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Nickie Sault, who has produced many of Shane Meadows’ titles, has branched out on her own and launched independent producer Class 5.

The BAFTA-nominated producer is launching her Sheffield-based company with a film adaptation of author Ben Myers’ novel ‘Rare Singles’ in development, in association with Warner Music Entertainment.

Sault is known for her work with director Meadows, which began back in 2005 with This is England when she was runner. Over the following decades, she produced various This is England films and shows, and produced Meadows’ BBC and A24 drama The Gallows Pole and The Virtues, which This is England co-writer Jack Thorne penned. She was also a producer on Peter Bowker’s BBC war series World on Fire, which was cancelled earlier this year, and BBC/Prime Video comedy thriller The Outlaws.

Class 5 will make TV and film, focused on stories that “enrich the human experience, while fostering...

UK producer Nickie Sault has launched Class 5, a film and television production company based in Sheffield.

Class 5 is working with author Ben Myers on his first feature screenplay Rare Singles, based on Myers’ novel of the same name, published this August. The story is set in Chicago, US and Scarborough, UK, and is about friendships, second chances and the magic of soul music. The project is made in association with Warner Music Entertainment.

Class 5 will look to tell “stories that enrich the human experience, while fostering a space where creativity flourishes and opportunities are accessible to both emerging and...

Exclusive: Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire), Andrea Riseborough (Birdman) and Anson Boon (1917) are leading under-the-radar thriller Good Boy, from director Jan Komasa (Corpus Christi) and producers Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor), Ewa Piaskowska (Essential Killing) and Jerzy Skolimowski (Eo).

Filming recently completed on the movie at studios in Warsaw and on location in Yorkshire, UK, with HanWay films set to introduce footage to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market in Las Vegas.

The synopsis reads: “Nineteen year old Tommy likes his life as a criminal, and leads his friends in acts of horrifying violence, until one night he is kidnapped by a stranger, Chris (Graham). Waking up with a chain around his neck in the basement of an isolated home, Tommy (Boon) finds himself at the centre of a dysfunctional family dynamic as Chris and his mysterious wife Kathryn (Riseborough) try to make Tommy a “good boy”, in a process of forced rehabilitation.

This is England screenwriter Jack Thorne has penned the IVF drama, Joy, which is coming to Netflix in October. Here’s a trailer:

Prolific screenwriter Jack Thorne is probably best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Shane Meadows, from the This Is England series to the astonishingly powerful The Virtues.

He has now penned Joy, a period drama about the birth of the first IVF baby.

The synopsis reads as follows:

Joy tells the remarkable true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube- baby’, and the tireless 10-year journey to make it possible. Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy, a young nurse, and embryologist, who joined forces with scientist Robert Edwards and surgeon Patrick Steptoe to unlock the puzzle of infertility by pioneering in vitro fertilization (IVF). The film celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science as it...

“Bridgerton” star Florence Hunt, Jim Sturgess and Australia’s Teresa Palmer have joined the cast of “Mix Tape,” a music-themed drama series. The Australian-Irish co-production shot in Sydney in May and is now underway in Dublin.

The series is adapted by Irish writer Jo Spain from the popular and critically-acclaimed novel of the same title by Jane Sanderson. It is directed by Australia’s Lucy Gaffy.

“’Mix Tape’ will take viewers back in time to that intoxicating feeling of first love [and be] a classic all-encompassing romance set to a banging nostalgic soundtrack,” said producers.

The series is produced by Subotica and Aquarius Films, with Boat Rocker overseeing international distribution. In Australia, it will play on Binge, a streaming service operated by local market pay-tv leader Foxtel.

Palmer will portray Alison and the U.K.’s Sturgess (“Cloud Atlas”) plays Daniel, two friends now living on opposite sides of the planet, who...

Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander will lead the cast for Iris, a new Sky original thriller series that will begin filming this month in Sardinia.

Algar, of Mary & George and The Virtues, and Hollander (The White Lotus, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans), will lead the cast of what is described as a “sun-drenched chase thriller.”

The eight-episode series follows “a rootless but enigmatic genius, Iris Nixon (Algar) who steals a code from a charming philanthropist (Hollander) before vanishing.” A countdown to her capture begins as she attempts to find out just what the code could unleash.

Luther creator Neil Cross will serve as writer, creator and showrunner, while and Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul director Terry McDonough will be the lead director.

“All I wanted to do was to make a show I wanted to watch,” Cross said of the Sky Studios and Fremantle co-production. “‘Iris’ is an unapologetically exciting,...

