Today, ahead of its inaugural upfront presentation on May 14, Prime Video revealed the trailer and new key art for The Outlaws Season 3. All five episodes of the comedy thriller from creator, star, and award-winning writer and director Stephen Merchant will debut on May 31, 2024.
The series follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.
With crime boss The Dean behind bars awaiting trial, the Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger.
As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?
Stephen Merchant (The Office) returns as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...
The series follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.
With crime boss The Dean behind bars awaiting trial, the Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger.
As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?
Stephen Merchant (The Office) returns as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
“The Outlaws” are back for Season 3. The five-episode season of the comedy thriller is created by lead actor and director Stephen Merchant. The series follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. Now, with crime boss The Dean (Claes Bang) behind bars awaiting trial, the Outlaws are moving on with their lives — until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger. As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?
In addition to Merchant, Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Jessica Gunning, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Charles Babalola, Tom Hanson, and Christopher Walken return.
“The Outlaws” streams on Prime Video. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand,...
In addition to Merchant, Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Jessica Gunning, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Charles Babalola, Tom Hanson, and Christopher Walken return.
“The Outlaws” streams on Prime Video. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Maria Menounos’ new show “Maria: Discover More” is set to launch on ReachTV. The magazine style talk series will play daily at 2,400 gates at 90 airports and 500 thousand hotel rooms. It will cover travel, wellness, beauty, cooking, fashion, finance and entertainment.
In addition to “Maria: Discover More,” Menounos will also host and produce “Maria At the Airport Trivia” for ReachTV. The new game show is designed for families to play along while waiting for flights.
“My passion today is to work on content that is either of service or fun and with ReachTV and the shows Keven [Undergaro] created, I get to do both,” said Menounos.
In other TV roundup news:
Programming
Comedy series “Bob Hearts Abishola,” from creator, executive producer and writer Chuck Lorre, will launch nationwide in syndication beginning in the fall. The series was sold by Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales, joining fellow Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre...
In addition to “Maria: Discover More,” Menounos will also host and produce “Maria At the Airport Trivia” for ReachTV. The new game show is designed for families to play along while waiting for flights.
“My passion today is to work on content that is either of service or fun and with ReachTV and the shows Keven [Undergaro] created, I get to do both,” said Menounos.
In other TV roundup news:
Programming
Comedy series “Bob Hearts Abishola,” from creator, executive producer and writer Chuck Lorre, will launch nationwide in syndication beginning in the fall. The series was sold by Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales, joining fellow Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre...
- 4/25/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov and Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
Today, Prime Video revealed the premiere date and first-look photos for the third season of the fan-favorite series, The Outlaws. All five episodes of the comedy thriller from creator, star, and award-winning writer and director Stephen Merchant will debut on May 31, 2024.
The series follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.
With crime boss The Dean behind bars awaiting trial, The Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger.
As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?
Stephen Merchant (The Office) returns as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...
The series follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.
With crime boss The Dean behind bars awaiting trial, The Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger.
As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?
Stephen Merchant (The Office) returns as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning has been generating headlines aplenty for her creepy turn as Martha in Netflix’s stalking thriller series, but she’s imminently set to return to screens on both sides of the pond in the third season of the BBC/Amazon’s The Outlaws.
Gunning talked the Creative Cities Convention through her role as community services officer Diane in Stephen Merchant’s hit dramedy.
She revealed that she entered The Outlaws’ writing room for Season 3, which launches on the BBC and Amazon next month, and has a co-writing credit on episode five of the new season.
“I love working with Stephen and he does let us add bits [of writing] here and there,” she said. “I was lucky enough to be in the writers room for Season 3 and I learned so much behind the scenes. I was honored to be a part of that.”
In Season 3, Gunning’s...
Gunning talked the Creative Cities Convention through her role as community services officer Diane in Stephen Merchant’s hit dramedy.
She revealed that she entered The Outlaws’ writing room for Season 3, which launches on the BBC and Amazon next month, and has a co-writing credit on episode five of the new season.
“I love working with Stephen and he does let us add bits [of writing] here and there,” she said. “I was lucky enough to be in the writers room for Season 3 and I learned so much behind the scenes. I was honored to be a part of that.”
In Season 3, Gunning’s...
- 4/23/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
BBC Buys HBO Max Thriller ‘Spy/Master’
The BBC has acquired HBO Max thriller Spy/Master as it continues to beef up its iPlayer offering. Acquired from Warner Bros. Discovery, the show stars Happy Valley’s Alec Secăreanu as the most trusted advisor to Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu. With his government poised to uncover that he’s a secret agent for the Soviets, Godeanu uses a diplomatic trip to Germany as a springboard to defect to the U.S. The series also stars Aidan McArdle, Ana Ularu (Who Is Erin Carter?), Laurențiu Bănescu (Boss), Andreea Vasile (Umbre), Nico Mirallegro (Our Girl), lulian Postelnicu (Arest) and Elvira Deatcu (Clanul). “A classic spy drama set at the height of the Cold War, Spy/Master is an atmospheric, complex thriller, dripping with style and suspense,” said Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition. The show was nominated for the inaugural...
The BBC has acquired HBO Max thriller Spy/Master as it continues to beef up its iPlayer offering. Acquired from Warner Bros. Discovery, the show stars Happy Valley’s Alec Secăreanu as the most trusted advisor to Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu. With his government poised to uncover that he’s a secret agent for the Soviets, Godeanu uses a diplomatic trip to Germany as a springboard to defect to the U.S. The series also stars Aidan McArdle, Ana Ularu (Who Is Erin Carter?), Laurențiu Bănescu (Boss), Andreea Vasile (Umbre), Nico Mirallegro (Our Girl), lulian Postelnicu (Arest) and Elvira Deatcu (Clanul). “A classic spy drama set at the height of the Cold War, Spy/Master is an atmospheric, complex thriller, dripping with style and suspense,” said Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition. The show was nominated for the inaugural...
- 3/27/2024
- by Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s nominees for the Royal Television Society Programme Awards have been revealed, with Gary Oldman, Hannah Waddingham and Bella Ramsey making the cut.
The BBC leads the list with 51 nods across 30 categories, while Disney+ has earned its first nominations for “Extraordinary.” Channel 4 received 17 nominations, including for comedy series “Big Boys.” The leading actor — male category recognized Oldman (“Slow Horses”), Kane Robinson (“Top Boy”) and Timothy Spall (“The Sixth Commandment”), while Jodie Whittaker (“Time”), Tamara Lawrence (“Time”) and Sarah Lancashire (“Happy Valley”) are competing in leading actor — female.
“2023 was an outstanding year for U.K. creativity, and the nominations we have announced today highlight the breadth of genre-defining, exceptional programming that British audiences have enjoyed over the last 12 months,” Rts Programme Awards chair Kenton Allen said in a statement. “Despite the unpredictable times our industry currently faces, we at the Rts welcome the opportunity to come together as...
The BBC leads the list with 51 nods across 30 categories, while Disney+ has earned its first nominations for “Extraordinary.” Channel 4 received 17 nominations, including for comedy series “Big Boys.” The leading actor — male category recognized Oldman (“Slow Horses”), Kane Robinson (“Top Boy”) and Timothy Spall (“The Sixth Commandment”), while Jodie Whittaker (“Time”), Tamara Lawrence (“Time”) and Sarah Lancashire (“Happy Valley”) are competing in leading actor — female.
“2023 was an outstanding year for U.K. creativity, and the nominations we have announced today highlight the breadth of genre-defining, exceptional programming that British audiences have enjoyed over the last 12 months,” Rts Programme Awards chair Kenton Allen said in a statement. “Despite the unpredictable times our industry currently faces, we at the Rts welcome the opportunity to come together as...
- 3/7/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
The historical comedy series The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is set to premiere with its first two episodes this Friday, March 1st, with the rest of the show’s six episodes being released on a weekly basis through Friday, March 29th – all of this exclusively on Apple TV+. In anticipation the show’s premiere, we’re proud to share an Exclusive clip from the first episode, and you can check it out in the embed above!
