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BBC Studios has announced the titles coming to BritBox in January 2025, which include everything from new BritBox Originals to classic British fare. BritBox is a digital video subscription service offering the largest collection of British TV in the U.S. and Canada.

The January lineup includes the final season of Vera, starring Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn. Watch the titular Dci Vera Stanhope confront new challenges before hanging up the hat in Season 14. The emotional finale premieres on BritBox on January 2.

Father Brown Season 12

BAFTA-winning comedy Gavin & Stacey: The Finale arrives on BritBox on December 26. Take a final peek behind the scenes with the iconic ensemble once more with Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell, streaming on January 1.

Crime in the Cotswolds continues in Season 12 of Father Brown. The BritBox fan-favorite starring Mark Williams returns on January 23. Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy (Robert Webb) continue to navigate love, careers, friendship and...

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.

Prime Video’s new thriller series Wilderness is already making a splash by having a truly great bop as its theme tune in Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’, but there’s much more to enjoy here than that. The raunchy show follows a young writer called Liv, whose dream life with her handsome and wealthy husband falls apart when they move stateside and she catches him cheating on her. Their “make or break” dream holiday is set to crumble into a nightmare, albeit a scenic one, when Liv sets out to get her revenge.

The cast of Wilderness may be small, but it’s stacked with notable actors, some of whom might seem very familiar to you. If you can’t remember where you’ve seen them before, or just want to know more about them, we’re here to help!

Jenna Coleman as Liv

Blackpool-born...

Hannah Dominique E. John-Kamen, better known as Hannah John-Kamen, is a renowned British actress who is best known for her distinct roles as Yalena “Dutch” Yardeen in the sci-fi television series Killjoys, Ornela in the popular HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, F’Nale Zandor in Steven Spielberg’s hit sci-fi/adventure film Ready Player One and Ava Starr/Ghost in Marvel’s very own Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Hannah John-kamen Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education

John-Kamen was born on September 7, 1989 (Hannah John-Kamen age: 33) in Anlaby, East Yorkshire, England. Her father, Johnny John-Kamen, is a Nigerian forensic psychologist, while her mother, Astri John-Kamen, is a former fashion model from Norway.

John-Kamen is the youngest of three. She has one older brother and an older sister.

During her educational years, John-Kamen studied at a primary school in Kirk Ella. In addition, she received her secondary education at Hull Collegiate School,...

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I have...

On the JoBlo Movies YouTube channel, we will be posting one full movie every other day throughout the week, giving viewers the chance to watch them entirely free of charge. The Free Movie of the Day we have for you today is the comedy Toast, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore. You can watch it over on the YouTube channel linked above, or you can just watch it in the embed at the top of this article.

Directed by S.J. Clarkson from a screenplay by Lee Hall, Toast is based on the memoir by Nigel Slater. The film has the following synopsis: Wolverhampton,1967: nine year old Nigel Slater loves his mother though she is a hopeless cook, her finest offering being toast whilst he has great culinary aspirations. When she dies of asthma Nigel is left with a distant father but worse is to come when the ‘common’ Mrs.

The 2023 Louder Than Life festival is absolutely stacked, with a just-announced lineup that includes Foo Fighters, Green Day, Tool, Pantera, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age, Weezer, Turnstile, Limp Bizkit, Rancid, and more. The four-day fest takes place September 21st-24th at the Highland Festival Grounds At Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

Four-day and single-day passes to Louder Than Life are available now via the festival’s website. If the passes sell out, fans can also purchase them via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program.

Foo Fighters will headline on Thursday night (September 21st), topping a bill that includes Weezer, Rancid, 311, Coheed and Cambria, Royal Blood, Code Orange, White Reaper, L7, Deafheaven, Nothing But Thieves, Sueco, Movements, The Bronx, nothing,nowhere., Mannequin Pussy, and more.

Friday (September 22nd) will find Tool in the top slot, along with sets by Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, Megadeth, Corey Taylor,...

The actor, known for films like Quadrophenia and Vera Drake, described the Baftas show on BBC One as ‘toe-curling’

Veteran actor Phil Davis has said he has resigned his Bafta membership in protest at a number of aspects of Sunday’s televised awards ceremony, including the omission of Bernard Cribbins from the In Memoriam section.

Describing the show as “an embarrassing travesty”, Davis – best known for a string of films and TV shows including Quadrophenia, Vera Drake, and Whitechapel – announced his resignation on social media. He added: “Cutting deserving winners speeches for toe-curling non-interviews. Poor Richard E Grant pretending to arrive in a Batmobile and no Bernard Cribbens [sic] in memorium.”...

One of Amazon Prime’s most recent releases, The Devil’s Hour premiered on 28th October, and is a twisty, high-concept thriller that will keep you guessing all the way through its six episodes.

