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As 2024 nears its end, that can only mean one thing — awards season is upon us! And while various Critics' Circle and Guild bashes have already gotten underway, tonight was the first major event of the season on this side of the pond: the British Independent Film Awards. Hosted by Peter Serafinowicz at London's Roundhouse, the ceremony saw Rich Peppiatt's barnstorming Irish rap trio biopic Kneecap — already one of Empire's Best Movies of 2024 — emerge as the night's biggest winner. In all, the film (which is streaming now on Prime Video UK) picked up seven gongs on the night, including Best British Independent Film, Best Joint Lead Performance for Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, and Best Debut Screenwriter for Peppiatt.

In the other key acting categories, Marianne Jean-Baptiste won Best Lead Performance for her emotional, incendiary turn as embattled matriarch Pansy in Mike Leigh's Hard Truths,...

Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane’s documentary Grand Theft Hamlet, about out-of-work theater actors who try to stage a production of Hamlet within the video game Grand Theft Auto during the Covid lockdown, and Witches, Elizabeth Sankey’s doc that posits a connection between historical witchery and post-partum psychological suffering, are among 13 feature films on the longlist for this year’s Raindance Maverick Award at the British Independent Film Awards, or BIFAs.

Also on the longlist are the likes of Strike: An Uncivil War, the best documentary audience award winner at this year’s Sheffield DocFest that uses personal testimony, formerly hidden government documents, and unseen archive footage to tell the story of the Battle of Orgreave during the British miners’ strike of 1984/85; Treading Water, which tells the story of a man who is newly released from prison and struggling with addiction and mental health issues; and King Baby, “a...

Subversive Irish breakout pic Kneecap and Sasha Nathwani’s gentle yet ambitious debut Last Swim are among the titles that have nabbed mentions on the new talent longlists at this year’s British Independent Film Awards.

Both Kneecap and Last Swim pop up on the Douglas Hickox Best Debut Director Award longlist. Other nominees include Hoard, directed by Luna Carmoon, and Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight, which debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

All four films also feature on the best screenplay longlist alongside Christopher Andrews’s Bring Them Down starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott. Other pics on the screenplay longlist include The Ceremony by Jack King and Jed Hart’s Restless.

Overall, the longlists include 31 British features, with 20 fiction and 11 documentary features across four debut filmmaking categories. Within that, there are 13 first-time fiction feature directors, 16 first-time feature documentary directors, 11 first-time writers, and 19 breakthrough producers.

The final...

Filmmakers from Bring Them Down, The Ceremony and Tuesday feature prominently on the filmmaker new talent longlists for the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (Bifas).

Bring Them Down’s Christopher Andrews is longlisted for the Douglas Hickox Award for best debut director and the best debut screenwriter award, while the film’s debut producer Jacob Swan Hyam is longlisted for breakthrough producer.

Scroll down for the filmmaker New Talent longlists

The Ceremony repeats that trio for writer-director Jack King and producers Hollie Bryan and Lucy Meer; as does Tuesday for writer-director Daina O Pusic and producer Helen Gladders.

Four filmmaker new...

As we enter into another awards season to keep the cold winter days at bay, Directors Notes is thrilled to partner with the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) for the longlist announcement of The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by BBC Film. An award named in honour of the British film and television director’s commitment to supporting new talent, a mission very close to our hearts, it feels particularly apt that Dn gets to share the following list of 13 impressive feature debut directors. The final five nominated filmmakers will be announced on Tuesday 5th November, with the winner revealed at the 27th BIFA awards ceremony on Sunday 8th December at iconic Camden venue the Roundhouse. As in previous years of the awards, we look forward to delving into the working processes behind these outstanding films through our signature deep dive interviews with the nominated directors. Now without further ado,...

“Who is that actor?” It’s probably everyone’s reaction to their first experience of Britain’s Matt Berry. With his booming delivery, and an uncanny ability to draw out every last vowel and consonant from even the dullest of words, Berry has been a cult comic actor in the U.K. for 20 years now. He broke out there in 2012 with Toast of London, a surreal sitcom in which he appeared as the bitter, buffoonish, self-serious thespian Steven Toast. But in 2019, the FX show What We Do in the Shadows took his homegrown appeal overseas, as the shape-shifting 300-year-old vampire Laszlo in the mock-doc comedy show inspired by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s word-of-mouth movie hit from 2014.

