | Plaza Suite Sarah Jessica Parker Earns Herself Best Actress Nod at the Olivier Awards

After earning rave reviews from Theatre critics, with many citing her performance as a revelation, Sarah Jessica Parker has now garnered a nod for Best Actress in the Olivier Awards for Plaza Suite. The 3-act...

We are still approximately six weeks away from learning the nominees for the 77th Tony Awards, but across the pond the finalists for the 2024 Olivier Awards were just announced. A radical new remounting of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” directed by Jamie Lloyd and starring Nicole Scherzinger is the most nominated show of the year with 11 citations. Another musical revival is nipping at its heels: the immersive “Guys and Dolls” scored 10, as did new play “Dear England,” which centers on England’s national men’s football team and stars Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate. Scroll down to see a complete list of 2024 Olivier Awards nominations.

American audiences will be familiar with many of the plays, musicals and performers nominated this year. The Best New Musical category includes Tony Award-winning shows “Next to Normal” and “A Strange Loop,” while Best Musical Revival boasts productions of “Groundhog Day” and “Hadestown.” Caissie Levy,...

Jared Harris, Joseph Fiennes & Sheila Atim Leading A+E/Sky’s ‘Royal Kill List’

Jared Harris, Joseph Fiennes and Sheila Atim are leading an A+E Networks/Sky series about King Charles I from Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story producer 72 Films. Royal Kill List is Sky History’s latest docu-drama following in the footsteps of the likes of Royal Bastards: Rise of The Tudors and The Royal Mob. The three-part series looks back at one of the most seismic events in British royal history. In 1649, for the first and only time, a British monarch was publicly executed, having been tried and convicted of treason by Parliament. This bloody spectacle heralded 10 years of Britain as a republic before, in May 1660, the monarchy was restored with the accession of King Charles II. Told through dramatic reconstruction, Atim for the Royalists, Harris for the Regicides, and Fiennes for King Charles II will play out the Jacobean tragedy,...

There is no cure for “Doctors,” the long-running soap that has been canceled by the BBC after 23 years for financial reasons.

Created by Chris Murray, “Doctors” debuted in 2000 and followed the lives of the staff of a National Health Service doctor’s surgery and and a university campus surgery and the lives of their families and friends in the fictional town of Letherbridge in the U.K.’s West Midlands. It has featured the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Eddie Redmayne, Sheridan Smith and Nicholas Hoult.

“Doctors” stands canceled after 23 years, 24 seasons and 4,389 episodes. It scored four BAFTA nominations, had numerous wins at the British Soap Awards and has also won gongs at the Royal Television Society and Writers’ Guild of Great Britain awards.

The BBC said in a statement: “We have taken the very difficult decision to bring daytime drama ‘Doctors’ to an end after 23 years. With super inflation in drama production,...

Exclusive: Fox Entertainment has struck a first-of-its-kind drama development deal with a trio of production companies, Walter Iuzzolino’s Eagle Eye, The Serial Killer’s Wife producer Clapperboard and Newen Studios label Aux Singuliers.

Fox Scripted Programming President Michael Thorn said the U.S. network and UK producers will “identify and implement entirely new production models,” while similar discussions are taking place with producers and studios in Europe, Australia and Canada.

With Clapperboard and Aux Singuliers, Fox is working on Dead Space [working title] from Young Wallander scribe Ben Harris.

Grounded in the reality of the current space race, the series attempts to redefine the traditional police procedural as it explores the complex moral, political and real legal machinations after a murder is committed aboard the International Space Station. It follows in the footsteps of the BBC’s Vigil, which took a similar approach to a murder mystery on a Navy submarine.

Exclusive: British author Lucy Clarke, who has had two novels adapted for TV by Paramount+, has seen rights to her latest thriller The Hike snapped up by Urban Myth Films.

The Hike will be made into a TV series by the Studiocanal-backed Lazarus Project producer, penned by Boiling Point’s Roanne Bardsley. No network is attached as of yet.

The Hike follows friends Maggie, Helena, Liz and Joni as they leave behind their everyday lives to hike out into the beautiful Norwegian wild. But there’s a darker side to the wilderness – and waiting on the trail is someone who’d do anything to stop the group walking away alive.