The series is written by Tom Moran, and comes from the team behind Sherlock and Dracula, including former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat. The plot centres on a troubled woman who wakes up every night at 3.33am – the so-called devil’s hour – and sees terrifying visions, which get her caught up in a series of brutal murders and a disappearance from many years ago.

The show boasts an impressive lineup of acting talent – so let’s meet the cast of The Devil’s Hour:

Peter Capaldi as Gideon Shepherd

Capaldi plays the reclusive Gideon, an apparently murderous obsessive on a mission, and a mysterious, enigmatic figure. We’ve recently rounded up Peter Capaldi’s best roles, but...

Noel Clarke, the Bulletproof and Adulthood writer and actor, is to headline ITV’s Viewpoint, a Rear Window-esque crime drama based on an idea from Emmy-winning Fleabag helmer Harry Bradbeer.

Produced by Peaky Blinders co-producer Tiger Aspect, Clarke plays surveillance detective, DC Martin King, who sets up an observation post in the home of single mum and secret voyeur, Zoe Sterling, played by Alexandra Roach (Black Mirror).

Sterling’s windows command a panoramic view of Westbury Square, Manchester, and provides a direct sightline into the home of beloved missing school teacher, Gemma Hillman (Amy Wren). Hillman shares the home with her boyfriend and prime suspect, Greg Sullivan, played by Fehinti Balogu.

Rounding out the cast are Catherine Tyldesley (Scarborough), Bronagh Waugh (The Fall), Sarah Niles (Trust Me), Shannon Murray (Get Even), Phil Davis (Whitechapel) Ian Puleston-Davies (Tin Star), Dominic Allburn (Jack Irish: Dead Point), Marcus Garvey (Broadchurch), Carlyss Peer...

This Inside No. 9 review contains spoilers.

Inside No. 9 Series 5 Episode 5

If Inside No. 9 was a takeaway pizza company, it’d go bust inside a week; what’s on the menu is so rarely what’s delivered.

Take the opening to this episode. A sentimental piano score follows an old man to a front door. Surrounded by hearts, we watch him awkwardly record an online dating video that shows him to be unreconstructed and rough around the edges but – as the musical prompts tell us – endearingly so. A widower looking for a lady friend. Bless. All signs point to rom-com sweetness.

25 minutes later and we’re watching that same man bleed to death from multiple stab wounds after one of Inside No. 9’s most complicated and ambitious stories yet. The sweetness and Alan Bennett-isms were just a disguise. The real story is another murder-revenge played out...

Rupert Penry-Jones in ‘The Commons’. (Photo: John Platt)

British actor Rupert Penry-Jones, Ryan Corr (Bloom) and David Lyons have joined the cast of Stan/Playmaker Media’s The Commons.

They join the previously announced headliners Brit Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) and Damon Herriman, most recently seen on film in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and on Foxtel’s Mr Inbetween.

Additionally, the cast will be bolstered by television stalwart John Waters, Fayssal Bazzi (Stateless), Simone McAullay, Andrea Demetriades, Felix Williamson, Inez CurroĢ (Picnic at Hanging Rock), Dominic Ona-Ariki and Zara Michales (Diary of an Uber Driver).

The eight-part high end drama production was created by Aacta Award-winning showrunner Shelley Birse (The Code), who wrote the series with a team including Matt Ford, Michael Miller and Matt Cameron.

Currently being shot across Sydney, the thriller is directed by Jeffrey Walker alongside Rowan Woods and Jennifer Leacey. Described...

BT and AMC have announced that BT customers will be the first to see the acclaimed new TV drama Snatch, starring Rupert Grint (the Harry Potter films) in the UK. The 10-episode original series will premiere on AMC in the UK on 31st October at 10pm, exclusively to BT customers. The full box set will also be available on demand to BT TV customers after the premiere.

Based loosely on the wildly popular Guy Ritchie movie of the same name, Snatch centres on a group of twenty-something, up-and-coming hustlers who stumble upon a truck load of stolen gold bullion and are suddenly thrust into the high stakes world of organised crime. They must quickly learn to navigate the treacherous waters of London’s underworld as rogue cops, gypsy fighters, international mobsters and local villains descend.

Snatch stars Rupert Grint (the Harry Potter films) as the intelligent but chaotic Charlie Cavendish,...

To celebrate the home entertainment release of Black Sails: Season 4, available on DVD and Blu-ray 28th August, we have a copy of Black Sails: The Complete Collection: Series 1 – 4 on Blu-ray up for grabs. The Complete Collection: Series 1- 4 Includes Over 100 Mins Of New Bonus Material – Available Exclusively On Blu-ray And Steelbook.