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin stars Noel Fielding of The Mighty Boosh and The Great British Bake Off in the titular role as the legendary British highwayman. Also in the cast are Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Ellie White (The Windsors), Marc Wootton (High & Dry), Duayne Boachie (Blue Story), Tamsin Greig (Episodes), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Dolly Wells (Doll & Em), Joe Wilkinson (The Cockfields), Mark Heap (Stardust), Geoffrey McGivern...
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin stars Noel Fielding of The Mighty Boosh and The Great British Bake Off in the titular role as the legendary British highwayman. Also in the cast are Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Ellie White (The Windsors), Marc Wootton (High & Dry), Duayne Boachie (Blue Story), Tamsin Greig (Episodes), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Dolly Wells (Doll & Em), Joe Wilkinson (The Cockfields), Mark Heap (Stardust), Geoffrey McGivern...
- 2/29/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Noel Fielding Talks His New Apple TV+ Comedy Dick Turpin — and If Baking Show Fans Will Get the Joke
Millions of The Great British Baking Show’s fans might not know it, but Noel Fielding is very funny outside the tent, too.
Before taking over as co-host of Netflix’s supremely cozy UK baking competition in 2017, Fielding was best known for starring in The Mighty Boosh, a wildly surreal sitcom that became a cult hit during its 2004-07 run on BBC Three. Now two decades later, Fielding is returning to TV comedy with a new Apple TV+ series, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (premiering this Friday on the streamer), with Fielding playing an easygoing misfit who accidentally...
Before taking over as co-host of Netflix’s supremely cozy UK baking competition in 2017, Fielding was best known for starring in The Mighty Boosh, a wildly surreal sitcom that became a cult hit during its 2004-07 run on BBC Three. Now two decades later, Fielding is returning to TV comedy with a new Apple TV+ series, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (premiering this Friday on the streamer), with Fielding playing an easygoing misfit who accidentally...
- 2/28/2024
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
Hunt is renowned for her vast experience in the UK TV landscape.
In Jay Hunt, the BFI has landed one of the most experienced UK media executives of her generation as its new chair, appointed by the government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
Hunt has run three of the UK’s biggest TV channels at the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and also has US streamer experience from leading the European team of Apple TV+.
“Whatever space Jay is working in, she brings incredible energy, spirit and creative rigour to her role,” said Piers Wenger, A24’s Europe head of TV,...
In Jay Hunt, the BFI has landed one of the most experienced UK media executives of her generation as its new chair, appointed by the government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
Hunt has run three of the UK’s biggest TV channels at the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and also has US streamer experience from leading the European team of Apple TV+.
“Whatever space Jay is working in, she brings incredible energy, spirit and creative rigour to her role,” said Piers Wenger, A24’s Europe head of TV,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The Outlaws producer Big Talk Studios is developing its first TV thriller, a high-stakes series about a drug-smuggling submarine.
Big Talk boss Kenton Allen described Vulture as a cross between Below Deck and Narcos.
Penned by BAFTA-nominated Cyberbully writer David Lobatto, the series, which is being developed in association with ITV Studios, follows the crew on-board a ‘narco-sub’ on its way to deliver a $200 million payload of base cocaine to the Albanian mob. After a perilous journey across the Atlantic, the sub is ambushed by a rival cartel. Following a narrow escape with their cargo intact, but with a severely damaged submarine, the crew find themselves marooned in the middle of the Adriatic Sea.
Allen, who is EPing alongside Luke Alkin, called Vulture a “highly dynamic, action-packed series that we know will cut through in this very crowded market and thrill audiences around the world with this ultimate culture-clash high stakes drama.
Big Talk boss Kenton Allen described Vulture as a cross between Below Deck and Narcos.
Penned by BAFTA-nominated Cyberbully writer David Lobatto, the series, which is being developed in association with ITV Studios, follows the crew on-board a ‘narco-sub’ on its way to deliver a $200 million payload of base cocaine to the Albanian mob. After a perilous journey across the Atlantic, the sub is ambushed by a rival cartel. Following a narrow escape with their cargo intact, but with a severely damaged submarine, the crew find themselves marooned in the middle of the Adriatic Sea.
Allen, who is EPing alongside Luke Alkin, called Vulture a “highly dynamic, action-packed series that we know will cut through in this very crowded market and thrill audiences around the world with this ultimate culture-clash high stakes drama.
- 9/19/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
David Mitchell is returning to the BBC for genre-bending detective comedy Ludwig, which features on a five-strong comedy slate alongside Hulu co-production Dinosaur and a show from The Duchess star Michelle de Swarte.
Unveiling his first major comedy slate at this afternoon’s BBC Comedy Festival in Cardiff, the corporation’s Comedy Director Jon Petrie said the shows reflect “the depth and range of our offerings which champion British creativity.”
The slate is led by Ludwig, Peep Show star Mitchell’s first BBC project since Upstart Crow, which follows the eponymous protagonist as he takes on the identity of his brother, Dci James Taylor, who has disappeared off the face of the earth. Mitchell’s Ludwig lives in quiet solitude, designing puzzles for a living under his nom-de-plume, and he struggles to adapt to being a twin who happens to be a successful Dci leading Cambridge’s busy inner-city major crimes team.
Unveiling his first major comedy slate at this afternoon’s BBC Comedy Festival in Cardiff, the corporation’s Comedy Director Jon Petrie said the shows reflect “the depth and range of our offerings which champion British creativity.”
The slate is led by Ludwig, Peep Show star Mitchell’s first BBC project since Upstart Crow, which follows the eponymous protagonist as he takes on the identity of his brother, Dci James Taylor, who has disappeared off the face of the earth. Mitchell’s Ludwig lives in quiet solitude, designing puzzles for a living under his nom-de-plume, and he struggles to adapt to being a twin who happens to be a successful Dci leading Cambridge’s busy inner-city major crimes team.
- 5/24/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The cast of ‘The Outlaws’ (Photo Credit: BBC Studios)
Stephen Merchant’s The Outlaws will return for a third season on Prime Video and BBC One. Filming on the new season of the critically acclaimed comedy is currently underway in and around Bristol.
“After the overwhelming response to the first two series, I’m delighted to be bringing back our lovable band of miscreants for more misadventures. Audiences have really taken the characters to their hearts, so I can’t wait for them to see what hot water we’ve thrown them into this time. And I’m thrilled we’ll once again be filming in my hometown of Bristol. I expect I’ll be welcomed with a ticker-tape parade. It didn’t happen on the previous series, but I put that down to Covid,” said Stephen Merchant.
Merchant co-created the series with Elgin James (Mayans M.C.) and writes,...
Stephen Merchant’s The Outlaws will return for a third season on Prime Video and BBC One. Filming on the new season of the critically acclaimed comedy is currently underway in and around Bristol.
“After the overwhelming response to the first two series, I’m delighted to be bringing back our lovable band of miscreants for more misadventures. Audiences have really taken the characters to their hearts, so I can’t wait for them to see what hot water we’ve thrown them into this time. And I’m thrilled we’ll once again be filming in my hometown of Bristol. I expect I’ll be welcomed with a ticker-tape parade. It didn’t happen on the previous series, but I put that down to Covid,” said Stephen Merchant.
Merchant co-created the series with Elgin James (Mayans M.C.) and writes,...
- 5/9/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
“The Outlaws” has been picked up for a third season by Amazon Prime Video and BBC One. As the latest addition to the Prime membership, the third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.
The comedic thriller follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol.
Season 3 will pick up with crime boss The Dean behind bars awaiting trial, leaving the crew of outlaws to move on with their lives — until one of their own returns with a deadly secret that threatens their lives as they know it. As a murderous manhunt closes in on the gang, the group attempts to prove their innocence before The Dean’s case falls apart and he hunts them down for revenge.
Stephen Merchant returns to the series as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...
The comedic thriller follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol.
Season 3 will pick up with crime boss The Dean behind bars awaiting trial, leaving the crew of outlaws to move on with their lives — until one of their own returns with a deadly secret that threatens their lives as they know it. As a murderous manhunt closes in on the gang, the group attempts to prove their innocence before The Dean’s case falls apart and he hunts them down for revenge.