Hardcore fans will remember him as Dr. Sanchez from Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place, a horror parody devised by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade that premiered to little fanfare in 2004 but has since gathered a devout following,...

Illinoise, the dance-musical hybrid nominated for four Tony Awards (including Best Musical) is the seventh collaboration between Justin Peck, the resident choreographer and artistic advisor of the New York City Ballet, and his old friend and creative partner Sufjan Stevens, the indie singer-songwriter turned Oscar nominee (for his song “Mystery of Love” from 2017’s Call Me By Your Name). But it’s safe to say this quirky gem is something unique. Unlike the duo’s previous projects, which include commissions from major dance companies across the country, Illinoise isn’t exactly a ballet. It’s not exactly a musical either.

Putting movement to Stevens’ 2005 album Illinois and its captivating mixture of indie folk, rock and orchestral arrangements – not to mention lyrics that combine the autobiographical, the historical (figures from the state’s past and landscape pop up frequently) and the fanciful are fashioned into an episodic narrative without dialogue.

Exclusive: When Murray Ferguson left UK drama house Clerkenwell Films in 2021 after more than two decades, it was a true changing of the guard. Today marks a big day for his successors, Petra Fried and Wim de Greef.

Not only is the Truelove and The End of the F***ing World producer’s Netflix drama series Baby Reindeer launching globally, but its BBC series Cheaters has landed a second season. Joint Managing Directors Fried and de Greef revealed the news in their first interview since taking over the company more than three years ago.

Susan Wokoma (CrazyHead, Year of the Rabbit, Enola Holmes), Joshua McGuire (Anatomy of a Scandal, Lovesick), Jack Fox (Riviera, Sanditon) and Callie Cooke (Henpocalypse, Rules of the Game) will all return for another run of the relationship comedy-drama. It is set for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with no transmission date set yet.

The short-form show...

This March, stand-up, actor and Off Menu podcaster James Acaster can be seen in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire alongside Dan Aykroyd, Carrie Coon, Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard, and Paul Rudd. In the sequel to the Ghostbusters revival, Acaster plays boffin Lars Pinfield, a scientist described by writer-producer Jason Reitman as an “Egon Spengler type”.

One month later in April, Acaster fans will be chuffed to know that the mash king is back on the big screen in Andy Riley and Curtis Vowell’s historical comedy Seize Them!

Seize Them! is a who’s-who of British comedy, with a cast including Derry Girls, Bridgerton and soon-to-be Doctor Who guest star Nicola Coughlan, Sex Education and Living’s Aimee-Lou Wood, Ghosts and Saltburn’s Lolly Adefope, plus a Spaced reunion in the form of UK comedy stars Nick Frost and Jessica Hynes. See the first trailer below.

The film is the story of...

Historical British comedy Seize Them! lands in UK cinemas in April, and the trailer has landed.

Prolific comedy writer Andy Riley, along with his writing partner Kevin Cecil, has written for numerous comedy shows including Trigger Happy TV, So Graham Norton, Smack the Pony, The Armando Iannucci Shows, Black Books, Harry and Paul, Big Bad World and Veep. They also created and wrote the underrated Matt Berry sitcom Year of The Rabbit for Channel 4.

On the big screen, Cecil and Riley wrote the scripts for Gnomeo And Juliet and the sequel, Sherlock Gnomes.

Now, Riley has written the screenplay for Seize Them! a historical comedy with a huge ensemble cast of familiar faces from the British comedy scene. Originally set for release last year, we’re delighted to see it’s now returned to the cinema release schedule.

The synopsis reads as follows:

Brimming with warmth, humour and swordfights,...

As Reece Shearsmith just announced, it’s the beginning of the end for Inside No. 9. Filming on the horror-comedy anthology’s ninth and final series began in late 2023, which means a wrap on one of the BBC’s most consistently entertaining and inventive shows is imminent.

Oh it's the beginning of the end. #insideno9

— Reece Shearsmith ❄️ (@ReeceShearsmith) January 8, 2024

Series nine is expected to air in spring 2024, and will add a final six episodes to the existing 49 stories in Shearsmith and co-creator Steve Pemberton’s back catalogue. Barring the first look image above, which shows Pemberton in drag at an underground train station (platform no. nine?), we don’t know anything about the stories, settings or characters yet, but we do know who’ll be joining the pair as guest stars… and it’s a deep bench.

One of Britain’s greatest working actors, Eddie Marsan will appear. As will the brilliant Siobhan Finneran,...