Chris Overton and his wife Rachel Shenton won the Best Live Action Short Oscar in 2018 for their moving film “The Silent Child.” Since then, Overton has blossomed into a key creator in the short film world with his company, Slick Films, producing a slew of contenders each year. His own entry, “In Too Deep,” won Best British Short Film at the British Short Film Awards in 2023 over, among others, another contender from Slick Films — Daniel Deville‘s “By Any Other Name.”

Slick Films’ new short, “Suzie,” has just made a splash, being chosen as the newest Vimeo Staff Pick (watch it here). This character study by writer-director Jimmy Dean follows a middle-aged woman on the day she tells her son she is getting a divorce. The film is anchored by a terrific performance from Helen Behan, who was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2020 for “The Virtues.

Exclusive: John Simm and Nikki Amuka-Bird are leading a mystery thriller series titled I, Jack Wright for Federation Stories and UKTV.

Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones) will also feature.

The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe scribe Chris Lang is penning I, Jack Wright, which Federation is producing and distributing via its UK arm. A number of deals have already been struck for Scandi public broadcasters Yle, Dk, Nrk and Srk. Deadline understands a deal with the BBC is close.

Shooting will begin this month on the series that stars double-bafta nominee Simm as Gray Wright. When the provisions of Jack’s final will and testament are made known, his third wife Sally (Amuka-Bird) and sons are shocked to discover they have been largely cut out of his enormous fortune. As Dci Morgan and DC Jones delve further into the case, they realize Jack’s cause of death was in fact murder.

Sky has unleashed the full official trailer for the limited event series, ‘Mary & George,’ starring Academy Award and BAFTA-winning actor Julianne Moore alongside Nicholas Galitzine.

is inspired by the outrageous true story of Mary Villiers, who moulded her beautiful and charismatic son, George, to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England (Tony Curran) and become his all-powerful lover.

Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors.

And with England’s place on the world stage under threat from a Spanish invasion and rioters taking to the streets to denounce the King, the stakes could not have been higher.

Prepared to stop at nothing and armed with her ruthless political steel, Mary married her way up the ranks, bribed politicians, colluded with criminals and...

Stephen Graham To Receive Richard Harris Award At BIFAs

Boardwalk Empire and Boiling Point star Stephen Graham is to receive the Richard Harris Award at this year’s BIFAs. The award recognises an outstanding contribution by an actor to British film. Previous winners include Riz Ahmed, Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt and Emma Thompson. Graham’s film and TV career has included hits such as This Is England, Snatch, Boardwalk Empire, Rocketman, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Virtues, and Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. In 2020, multi-bafta nominee Graham co-founded Matriarch Productions with his wife and fellow actor Hannah Walters. Matriarch’s first project was Phillip Barantini’s 2021 BIFA-winning movie Boiling Point, which also spawned a TV series. Matriarch is currently working on A Thousand Blows with Disney+. He can currently be seen starring in Netflix’s Bodies and will next be seen...

Sky and Starz have released a first-look teaser trailer for the spectacular and unapologetic limited event series, ‘Mary & George,’ starring Academy Award and BAFTA-winning actor Julianne Moore alongside Nicholas Galitzine.

is inspired by the outrageous true story of Mary Villiers, who moulded her beautiful and charismatic son, George, to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England (Tony Curran) and become his all-powerful lover.

Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors.

And with England’s place on the world stage under threat from a Spanish invasion and rioters taking to the streets to denounce the King, the stakes could not have been higher.

Prepared to stop at nothing and armed with her ruthless political steel, Mary married her way up the ranks, bribed politicians,...

Mark Herbert and Emily Feller on how industry can up its game.

The UK film and TV industry has made progress in recent years representing working class and marginalised people on-and off-screen but a “huge push” is still needed to tell more of those stories, according to Warp Films executives Mark Herbert and Emily Feller.

Warp made its name with landmark films that centred working class stories across different genres, including Dead Man’s Shoes, Four Lions and This Is England, the latter of which was spun-off into three series for Channel 4.

Warp’s co-chief executive Herbert and recently-installed chief...

Mark Herbert and Emily Feller on how industry can up its game.

The TV industry has made progress in recent years representing working class and marginalised people on-and off-screen but a “huge push” is still needed to tell more of those stories, according to Warp Films execs Mark Herbert and Emily Feller.

Warp made its name with landmark films that centred working class stories across different genres, including Dead Man’s Shoes, Four Lions and This Is England, the latter of which was spun-off into three series for Channel 4.

Warp’s co-chief exec Herbert and recently-installed chief creative officer Feller...