Watch the multiple Emmy Award-winning hit pirate series, from legendary Hollywood producer and director Michael Bay, from start to finish. A thrillingly addictive prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic book Treasure Island, Black Sails follows Captain Flint (the brilliant Toby Stephens) and his notorious crew of pirates, in this treasure trove of a boxset containing all Xxxviii (that’ll be 38 me hearties!) episodes, guaranteed to provide hours of swashbuckling entertainment. For those with an eye on the really prized booty, there is a stunningly-designed limited edition SteelBook of seasons 1 – 4.

The thrilling, big-budget series from legendary producer...

With the premiere of “Marvel’s The Defenders,” fans of the Netflix/Marvel universe are finally getting the “Avengers”-style unification of four superpowered series — but don’t expect that to happen all at once. While Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and the Iron Fist all live in the same New York City, they all come from very different shows.

“In the story we took our time, each person introducing the audience to their own worlds,” showrunner Marco Ramirez told IndieWire. “We made sure that we really honor the fact that they all existed independently before they start coming together.”

Read More:‘Marvel’s The Defenders’: The Key ‘Daredevil,’ ‘Jessica Jones,’ ‘Luke Cage,’ and ‘Iron Fist’ Episodes to Watch First

That’s why it was important to find the right director, someone capable of capturing not just the unique natures of each character, but their basic aesthetics. And the...

Dubois Records, in cooperation with Mammoth Screen and Masterpiece will release the Victoria – Original Soundtrack digitally on all music streaming platforms to coincide with the Us release of the television series on PBS this coming weekend. The album features the limited series’ original score by multi-bafta and Ivor Novello winning composer Martin Phipps (Woman In Gold, The Keeping Room) and Ruth Barrett (City Of Tiny Lights, Whitechapel) with vocals from the Mediaeval Baebes. Victoria was first aired on ITV in the UK on August 28, 2016.

Phipps says: “The idea was to give Victoria a dynamic voice, an explosive theme through which we could rejoice in her strength & courage. The Mediaeval Baebes were the perfect sound for this. With one foot in the classical world & one in the commercial, they gave Victoria the mixture of refinement & attitude I was after.”

Barrett says: “I started composing from episode 2, weaving in some of Martin...

One of James Cameron.s Aussie collaborators is to make his directing debut on supernatural thriller Nulla, the debut feature from Red Rock Pictures. producer-writer Gary O.Toole.

Simon Christidis Acs was the lead underwater camera operator on Deep Sea Challenge 3D and underwater cinematographer on Sanctum.

Among his other credits he was underwater Dop on Angelina Jolie.s Unbroken and Jonathan M Shiff.s H2O: Just Add Water and second unit Dop on Kimble Rendall.s Bait.

Black Sails. Rupert Penry-Jones is attached to play the lead, a British soldier and Iraq veteran who sets out to drive from Melbourne to Perth with a buddy, a fellow soldier.

En route there.s a horrific accident. The producer is in talks with an internationally recognized Australian actor to play the co-lead.

Penry-Jones .credits include Silk, Spooks, Whitechapel and the features A Little Chaos, Match Point and Charlotte Gray.

O.Toole said of Christidis,...

Toby Stephens’ short In Vitro will be available to watch on the We Are Colony platform from today, Sept 30.

In Vitro writer-director Toby Stephens’ short film debut will receive a release on online streaming platform We Are Colony at the end of September.

Stephens recentely starred in Starz TV series Black Sails and also had a lead role in 2013 sci-fi The Machine.

The film, which is exec produced by Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman, stars Rupert Penry Jones (Whitechapel) as a man who emotionally and psychologically struggles with his wife’s infertility. Stephanie Leonidas (Defiance) and Anna-Louise Plowman (Shanghai Knights) complete the cast.

We Are Colony, which is currently in public beta, was founded by short film producer Sarah Tierney and according to news website Business Insider UK attracted $2 million in investment funds in July this year.

‘Point of view’ in cinematic storytelling is at the crux of the entire issue of equality and sexism in film. Its influence on popular culture – and, in turn, society as a whole – is routinely underestimated. The fact is that the majority of the narratives we watch on our screens are told from the point of view of white men – making their experience the ‘norm,’ and everything else marginal. This creates a skewed cultural perspective, and leads to a situation that reinforces a pervasive sense of entitlement – if your perspective were the only one regularly represented in the media, you would unconsciously assume it was the most important, too. This is why The Keeping Room is a vital film.

In reality, the perspective of white men is, of course, no more important than any other perspective – particularly considering that that point of view is actually in the minority in global terms.

Rupert Penry-Jones is attached to play the lead in supernatural thriller Nulla, the debut feature from Red Rock Pictures. producer-writer Gary O.Toole.