2023 has already given us series 15’s perfect line-up – a gem of a season with Jenny Eclair’s endless joy, Kiell Smith-Bynoe’s cheeky competitiveness, Mae Martin’s cool smarts, Frankie Boyle’s affable bemusement and Ivo Graham’s adorable self-loathing keeping us laughing all the way through to summer.

And there’s not long to wait now until series 16 arrives. The new run of 10 episodes is confirmed to start airing weekly on Channel 4 and Channel4.com from Thursday September 21 at 9pm. That means – interruptions notwithstanding – the series finale should arrive on Thursday November 23, which is traditionally when the next line-up is announced.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The series 16 Taskmaster line-up comes first and back in June, was confirmed as comprising Julian Clary, Lucy Beaumont, Sue Perkins, Susan Wokoma and Sam Campbell.

Let’s have a quick refresher on where we’ve seen the series 16 contestants before:...

No Spaced. No The League of Gentlemen. No Smack the Pony or Goodness Gracious Me or The Royle Family or Brass Eye, or Red Dwarf or Father Ted or anything that belongs to the last century (side note: the late 90s were an incredible time for UK comedy). These are the 40 finest British comedy TV shows that have arrived since the year 2000, as nominated by our writers. Add in your favourites below, and it’s a party.

What’s cheering about this lot, apart from the fact that as comedies, they should all technically cheer us up, is how different they are. There’s the surreal chaos of Year of the Rabbit, and the sweet warmth of Lovesick, the Pythonesque bonkersness of Yonderland, the satirical might of The Thick of It and much more. Something for everyone, you might say.

And to make sure there was enough space to include a wide enough selection,...

Getting caught up in a deadly kidnapping, being torn away from your loved ones and forced into witness protection, tracking down a serial killer of vulnerable young girls… none of the above exactly scream ‘Lol’, and yet they’ve all become the subject of British crime comedy-dramas in recent years. The “you’ve got to laugh” mentality is clearly in our national DNA, no matter how bleak the circumstances.

Attracting huge names in comedy, from Matt Berry, Stephen Merchant, James Corden and Joanna Scanlan, to the brilliant Gbemisola Ikumelo, Emer Kenny, Kerry Howard, and created by the writers behind People Just Do Nothing, Peep Show, Succession and more, here are some of the best darkly funny crime comedy series of recent years.

The Outlaws

The Outlaws has a simple but effective concept: seven questionable strangers doing Community Service in Bristol discover a huge bag of money, decide to keep it,...

Exclusive: Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) is in negotiations to star opposite Jason Momoa in the Minecraft movie that Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) will direct for Warner Bros.

Details as to the film’s plot and Berry’s role are under wraps. But the live-action pic adapts the Mojang sandbox video game, which is the highest-selling of all time. It’s scheduled to hit theaters on April 4, 2025.

The Minecraft film hails from Vertigo, co-financier Legendary, Mojang/Microsoft and Momoa’s On the Roam. Producers on the project include Roy Lee, Jon Berg, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Momoa, Torfi Frans Olafsson, Vu Bui and the late Jill Messick. The executive producers are Todd Hallowell, Kayleen Walters, Brian Mendoza and Jonathan Spaihts.

Berry is best known for his BAFTA and Critics’ Choice Award-nominated turn as vampire Laszlo Cravensworth in FX’s hit comedy What We Do in the Shadows,...

Some new faces are heading to Westeros, as HBO has revealed four cast members joining “House of the Dragon” Season 2. Among the additions are some new power players in the Hightower and Strong houses.

Gayle Rankin will play Alys Rivers, a healer and resident of Harrenhal. In author George R.R. Martin’s novel “Fire & Blood,” on which “House of the Dragon is based, Alys is a witch who has mystical visions and becomes a powerful figure within the Targaryen’s Green faction. Rankin has previously appeared in Netflix’s “Glow,” HBO’s “Perry Mason” and “The Greatest Showman.”

Simon Russell Beale will play Ser Simon Strong, the Castellan of Harrenhal and great-uncle to Lord Larys Strong, played by Matthew Needham in Season 1. Last year, Beale won a Tony for best actor in a play for “The Lehman Trilogy” and has won two BAFTA Awards and three Olivier Awards.

Freddie Fox will play Ser Gwayne Hightower,...