The move follows a busy couple of years for Clarke, who has seen her novels No Escape and The Castaways adapted for TV by Paramount+, although neither were produced by Urban Myth. The former starred Abigail Lawrie and Rhianne...

Studiocanal has named Patrick Schweitzer as CEO of its UK-based It’s a Sin and Years and Years producer Red Production Company. An industry veteran, Schweitzer has worked across high-end television drama for 30 years. Prior to joining Red, he spent five years at Tall Story Pictures and executive produced such series as ITV’S Grace, Redemption, Bancroft season 2 and The Bay.

Previously, Schweitzer was producer in development on Sky’s Gangs of London, having also produced Sky’s Save Me, the BBC’s Ssgb, The Interceptor, Doctor Who and the final season of ITV’s Whitechapel.

Other credits include working as a location manager, then line producer. He was involved in launching such returning TV series as Ashes to Ashes, Spooks, Hustle, The Hour, Blackpool and Call the Midwife.

On Red’s upcoming slate is Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys in co-production with Endor for delivery to Prime Video...

Patrick Schweitzer has been named the new CEO of Red Production Company, the U.K. producer behind such hits as It’s a Sin, Years and Years and the upcoming Neil Gaiman-adapted fantasy series Anansi Boys.

Red parent company Studiocanal unveiled the news on Monday, with Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh calling Schweitzer “an incredible asset to Red. He already has an extraordinary portfolio of drama to his name and an innate ability to create programming that is relatable to every kind of audience…Patrick’s relationships with writers, acting talent, broadcasters and his team members are second to none. We are thrilled to know that Red is in such excellent hands.”

Over his 30-year-career in television, Schweitzer has worked on such high-end drama series as Grace, Redemption and Whitechapel for ITV, Sky’s hit Gangs of London and Save Me, and such BBC shows as Ssgb, The Interceptor and Doctor Who.

Warning: contains Inside No. 9 series 1-8 spoilers.

Nearly every episode of Inside No. 9 features one or both of its writers, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, and both have put in some truly great performances over the course of the show’s almost 50 episodes. Pemberton won a Bafta for his performance as an alcoholic ex-comedian down on his luck in series four’s ‘Bernie Clifton’s Dressing Room,’ though that was far from his only standout half-hour. His frazzled everyman drawn to the brink in call-centre mystery ‘Cold Comfort’, arrogant fantasy screenwriter in ‘Simon Says’ and regretful physicist in ‘A Random Act of Kindness’ all show how much more there is to the actor than comedy Psychoville grotesque David Sowerbutts.

The same goes for Shearsmith, who’s given several poignant and complex performances alongside his heightened ‘Wuthering Heist’ and ‘Lip Service’ clowning. His hapless primary teacher in ‘Mr. King...

Exclusive: Sheridan Smith and Céline Buckens have been cast as sisters in The Castaways, a Paramount+ drama series based on Lucy Clarke’s novel.

Smith will play Lori and Buckens is her sibling Erin in the thriller, which marks Clarke’s second series adaptation for Paramount+’s UK service.

After they have a huge flight, Lori boards a plane to Fiji, while Erin does not. The flight never arrives at its tropical destination and months later no wreckage has been located. Erin suddenly hears Lori’s credit card has been used on a remote Fijian island and she later recognizes the pilot on CCTV. She boards a plane to Fiji to track down the truth.

The show jumps between the perspectives of the two sisters, with Erin undertaking an investigation in the modern day and Lori struggling to survive after surviving a crash on a remote island. The truth about...

Exclusive: Summer’s going to be a scorcher in London. Tarantino Live: Fox Force Five & the Tyranny of Evil Men is coming to town in June.

The cabaret-style stage show, a huge hit in Los Angeles where it’s still running after 13 years, heads to the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith from June 6 for a 10-week season through August 13.

Definitely fair to point out that there are as many Tarantino aficionados here in Blighty as there are in Tarantino’s manor in LA. Spend any time in the less trendy parts of Hackney in East London or across the river in Peckham and you’ll hear teens discuss their attire or their fast-food snacks while referencing a line from a Tarantino movie. Some of these kids weren’t born when some of these movies first came out yet they know them. They know them scene-by-scene, line-by-line. They’ll be queueing, in an orderly fashion,...