Stephen Merchant returns to the series as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...
- 5/9/2023
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Comedy thriller The Outlaws will be back for a third season. Prime Video and BBC One today announced the renewal of the series from Stephen Merchant (The Office) and co-creator Elgin James (Mayans M.C.).
It follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.
With crime boss The Dean (Claes Bang) behind bars awaiting trial, The Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger. As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?
Stephen Merchant returns to the series as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani, Gamba Cole as Ben,...
It follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. The third season will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordics.
With crime boss The Dean (Claes Bang) behind bars awaiting trial, The Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger. As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge?
Stephen Merchant returns to the series as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto as Rani, Gamba Cole as Ben,...
- 5/9/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exec will report into Spt’s president of international productions Wayne Garvie.
Sony Pictures Television (Spt) has appointed Big Talk managing director Matthew Justice to the newly created role of EVP, head of UK & Europe.
Justice, who announced earlier this week that he was stepping down from The Outlaws producer Big Talk after 16 years, will report into Wayne Garvie, Spt’s president of international productions.
Justice will manage Spt’s international studio operations and European co-productions business, and work closely with Spt production labels and joint ventures. These include: Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials), Eleven Films (Sex Education), Left Bank Pictures...
Sony Pictures Television (Spt) has appointed Big Talk managing director Matthew Justice to the newly created role of EVP, head of UK & Europe.
Justice, who announced earlier this week that he was stepping down from The Outlaws producer Big Talk after 16 years, will report into Wayne Garvie, Spt’s president of international productions.
Justice will manage Spt’s international studio operations and European co-productions business, and work closely with Spt production labels and joint ventures. These include: Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials), Eleven Films (Sex Education), Left Bank Pictures...
- 4/27/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
In what is likely to be considered a major poach, Sony Pictures Television has hired Mathew Justice — a seasoned U.K. industry vet and currently managing director of the ITV Studios-owned Big Talk — for the newly created role of executive vp, head of U.K. and Europe.
Reporting to Spt president of international productions Wayne Garvie, Justice will directly manage the company’s International Studio operations and European co-productions business, as well as work closely with Spt International Production’s wholly owned and joint venture production companies in the region, which include Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials, Industry), Eleven Films (Sex Education) and Left Bank Pictures (The Crown). He joins later this year.
“Joining Wayne and the team at Spt is an opportunity that dreams are made of,” said Justice. “The Spt labels are outstanding, so it is a rare honor to get to work with them and the people behind them.
Reporting to Spt president of international productions Wayne Garvie, Justice will directly manage the company’s International Studio operations and European co-productions business, as well as work closely with Spt International Production’s wholly owned and joint venture production companies in the region, which include Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials, Industry), Eleven Films (Sex Education) and Left Bank Pictures (The Crown). He joins later this year.
“Joining Wayne and the team at Spt is an opportunity that dreams are made of,” said Justice. “The Spt labels are outstanding, so it is a rare honor to get to work with them and the people behind them.
- 4/27/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony Pictures Television has appointed Matthew Justice as executive VP and head of U.K. and Europe.
In the newly created role, he will report into Wayne Garvie, president of International Productions. Justice will directly manage Spt’s international studio operations and European co-productions business, as well as work closely with Spt International Production’s wholly-owned and joint venture production companies in the region, which includes Bad Wolf, Eleven Films and Left Bank Pictures.
Justice most recently served as managing director at ITV Studios-backed Big Talk. He will start at Spt later this year.
Garvie said: “Matthew is a highly respected figure in the U.K. television and film industry — together he and Kenton Allen have built Big Talk into a significant international player. A smart operator, a strategic thinker and, just as importantly, a very good person, Matthew brings just what we need to build our UK and...
In the newly created role, he will report into Wayne Garvie, president of International Productions. Justice will directly manage Spt’s international studio operations and European co-productions business, as well as work closely with Spt International Production’s wholly-owned and joint venture production companies in the region, which includes Bad Wolf, Eleven Films and Left Bank Pictures.
Justice most recently served as managing director at ITV Studios-backed Big Talk. He will start at Spt later this year.
Garvie said: “Matthew is a highly respected figure in the U.K. television and film industry — together he and Kenton Allen have built Big Talk into a significant international player. A smart operator, a strategic thinker and, just as importantly, a very good person, Matthew brings just what we need to build our UK and...
- 4/27/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Big Talk Productions is renaming itself Big Talk Studios and is reshuffling its top team as Matthew Justice departs after 16 years.
The British producer behind Amazon’s The Outlaws is rebranding with an eye on the U.S., where it has just wrapped Dinner With The Parents for Freevee, a remake of Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner.
Managing Director Justice is leaving in the fall for a new role, which is expected to be announced later this week. He has worked at Big Talk for 16 years and has a close relationship with CEO Kenton Allen, which will continue as part of a transition process over the coming months.
Justice has Executive Produced films such as Attack the Block and BAFTA-winning series including Rev and Him & Her. He helped oversee Big Talk’s sale to ITV Studios in 2013 for £30M ($37M).
Big Talk’s new logo
Christina Angeloudes, Big...
The British producer behind Amazon’s The Outlaws is rebranding with an eye on the U.S., where it has just wrapped Dinner With The Parents for Freevee, a remake of Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner.
Managing Director Justice is leaving in the fall for a new role, which is expected to be announced later this week. He has worked at Big Talk for 16 years and has a close relationship with CEO Kenton Allen, which will continue as part of a transition process over the coming months.
Justice has Executive Produced films such as Attack the Block and BAFTA-winning series including Rev and Him & Her. He helped oversee Big Talk’s sale to ITV Studios in 2013 for £30M ($37M).
Big Talk’s new logo
Christina Angeloudes, Big...
- 4/24/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Kit Connor and Kate Winslet were among the major winners at the 2023 Royal Television Society program awards on Tuesday night in London.
Winslet claimed the leading actress award for her performance in Channel 4 drama I Am Ruth — in which she starred alongside her daughter Mia Threapleton — while Connor won the leading actor honor for his breakout turn in Netflix’s hit series Heartstopper.
For the 2023 awards, several new awards were introduced, including supporting actor – female, which was claimed by Ambita Mod for the BBC/AMC NHS comedy-drama This Is Going to Hurt (which also leads the BAFTA TV awards nominations), and supporting actor – male, which went to Sweet Tooth star Adeel Akhtar for the BBC series Sherwood. Meanwhile, Sky’s Brassic won the inaugural comedy drama award. Other winners on the night included Raw’s Netflix hit The Tindler Swindler, which won the single documentary honor, and Succession writer Lucy Prebble,...
Winslet claimed the leading actress award for her performance in Channel 4 drama I Am Ruth — in which she starred alongside her daughter Mia Threapleton — while Connor won the leading actor honor for his breakout turn in Netflix’s hit series Heartstopper.
For the 2023 awards, several new awards were introduced, including supporting actor – female, which was claimed by Ambita Mod for the BBC/AMC NHS comedy-drama This Is Going to Hurt (which also leads the BAFTA TV awards nominations), and supporting actor – male, which went to Sweet Tooth star Adeel Akhtar for the BBC series Sherwood. Meanwhile, Sky’s Brassic won the inaugural comedy drama award. Other winners on the night included Raw’s Netflix hit The Tindler Swindler, which won the single documentary honor, and Succession writer Lucy Prebble,...
- 3/29/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Royal Television Society (Rts) has unveiled the nominees for this year’s Rts Programme Awards.
Billie Piper (“I Hate Suzie Too”), Kate Winslet (“I Am Ruth”) and Monica Dolan are nominated in the leading actor female category, while Kane Robinson (“Top Boy”), Kit Connor (“Heartstopper”) and Chaske Spencer (“The English”) are contenders for leading actor male.