Netflix has ordered Tall Pines, an eight-episode limited series from Mae Martin, Ryan Scott, Ben Farrell and his Objective Fiction and Sphere Media. Martin serves as creator, co-showrunner and executive producer, and also will play a lead role in the series, one of the streamer’s first commissions for Netflix Canada.

Related: 2023 Netflix Pilot & Series Orders

Tall Pines is a thriller set in a bucolic but sinister town that explores the insidious underbelly of the “troubled teen industry” and the eternal struggle between one generation and the next.

“Tall Pines is a story I’ve been dying to tell for years, and I’m beyond excited for people to see what we have in store,” said Martin. “It’s going to be an insane roller coaster and so different to anything I’ve done before. Very very grateful to Netflix for supporting it,...

Works & Process at the Guggenheim announces the long await return of Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev with Isaac Mizrahi. Tickets available now at www.worksandprocess.org.

Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev with Isaac Mizrahi

Saturday, December 10 & Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 1 pm, 2:30 pm & 4 pm

Tickets 35, Choose What You Pay

Isaac Mizrahi narrates and directs Sergei Prokofiev’s charming children’s classic, accompanied by Ensemble Connect conducted by Michael P. Atkinson, Associate Conductor, The Knights. The cast, wearing costumes by Mizrahi, performs choreography by John Heginbotham, bringing the 30-minute story to life for the young and young at heart.

No matter how tall or small, everyone needs a ticket.

Works & Process At The Guggenheim

1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128

Isaac Mizrahi (libra) has directed numerous theatrical productions and operas including a 2014 production of The Magic Flute at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Mizrahi has worked extensively in the theater both...

Former AMC Networks, Disney and Regency TV exec Pete Aronson has been named head of development and production at J30 Studios, the new company founded by “Sherman’s Showcase” and “South Side” creators and stars Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle.

Aronson was most recently exec VP, programming and production at AMC Networks’ IFC, overseeing series such as “Portlandia,” “Documentary Now!,” “Sherman’s Showcase,” “Brockmire,” “Stan Against Evil,” “Year of the Rabbit,” “Maron” and the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Aronson already worked with Salahuddin and Riddle on “Sherman’s Showcase,” and Aronson was an exec producer on the recent one-hour special “Sherman’s Showcase Black History Month Spectacular”; he’ll continue to serve as EP on the show’s upcoming Season 2. Aronson will also serve as an exec producer with Riddle and Salahuddin on series made under their Warner Bros. TV overall deal.

“I have known and worked with the guys for over a...

Exclusive: Amer Chadha-Patel (Doom: Annihilation) has landed a male lead opposite Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz and Erin Kellyman in Willow, Disney+ and Lucasfilm’s upcoming TV series follow-up to the 1988 fantasy movie, with the film’s star Warwick Davis reprising his title role, I have learned. Lucasfilm declined comment.

The new incarnation of Willow, which also stars Tony Revolori, comes from Jonathan Kasdan, who wrote the pilot and serves as co-showrunner alongside Wendy Mericle; the original film’s director Ron Howard and writer Bob Dolman; as well as Lucasfilm, which produced the movie. Jonathan Entwistle is directing.

The Willow movie, written by Dolman from a story by George Lucas, starred Davis as a reluctant farmer who leads a ragtag crew on a quest to protect a special baby from a tyrannical queen who vows to destroy her. The series takes place years after the events of the film. It introduces...

Objective Fiction, the UK producer behind Netflix comedy Feel Good, is opening a permanent Los Angeles operation, which will be led by head of scripted Hannah Mackay.

Mackay is relocating to the U.S. and will become SVP of Objective Fiction America with immediate effect. She will be responsible for winning original commissions, as well as overseeing American co-productions. Objective Fiction America will be based alongside Objective Media Group America, within All3Media America.

Objective Fiction’s U.S. development slate includes a new project with Feel Good creator Mae Martin titled Programmed; AMC Studios’ The Hook, by Neil Forsyth and John Niven and Designer Spy, by Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley; Witless, a co-production with Funny or Die for CBS Studios; and a new female take on Peep Show for FX.

Mackay executive produced Feel Good, which was a Channel 4 and Netflix co-production before the U.S. streamer decided...

Objective Fiction, producer of Netflix/Channel 4 show “Feel Good,” is setting up a permanent U.S.-based operation.

Hannah Mackay, previously the outfit’s head of scripted, will be relocating to Los Angeles to take up the role of senior VP, Objective Fiction America, with immediate effect.