The English actor will play a British soldier, an Iraq veteran, who sets out to drive from Melbourne to Perth with a buddy, a fellow soldier.

En route there.s a horrific accident. Fast & Furious. Paul Walker had been in talks to play the character.

Penry-Jones. credits include Black Sails, Silk, Spooks, Whitechapel and the features A Little Chaos, Match Point and Charlotte Gray.

.We know Rupert will bring that determined, but vulnerable quality needed in our main protagonist,. said O.Toole. .The character of Danny Kaine is a rich, dark, complex and compelling character and who doesn't want to play those types?

"I'm a massive fan of this guy's work and he's a brilliant addition to the project. I needed the protagonist to be not Australian,...

Peter Capaldi.

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.

Currently directing two episodes of Doctor Who, Daniel Nettheim has a family connection with the iconic BBC series.

Nettheim.s late uncle David Nettheim was as an actor who worked in the UK in the 1960s and 70s. In 1967 he played a villain opposite the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton.

.There's a lot of personal connection for me with this show," says Nettheim, who moved with his family to the UK in 2013 after a 15-year career in Oz, where he directed the feature The Hunter and multiple episodes of such shows as Dance Academy, Rush, Spirited, The Secret Life of Us and All Saints.

"I was obsessed with it as a kid when Tom Baker was the Doctor. And my own kids are obsessed with it now.. They convinced me to take the job, even though it means spending months away from the family because production takes place in Cardiff.

Jason-Isaacs-in-Case-Histories

Within the crowded field of British detective shows, Case Histories truly stands out as one of the very best contemporary dramas in recent years. It’s not as gloomy as Vera, not as gory as Luther, and it lacks the frivolity of Midsomer Murders. What it does offer is a realistic central character played brilliantly by Harry Potter bad-guy Jason Isaacs. Jackson Brodie (Isaacs) is broody but he’s positively jovial when compared with Wallander. He’s something of a lady’s man and could be described as Scotland’s answer to Jim Bergerac only with a penchant for cigarettes rather than booze. Brodie has his demons and he’s not immune to the odd cock-up but he’s a good guy at heart and he usually unravels the perplexing mysteries that land in his lap.

Case Histories ran for two seasons each comprised of three feature length mysteries.

It's been long in the works, but ITV has now confirmed that it's ordered a pilot for a revival of The Saint.

Set to go into production in 2016, this new take from writers Ed Whitmore (Arthur & George) and Chris Lunt (Prey) promises to bring Simon Templar - a roguish Robin Hood for the modern day - to a whole new audience.

But who could possibly follow in the esteemed footsteps of Sir Roger Moore (and Ian Ogilvy... and, erm, Val Kilmer) in bringing Leslie Charteris's gentleman thief to life? Digital Spy has picked out 12 potentials.

1. James Norton

Last year, Norton delivered two spectacularly disparate performances - as reprehensible Tommy Lee Royce on BBC One's Happy Valley and as 'sexy vicar' Sidney Chambers on ITV's Grantchester. Take a little of Royce's edginess, add a dash of Chambers's charm and you might just have yourself the perfect Saint.

2. Matthew Goode...

The BBC has released a trailer for Debbie Horsfield's upcoming adaptation of Poldark.

The series features Being Human star Aidan Turner in the title role of Ross Poldark.

The adaptation of Winston Graham's acclaimed books will also star Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza.

The show follows the rebellious Ross Poldark as he returns from the American War of Independence to his home town Cornwall, discovering that it has changed dramatically since he has been away.

It is the second time the BBC has produced a Poldark series. The first was in the 1970s and starred Robin Ellis as the title character.

Ellis will be returning as Reverend Halse for two episodes.

Red Riding actor Warren Clarke, Whitechapel star Phil Davis, Skins's Alexander Arnold and The Inbetweeners' Luke Norris will also appear in the show.

The new series will air on BBC One.

Last year, As If celebrated 10 years since it came to an end on Channel 4. Digital Spy looks back on the cult series, speaking to several of the main cast about their memories of the show.

As If: 10 year retrospective of the cult Channel 4 teen drama - part 1

The sad fact with As If, is that it is almost impossible to track down today. The show has never been released on DVD, due to a copyright issue with the music. Without the music, it simply wouldn't be As If.

"Given the choice between no music so we can release the DVD, I'd choose the music," said Caroline Chikezie (Sasha). "They used to say the music was the seventh cast member, it was so important. It just took it to a whole new level. I guess it's worth not having a DVD release just to keep the music."

Jemima Rooper...