In December 2022, the critically acclaimed, mega-successful stage musical based on Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book Matilda came to cinemas translated into a punchy, inventive feature film. Written by playwright and screenwriter Dennis Kelly with songs and lyrics by comedian and writer Tim Minchin (Upright), the musical – like the book – is a terrific blend of poignancy and rebellious satire.

Famously adapted for a 1996 American feature film starring writer Mara Wilson in the title role, Matilda is the story of an extraordinary young girl born into a neglectful family who are unable to see, or appreciate her uniqueness. Matilda Wormwood isn’t just an academic genius, and when she goes up against the cruel, child-hating headmistress Miss Trunchbull, she uses her powers to right a generational wrong.

The new film retains the original musical’s anarchic heart, chiefly by retaining its director Matthew Warchus, who pulled the whole thing together...

Visit Heptonstall graveyard in West Yorkshire and you can expect to see four things: Happy Valley fans, tourists, pens and coins. The former are there to visit the fictional gravesite of Catherine Cawood’s daughter Becky from the BBC thriller, while the tourists are in the habit of leaving the latter – pens on the grave of American poet Sylvia Plath, and coins on the grave of legendary local figure “King” David Hartley.

“There’s never usually more than 20p on David Hartley’s grave,” says Jennifer Reid, a ballad historian who plays pub landlady Barb in a new BBC drama about the famed Yorkshireman. “But when I visited during filming I knew people from London had been up, because there was about £4.50 on there!”

Coins and the London/Yorkshire wealth divide are fundamental to The Gallows Pole, a three-part historical series from filmmaker Shane Meadows. It’s the real-life story...

Sky and AMC have released a series of first-look images for the upcoming limited event series, ‘Mary & George’, starring Academy Award and BAFTA-winning actor Julianne Moore, alongside Nicholas Galitzine and Tony Curran.

The series is inspired by the unbelievable true story of Mary Villiers, who moulded her beautiful and charismatic son, George, to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England and become his all-powerful lover. Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors. And with England’s place on the world stage under threat from a Spanish invasion and rioters taking to the streets to denounce the King, the stakes could not have been higher.

Prepared to stop at nothing and armed with her ruthless political steel, Mary married her way up the ranks,...

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...

Stephen Graham’s Matriarch Productions has set a development and production partnership with Warp Films.

Graham previously collaborated with Warp on his breakout role of Andrew “Combo” Gascoigne in award-winning film and series “This is England.”

Matriarch, co-founded by Graham and his actor-producer wife Hannah Walters, is working on several development projects with Warp, whose credits also include “Submarine,” “Four Lions” and “Tyrannosaur.” Hayley Squires is working on a development script, with more names to be announced imminently. Projects developed through the new partnership will be co-produced by the two companies.

Warp Films CEO, Mark Herbert, said: “I have known Stephen and Hannah for almost 20 years and have always known that our tastes and passion for good storytelling are aligned. I’m delighted that we can develop new shows with them both and we already have some amazing ideas to add to our slate. It also helps that we are all really nice too.

First Look At Nicola Coughlan & Lydia West In ‘Big Mood’

UK network Channel 4 has released a first-look image of Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan and It’s a Sin‘s Lydia West in upcoming comedy series Big Mood (working title). The series is set to explore the nuances of female friendship when threatened by serious mental illness. Coughlan and West, whose previous Channel 4 shows have been among the network’s biggest hits of recent years, play best friends at a pivotal point in their lives. Niamh Cusack (The Virtues), Eamon Farren (The Witcher), Luke Fetherston (Flowers in the Attic: The Origin), Kate Fleetwood (Wheel of Time), Rob Gilbert (Big Boys), Rebecca Lowman (Prime Suspect), Sally Phillips (Veep), Ukweli Roach (Wolf) and Amalia Vitale (Willow) are also attached to the ensemble cast. Joanna Page will guest star as herself. Written by Camilla Whitehill, Big Mood is from Dancing Ledge Productions.

Producer Of Disney+’s ‘A Thousand Blows’ Staffs Up

Fifth Season-backed London indie The Story Collective is gearing up for buzzy Disney+ drama A Thousand Blows (Wt) by staffing up. Elouise West has joined as Head of Commercial, Legal and Business Affairs from Des producer New Pictures and Ceci Mazzarella signed on as Head of Development from Operation Mincemeat maker See-Saw Films. The Story Collective’s debut scripted project, A Thousand Blows, comes from Peaky Blinders writer Stephen Knight and has a cast including Stephen Graham (The Virtues), Malachi Kirby (Small Axe) and Erin Doherty (The Crown).