Mackay’s focus will be on North American original commissions, alongside U.S./U.K. co-productions. Objective Fiction’s current slate of U.S. developments include a project from “Feel Good” creator and star Mae Martin for Netflix; “The Hook,” by Neil Forsyth and John Niven; and “Designer Spy” by Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley, both for AMC Studios; “Witless,” a co-production with Funny or Die for CBS Studios; and a female take on “Peep Show” for FX.

Objective Fiction’s new U.S. office will also help the international growth of Tannadice Pictures, a label they established in 2020 with “Guilt” writer Neil Forsyth.

Objective Fiction, the Brit scripted comedy specialists behind recent Netflix hit Feel Good and such series as Peep Show, Fresh Meat, Toast of London and Year of the Rabbit, is setting up a permanent U.S. operation.

Hannah Mackay, previously Objective Fiction’s head of scripted and a BAFTA nominee for her work on Peep Show, will be relocating to Los Angeles to take up the role of senior vp at Objective Fiction America with immediate effect.

Mackay will be focusing on North American original commissions, alongside U.S./U.K. co-productions to complement the company’s current slate of US developments. These include a new Netflix project ...

Objective Fiction, the Brit scripted comedy specialists behind recent Netflix hit Feel Good and such series as Peep Show, Fresh Meat, Toast of London and Year of the Rabbit, is setting up a permanent U.S. operation.

Hannah Mackay, previously Objective Fiction’s head of scripted and a BAFTA nominee for her work on Peep Show, will be relocating to Los Angeles to take up the role of senior vp at Objective Fiction America with immediate effect.

Mackay will be focusing on North American original commissions, alongside U.S./U.K. co-productions to complement the company’s current slate of US developments. These include a new Netflix project ...

Exclusive: Christine Lubrano is swapping oddball comedies for the wrestling ring after joining WWE.

Lubrano, who was previously SVP of Original Programming & Development at the AMC Networks-owned cable channel, has joined the WWE as Senior Vice President, Creative Writing Operations.

Reporting to Brad Blum, WWE Executive Vice President, Operations, she will be responsible for overseeing all strategic operations for the company’s Creative Writing division and is charged with developing and leading a team of writers for WWE’s weekly flagship programs, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.

Having spent 18 years at IFC, Lubrano (left) helped Emmy-winner Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s Portlandia and Documentary Now, created by Bill Hader, Seth Meyers and Armisen, become breakout hits. She also spearheaded a slate of international co-productions, including three seasons of The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margret, Year of the Rabbit, and four seasons of the all-female Canadian sketch comedy show,...

Year of the Rabbit will not be returning for season two on IFC after all. Channel 4 in the UK, which co-funds the comedy series, has backtracked on its second season renewal from last February due to Covid-19.

Matt Berry stars in this series as a detective solving crimes in Victorian London. Berry is joined by Freddie Fox and Susan Wokoma, who play his hapless assistant and the country’s first female police officer.

Fans of the series might still get to see a second season of the period comedy. Objective Media Group, which produces the show, is looking for a new UK partner to bring the series back to the small screen.

Read More…...

Exclusive: Channel 4 has back-tracked on its decision to commission a second season of Victorian-era comedy crime caper Year Of The Rabbit after the coronavirus pandemic forced the British broadcaster into £150M ($205M) of content cuts.

Channel 4 renewed Matt Berry’s Year Of The Rabbit in February last year, funding the Objective Media Group (Omg) show alongside AMC-owned U.S. cable network IFC. But now, Omg is on the hunt for a new partner for the comedy.

“Year Of The Rabbit is a victim of the devastating effects of Covid,” Omg chief executive Layla Smith told Deadline. “IFC are very committed to the show, but we will need to find another partner — and we’re working on that.”

The show stars Berry as a detective in Victorian London, who fights crime alongside his hapless partner, played by Freddie Fox, and the country’s first female police officer, performed by Susan Wokoma.

At this point, we’re almost legally obligated to start off TV roundups with some variation on this idea that there’s a lot of TV out there, but it really is impossible to keep up with everything. And calling attention to it doesn’t make it any less true!

So, given that TV time is reaching astronomical heights in 2020, how does one find something to watch, let alone focus on just the best of the best? That’s where we come in.

Keeping track of the dizzying amount of television we’ve reviewed so far in 2020 is a task in and of itself, so we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible. Below, we’ve gathered each of our 2020 TV reviews, each with a season number and the network/service where the new episodes first aired for U.S. audiences. Hopefully, this will help you decide what...