Exclusive: Channel 5 has said the success of drama series including All Creatures Great and Small has boosted its ratings and propelled the Paramount-owned UK broadcaster to record profits.

Channel 5 is looking to double down on its scripted purple patch with another major adaptation from Playground Entertainment, producer of All Creatures. The company is in talks to turn international bestseller Hardacre into a sweeping rags-to-riches series set in Yorkshire, Deadline can reveal.

Channel 5, overseen by Ben Frow, Paramount UK’s chief content officer, said drama series helped boost its audience share for a fourth consecutive year. Ratings were up 1 to an overall share of 4.5 last year, compared with 4.47 in 2021. This was against a backdrop of other broadcasters, including Channel 4, losing audience share.

Channel 5 said the third series of All Creatures was watched by 3.8M. The Teacher, starring BAFTA-winner Sheridan Smith, become the channel’s best-performing original drama with 4.3M viewers.

Channel 5 drama The Teacher has left viewers stunned with a last-minute twist in its final episode.

The episode saw teacher Jenna Garvey (Sheridan Smith) discover who had framed her for having an affair with a pupil.

It was revealed that the culprit was in fact Brian, the partner of her friend Pauline – who was a former colleague known as Arnold Cleary.

Cleary had served time in prison after Jenna reported him for having sex with a student, losing his family in the process.

He therefore set out to frame Jenna as an act of revenge.

In a final, shocking twist, Arnold is seen walking into the path of oncoming traffic during a confrontation with Jenna, and is hit by a car.

Fans are not shown whether or not Jenna was able to clear her name, or what happened in the aftermath of Arnold’s death.

Viewers shared their thoughts...

Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything is the title of Sky Comedy’s flippant new show, and it’s true – the eponymous Ms Molloy, played by Sheridan Smith, really does need to give up everything. A single woman best described as a functioning alcoholic and a chronic substance abuser, she arrives, unsteadily, at a crossroads in her life. Her relationships are a mess, too. She’s just drunkenly wrecked the wedding of her brother and learned that her father is dying of heart disease. Rosie finds it difficult to accept the concept of “terminal”. It’s time for Rosie to grow up and sober up. Can she? Will she?

We do want to find out, because the Rosie character is a sort of tipsy everywoman; we all know what it’s like when we find ourselves drinking a bit too much, or know someone with such tendencies. In her own words,...

Netflix has debuted the trailer for Sally El Hosaini’s ‘The Swimmers.’

Based on a true story, The story follows the journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Two young sisters embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use.

Directed by Sally El Hosaini, the film stars Nathalie Issa (Yusra), Manal Issa (Sara), Matthias Schweighöfer (Sven), Ahmed Malek (Nizar), James Krishna Floyd (Emad), Nahel Tzegai (Shada) and Kinda Alloush (Mervat) with Ali Suliman (Ezzat).

Also in trailers – “You’re supposed to be in rehab…” Sheridan Smith stars in trailer for ‘Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything’

The film hits select cinemas on November 11 and on Netflix from November 23rd.

The post Trailer lands for Sally El Hosaini’s ‘The Swimmers’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Prime Video has released the first trailer and key art for the heart-warming UK Original British comedy movie ‘Your Christmas Or Mine?,’ which will launch exclusively on Prime Video on 2nd December.

The movie follows young couple James and Hayley, who end up having to experience each other’s family Christmas without their partners when one big surprise sends Christmas in the wrong direction.

Directed by Jim O’Hanlon (Catastrophe, Trying) features a stellar lineup of British talent, including Alex Jennings (The Crown), Harriet Walter (Killing Eve), Daniel Mays (Fisherman’s Friends), David Bradley (the Harry Potter series), Angela Griffin (White Lines), Natalie Gumede (Titans), Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris) and Ram John Holder (Desmond’s).

Also in trailers – “You’re supposed to be in rehab…” Sheridan Smith stars in trailer for ‘Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything’

The post Asa Butterfield stars in trailer for ‘Your Christmas Or Mine?’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

The official trailer for the upcoming Sky Original, ‘Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything,’ has been released, ahead of the series coming to Sky Comedy and Now from 7 December.