Juliette Hagopian Launches Film Studio In Canada

Canadian film producer Juliette Hagopian has launched the development of a new film and television studio named Jette Studios in the Manitoba province of Canada. The project will be operated and owned by Hagopian’s company Julijette Inc. alongside production house Volume Global, with a C$30M ($21.9M) investment.

Lille, France — Headed by a commanding performance from Navid Mohammadzadeh, superbly shot and packing arguably the best opening scene of any series in Series Mania main competition, Navid Javidi’s “The Actor” won the Grand Prize at Series Mania on Friday night.

The top Series Mania award for the “The Actor” also proves vindication for the Festival which this year has broadened its geographical reach in an effort to discover new narrative modes and styles. Consistently subordinating narrative to mood, “The Actor” certainly wins on that score.

Main scribe John Kåre Raake (“The Quake”) and co-scribe Linn-Jeanethe Kyed (“Bø”) scooped best writing for “The Fortress,” a banner upcoming Viaplay title produced by Norway’s Maipo Film and sold by TrustNordisk, which delivers a telling political cautionary tale for our times, a chic isolationist parable thriller set in an alternative Norway which has built a wall to keep foreigners out. When a virus strikes,...

With an International Panorama spangled by gems – think Spain’s “Apagón,” Sweden’s “Blackwater,” and Canada’s “Disobey” and “Little Bird” – Series Mania also weighs in this year with one, if not the, strongest and most mouthwatering of international competitions in its history.

Including the opening and closing series, Amazon’s “Greek Salad” and Netflix’s “Transatlantic,” nearly all the global streamers have titles in the lineup, from Apple TV+’s “Drops of God” and Paramount+’s “Fleeting Lies.” The lineup also features some A-List international writing talents, such as the U.K.’s Jack Thorne and Israel’s Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen, whose “The Virtues” and “No Man’s Land” rank among the most memorable of recent Series Mania competition titles, and closing the festival, out of competition, “Unorthodox’s” Anna Wenger.”Fleeting Lies” also represents one of the first series from Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar’s El Deseo label in Madrid,...

Joe Lycett To Helm Channel 4 Live Show

Joe Lycett has been handed a five-part live show on Channel 4. The network favorite and comedian will helm The Joe Lycett Live Show during which he will broadcast from his Birmingham hometown with a live audience, celebrity guests and local legends. He presented live one-off Joe Lycett’s Big Pride Party for the network last year and has already achieved success with the Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back consumer affairs show. “This has been a dream of mine for many years and I look forward to some (controlled) late night chaos,” he added. Lycett is having quite the year, having generated global headlines for a stunt in which he pretended to burn £10,000 in protest at David Beckham’s ambassadorial role with Qatar.

Pamela L. Kunath Named Co-President of Constantin Film Development

Pamela L. Kunath has been named Co-President at Constantin Film Development.

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

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

The Filmmaker’s Podcast #306: Making the Florence Pugh starring thriller “The Wonder” with actor Niamh Algar,...

To mark the release of Censor on 31st October, we’ve been given a Blu-ray copy to give away to 1 winner.

Enid spends her days meticulously watching and assessing gruesomely violent and disturbing movies, taking her work as a film censor very seriously. She holds a strong sense of responsibility in protecting audiences from extreme content, subconsciously driven by the guilt she holds from a disturbing childhood trauma.

When a troubling film lands on her desk, Enid finds herself embroiled in the story and slowly starts to uncover some of her lost memories that seem strangely similar to the film. Consumed by the need to find if there is a connection between the production and the disappearance of her sister, her life spirals out of control, descending into darkness and danger.

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

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Kara Tointon, Harriet Walter and Laura Aikman have joined the cast of Cary Grant biopic “Archie” alongside Jason Isaacs, who will play the matinee idol himself.

Aikman (“Bluestone 42”) is set to play Grant’s ex-wife Dyan Cannon, Walter (“Succession”) will play his mother Elsie Leach and Tointon (“Mr Selfridge”) will play a younger version of Elsie.

Also joining the cast are Henry Lloyd-Hughes (“Ragdoll”), Ian Pulston-Davies (“Di Ray”), Ian McNeice (“Doc Martin”), Jason Watkins (“McDonald & Dodds”), Lisa Faulkner (“EastEnders”) and Niamh Cusack (“The Virtues”).

Meanwhile Dainton Anderson (“Patrick Melrose”), Calam Lynch (“Bridgerton”) and Oaklee Pendergast (“Home”) will play young versions of Grant, whose real name was Archie Leach.