This year, the Rts has introduced two new performance categories – supporting actor male and supporting actor female. Ambika Mod (“This Is Going to Hurt”), Saffron Hocking (“Top Boy”) and Adelayo Adedayo (“The Responder”) compete in the female category with Adeel Akhtar (“Sherwood”), Stephen Walters (“Anne”) and Stephen Merchant (“Four Lives”) in the male category.
The BBC leads with 40 nominations across the 30 categories, followed by Channel 4 with 20, ITV with 11 and Sky with 9.
The BBC’s “Am I Being Unreasonable?” scored four nominations and the broadcaster’s hit “The Traitors” is nominated in the entertainment category,...
Billie Piper (“I Hate Suzie Too”), Kate Winslet (“I Am Ruth”) and Monica Dolan are nominated in the leading actor female category, while Kane Robinson (“Top Boy”), Kit Connor (“Heartstopper”) and Chaske Spencer (“The English”) are contenders for leading actor male.
This year, the Rts has introduced two new performance categories – supporting actor male and supporting actor female. Ambika Mod (“This Is Going to Hurt”), Saffron Hocking (“Top Boy”) and Adelayo Adedayo (“The Responder”) compete in the female category with Adeel Akhtar (“Sherwood”), Stephen Walters (“Anne”) and Stephen Merchant (“Four Lives”) in the male category.
The BBC leads with 40 nominations across the 30 categories, followed by Channel 4 with 20, ITV with 11 and Sky with 9.
The BBC’s “Am I Being Unreasonable?” scored four nominations and the broadcaster’s hit “The Traitors” is nominated in the entertainment category,...
- 3/7/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Tubi has announced its first unscripted cooking series, “Kitchen Commando,” hosted by US Army Master Sergeant and White House chef Andre Rush. Executive produced by Gordon Ramsay, the new series enlists Chef Andre to help save struggling restaurants and reignite their passion for the service industry.
Over the 10-episode season, Chef Rush will visit restaurants in the D.C. area that are in need of his discipline, resourcefulness and talents to whip these restaurants back into shape. Chef Rush’s skills will be put the test in the first episode, when he meets a defeated married couple whose crab-themed restaurant is now a toxic mess.
“Kitchen Commando” premieres on February 12, 2023 with a new episode rolling out every Sunday for ten weeks. “Kitchen Commando” is a Fox Alternative Entertainment and Studio Ramsay Global production.
Also in today’s TV news:
Renewals
“Say Yes to the Prom” is back for its 11th...
Over the 10-episode season, Chef Rush will visit restaurants in the D.C. area that are in need of his discipline, resourcefulness and talents to whip these restaurants back into shape. Chef Rush’s skills will be put the test in the first episode, when he meets a defeated married couple whose crab-themed restaurant is now a toxic mess.
“Kitchen Commando” premieres on February 12, 2023 with a new episode rolling out every Sunday for ten weeks. “Kitchen Commando” is a Fox Alternative Entertainment and Studio Ramsay Global production.
Also in today’s TV news:
Renewals
“Say Yes to the Prom” is back for its 11th...
- 1/24/2023
- by Charna Flam and Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Michaela Watkins and Veep alum Dan Bakkedahl will lead the cast of Amazon Freevee’s series Dinner with the Parents, a remake of the long-running British comedy Friday Night Dinner, which is being produced by CBS Studios and Big Talk.
In the single-camera Dinner with the Parents, which has a straight-to-series order, two brothers in their 20s go to their mom (Watkins) and dad’s (Bakkedahl) for dinner each week and somehow get through it without actually, physically, dying of embarrassment.
Bakkedahl plays the dad, Harvey Langer, a “dad joke” in human form. He a suburban dentist trying to fend off a midlife crisis by wearing aloha shirts and playing in a garage band called the Spin Dentists. Desperate for attention, Harvey finds a way to make every Friday night about him.
Watkins plays the mom, Jane Langer. She just left a teaching job after 25 years and...
In the single-camera Dinner with the Parents, which has a straight-to-series order, two brothers in their 20s go to their mom (Watkins) and dad’s (Bakkedahl) for dinner each week and somehow get through it without actually, physically, dying of embarrassment.
Bakkedahl plays the dad, Harvey Langer, a “dad joke” in human form. He a suburban dentist trying to fend off a midlife crisis by wearing aloha shirts and playing in a garage band called the Spin Dentists. Desperate for attention, Harvey finds a way to make every Friday night about him.
Watkins plays the mom, Jane Langer. She just left a teaching job after 25 years and...
- 10/28/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The Royal Television Society’s annual Rts Programme Awards have been set for March 28, 2023.
The awards ceremony, which is held at Grosvenor House every year, always attracts a sea of bold-face names from the world of television. (Pictured above: Jodie Comer attending in 2019).
Last year’s winners included “Help” writer Jack Thorne, “It’s a Sin” showrunner Russell T. Davies and comedian Graham Norton, who was honored with an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Television.
Entries have now opened for next year’s awards, which include three new categories — Comedy Drama, Supporting Actor – Female and Supporting Actor – Male — in recognition of the supporting performances from the acting community over the past 12 months.
One category has also been renamed, with Science & Natural History changed to Science & The Natural World.
Entries should reflect any project delivered via broadcast or online streaming between Jan 1-Dec 31, 2022. Entries close on Dec. 10, 2022.
Nominations will be announced in early March.
The awards ceremony, which is held at Grosvenor House every year, always attracts a sea of bold-face names from the world of television. (Pictured above: Jodie Comer attending in 2019).
Last year’s winners included “Help” writer Jack Thorne, “It’s a Sin” showrunner Russell T. Davies and comedian Graham Norton, who was honored with an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Television.
Entries have now opened for next year’s awards, which include three new categories — Comedy Drama, Supporting Actor – Female and Supporting Actor – Male — in recognition of the supporting performances from the acting community over the past 12 months.
One category has also been renamed, with Science & Natural History changed to Science & The Natural World.
Entries should reflect any project delivered via broadcast or online streaming between Jan 1-Dec 31, 2022. Entries close on Dec. 10, 2022.
Nominations will be announced in early March.
- 10/12/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Freevee Hands Straight-To-Series Order To U.S. Remake Of British Comedy ‘Friday Night Dinner’
Exclusive: Friday Night Dinner is coming to the U.S.
Amazon Freevee has handed a straight-to-series order to Dinner with the Parents, a remake of the long-running British comedy, which comes from former Late Show with David Letterman writer Jon Beckerman, The Outlaws producer Big Talk and CBS Studios.
It marks the fourth attempt to remake the show — which ran for nearly 10 years in the UK on Channel 4 — in the U.S. and the first to get past the development stage. It has scored a 10-episode order.
2022 Amazon Freevee Pilots & Series Orders
The British series, which ran for six seasons from 2011-20, is centered around the regular dinner experience of the middle class British Jewish Goodman family every Friday night.
The U.S. version of the half-hour single-camera comedy will follow much of this. It is centered around two brothers in their 20s go to their mom and dad...
Amazon Freevee has handed a straight-to-series order to Dinner with the Parents, a remake of the long-running British comedy, which comes from former Late Show with David Letterman writer Jon Beckerman, The Outlaws producer Big Talk and CBS Studios.
It marks the fourth attempt to remake the show — which ran for nearly 10 years in the UK on Channel 4 — in the U.S. and the first to get past the development stage. It has scored a 10-episode order.
2022 Amazon Freevee Pilots & Series Orders
The British series, which ran for six seasons from 2011-20, is centered around the regular dinner experience of the middle class British Jewish Goodman family every Friday night.
The U.S. version of the half-hour single-camera comedy will follow much of this. It is centered around two brothers in their 20s go to their mom and dad...
- 7/13/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Prime Video will release Season 2 of The Outlaws on August 5. All 6 episodes of the Amazon Original series will premiere via the streamer in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nordic countries.
From Stephen Merchant and Elgin James, The Outlaws follows a group of misfits who are brought together to do community service after breaking the law. The 7 strangers from various walks of life are dragged into a mystery that they can only survive if they work together.