"Sherlock" may not return for its fourth season until -- say it ain't so -- 2017, due to the hectic film schedules of in-demand stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. In the meantime, you can rewatch all three seasons and soon you can binge on Cumberbatch in "The Imitation Game" and Freeman in "The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies." But what then?

If you're craving more veddy British crime solving, you don't have far to look. Here are some of the best series the BBC (and ITV) has to offer, with private detectives, psychiatrists, cops, spies, and forensic pathologists all cracking cases, catching criminals and drinking lots of tea.

1. "Sherlock Holmes" (1984-1994)

If it's more Sherlock you crave (and not just Mr. Cumberbatch), then you must see Jeremy Brett's intensely intellectual (and equally arrogant) period-appropriate take on the legendary detective. This Watson is also solid, especially in "The House of the Baskervilles.

In America, Halloween is a fun day, an excuse for a party and a close third behind Thanksgiving and Christmas when it comes to annual celebrations. In Britain, it's more a case of shutting your curtains and hoping that the kids down the road don't egg your windows.

But that negative approach to Halloween needs to end now. What we lack in pumpkins and parties, we can make up for with an evening of hiding under the duvet with scary TV shows.

While there might not be much actual horror programming on October 31 (although a new series of Citizen Khan on BBC One is frightening us in a different way), a quick delve into the world of Netflix (other streaming services are available, yadda, yadda) means that there are frights and thrills on tap for anyone who wants to get into the spooky spirit of things.

Here are 11 spine-chilling treats...

Syfy continues to bolster its original programming with the renewal of both Dominion and Defiance. The two drama series will return with 13 episodes each – joining the recently commissioned Hunters, created by Gale Anne Hurd, and the highly anticipated television adaptation of Arthur C Clarke’s Childhood’s End.

Dominion is categorised as a ‘Us apocalyptic supernatural action’ series, and was created by Vaun Wilmott (Sons Of Anarchy) as a loose adaptation of the 2010 film Legion, written by Peter Schink and Scott Stewart. Starring Christopher Egan (Letters To Juliet), Tom Wisdom (Romeo And Juliet), Roxanne McKee (Game Of Thrones) and Anthony Stewart Head (Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters), the show is set in a time when God has vanished, and Archangel Gabriel is waging war on mankind. Archangel Michael allies himself with man, against Gabriel, and lives among humans in a fortified city, awaiting the arrival of a prophesied saviour. On...

Stars: Jemma Dallender, Joshua Dickinson, Nate Fallows | Written and Directed by Edward Boase

There is a long-held belief that mirrors act as gateways to another dimension. Some also believe the looking glass plays host to a world filled with evil spirits. Such superstition has been the basis for ancient folklore legends about haunting and possession; and one tale about a supposedly haunted mirror was picked up by the media in 2012. Both the Daily Mail and Huffington Post reported on how the owners of a recently purchased antique mirror left them dogged by bad luck, financial misery, strange sightings and death-defying illness. The Mirror is apparently inspired by that story…

Written and directed by Edward Boase, The Mirror follows three flatmates who buy said antique mirror on eBay and set up round the clock cameras in the hopes of capturing evidence of bumps in the night – all in the hopes of...

Starz

Starz’s Black Sails has now arrived for UK audiences on Amazon Instant and it has proved a largely enjoyable romp. The show combines the high seas adventure of Pirates of the Caribbean with the political backstabbing and gratuitous violence and nudity of Game of Thrones (albeit with a much lower budget than either) and, if it has thus far failed to quite hit the lofty heights suggested by that combination, there are certainly enough elements in play that could be built on and improved in future. Sure enough a second season has recently been commissioned.

A large part of the selling point of Black Sails lies in its mixing of existent fact and fiction. The main narrative arc interweaves a prequel story for characters from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island – Captain Flint, Long John Silver, Billy Bones – with stories involving real, historical pirates – Charles Vane, Jack Rackham,...

Star Wars: Episode VII

Rising actress Christina Chong has reportedly scored unspecified roles in both J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII" and Sergio Mimica-Gezzan's upcoming digital project "Halo: Nightfall".

Chong is a veteran of British TV, having starred in the likes of "Monroe," "Line of Duty," "Whitechapel" and "Doctor Who". She most recently appeared in "24: Live Another Day." [Source: Latino Review]

Venom

Alex Kurtzman has pretty much confirmed his old partner's comments from earlier this week that Sony remains undecided about the future of the Spider-Man franchise, namely its spin-offs, at the moment with everything still uncertain:

"Everybody is still figuring it out. It’s all up for grabs, right now. We’re just trying to figure it out. Everything is still on the table, right now. Because it’s a universe outside of the Spider-Man universe, even though it’s connected to it, those movies have to stand on their own.