Rosie Molloy (Sheridan Smith) is addicted to everything. Smoking, alcohol, Terry’s Chocolate Oranges, Xanax, Adderall, caffeine… the list goes on. After an embarrassing incident at her brother Joey’s wedding, she wakes up in hospital and decides to change her life by ‘giving up everything’. But as Rosie juggles her father’s ill health and the possibility of losing her job, she has the dawning realisation that her addictions are destroying everything – her friendships, her family and her work life. Harder still is the realisation that perhaps it isn’t the addictions that are the problem. If Rosie really does give up everything, will she still be Rosie?

The series is produced by Hartswood Films for Sky Studios. Written by Susan Nickson,...

Experience the sequel to one of the most beloved British family films of all time when The Railway Children Return arrives on digital download on 30th September and Blu-ray and DVD on 3rd October, available pre-order now on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CZsNiq. Selected retailers will also have The Railway Children & The Railway Children Return Double Film Collection from 3rd October. To celebrate the release, we have 2 Blu-rays to give away!

BAFTA & Emmy Award-winning Jenny Agutter resumes her role as Bobbie from the original The Railway Children and is joined by BAFTA-winning Sheridan Smith (Cilla), Academy Award nominee & BAFTA-winning Tom Courtenay and John Bradley (Game Of Thrones). 

The new generation of Railway Children are Beau Gadsdon, Kj Aikens, Austin Haynes, Eden Hamilton, and Zac Cudby. Inspired by one of the most beloved British family films of all time, The Railway Children Return is an enchanting, moving and heart-warming adventure for a new generation.

The sequel to a beloved British family film, a heavy metal re-release, an Apple title from TIFF and Abigail Disney’s takedown of the American Dream populate the specialty film weekend in a market that may have found sturdier footing ahead of awards season and amid a dearth of blockbuster fare.

“I think there’s a lot we should be celebrating,” said Kyle Greenburg, marketing and distribution chief of Utopia. Its release, with Abramorama, of the latter’s restored 2009 doc Anvil!: The Story of Anvil rocked a 16K gross, or 8K per screen, from two single-show premiere events ahead of a one-day run coming Tuesday on 200 screens including AMC and Regal theaters and top arthouses. It played Thursday night in LA at the Saban Theatre, with Anvil performing live alongside Scott Ian of Anthrax, followed by a Q&a moderated by Steve-o. Last week, Peter Dinklage hosted a screening...

How many bad shows can a good actor star in before you have to start considering the possibly uncomfortable reality that they are, in fact, a bad actor? Well, this is an experiment that Keeley Hawes seems to be undertaking. Her second project of the year, after a middling adaptation of The Midwich Cuckoos, is the BBC’s new drama, Crossfire, written by Apple Tree Yard’s Louise Doughty. It finds Hawes trapped in a Spanish holiday resort as baby-faced gunmen go on the rampage. If her agent was looking for a project to make The Bodyguard look cerebral, boy did they find it.

Hawes is Jo, wife of Jason (Lee Ingleby) and mother of Adam (Noah Leggott) and Amara (Shalisha James-Davis). She’s just arrived on holiday with two other couples: Vikash Bhai’s Chinar and Anneika Rose’s Abhi, and Miriam (Josette Simon) and Ben (Daniel Ryan). The...

(Welcome to SlashClips, a series where we bring you exclusive clips from hot new Digital, Blu-ray, and theatrical releases you won't see anywhere else!)

In this edition:

The American Dream and Other Fairy TalesDigSection 8Railway ChildrenFor Walter and JosiahThe American Dream And Other Fairy Tales

First up, we have an exclusive clip from Abigail E. Disney's documentary "The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales," which explores income inequality through the lens of her family's namesake theme park. Co-directed by Disney (daughter of Roy E. Disney and an heir to the company) and Kathleen Hughes ("The Armor of Light"), the film is now playing in Orlando and New York. It will hit additional markets and VOD on September 23, 2022.

Here is the official synopsis:

Abigail Disney looks at America's dysfunctional and unequal economy and asks why the American Dream has worked for the wealthy, yet is a nightmare for people born with less.