Season Two picks up a few months after the events of the finale, the Outlaws still have time to serve on their sentences but quickly realize the criminal underworld isn’t done with them yet—not by a long shot. The group’s shared past comes back to haunt them, in the shape of a terrifying London drug lord out for blood—The Dean.
The series stars Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...
From Stephen Merchant and Elgin James, The Outlaws follows a group of misfits who are brought together to do community service after breaking the law. The 7 strangers from various walks of life are dragged into a mystery that they can only survive if they work together.
Season Two picks up a few months after the events of the finale, the Outlaws still have time to serve on their sentences but quickly realize the criminal underworld isn’t done with them yet—not by a long shot. The group’s shared past comes back to haunt them, in the shape of a terrifying London drug lord out for blood—The Dean.
The series stars Rhianne Barreto as Rani,...
- 6/2/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Noel Fielding will star as legendary British Highwayman Dick Turpin in a currently untitled series from Apple TV Plus.
The comedy-adventure show follows Fielding as the most famous, but least likely of highway robbers whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship and great hair. Together with his gang of loveable rogues, Dick rides the highs and lows of celebrity — and does what he can to escape the clutches of the Thief Taker General.
Producing for Apple TV+ is Big Talk Productions, owned by ITV Studios.
Ben Palmer (The Inbetweeners Movie) is directing. Claire Downes, Stuart Lane, Ian Jarvis (The Outlaws) wrote and created the show, with Noel Fielding and Jeremy Dyson (League Of Gentleman) as script consultants.
Executive Producers are Kenton Allen, Noel Fielding, Victoria Grew, Matthew Justice and Ben Palmer. Top of this post and below are first-look images.
The comedy-adventure show follows Fielding as the most famous, but least likely of highway robbers whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship and great hair. Together with his gang of loveable rogues, Dick rides the highs and lows of celebrity — and does what he can to escape the clutches of the Thief Taker General.
Producing for Apple TV+ is Big Talk Productions, owned by ITV Studios.
Ben Palmer (The Inbetweeners Movie) is directing. Claire Downes, Stuart Lane, Ian Jarvis (The Outlaws) wrote and created the show, with Noel Fielding and Jeremy Dyson (League Of Gentleman) as script consultants.
Executive Producers are Kenton Allen, Noel Fielding, Victoria Grew, Matthew Justice and Ben Palmer. Top of this post and below are first-look images.
- 4/12/2022
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The Royal Television Society (Rts) has unveiled the nominees for this year’s Rts Programme Awards.
“It’s a Sin” has scored six nominations, including nods for Keeley Hawes and Olly Alexander (pictured above), while Tahar Rahim has been nominated for his performance in “The Serpent.”
Of the U.K.’s broadcasters, the BBC scored the most noms, boasting 30 across 24 categories, followed by Channel 4, who scored 28, Sky with 10 and ITV who scored 8.
BBC One, ITV and Sky Arts have all been nominated for the Channel of the Year award.
The awards, which will be in-person for the first time in two years, will take place on March 29 in London. Comedian Nish Kumar will host.
“Despite the unprecedented challenges the last two years have presented every single one of us, the sheer talent and amazing professionalism from U.K. creatives both in front of and behind the camera, has truly shone through,...
“It’s a Sin” has scored six nominations, including nods for Keeley Hawes and Olly Alexander (pictured above), while Tahar Rahim has been nominated for his performance in “The Serpent.”
Of the U.K.’s broadcasters, the BBC scored the most noms, boasting 30 across 24 categories, followed by Channel 4, who scored 28, Sky with 10 and ITV who scored 8.
BBC One, ITV and Sky Arts have all been nominated for the Channel of the Year award.
The awards, which will be in-person for the first time in two years, will take place on March 29 in London. Comedian Nish Kumar will host.
“Despite the unprecedented challenges the last two years have presented every single one of us, the sheer talent and amazing professionalism from U.K. creatives both in front of and behind the camera, has truly shone through,...
- 3/3/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu has released an official trailer for “The Girl From Plainville” — a limited series inspired by the true story of Michelle Carter’s “texting suicide” case.
Based on Jesse Barron’s Esquire article of the same name, “The Girl From Plainville” dives into Carter’s (Elle Fanning) relationship with Conrad Roy III (Colton Ryan) and his following death, which led to her conviction of involuntary manslaughter.
“All he thought about was dying… I really just wanted to help him,” says Fanning’s Carter in the gripping trailer, which is full of unsettling text messages and moments both following and leading up to Roy’s death.
In addition to Fanning and Ryan, the series also stars Chloë Sevigny as Lynn Roy, Cara Buono as Gail Carter, Kai Lennox as David Carter and Norbert Leo Butz as Conrad Roy II.
Hailing from UCP of the Universal Studio Group, “The Girl From Plainville...
Based on Jesse Barron’s Esquire article of the same name, “The Girl From Plainville” dives into Carter’s (Elle Fanning) relationship with Conrad Roy III (Colton Ryan) and his following death, which led to her conviction of involuntary manslaughter.
“All he thought about was dying… I really just wanted to help him,” says Fanning’s Carter in the gripping trailer, which is full of unsettling text messages and moments both following and leading up to Roy’s death.
In addition to Fanning and Ryan, the series also stars Chloë Sevigny as Lynn Roy, Cara Buono as Gail Carter, Kai Lennox as David Carter and Norbert Leo Butz as Conrad Roy II.
Hailing from UCP of the Universal Studio Group, “The Girl From Plainville...
- 3/2/2022
- by Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Wilson Chapman and Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon has renewed The Outlaws ahead of its U.S. series premiere in 2022.
The comedy-thriller from Stephen Merchant and Elgin James—a co-production between the Amazon Studios and BBC One—has already aired in its entirety in the UK. Season 2 is set to air in multiple territories following its freshman turn in the U.S.
The Outlaws follows seven strangers from different walks of life who are forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol, England.
Stars include Merchant, Christopher Walken, Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jessica Gunning, Charles Babalola, Nina Wadia, Tom Hanson, and Aiyana Goodfellow. All are set to return for Season 2.
For its sophomore season, the Outlaws still have time to serve on their sentences—but now they must face the fallout from their actions. If they thought the...
The comedy-thriller from Stephen Merchant and Elgin James—a co-production between the Amazon Studios and BBC One—has already aired in its entirety in the UK. Season 2 is set to air in multiple territories following its freshman turn in the U.S.
The Outlaws follows seven strangers from different walks of life who are forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol, England.
Stars include Merchant, Christopher Walken, Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jessica Gunning, Charles Babalola, Nina Wadia, Tom Hanson, and Aiyana Goodfellow. All are set to return for Season 2.
For its sophomore season, the Outlaws still have time to serve on their sentences—but now they must face the fallout from their actions. If they thought the...
- 11/29/2021
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
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.
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.
- 11/29/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
In the early 1980s, around the time George Lucas and Richard Marquand were wrapping up “Return of the Jedi” at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, the British film industry entered a precipitous decline. As U.S. funding dried up following new tax rules and a pivot to television, fewer films were made in the U.K. than at any time since the beginning of World War I.
The golden era of 1960s and ’70s production — when Stanley Kubrick shot “2001: A Space Odyssey” at Shepperton Studios, Richard Donner took over Pinewood Studios for “Superman” and Lucas handpicked Elstree for “Star Wars” — was over.
“The British film industry hit rock bottom,” recalls Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission. “Most of our filmmakers had left to go to America. There was tumbleweed blowing through our studios.”
Four decades on, the landscape is unrecognizable. “[The U.K. is] the movie capital of the world right now,...
The golden era of 1960s and ’70s production — when Stanley Kubrick shot “2001: A Space Odyssey” at Shepperton Studios, Richard Donner took over Pinewood Studios for “Superman” and Lucas handpicked Elstree for “Star Wars” — was over.
“The British film industry hit rock bottom,” recalls Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission. “Most of our filmmakers had left to go to America. There was tumbleweed blowing through our studios.”
Four decades on, the landscape is unrecognizable. “[The U.K. is] the movie capital of the world right now,...
- 11/24/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Outlaws producer Big Talk has secured a two-hour UKTV feature about aliens invading the Earth from Ghosts’ Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond.