No word yet on who she’s playing, but Christina Chong has joined the burgeoning cast of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII. She’s best known for acting opposite Kiefer Sutherland in this summer’s 24: Live Another Day miniseries, and also recently landed the lead female role in the digital series Halo: Nightfall. The actress should be a familiar face to British TV viewers as well, having appeared in Doctor Who, Monroe, Whitechapel and Black Mirror. She’s also had roles in the films W.E. and Legacy.

Chong joins a cast that includes Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Max von Sydow, Pip Andersen and Crystal Clarke.

Interestingly, the actress posted the following tweet over a month ago, and yet news of her casting is...

A bunch of great British talent has signed on for supporting roles in Bill Condon's retired Sherlock Holmes drama "Mr. Holmes" at AI Film, Archer Gray, See-Saw Films and BBC Films.

Set in post-war England, the story sees a retired Holmes (Ian McKellen) troubled by both his diminishing mental faculties and the devastation he witnessed on a recent trip to Japan. The great detective attempts to solve the case that forced him into retirement.

Already announced are Laura Linney as Holmes' housekeeper Mrs. Munro and Hiroyuki Sanada as Umezaki. Joining them are Hattie Morahan ("The Bletchley Circle," "Outnumbered"), Roger Allam ("V for Vendetta," "The Thick of It"), Phil Davis ("Whitechapel," "Vera Drake"), Frances de la Tour ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "The History Boys"), Patrick Kennedy ("Boardwalk Empire," "Atonement"), and newcomer Milo Parker ("Ghosthunters: On Icy Trails") who will play Mrs. Munro's son.

Jeffrey Hatcher adapted the...

Aidan Turner has featured in a new picture from BBC One's upcoming Poldark adaptation.

The Being Human star will lead the cast of Debbie Horsfield's version of Winston Graham's acclaimed Cornish saga.

He will play main character Ross Poldark in the eight-part drama, opposite Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza.

Poldark follows the rebellious Ross as he returns from the American War of Independence to Cornwall, discovering that his home county has changed since he has been away.

The BBC previously produced a Poldark series in the 1970s, starring Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark.

Ellis will return as Reverend Haise for two of the drama's eight episodes.

Red Riding actor Warren Clarke (Ross's uncle Charles), Whitechapel star Phil Davis (Ross's manservant Jud) and Skins veteran Alexander Arnold (Ross's farm hand Jim Carter) will also appear.

The new series will air on BBC One in 2015.

BBC One has announced full details of its new Poldark adaptation.

Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson will lead the cast of the sweeping Cornish saga as Ross Poldark and Demelza.

Red Riding actor Warren Clarke (Ross's uncle Charles), Whitechapel star Phil Davis (Ross's manservant Jud) and Skins veteran Alexander Arnold (Ross's farm hand Jim Carter) will also appear in the forthcoming drama.

Winston Graham's Poldark novels were previously adapted by the BBC in the 1970s, with Robin Ellis cast in the lead role of Ross.

Ellis - now 72 - will also appear in the new series, taking on the part of Reverend Haise for two of the eight episodes.

Executive producer Karen Thrussell said: "We're so thrilled by the Poldark cast, and we feel particularly privileged that Robin Ellis has agreed to join this stellar lineup - it's a great tribute to Debbie Horsfield's scripts.

"Robin is looking...

Endeavour star Shaun Evans is to play one of the leads in Amazon comedy pilot Cosmopolitan.

Devised by filmmaker Whit Stillman, Cosmopolitan will star Evans as Hal, an American struggling to come to terms with his recent divorce.

Hal travels to Paris with a pair of his best friends - though those two roles are yet to be cast, Deadline reports.

Liverpool-born actor Evans is best known for playing a young Morse in ITV drama Endeavour - which returns to UK screens for a second series on March 30.

The 34-year-old's additional TV credits include roles in Silk, Whitechapel and Teachers.

It is currently unclear how Evans's commitments to Cosmopolitan might affect potential future series of Endeavour.

Endeavour gets second series from ITV

Watch Shaun Evans in a trailer for series two of Endeavour below:...

Silk will not return for a fourth series.

BBC One's BAFTA-nominated drama starring Maxine Peake will draw to a close following two final episodes, airing on March 24 and 31.

Series creator Peter Moffat told Radio Times: "It has been a complete joy to work with a group of actors as good as this and with a lead actress who I consider to be the best there is.

"The main characters in Silk all have personal and professional stories which are coming to a natural conclusion at the end of this current series.

"It would be dishonest as a writer, and unfair to the integrity of the show and everyone involved in it, to prolong the series beyond what I hope is a powerful and compelling denouement."

Rupert Penry-Jones and Neil Stuke also star in Silk, which debuted on BBC One in 2011.

The legal drama's most recent series has been pulling in overnight audiences of around 4m,...