"I can't talk about it, but I'm on a secret mission." Blue Fox has debuted a new official US trailer for the film The Railway Children Return, which already opened in the UK back in July. It's now opening in the US in late September. It's a "sort of sequel" / remake of the 1970 British film The Railway Children, about three children who move with their mother to Yorkshire. Jenny Agutter returns to her role as Bobbie from the original and is joined by Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay, and John Bradley. This one also follows a group of children who are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during the Second World War (to keep them safe from bombings), where they encounter a young American soldier who, like them, is far away from home. The cast of children also includes Beau Gadsdon, Eden Hamilton, Zac Cudby, Kj Aikens, Austin Haynes. It's described as "enchanting,...

Darius Campbell Danesh, the “Pop Idol” runner up and West End Star has died, the BBC reports. He was 41.

The singer, who was Scottish, was reportedly found dead in an apartment in Rochester, Minnesota on Thursday, Aug. 11. A spokesperson for the Rochester police department told Variety his death is currently the subject of “an open investigation.”

The spokesperson would not comment on whether there were any suspicious circumstances.

Danesh was catapulted into the public eye in 2001 with his rendition of Britney Spears chart-topper “Hit Me Baby One More Time” on one of the U.K.’s early naughties singing competition shows “Pop Stars.” The following year he also appeared on the first season of British “Americon Idol” prototype “Pop Idol,” finishing third behind Will Young and Gareth Gates.

Danesh went onto release a single, “Colourblind,” which reached the number one spot in the U.K. charts, while a follow-up album,...

The Railway Children is a film that holds a special place in many a home across the UK. A true classic, it’s known for being a guaranteed tear-jerker – and now, decades on, comes a follow-up. The Railway Children Return, directed by Morgan Matthews connects the old with the new, as joining the many talented child actors, comes the true face of the franchise, Jenny Agutter.

To mark the film’s release we had the pleasure in speaking to Agutter herself, alongside Sheridan Smith. We spoke to another bonafide legend, Sir Tom Courtenay, who was paired with John Bradley, known to many audiences for his work on Game of Thrones. We then chatted to all the kids, Kj Aikens, Beau Gadson, Austin Haynes, Eden Hamilton and Zac Cudby – before finishing up with the film’s director Morgan Matthews. We discuss the themes of the film, connecting to audiences, and of...

This Sunday morning saw the arrival of the UK premiere for The Railway Children Return, the long-awaited sequel to The Railway Children. Directed by Morgan Matthews, the film stars Jenny Agutter, Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay and John Bradley. They are joined by Kj Aikens, Beau Gadsdon, Austin Haynes, Eden Hamilton and Zac Cudby.

The film has a cinema release date of July 15th. Scott Davis, Colin Hart & Ethan Hart were on the carpet – here are their interviews.

The Railway Children Return Premiere Interviews

Plot:

Picking up nearly forty years after the events of the original film, a new group of children are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during World War 2, where they encounter a young soldier, who like them, is far away from home…

The post The Railway Children Return Premiere Interviews – Sheridan Smith, John Bradley, Kj Aikens, Beau Gadsdon & more on a triumphant return appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to Studiocanal’s “Railway Children,” an anticipated period family adventure film penned by BAFTA-winning Danny Brocklehurst (“Brassic”) and directed by Morgan Matthews (“X+Y”).

Based on a treatment by BAFTA-winning producer Jemma Rodgers (“Double Take”), the film is inspired by the beloved British family film “The Railway Children” dating back to 1970 which was itself adapted from Edith Nesbit’s classic children’s book.

The film is set in rural England against the backdrop of WW2 when children are flooding into the countryside to escape the bombing of industrial cities. With the help of Bobbie Waterbury (Jenny Agutter), a group of young evacuees are taken into her rural homeS and begin to settle into their new life. But when the children encounter a young soldier who, like them, is far away from home, a true adventure ensues. The cast is headlined by Agutter,...

Yesterday evening the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane saw the unfurling of the red carpet for Sky’s Up Next Event, a celebration of Sky entertainment. Guests got a look at what’s coming up next on Sky and hear from the stars of some of their biggest TV shows and films. From returning favourites to brand new obsessions, these are the TV moments that everyone will be talking about.