It’s a concept that sounds as if were pulled directly out of a Hollywood boardroom from hell: What if Sherlock Holmes was a teenage girl? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle likely never dreamed of giving the Holmes family a decidedly feminine bent, but Nancy Springer did just that with her best-selling “Enola Holmes Mysteries” Ya series, which doesn’t gender-bend the literary detective so much as create a wily new version in the form of his whip-smart younger sister. Six books in, the series has spawned a Netflix adaptation starring “Stranger Things” breakout Millie Bobby Brown. It’s and shows just how inspired Springer’s idea really was.

Helmed by long-time small-screen director Harry Bradbeer — and rife with all the winking and fourth wall-breaking you’d expect from the two-time “Fleabag” Emmy winner — “Enola Holmes” opens with a dizzying amount of information. Told in zippy, scrapbook style as Brown happily...

Exclusive: Emmy-nominated Christine Lubrano has signed with Buchwald for scripted and unscripted programming.

She is the former SVP of Original Programming & Development for IFC with over 20 years of experience producing and developing television with deep knowledge in both scripted and unscripted programming across domestic and international marketplaces.

She was integral to the success of the Emmy Award-winning Portlandia, starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, and was the lead creative force behind the acclaimed, Emmy nominated Documentary Now, created by Bill Hader, Seth Meyers and Fred Armisen.

Lubrano spearheaded a slate of international co-productions, including three seasons of the comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret starring David Cross, The Victorian Era comedy Year of the Rabbit starring BAFTA winner Matt Berry and four seasons of the all female Canadian sketch comedy show, The Baroness Von Sketch Show. She was also responsible for Funny or Die’s The Spoils Before Dying starring Will Ferrell,...

When TV academy voters sit down to fill out their 2020 Emmy nominations ballots, they have to consider a whopping 111 shows for Best Comedy Series; this is up by three contenders from last year. Luckily they don’t have to limit their choices to just 10 shows. The Emmys did away with that restriction in 2017. Now, the TV academy tells its members to “Vote for as many achievements in this category that you have seen and feel are worthy of a nomination.”

Don’t look for reigning Best Comedy Series winner “Fleabag” on the list below. This Brit hit signed off after only two seasons on Amazon Prime. Only three its six rivals in that race — “Barry,” “The Good Place,” 2018 winner “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Schitt’s Creek” — aired episodes during the eligibility period of June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. The other three nominees from last year are absent from this year’s ballot...

The actor is playing against type as a violent fugitive in his new film, finally out after years of post-production. He discusses toxic masculinity, prosthetic penises – and tricky family members

Freddie Fox – son of Edward, nephew of James, brother of Emilia and cousin to the Question Time racism refusenik Laurence – is under no illusions about how he is regarded. “‘Oh, let’s get Freddie in to play the nasty posh guy,’” he says. Rare is the script that doesn’t require him to play gay, decadent or beastly, preferably in spiffy period dress. He’s been a Bullingdon bullyboy (The Riot Club), Louis Xiii (The Three Musketeers) and a perky Cambridge graduate in Victorian sitcom Year of the Rabbit, though he first caught the eye when he starred in Worried About the Boy as the singer Marilyn, all lippy and leopard print. “If I need to play a few posh...

“Guilt” and “Eric, Ernie and Me” writer Neil Forsyth is launching production label Tannadice Pictures in partnership with Objective Fiction, the production company behind Netflix and Channel 4 co-production “Feel Good.”

Forsyth will exclusively develop and write content for Objective Fiction via Tannadice Pictures, as well as develop projects with other writers through the new label. He has previously worked with Objective Fiction on BBC Four biopic “Eric, Ernie and Me.”

Forsyth’s credits include the BBC Four “Bob Servant” series and several of Sky’s “Urban Myths” episodes.

Most recently, he created, wrote and executive produced the BBC Scotland dark comedy drama “Guilt.”

Objective Fiction, part of All3Media-backed Objective Media Group, specializes in original scripted content. Credits include Channel 4’s “Year of the Rabbit” and “GameFace,” BBC’s “Witless,” and most recently “Feel Good.”

Chief Creative Officer of Objective Fiction Ben Farrell said: “Neil is a creative force.