Bafta-award winning audio post facility Hackenbacker has joined the Halo Group.

The acquisition will see Hackenbacker form a major part of Halo’s drama and film sound operation, working alongside Halo’s five 5.1 TV mix rooms and the two Dolby 7.1 theatrical mix stages.

Halo Group chief executive John Rogerson described Hackenbacker as a “powerhouse on the Soho sound scene”.

He said: “Having Nigel and his team at the forefront of our drama sound operation is the fulfilment of a long held ambition for Halo.”

Rogerson added that while he wanted to build a group of post facilities he was keen to make sure they maintain their own identities.

The Soho-based TV and film sound facility, which counts Downton Abbey, The Musketeers and Whitechapel among its recent broadcast credits, will retain the Hackenbacker brand.

It will also continue to operate from its buildings on Bateman Street, which houses three mix studios and three sound edit suites and Salisbury...

Whether you’re into Doctor Who and Star Wars or The Wire and Sherlock, there’s a great line-up of special guests coming to the NEC on 22-23 March for McM Birmingham Comic Con and Memorabilia. Here are just a few of them!

British actor, writer and director Phil Davis has appeared in a host of top TV shows including Whitechapel; Sherlock, Being Human, Merlin and Doctor Who, while his movie credits include Alien 3, Quadrophenia, Notes On A Scandal, Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake, for which he was BAFTA-nominated. Paul McGann – Famous for playing the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who television film – a role he reprised in 72 audio dramas and the 2013 mini-episode ‘The Night of the Doctor’ – and for starring alongside Richard E. Grant in much-loved 1987 black comedy Withnail And I. Clarke Peters – Best known as detective Lester Freamon in acclaimed crime drama The Wire, as well as...

The last major role yet to be cast in Alan Taylor's upcoming "Terminator" reboot is that of a young Kyle Reese. Variety reports that the list of contenders has been whittled down to five actors who are set to test for the role early next week.

The two most well-known names are rising Aussie thesp Jai Courtney and Boyd Holbrook. A memorable role in Starz' "Spartacus" for Courtney led to a major role in "Jack Reacher," the co-lead role of John McClane's son in "A Good Day to Die Hard," and the key role of 'Eric' in the upcoming "Divergent". He also appears in this month's "I, Frankenstein" and is currently filming Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken".

Kentucky-born Holbrook began his work with a small role in "Milk" which led to roles on "The Big C" and "Hatfields and McCoys". Last year was a breakout year with key parts in "Out of the Furnace,...

Review Becky Lea 10 Dec 2013 - 07:29

Ripper Street's penultimate episode is proof that it's not going to go out quietly. Here's Becky's review...

This review contains spoilers.

2.7 Our Betrayal Part 1

With the sad news that there’ll be no third series of Ripper Street, the first part of Our Betrayal serves to show that it is not going out quietly as each of our characters find themselves getting to the end of their rather desperate tethers.

It’s a theme of family this week, or rather, the fracturing of it; Susan’s gearing up to give Duggan what he really wants, Rose is hunting down a grieving Drake, Jackson’s dealing with his wayward brother and Reid is trying to keep everything together whilst wooing Miss Cobden once again. As such, the secondary plot about the defrauding of craftsmen in Whitechapel and diamonds making their way over from South Africa takes a back seat,...

2013 was a year of terrific TV debuts - the enthralling Broadchurch, the stunning In The Flesh, the groundbreaking My Mad Fat Diary - but we've also had to bid farewell to a few old favourites…

Some programmes run their natural course, but here's five UK shows axed before their time - a quintet of classics we'll still be missing come 2014…

The Hour (2011-2012)

The final episode of BBC Two's nuanced newsroom drama may have been broadcast in late 2012, but it wasn't until February of this year that we were told a third series wasn't happening.

To rub salt into the wound, the second run ended on a doozy of a cliffhanger - with Ben Whishaw's Freddie barely clinging to life - and Romola Garai (Bel) has recently poured cold water on the rumours that this classy bit of telly might return for a one-off special.

Being Human (2008-2013)

Being Human 2.0, we hardly knew ye.