The series will follow Grant from his early life in Bristol, England, where he was born into extreme poverty in the 1900s, before auditioning for a music hall act, a move which would eventually change his life. The troupe went on tour to the U.

Stephen Graham To Star In ITV Neo-Nazi Drama ‘The Walk-In’

ITV’s has ordered a five-part drama, The Walk-In, a true story of how a Neo-Nazi plan to kill an MP was foiled by an inside man. Stephen Graham will star in the ITV Studios series from writer Jeff Pope as activist Matthew Collins, a reformed Neo-Nazi, now working as a bona fide journalist for the anti-racist organisation Hope Not Hate. Bafta-award winning director Paul Andrew Williams directs the series, reuniting him with Pope — the pair has worked together previously on A Confession and Isolation Stories. They are both executive producers alongside Graham and another regular collaborator, Tom Dunbar. Jo Johnson is producing. Filming for The Walk-In tookin London and surrounding areas and the drama will air on ITV on Monday October 3 for five consecutive weeks. ITV Studios has International distribution.

Dino Sofos might not be a household name in the same vein as Edinburgh TV Festival MacTaggart lecturer Emily Maitlis or former BBC North America Editor Jon Sopel, but he has had a mighty impact on the British broadcasting news landscape of late.

The creator of the hugely-popular Brexitcast, Americast and Newscast BBC Sounds podcast franchise exited the BBC after 15 years last November to set up his own production outfit, Persephonica, with Tom O’Hara, and has since had a hand in tempting BBC lifers Maitlis and Sopel away from the corporation, amidst a wider talent exodus that has left Broadcasting House bosses nervous.

Along with another ex-bbc heavyweight, Policy Editor Lewis Goodall, Persephonica is gearing up for the launch of Global podcast The News Agents, a daily audio show “holding power to account without fear or favor,” according to Sofos, who speaks to Deadline in the weeks before the launch.

His Dark Materials and Help writer Jack Thorne has been recognized for Outstanding Contribution to Writing at tonight’s 29th Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards (WGGBAs), with Russell T Davies, Emerald Fennell and Armando Iannucci also taking home gongs.

The prolific Thorne, who delivered this year’s Edinburgh Television Festival MacTaggart lecture, was presented with the prestigious trophy by His Dark Materials exec and Bad Wolf Co-Founder Jane Tranter, following a two-decades-long career in which he has penned some of the UK’s most critically-acclaimed hits including This is England, Shameless and The Virtues.

“I think all writers would say that being given something from other writers is the greatest honor,” said Thorne. “I don’t think I’ve really contributed anything much in this strange career, and writing is a really strange job, but I’m grateful, and slightly anxious, to now have this award to live up to.

Warning: contains Peaky Blinders Series 5 spoilers.

Since Peaky Blinders broke through on Netflix in the US, its creators have dropped hints about the Hollywood superstars lobbying for roles in the Birmingham-based gangster drama. Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Snoop Dogg, Samuel L. Jackson and more are all fans of the show, and apparently keen to come aboard. Those names don’t appear among the series six cast announced below (though who knows about the planned follow-up feature film), but it’s obvious that Peaky Blinders has no trouble attracting serious talent. Series six welcomes acclaimed This is England, Boardwalk Empire, The Virtues and Line of Duty‘s Stephen Graham, and welcomes back Tom Hardy once again as the apparently unkillable Alfie Solomons. Both will appear in Peaky Blinders’ final TV series, alongside one of the finest British regular casts around. We’ll update this list as more details are confirmed.

New...

Exclusive: BAFTA Award-nominated actress Niamh Algar has signed with UTA for representation in all areas, Deadline has learned.

Algar most recently appeared on the film side as Enid Baines in Prano Bailey-Bond’s psychological horror pic Censor, which made its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. She previously starred opposite Cosmo Jarvis in Nick Rowland’s Calm with Horses, and was recognized for her work with a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The actress will next be seen in Sebastián Lelio’s The Wonder opposite Florence Pugh, also starring in Jodhi May’s upcoming indie drama Mooring opposite Charlotte Rampling.

Algar can be seen on the TV side in Ridley Scott’s HBO Max sci-fi drama Raised by Wolves and Shane Meadows’ Channel 4 drama series The Virtues. She was named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit in 2019 and has also been recognized by organizations including the British Independent Film Awards,...

Christopher Walken series “The Outlaws” has been renewed for a second season. Walken will also return as Frank Sheldon.

Created by Stephen Merchant (“The Office”) and Elgin James (“Mayans M.C.”) the comedy thriller follows seven convicts completing community service in Bristol, U.K.