Airing next year on Dave, We Are Not Alone is set six weeks after an alien invasion and explores the culture clash between humankind and its new alien masters, who are trying to make sense of a planet so confusing that its inhabitants can’t even agree which side of the road to drive on.
Writers Rickard and Willbond, who play Robin and The Captain respectively in BBC1 hit comedy Ghosts and are also part of the writing team on the BBC and CBS version, said they had “never attempted anything so ambitious or ridiculous.”
Big Talk CEO Kenton Allen said: “Shining a light on how stupid humans are, through the prism of some stupid Aliens, with the amazing crew we have assembled, will be stupidly good fun.
Airing next year on Dave, We Are Not Alone is set six weeks after an alien invasion and explores the culture clash between humankind and its new alien masters, who are trying to make sense of a planet so confusing that its inhabitants can’t even agree which side of the road to drive on.
Writers Rickard and Willbond, who play Robin and The Captain respectively in BBC1 hit comedy Ghosts and are also part of the writing team on the BBC and CBS version, said they had “never attempted anything so ambitious or ridiculous.”
Big Talk CEO Kenton Allen said: “Shining a light on how stupid humans are, through the prism of some stupid Aliens, with the amazing crew we have assembled, will be stupidly good fun.
- 11/19/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The U.K.’s Royal Television Society (Rts) has opened entries for the Rts Program Awards 2022, in partnership with Audio Network.
After a pandemic-forced hybrid event this year, the 2022 edition will take place in-person at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on March 29.
The Rts said in a statement: “In line with all Rts awards, the society stresses the need for all organizations to show awareness when selecting entries of the need for recognizing diversity in our industry and in our wider community.”
Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” was the leader at this year’s awards with three wins.
Two of the award categories have been renamed, including Rts Network of the Year, previously known as Rts Channel of the Year, which recognizes the performance of a single broadcast channel, network or streaming service; and Limited Series replaces the Mini Series category, which highlights self-contained drama series with a closed-ended story arc.
After a pandemic-forced hybrid event this year, the 2022 edition will take place in-person at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on March 29.
The Rts said in a statement: “In line with all Rts awards, the society stresses the need for all organizations to show awareness when selecting entries of the need for recognizing diversity in our industry and in our wider community.”
Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” was the leader at this year’s awards with three wins.
Two of the award categories have been renamed, including Rts Network of the Year, previously known as Rts Channel of the Year, which recognizes the performance of a single broadcast channel, network or streaming service; and Limited Series replaces the Mini Series category, which highlights self-contained drama series with a closed-ended story arc.
- 10/28/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Kenton Allen, CEO of London-based outfit Big Talk Productions, has plenty to be pleased about. For the next two weeks, the company he has headed for over a decade will be dominating the Monday night primetime slot on BBC One in the U.K. First, at 8:30 p.m., with “The Goes Wrong Show,” and then at 9 p.m. with “The Outlaws,” about a group of small-time convicts completing community service together and which stars Christopher Walken in his first British television role.
“That doesn’t happen every day,” Allen tells Variety. “That’s quite a big thing for us to have an hour and a half of primetime on the nation’s biggest Psb.”
Allen is ostensibly here to talk about “The Outlaws,” which is written by and stars Stephen Merchant (“Jojo Rabbit”) alongside Walken and “Poldark’s” Eleanor Tomlinson, but in a wide-ranging conversation is happy to discuss everything from the U.
“That doesn’t happen every day,” Allen tells Variety. “That’s quite a big thing for us to have an hour and a half of primetime on the nation’s biggest Psb.”
Allen is ostensibly here to talk about “The Outlaws,” which is written by and stars Stephen Merchant (“Jojo Rabbit”) alongside Walken and “Poldark’s” Eleanor Tomlinson, but in a wide-ranging conversation is happy to discuss everything from the U.
- 10/25/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: IMDb TV has picked up Timewasters, the British comedy about a jazz band who time travel via a urine-soaked elevator in a dilapidated block of flats.
Amazon’s free streaming service will carry the first two seasons of the now-canceled ITV2 show, which is produced by ITV Studios-backed Big Talk Productions. Endeavor Content distributes the BAFTA-nominated series.
Starring Daniel Lawrence Taylor (Cockroaches) as Nick, Kadiff Kirwan (Chewing Gum) as Jason, Adelayo Adedayo (Skins) as Lauren, and Samson Kayo (Truth Seekers) as Horace, the first season sees the band transported back to 1920s high-society London.
In the second season, the time-traveling quartet are transported to London in the 1950s. Met with strange stares and genuine curiosity in both eras, the group navigates the clash of cultures and social conventions all while exploring worlds that are, at once, both incredibly familiar and painfully foreign.
Timewasters was created and written by...
Amazon’s free streaming service will carry the first two seasons of the now-canceled ITV2 show, which is produced by ITV Studios-backed Big Talk Productions. Endeavor Content distributes the BAFTA-nominated series.
Starring Daniel Lawrence Taylor (Cockroaches) as Nick, Kadiff Kirwan (Chewing Gum) as Jason, Adelayo Adedayo (Skins) as Lauren, and Samson Kayo (Truth Seekers) as Horace, the first season sees the band transported back to 1920s high-society London.
In the second season, the time-traveling quartet are transported to London in the 1950s. Met with strange stares and genuine curiosity in both eras, the group navigates the clash of cultures and social conventions all while exploring worlds that are, at once, both incredibly familiar and painfully foreign.
Timewasters was created and written by...
- 5/24/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Award-winning author Paul McAuley’s acclaimed science fiction novel “Austral” is set for an epic series adaptation from Circle of Confusion Television Studios and ITV Studios’ Big Talk Productions.
“Austral” is an expansive drama set in Antarctica during the year 2098, decades after the melting glaciers have given way to a new frontier of resource-rich land, and a generation of settlers from all around the dying world have converged there. But for Austral Ferrado, one of a number of “huskies,” or people who have been gene-edited to better withstand the still-unforgiving climate of the far south, this new Antarctica is no paradise. Trapped in a society that has imprisoned her and treated her kind more as animals than humans, Austral will stop at nothing to gain her freedom.
Elise McCredie — Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts screenplay award winner for Cate Blanchett-produced series “Stateless” — will adapt the novel, while Erik Skjoldbjaerg (“Occupied”) will direct.
“Austral” is an expansive drama set in Antarctica during the year 2098, decades after the melting glaciers have given way to a new frontier of resource-rich land, and a generation of settlers from all around the dying world have converged there. But for Austral Ferrado, one of a number of “huskies,” or people who have been gene-edited to better withstand the still-unforgiving climate of the far south, this new Antarctica is no paradise. Trapped in a society that has imprisoned her and treated her kind more as animals than humans, Austral will stop at nothing to gain her freedom.
Elise McCredie — Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts screenplay award winner for Cate Blanchett-produced series “Stateless” — will adapt the novel, while Erik Skjoldbjaerg (“Occupied”) will direct.
- 3/18/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” capped a triumphant edition of the U.K.’s Royal Television Society program awards for the BBC as the broadcaster scored 14 wins.
Coel won actor – female, and writer, and the show also won best miniseries.
In addition to the 29 competitive categories, three further awards were presented. The Judges’ Award was presented to Anne Mensah, VP, original series at Netflix, for her commitment to reflecting society’s diversity on screen; the Outstanding Achievement Award went to “It’s a Sin” creator Russell T. Davies; and the Special Award went to trade association Pact, for its contribution and support to the U.K. television industry throughout 2020.
Chair of the awards, Big Talk Productions CEO Kenton Allen, said: “The incredible range of programming we have seen across all genres and categories in this uniquely challenging year has been exceptional and a terrific representation of the thriving and...
Coel won actor – female, and writer, and the show also won best miniseries.
In addition to the 29 competitive categories, three further awards were presented. The Judges’ Award was presented to Anne Mensah, VP, original series at Netflix, for her commitment to reflecting society’s diversity on screen; the Outstanding Achievement Award went to “It’s a Sin” creator Russell T. Davies; and the Special Award went to trade association Pact, for its contribution and support to the U.K. television industry throughout 2020.