The event was attended by Anjli Mohindra, Paapa Essiedu and Caroline Quentin from The Lazarus Project, Damien Molony, Joe Gilgun, Aaron Heffernan, Joanna Higson, Tom Hanson and Bronagh Gallagher from Brassic, Daisy Haggard from Breeders 3, Gemma Arterton and Morwenna Banks from Funny Woman, Greg Davies from Never Mind the Buzzcocks 2, Sheridan Smith, Pauline McLynn and Ardal O’Hanlon from Rosie Malloy, Joe Sugg from The Amazing Maurice, Katherine Ryan from Romantic Getaway, Keeley Hawes from The Midwich Cuckoos, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan from Rob & Romesh Vs…...

Sky has unveiled a second series of I Hate Suzie and an adaptation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, while confirming Universal Pictures’ Wicked will be one of the first projects to be filmed at Elstree Studios, relocating from the U.S.

The Comcast-owned outfit is to present the news at a glitzy London event taking place this evening, led by the announcements about Wicked, the new TV dramas, and comedies featuring Sheridan Smith, Katherine Ryan and Suranne Jones.

Sky is upping its original commissioning by 60 to 200 shows this year, revealed by CEO Dana Strong last week.

Meanwhile, a host of Sky Original films including Letitia Wright-starring Aisha, Colin Farrell’s After Yang, political thriller The Independent (Brian Cox, Jodie Turner-Smith, John Cena, Ann Dowd) and Liam Hemsworth/Russell Crowe-featuring Poker Face are all coming to the UK platform, according to Sky.

Sky Studios Elstree, the brand spanking...

Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of Banijay, has revealed the first international adaptation of hit U.K. format “Starstruck,” with a deal confirmed in South America.

The show launched earlier this year to a consolidated 4.7 million viewers on U.K. broadcaster ITV and streamer ITV Hub and was re-commissioned for a second series.

Canal 13 in Chile will produce and broadcast a local version of the show. The Chilean version will broadcast three days a week this month. The deal was brokered by Michelle Wasserman, senior VP Latin America, U.S. Hispanic and Brazil, Banijay Rights.

Created by Remarkable Entertainment, a Banijay U.K company, “Starstruck” sees ordinary members of the public team up for the ultimate ‘superstar experience,’ shedding their normal personas to become global icons — from Freddie Mercury to Ariana Grande, Lionel Richie to Lady Gaga, Marvin Gaye to Michael Bublé — all courtesy of an elite team...

Barbra Streisand was all of 21 when she opened on Broadway in 1964 in the role that made her one of the greatest stars: Fanny Brice in the musical “Funny Girl.” And on her 80th birthday April 24, Jonah Hill’s baby sister Beanie Feldstein stars in Streisand’s signature role in the first rialto revival of the bio-musical.

In commemoration of Brice, Streisand and Feldstein here are some fun facts, tidbits and trivia about the musical.

Who was Fanny Brice?

Brice, who was born in 1891, was just 18 when she made her Broadway debut in “Ziegfeld Follies of 1910.” She headlined a series of shows for the next quarter-century with the last being “Ziegfeld Follies of 1936.” She made her film debut in 1928’s “My Man,” appeared as herself in 1936’s “The Great Ziegfeld” and made her last screen appearance in 1945’s “Ziegfeld Follies.” She was best known for playing a mischievous little girl named Baby Snooks.

"I'm on a secret mission. If you tell anyone, you're putting me and yourselves in danger." Studiocanal UK has revealed an official trailer for The Railway Children Return, arriving in UK cinemas this July for whoever's interested. It's inspired by one of the most beloved British family films of all time, The Railway Children Return is an enchanting and heart-warming adventure for a new generation. It's a "sort of sequel" / remake of the 1970 British film The Railway Children, about three children who move with their mother to Yorkshire. Jenny Agutter returns to her role as Bobbie from the original and is joined by Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay, and John Bradley. This one also follows a group of children who are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during the Second World War, where they encounter a young American soldier who, like them, is far away from home. The cast of kids also includes Beau Gadsdon,...

StudioCanal has debuted a new trailer for the ‘The Railway Children Return.’

Inspired by one of the most beloved British family films of all time, the movie is said to be an enchanting adventure for a new generation, bringing a contemporary sensibility to a classic story and combining British cast with stunning locations.

Picking up nearly forty years after the events of the original film, a new group of children are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during World War 2, where they encounter a young soldier, who like them, is far away from home…

Directed by BAFTA-winning director Morgan Matthews, the film stars Jenny Agutter, who resumes her role as Roberta from the original movie, and is joined by BAFTA-winning Sheridan Smith, Academy Award nominee & BAFTA-winning Tom Courtenay and John Bradley.