The second season, which has already wrapped and is due to air next year, follows on directly from season 1. Both seasons were filmed back to back. The show is a BBC One/Amazon Studios co-production.

Returning alongside Merchant (who both stars in and writes the series) and Walken are Rhianne Barreto (“Honour”), Gamba Cole (“Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle”), Darren Boyd (“Killing Eve”), Clare Perkins (“EastEnders”), Eleanor Tomlinson (“Poldark”), Jessica Gunning (“Back”), Charles Babalola (“Bancroft”), Nina Wadia (“Goodness Gracious Me”), Tom Hanson (“Brassic”) and Aiyana Goodfellow (“Small Axe”).

Julia Davis (“Sally4Ever”), Dolly Wells (“Dracula”), Ian McElhinney (“Game of Thrones”) and Claes Bang (“Dracula”) guest star.

Channel 4 drama “Help,” starring Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham, has been picked up by Acorn TV for the U.S., Variety can reveal.

The critically acclaimed single drama, written by “His Dark Materials” and “Enola Holmes” writer Jack Thorne, will premiere on the service in the U.S. and Canada in early 2022.

“Help” is a searing commentary on the U.K. government’s response to care homes during the worst of the country’s Covid-19 crisis in 2020. Comer plays a new nurse at a care facility, where Graham’s character Tony is a patient with early onset Alzheimer’s.

When the pandemic hits, the home is bereft of personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff, and overloaded with ill patients from hospitals without any available beds. What unravels is an oftentimes infuriating examination of the under-funded care sector and the people who fall between the cracks.

The drama, produced by “The Virtues” producer The Forge,...

“This is England’s” Michael Socha, Disney “Cinderella” star Sophie McShera and “Master of None’s” Anthony Welsh (pictured) are all set to appear in Shane Meadows’ BBC period drama “The Gallows Pole.”

Based on Benjamin Myers’ novel of the same name, the series tells the true story of David Hartley (played by Socha) and the Cragg Vale Coiners who, against a backdrop of eighteenth century Yorkshire, embark on the biggest fraud in British history.

Also appearing in the series are Thomas Turgoose (“This is England”), George MacKay (“1917”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Cara Theobold (“Downton Abbey”), Yusra Warsama (“Castle Rock”), Eve Burley (“Secret State”), Nicole Barber Lane (“Hollyoaks”), Samuel Edward-Cook (“Peaky Blinders”), Joe Sproulle (“The A Word”), Adam Fogerty (“Legend”) and Fine Time Fontayne (“How We Used to Live”).

Following an open casting call involving 6,500 self-tapes, the show will also feature an ensemble of first-time actors. Casting director Shaheen Baig (“The Virtues...

A24 has expanded its TV reach across the Atlantic, boarding The Gallows Pole from renowned British writer-director Shane Meadows (This is England, The Virtues).

The six-part period drama — being produced by Element Pictures (The Favourite, Normal People) for the BBC, and now in production in the U.K. — has also unveiled its cast.

Michael Socha (This is England, Papillon) stars alongside Thomas Turgoose (This is England, Looted), George MacKay (1917, Captain Fantastic), Tom Burke (Mank, The Souvenir), Sophie McShera (Cinderella, Downton Abbey), Cara Theobold (Downton Abbey, Crazyhead), Yusra Warsama (Castle Rock), Eve Burley (Secret State), Nicole Barber Lane (Hollyoaks), Samuel Edward-Cook (Peaky Blinders), Anthony Welsh (Master of None), Joe Sproulle (The ...

A24 has expanded its TV reach across the Atlantic, boarding The Gallows Pole from renowned British writer-director Shane Meadows (This is England, The Virtues).

The six-part period drama — being produced by Element Pictures (The Favourite, Normal People) for the BBC, and now in production in the U.K. — has also unveiled its cast.

Michael Socha (This is England, Papillon) stars alongside Thomas Turgoose (This is England, Looted), George MacKay (1917, Captain Fantastic), Tom Burke (Mank, The Souvenir), Sophie McShera (Cinderella, Downton Abbey), Cara Theobold (Downton Abbey, Crazyhead), Yusra Warsama (Castle Rock), Eve Burley (Secret State), Nicole Barber Lane (Hollyoaks), Samuel Edward-Cook (Peaky Blinders), Anthony Welsh (Master of None), Joe Sproulle (The ...

Brit production house Warp Films and European financier/producer Anton are teaming up to develop a slate of TV series and feature films.