Chair of the awards, Big Talk Productions CEO Kenton Allen, said: “The incredible range of programming we have seen across all genres and categories in this uniquely challenging year has been exceptional and a terrific representation of the thriving and...
- 3/17/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Eighteen months ago, Piers Morgan, famous for winding up anyone with a “woke” agenda, joked to a Royal Television Society conference of senior U.K. TV executives that he was “one vegan sausage-roll wrap from being fired.”
On Tuesday, after five years hosting flagship ITV show, “Good Morning Britain,” Morgan and ITV parted company. After losing his cool live on air during a row over Meghan Markle with a fellow presenter, Morgan stormed off set saying: “Ok. I’m done with this.” He did return to complete the show, but the damage was done, and “Good Morning Britain” will continue minus its opinionated host.
Morgan is well known for his animosity towards Markle and Prince Harry, and until yesterday, ITV was happy to go along with their presenter’s anti-Sussex rants. But by declining to apologize over remarks he’d made challenging the veracity of the Duchess of Sussex’s...
On Tuesday, after five years hosting flagship ITV show, “Good Morning Britain,” Morgan and ITV parted company. After losing his cool live on air during a row over Meghan Markle with a fellow presenter, Morgan stormed off set saying: “Ok. I’m done with this.” He did return to complete the show, but the damage was done, and “Good Morning Britain” will continue minus its opinionated host.
Morgan is well known for his animosity towards Markle and Prince Harry, and until yesterday, ITV was happy to go along with their presenter’s anti-Sussex rants. But by declining to apologize over remarks he’d made challenging the veracity of the Duchess of Sussex’s...
- 3/10/2021
- by Steve Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
‘I May Destroy You,’ ‘Normal People,’ ‘Small Axe’ Nominated For U.K. Royal Television Society Awards
Hit BBC shows “I May Destroy You,” “Small Axe” and “Normal People” lead the nominations at the U.K.’s Royal Television Society (Rts) 2021 program awards.
Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” scored three nominations, as did Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe.” “Normal People” leads Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal were nominated in the acting categories.
The BBC leads the field with 40 nominations across the 28 categories, followed by Channel 4 with 17 and Sky with 12.
The nominations were announced on Tuesday via livestream by British television presenter Ore Oduba, and the winners will be announced March 16 at a ceremony streamed live on the Rts website, hosted by “The Masked Singer” judge Jonathan Ross.
Chair of the awards, Big Talk Productions CEO Kenton Allen, said: “The standard of entries has been outstanding and demonstrated the breadth of high-quality content that has informed, entertained and kept audiences going through what has been such a uniquely difficult time.
Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” scored three nominations, as did Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe.” “Normal People” leads Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal were nominated in the acting categories.
The BBC leads the field with 40 nominations across the 28 categories, followed by Channel 4 with 17 and Sky with 12.
The nominations were announced on Tuesday via livestream by British television presenter Ore Oduba, and the winners will be announced March 16 at a ceremony streamed live on the Rts website, hosted by “The Masked Singer” judge Jonathan Ross.
Chair of the awards, Big Talk Productions CEO Kenton Allen, said: “The standard of entries has been outstanding and demonstrated the breadth of high-quality content that has informed, entertained and kept audiences going through what has been such a uniquely difficult time.
- 3/2/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: A Black Lady Sketch Show head writer Lauren Ashley Smith is set to write and exec produce the U.S. remake of British comedy Timewasters, which is in the works at ABC.
The single-camera comedy comes from CBS Studios. ABC is developing the remake of ITV2’s time-traveling jazz comedy as part of its second-cycle development process.
Timewasters was created by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, who also starred in it, and ran for two seasons on ITV2 in the UK. It was nominated for a BAFTA in 2018 for Best Scripted Comedy alongside Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum and Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney’s Catastrophe as well as the winner BBC mockumentary This Country, which is being remade at Fox.
The U.S. adaptation will revolve around four Black twentysomething New Yorkers who accidentally end up in the year 1926, despite being deeply unenthusiastic about and deeply unequipped for time travel.
The single-camera comedy comes from CBS Studios. ABC is developing the remake of ITV2’s time-traveling jazz comedy as part of its second-cycle development process.
Timewasters was created by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, who also starred in it, and ran for two seasons on ITV2 in the UK. It was nominated for a BAFTA in 2018 for Best Scripted Comedy alongside Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum and Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney’s Catastrophe as well as the winner BBC mockumentary This Country, which is being remade at Fox.
The U.S. adaptation will revolve around four Black twentysomething New Yorkers who accidentally end up in the year 1926, despite being deeply unenthusiastic about and deeply unequipped for time travel.
- 1/25/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome International Insider readers, Jake Kanter with you today. Take a walk with me through some of the biggest stories of the week. Want to get in touch? I’m on jkanter@deadline.com, or my DMs are open on Twitter. And sign up here to get this delivered to your inbox every Friday.
BBC Studios’ Stuttering CEO Search
Friday must-read: Top of your agenda this week is an International Insider exclusive on BBC Studios’ hunt for a new CEO. The bottom line is this: After an ambitious and wide-ranging six-month search, sources say that BBC director general Tim Davie is no closer to landing the big name he desires.
Who’s said no: Running Doctor Who producer BBC Studios remains one of the most prized jobs in the British industry, but it has proved to be the wrong role or the wrong time for a number of high-profile candidates,...
BBC Studios’ Stuttering CEO Search
Friday must-read: Top of your agenda this week is an International Insider exclusive on BBC Studios’ hunt for a new CEO. The bottom line is this: After an ambitious and wide-ranging six-month search, sources say that BBC director general Tim Davie is no closer to landing the big name he desires.
Who’s said no: Running Doctor Who producer BBC Studios remains one of the most prized jobs in the British industry, but it has proved to be the wrong role or the wrong time for a number of high-profile candidates,...
- 1/15/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Big Talk Productions CEO Kenton Allen is typically straight when reflecting on 2020. “A disaster,” he says, surveying the economic wreckage of Covid-19 over a Zoom call from his home in London last month. Like countless others, the pandemic has blown a huge hole in Big Talk’s earnings and created unthinkable headaches for the company, which should have been celebrating a very healthy 12 months. But Allen, a gruff optimist, is celebrating the wins of the coronavirus crisis, rather than wallowing in what went wrong.
For starters, Big Talk managed to convince the BBC and Amazon to commission a second season of Stephen Merchant comedy-drama The Offenders before the first had even been shot. Known for comedy hits including Rev and Mum, the production firm also finally wrapped a second season of Channel 4/Sundance Now’s Back after a bewildering run of setbacks, both Covid and non-Covid-related. Another Big Talk show,...
For starters, Big Talk managed to convince the BBC and Amazon to commission a second season of Stephen Merchant comedy-drama The Offenders before the first had even been shot. Known for comedy hits including Rev and Mum, the production firm also finally wrapped a second season of Channel 4/Sundance Now’s Back after a bewildering run of setbacks, both Covid and non-Covid-related. Another Big Talk show,...
- 1/13/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: BBC One and Amazon’s Stephen Merchant series The Offenders has been renewed for a second season before the first has even been shot, executive producer Kenton Allen has revealed.
In an interview with Deadline, the Big Talk Productions CEO said that the two seasons are being filmed back-to-back in Bristol, southwest England, in an unexpected fillip for the comedy-drama after it was shut down in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Allen said filming on the six-part series, which will star Christopher Walken, was halted after just 12 days last March, at which point the BBC asked if Merchant would consider writing a second season.
This quickly snowballed into a green light for Season 2 after all parties agreed that it would make sense to shoot both seasons at the same time. Production got back underway in Bristol late last year and the shoot will run to October 2021 as Big...
In an interview with Deadline, the Big Talk Productions CEO said that the two seasons are being filmed back-to-back in Bristol, southwest England, in an unexpected fillip for the comedy-drama after it was shut down in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Allen said filming on the six-part series, which will star Christopher Walken, was halted after just 12 days last March, at which point the BBC asked if Merchant would consider writing a second season.