Also in trailers – Trailer debuts for ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’

The film has a cinema release of July 15th.

The...

Sporting a powerful slate of new shows at MipTV, Studiocanal, owned by Vivendi’s Canal Plus, has announced what it describes as a “substantial” distribution deal with U.S. streaming service MHz Networks.

The deal features banner Canal Plus Creation Originale series “UFOs” and “Paris Police” as well as a modern classic, the pay TV’s groundbreaking premium crime drama “Spiral.”

Covering VOD and home entertainment rights, the licensing agreement takes in Season 1 and the brand new Season 2 of “UFOs,” which is part of Studiocanal’s MipTV’s sales slate, led by “Django,” starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Noomi Rapace and Canneseries official selection title “Infiniti.”

The sales also include Season 1 and Season 2, now in production, of large-scale period crime drama “Paris Police” and the renewal of the entire eight seasons of the multiple award-winning “Spiral.” Series will be made available to MHz Networks’ viewers across North America.

A retro French...

Quay Street Productions has made five new hires across production, development and business affairs.

The company, founded by award-winning producer Nicola Shindler, is part of ITV Studios.

It has hired Richard Fee as executive producer, Davina Earl as head of development, Athena Stavrakis as script executive and Kate Boyle (pictured above alongside Fee) as head of business affairs. They have all already started at Quay Street.

Also joining is Chris Leach as head of production. He will take up the role in February.

Fee, Earl, Stavrakis and Leach will all be based at Quay Street’s Manchester office.

Fee previously worked with Shindler at Red Production Company and has recently worked on “Anasi Boys” for Amazon and Sheridan Smith drama “No Return.” Earl was previously head of development at Red and has worked on BAFTA-winning drama “In The Flesh” while Leach’s credits include “Vera” and “Bancroft.” He was previously...

It’s a Sin exec Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions has doubled its number of staff, bringing in five individuals including Anansi Boys exec Richard Fee to oversee a slate of new commissions.

The ITV Studios-backed Manchester-based indie, which was launched by the Red Production Company founder last year, has signed Fee as Exec Producer alongside Head of Development Davina Earl, Head of Production Chris Leach, Script Exec Athena Stavrakis and Head of Business Affairs Kate Boyle. Most are Shindler’s former colleagues from her days at Red, the drama powerhouse that has produced the likes of Channel 4’s It’s a Sin and BBC One’s Years and Years. All will be based in Manchester bar Boyle.

The hefty recruitment drive doubles Quay Street’s staff roster as the indie prepares to enter production on Russell T Davies’ Helena Bonham Carter-starring ITV biopic Nolly, along with a number of unannounced commissions.

The creators and stars of upcoming Stephen Merchant-starring BBC1 factual drama Four Lives about serial killer Stephen Port’s crimes have slammed London’s Metropolitan Police and the UK justice system for “monumental failings” over the case. Merchant also teased his approach to playing the lead role of Port, describing him as “like the shark from Jaws in that the shark is unknowable.”

An inquest into the Met’s investigation into Port’s four murders concluded earlier this month that three of them “probably” could have been avoided if the police hadn’t missed opportunities, while a group of UK MPs has called for a public inquiry into claims of institutional homophobia that beset the case.

Veteran Four Lives exec Jeff Pope said the four dead young men had been “brutally opened up to the most horrific public exposure” during the case, which led to a full life sentence...

"Let's show them what they can be..." Lionsgate has debuted an official US trailer for the animated movie Birds Like Us, the very first Bosnian full-length computer animated feature. It originally premiered at a few animation festivals back in 2017, but is only just now getting a release in early 2022. The story follows a group of birds on a journey where they try to find a better life for themselves and the ones they love. In the land of Birdabad, a treebound community in the middle of a vast desert, a society of flightless birds is ruled by a tyrannous leader and his carnivore crew. The fruit-eating birds unthinkingly swap their eggs to survive. But one young couple, Huppu & Hassan, are determined to defy the system and save their rare chick from this terrible fate... It's described as "part comedy, part political allegory." The ensemble voice cast features Jeremy Irons, Alicia Vikander,...