Anton, which has backed major features including Paddington and Greenland and TV shows such as His Dark Materials, will bankroll a development fund under which both companies will jointly identify, commission and develop scripts, with Anton representing global rights on all projects.

To boost the new joint initiative, Warp — known for shows such as The Last Panthers and The Virtues and such features as the Chris Morris satire Four Lions and Amazon’s upcoming adaptation of the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie — has ...

Brit production house Warp Films and European financier/producer Anton are teaming up to develop a slate of TV series and feature films.

Anton, which has backed major features including Paddington and Greenland and TV shows such as His Dark Materials, will bankroll a development fund under which both companies will jointly identify, commission and develop scripts, with Anton representing global rights on all projects.

To boost the new joint initiative, Warp — known for shows such as The Last Panthers and The Virtues and such features as the Chris Morris satire Four Lions and Amazon’s upcoming adaptation of the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie — has ...

Thorne was delivering the 46th MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

UK TV has “utterly and totally” failed disabled people, according to MacTaggart lecturer Jack Thorne, as he unveiled an accessibility pressure group designed to improve the situation.

The Virtues and The Accident writer pulled no punches when referring to disability as “the forgotten diversity”, as he became the 46th MacTaggart speaker and first to have had a disability.

“Disability is the issue everyone leaves out of speeches,” he said.

“Gender, race, sexuality all rightly get discussed at length but disability gets relegated out. In conversations about representation, it is confined to the corner,...

From The Virtues to Raised By Wolves, the Irish actor has a knack for complex roles. As she stars in a new British horror and a TV drama, she discusses working with Shane Meadows and boxing her way on to Ridley Scott’s radar

Niamh Algar is sitting in front of a stunning, world-famous view. “Look at that,” she says, sweeping her arm away from her camera, towards a massive vista of Buckingham Palace. The Irish actor, 29, is holed up in a hotel in London, and the royal residence is in fact a spectacular bit of wallpaper. She is halfway through compulsory quarantine, having just returned from filming the sci-fi series Raised By Wolves in South Africa. She’s had a bright and busy few years, bouncing from acclaimed dramas to blockbusters, via indie films and a Guy Ritchie caper, so it’s little wonder she’s happy to have a few days off.

Production

BBC Studios Germany has secured its first commission since launching in the territory this year — a local adaptation of British sitcom “Miranda” — and is co-producing the eight-part series for Zdf Neo with Studio Zentral.

“Miranda,” a BBC production written by and starring Miranda Hart, will be adapted for a German audience with the working title “Ruby” and will be directed by Natascha Beller. The screenplay is being adapted by Giulia Becker (“Kroymann”) and Anika Soisson (“Findher”) and Anna Böger (“Tatort”) plays the lead role of Ruby. Filming is currently taking place in Cologne.

The show sees Ruby facing the challenges of everyday life in a slightly clumsy way. The cast also includes Irene Rindje and Camill Jammal.

“Miranda” was previously adapted for the U.S. as “Call me Kat,” starring Mayim Bialik (“The Big Bang Theory”), by Fox Television, where it has been renewed for a second season.

BBC...

“Queenie” author Candice Carty-Williams[/link], “Everything I Know About Love” writer Dolly Alderton, “The Virtues” creator Shane Meadows and Michaela Coel are among the creatives delivering the next slate of dramas for the BBC.

Piers Wenger, drama controller for the BBC, teased a new project with Coel on Tuesday during a showcase of the Beeb’s upcoming drama offerings, though details were sparse. The “Chewing Gum” creator’s recent BBC collaboration, “I May Destroy You,” a searing portrayal of a woman rebuilding her life following her rape, has won international acclaim.

Other forthcoming dramas include Alderton’s adaptation of her popular autobiography “Everything I Know About Love” and BIFA-winning “Rocks” writer Theresa Ikoko’s adaptation of her forthcoming novel “Wahala.” (Details on all new commissions below.)

BBC drama has been on a steady clip of high-profile, critically lauded commissions in the last year. The public broadcaster recently topped the BAFTA TV...

The series will be produced by Element Pictures.

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

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

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

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

UK drama, directed by Philip Barantini, was shot in one take.

Philip Barantini’s UK drama Boiling Point, starring Stephen Graham, has secured distribution in key global territories through Paris-based sales agent Charades.

Vertigo Releasing has acquired UK and Ireland rights to the feature, which was shot in one take, and plans to release the film theatrically later in 2021.

Further deals have been closed for France (UFO), Spain (Filmin), Canada (Mongrel), Portugal (Cinemundo), Lebanon and Gulf (Empire), Australia and New Zealand (Rialto), and Japan (Cetera). A US deal is understood to be under negotiation.