This quickly snowballed into a green light for Season 2 after all parties agreed that it would make sense to shoot both seasons at the same time. Production got back underway in Bristol late last year and the shoot will run to October 2021 as Big...
- 1/13/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
British Comedian Bobby Ball Dies
Bobby Ball, the British comedian and star of shows including BBC One’s Not Going Out, has died at the age of 76 after testing positive for coronavirus. He was one half of double-act Cannon and Ball alongside Tommy Cannon, while he has appeared in comedies including Last of the Summer Wine and Benidorm. He was also a contestant on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2005. “At first it was thought to be a chest infection but a test proved positive for Covid-19,” his manager said in a statement. “His wife Yvonne said the hospital and staff could not have been more wonderful, as they were outstanding in their care of duty and they did everything possible for him and she cannot praise them enough.” Cannon paid tribute by quoting his partner’s catchphrase: “Rock on, my good friend, I can’t believe this,...
Bobby Ball, the British comedian and star of shows including BBC One’s Not Going Out, has died at the age of 76 after testing positive for coronavirus. He was one half of double-act Cannon and Ball alongside Tommy Cannon, while he has appeared in comedies including Last of the Summer Wine and Benidorm. He was also a contestant on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2005. “At first it was thought to be a chest infection but a test proved positive for Covid-19,” his manager said in a statement. “His wife Yvonne said the hospital and staff could not have been more wonderful, as they were outstanding in their care of duty and they did everything possible for him and she cannot praise them enough.” Cannon paid tribute by quoting his partner’s catchphrase: “Rock on, my good friend, I can’t believe this,...
- 10/29/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
They are developing three projects for Netflix.
Former Big Talk Productions duo Edgar Wright and Nira Park have teamed up with writer-director Joe Cornish and producer Rachael Prior to launch a London and Los Angeles-based film and TV outfit called Complete Fiction.
The company’s debut development slate includes three new series for Netflix. Cornish is directing Lockwood & Co, a supernatural detective series based on Jonathan Stroud’s novel series of the same name, while the company has also optioned Tade Thompson’s literary sci-fi horror trilogy The Murders Of Molly Southbourne and S.A. Chakraborty’s historical fantasy series...
Former Big Talk Productions duo Edgar Wright and Nira Park have teamed up with writer-director Joe Cornish and producer Rachael Prior to launch a London and Los Angeles-based film and TV outfit called Complete Fiction.
The company’s debut development slate includes three new series for Netflix. Cornish is directing Lockwood & Co, a supernatural detective series based on Jonathan Stroud’s novel series of the same name, while the company has also optioned Tade Thompson’s literary sci-fi horror trilogy The Murders Of Molly Southbourne and S.A. Chakraborty’s historical fantasy series...
- 5/19/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Former Mom star Sadie Calvano and Alanna Ubach (Bombshell) are set as series regulars opposite Meaghan Rath and Jack Cutmore-Scott in CBS’ ensemble comedy pilot Jury Duty, from 9Jkl co-creator Dana Klein, writer Stephanie Darrow, UK producer Big Talk Productions and CBS Television Studios.
In the hybrid Jury Duty, written by Klein and Darrow based on a British format and directed by Christine Gernon, a group of jurors are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict….and they can’t even agree on lunch.
Calvano will play Linzee. Gorgeous and a bit naïve, Linzee loves animals and is a vegetarian because “bunnies!” She’s also very optimistic, easily excited, and too sweet to realize she’s the most beautiful girl in the world.
Ubach is Judge Wallace. Judge Wallace wanted to be an actress and now the courtroom is her stage, where she’s wildly unprofessional and...
In the hybrid Jury Duty, written by Klein and Darrow based on a British format and directed by Christine Gernon, a group of jurors are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict….and they can’t even agree on lunch.
Calvano will play Linzee. Gorgeous and a bit naïve, Linzee loves animals and is a vegetarian because “bunnies!” She’s also very optimistic, easily excited, and too sweet to realize she’s the most beautiful girl in the world.
Ubach is Judge Wallace. Judge Wallace wanted to be an actress and now the courtroom is her stage, where she’s wildly unprofessional and...
- 3/10/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Meaghan Rath has been cast in the CBS comedy pilot “Jury Duty.”
She joins previously announced cast member Jack Cutmore-Scott, with whom she previously worked on the Fox comedy series “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life.” The two began dating after working together on that show and are set to be married in May.
“Jury Duty” follows a group of jurors who are all sequestered together until they can agree on a verdict, though they can’t even agree on lunch. Rath will star as Jen, described as sarcastic, adorably neurotic, and a little controlling. Jen is a successful book editor who is high maintenance, but thinks she’s low maintenance. She feels like the last single girl in the world because all of her friends are married with kids.
Rath recently wrapped up a three-season run on fellow CBS series “Hawii Five-o.” In addition to “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life,...
She joins previously announced cast member Jack Cutmore-Scott, with whom she previously worked on the Fox comedy series “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life.” The two began dating after working together on that show and are set to be married in May.
“Jury Duty” follows a group of jurors who are all sequestered together until they can agree on a verdict, though they can’t even agree on lunch. Rath will star as Jen, described as sarcastic, adorably neurotic, and a little controlling. Jen is a successful book editor who is high maintenance, but thinks she’s low maintenance. She feels like the last single girl in the world because all of her friends are married with kids.
Rath recently wrapped up a three-season run on fellow CBS series “Hawii Five-o.” In addition to “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life,...
- 3/10/2020
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
As Hawaii Five-0 is coming to an end, series’ co-star Meaghan Rath is staying at CBS as the lead of the network’s ensemble comedy pilot Jury Duty. from 9Jkl co-creator Dana Klein, writer Stephanie Darrow, UK producer Big Talk Productions and CBS Television Studios. She joins Jack Cutmore-Scott who was recently cast as the project’s male lead.
In the hybrid Jury Duty, written by Klein and Darrow based on a British format and directed by Christine Gernon, a group of jurors are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict….and they can’t even agree on lunch.
Rath plays Jen. Sarcastic, adorably neurotic and a little controlling, Jen is a successful book editor who is high maintenance, but thinks she’s low maintenance. She feels like the last single girl in the world because all of her friends are married with kids.
Klein and Darrow executive...
In the hybrid Jury Duty, written by Klein and Darrow based on a British format and directed by Christine Gernon, a group of jurors are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict….and they can’t even agree on lunch.
Rath plays Jen. Sarcastic, adorably neurotic and a little controlling, Jen is a successful book editor who is high maintenance, but thinks she’s low maintenance. She feels like the last single girl in the world because all of her friends are married with kids.
Klein and Darrow executive...
- 3/10/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Deception star Jack Cutmore-Scott will lead the ensemble cast of Jury Duty (fka We the Jury), CBS’ hybrid half-hour comedy pilot from 9Jkl co-creator Dana Klein, writer Stephanie Darrow, UK producer Big Talk Productions and CBS Television Studios.
Written by Klein and Darrow based on a British format, in Jury Duty, a group of jurors are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict….and they can’t even agree on lunch.
Cutmore-Scott will play John ‘Hutty’ Huttman, a charismatic natural leader and winner in every way, who isn’t happy about being made an alternate juror, so he’s going to make it fun for himself.
Jury Duty was based on the British format We the Jury, created by stand-up comedian James Acaster and originally piloted on BBC Two. Klein and Darrow executive produce the CBS pilot with Acaster, and Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice for Big Talk.
Written by Klein and Darrow based on a British format, in Jury Duty, a group of jurors are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict….and they can’t even agree on lunch.
Cutmore-Scott will play John ‘Hutty’ Huttman, a charismatic natural leader and winner in every way, who isn’t happy about being made an alternate juror, so he’s going to make it fun for himself.
Jury Duty was based on the British format We the Jury, created by stand-up comedian James Acaster and originally piloted on BBC Two. Klein and Darrow executive produce the CBS pilot with Acaster, and Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice for Big Talk.
- 2/21/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
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