London – TV producer Sally Woodward Gentle, whose resume boasts Whitechapel, the Helena Bonham Carter-starrer Enid and Downton Abbey, has set up her own U.K. indie production banner, Sid Gentle Films. Ron Burkle's global investment group The Yucaipa Companies will provide financial backing for the company. Woodward Gentle's start-up shingle aims to produce high-end scripted drama, returning series, one-off features and mini-series for the U.K. and beyond as well as developing movie projects. She is currently in development on an adaptation for BBC One by screenwriting partnership Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who

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Sally Woodward Gentle was most recently creative director at Downton Abbey producer Carnival Films. Now striking out on her own, the exec has launched production company Sid Gentle Films with financial backing from Ron Burkle‘s global investment firm The Yucaipa Companies. Sid Gentle is eyeing scripted drama, TV movies and miniseries as well as indie features. The company is already in development on a Neal Purvis/Robert Wade-penned project for the BBC, and a supernatural thriller from Ben Court and Caroline Ip, also for the BBC. Former Carnival exec Henrietta Colvin is also joining Sid Gentle Films as head of development. Lee Morris, who’s currently producing Da Vinci’s Demons, will come aboard as managing director in the New Year. Woodward Gentle’s producing credits include Channel 4′s BAFTA award-winning Any Human Heart, ITV drama series Whitechapel and Helena Bonham Carter drama Enid. She is also...

The BBC has cancelled Ripper Street after two seasons on the air. The cast and crew were notified this week. The show airs on BBC America here in the states.

Ripper Street begins in Whitechapel in London's East End, six months after the infamous Jack the Ripper murders. The men of H Division had searched for the killer but didn't catch him. When more women are murdered, they wonder if the killer has returned. The show's cast includes Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn, Adam Rothenberg, MyAnna Buring, Charlene McKenna, David Dawson, Amanda Hale, Damien Molony, Joseph Mawle, and Frank Harper.

Flynn broke the news during an interview on radio station BBC London 94.9. The actor said, "We found out this week that the third series of Ripper Street isn't going. We're all in shock. It was up against I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Foyle's War is to return to ITV in 2015.

The period detective drama starring Michael Kitchen will shoot three new two-hour episodes between January and April 2014.

Inspired by real events in the early Cold War, the new series will see Foyle (Kitchen) immersed in the dangerous world of espionage in his role as a Senior Intelligence Officer for MI5.

Honeysuckle Weeks will reprise her role of Foyle's trusted ally Samantha Stewart, while thriller writer Anthony Horowitz will again script the new episodes.

The new Foyle's War will explore the power of American and German industrialists and a major blight of post war Britain - the Black Market.

"We are delighted to see the return of Foyle's War to ITV," said ITV's Head of Drama Series, Jane Hudson.

"Anthony Horowitz has written three outstanding episodes and the audience are in for a real treat. This series also gives us the chance to...

Whitechapel star Rupert Penry-Jones has revealed that ITV has cancelled the show.

The actor, who played Di Joseph Chandler in the detective drama, broke the news to his followers on Twitter yesterday (November 16).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news everyone but ITV don't want any more Whitechapel. That's all folks x

— Rupert Penry Jones (@rpenryj) November 16, 2013

No not joking I am afraid.

Silk coming soon though ;) and I am off somewhere amazing for something new. Stay tuned x

— Rupert Penry Jones (@rpenryj) November 16, 2013

Jon East, who directed several episodes of the show's last two series, responded: "We went out on a bang! Shame nevertheless, it was on a great roll, a terrific cast & crew firing on all cylinders. So, onwards!!!!!"

Whitechapel, which also starred Phil Davis and Steve Pemberton, has aired four series since its debut in February 2009. Its last episode aired in October.

Penry-Jones also appears alongside...

With Mick and Linda Carter (played by Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright) on their way to take over The Queen Vic this Christmas, they will be joined by two of their three children, Nancy and Johnny.

Mummy’s boy Johnny is the baby of the family. The first Carter to go to uni, he’s a gentle boy who’s happy to let the rest of his family be the centre of attention. But Johnny has a secret that is going to place him right at the centre of a family storm.

19 year old Sam Strike (represented by Lee Morgan Management) from Essex will be playing Johnny. Sam has previously appeared in Cbbc's M.I.High. Speaking of joining EastEnders, Sam said "I'm really excited to be joining EastEnders and the Carter family. They're all really strong characters and I can't wait to see what EastEnders has planned for us all. I've...

Review Becky Lea 2 Oct 2013 - 07:36

Whitechapel' series four's horror-themed penultimate episode is perhaps its best so far. Here's Becky's review...

This review contains spoilers.

After last week's horror-themed shenanigans, Whitechapel opened its fifth episode with the team going through their very own zombie apocalypse in a hilariously over-dramatic role-playing exercise.

The zombie training served as an amusing opening, but it also demonstrated just how much the team are struggling to work with each other. No one is listening to Chandler or Miles, Buchan gets a bit too carried away and Mansell, Ripley and Kent are at each other's throats. It's a dynamic that continues through the episode as they struggle to solve a case involving missing organs and possible cannibalism. Yes, another episode not for the faint of heart.

A reverse of sorts from last week, there’s no flaying this time around, just careful surgery, gaping chest wounds and absent livers.