Graham, whose credits include The Irishman,...

Paul Mescal emerged as one of the breakout stars of 2020 thanks to his performance in BBC and Hulu drama “Normal People.”

Ireland has seen a slew of such acting talent establish themselves in recent years, like Jessie Buckley with her star turn as the pregnant wife of a doomed Russian fireman in “Chernobyl” and Barry Keoghan, who won attention with lead roles in two 2017 films, “Killing of a Sacred Deer” and “Dunkirk.” Keoghan is now BAFTA-nominated for “Calm with Horses,” as is Niamh Algar, whose credits include “The Virtues” and “Raised by Wolves.” Elsewhere Domhnall Gleeson has made a name for himself as General Dux in recent “Star Wars” films, and also in “The Revenant” and “Ex Machina.”

Among the new generation of actors to watch are Fionn O’Shea, chosen as one of the Berlin Film Festival’s Shooting Stars of 2021. A “Normal People” alumnus, O’Shea will next be...

May’s feature directorial debut is from Adrian Bailey’s screenplay.

Charlotte Rampling and Niamh Algar will lead the cast of Jodhi May’s feature directorial debut Mooring, produced by Bait producers Linn Waite and Kate Byers from the UK’s Early Day Films.

Bankside Films has boarded sales on the project and will introduce it to buyers at next week’s online European Film Market. Production dates are yet to be confirmed.

The film follows single mother Megan and her young son Charlie, who are looking to escape the hard life of river nomads; and Eve Hertford, a lady...

2020 in British TV comedy brought us Maisie Williams as a kickass survivalist in a pickle, and a new parenting comedy from the hugely talented Simon Blackwell and Chris Addison starring Martin Freeman.

To add to that, there was also a fresh batch of comedians playing exaggerated versions of themselves in self-penned sitcoms, including Katherine Ryan, Mae Martin, Sara Pascoe, Kayleigh Llewellyn, Lucy Beaumont and Jon Richardson.

Here’s the skinny on all those new shows and more. Here’s what arrived in 2019, and here are the new British TV dramas that arrived in 2020.

Breeders

After their excellent 2014 relationship comedy Trying Again, Chris Addison and Simon Blackwell teamed up on a new series, this time about the trials of parenthood. Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard played parents in this ten-part half-hour comedy, a co-production between Sky in the UK and FX in the US. Watch the first trailer here.

Bumps

Available...

Exclusive: Here’s a hot one: Killing Eve star Jodie Comer and The Irishman actor Stephen Graham are on the brink of signing up for a Channel 4 drama that will be set in a UK care home during the coronavirus crisis, Deadline can reveal.

The four-part series is housed at All3Media-backed production outfit The Forge, which has reunited the stellar team behind the BAFTA-winning National Treasure to make the topical drama, including writer Jack Thorne and director Marc Munden.

Details on the plot are being closely guarded by those involved, but we hear that the action will be set in and around a British care home in 2020. The show was originally called Home, but producers are now rethinking this title.

UK care homes have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 19,000 residents dying because of the disease. As a result, they are now at...

The winners of the 2020 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards were announced last night, with Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson pic Ordinary Love winning Best Film, presented by Martin Scoresese. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor won Best Actor in Film for Rialto, which also scooped the Scriptwriter prize for Mark O’Halloran. Paddy Breathnach took Best Director for Rosie. Jessie Buckley won two awards: Best Actress In Film for Wild Rose as well as Supporting Actress Drama for Chernobyl. Niamh Algar also took two prizes: Supporting Actress Film for Calm With Horses and Leading Actress Drama for The Virtues. Also on the TV side, Blood won Best Drama, Andrew Scott took Best Actor Drama for Black Mirror: Smithereens, Mark O’Halloran won Supporting Actor Drama for The Virtues, Dearbhla Walsh won Director Drama for The Handmaid’s Tale, and Mark O’Rowe won Scriptwriter Drama for Temple. Aisling Franciosi Won the Screen Ireland Rising Star prize.

Kerry-born Jessie Buckey won two awards, for Wild Rose and Chernobyl.

Martin Scorsese presented the top awards at the Irish Film and Television Academy awards, which were held virtually for the first time in two years last night (October 18).

Ordinary Love, directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn and starring Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville, won the best film 2020 award. Lance Daly’s period thriller Black ’47 won the 2019 version.

The virtual awards were broadcast on national TV channel Virgin Media One, with Scorsese telling the audience: “It appears to me that we are all having to reinvent cinema now,...