In a Gold Derby exclusive, we have learned the category placements of the key Emmy Awards contenders for AMC, BBC America, IFC and Sundance. For this season, the network group has returning hits “Better Call Saul” (Bob Odenkirk), “Brockmire” (Hank Azaria), “Doctor Who” (Jodie Whittaker), “Killing Eve” and “Luther” (Idris Elba), plus limited series “Dispatches from Elsewhere” (Jason Segel) as part of their 2020 campaign.

Below, their list of lead, supporting and guest submissions for their comedy, drama and limited series. More names might be added by the networks on the final Emmy ballot. Also note that performers not included on this list may well be submitted by their personal reps.

SEETony Dalton Interview: ‘Better Call Saul’

“Better Call Saul” (AMC)

Drama Series

Drama Actor – Bob Odenkirk

Drama Supporting Actor – Jonathan Banks, Tony Dalton, Giancarlo Esposito, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando

Drama Supporting Actress – Rhea Seehorn

Drama Guest Actor – Dean Norris

“Brockmire...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings.

With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineFree Streaming Options: Revisit Classic TV Sitcoms, Beloved Dramas and One-and-Done Favorites — at No Cost!Premium Streaming Services Guide: Prices, Content and MoreQuotes of the Week: This Is Us,...

As IFC’s Year Of The Rabbit nears its conclusion, Inspector Eli Rabbit (a perfectly cast Matt Berry) finds himself on the other side of the law—well, more so than usual. Rabbit has either been framed for murder most foul, or perhaps he’s just finally gone off the deep end. In this exclusive clip, Mabel (Susan Wokoma)…...

There are few people alive with Matt Berry’s line delivery skills. When he’s not leaning into the lofty, roller-coaster cadence that’s led to scene-stealing parts on “The It Crowd,” “Toast of London,” and most recently the TV version of “What We Do in the Shadows,” he’s an actor with a gift for raised eyebrows and comedic directness that can turn both short proclamations and impossibly syllable-d word chunks into the most dependable punchlines.

So it’s always a treat to see him take on a role that affords those talents a front-and-center spot. The latest TV project to do so is “Year of the Rabbit,” a period detective comedy that aired last summer on Channel 4 and makes its stateside debut this week on IFC. Berry stars as Di Eli Rabbit, a street-savvy detective dispensing with his own brand of pre-forensics sleuthing in 1880s London.

Rabbit’s methods are unconventional,...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings.

With more than 530 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

More from TVLineNew on Netflix in FebruaryStreaming TV Renewal Scorecard: What's Returning? What's Cancelled?TV Ratings: God Friended Me, Good Girls Tie Lows; American Idol Dominates

This week,...

In today’s TV news roundup, IFC has renewed “Year of the Rabbit” and Netflix released a trailer for “Altered Carbon” Season 2.

Casting

Nathalie Emmanuel has been cast in Quibi‘s upcoming series “Die Hart” with Kevin Hart and John Travolta. In it, Emmanuel plays a “tough-minded student” of Hart’s character. Hart plays a fictionalized character of himself who gets his wish of no longer wanting to be the comedic sidekick when a famous director offers him to his dream of being a leading man action star. However, Hart must first train at the world’s greatest action star school where he is pushed to his limits by the action school coach (Travolta). Production for this series is set to begin this February.

Bravo‘s “Top Chef” announced its Season 17 all-star chefs are Eric Adjepong, Karen Akunowicz, Jennifer Carroll, Stephanie Cmar, Lisa Fernandes, Kevin Gillespie, Gregory Gourdet, Melissa King,...

Emily Blunt is making her streaming series debut: Amazon Prime Video has picked up the U.S. rights to The English, a Western starring the Quiet Place and Mary Poppins Returns actress, our sister site Variety reports.

The multi-part BBC drama hails from writer-director Hugo Blick, who was also behind the Maggie Gyllenhaal-led British spy thriller The Honorable Woman, which aired stateside on SundanceTV. Plot details for The English are not currently available.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Superman & Lois' Kids Cast, Judge Jerry Renewed and More13 Reasons Why Star Laments His Character's Grim Outcome in Season 3: 'There's So...

AMC has set a premiere date for “The Walking Dead” spinoff series “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.”

The series will premiere Sunday, April 12 at 10/9c following “The Walking Dead” Season 10 finale. Subsequent episodes will air Sunday nights at 9/8c on AMC.

Here is AMC’s description for the spinoff:

“‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’ expands the universe of The Walking Dead, delving into a new mythology and story that follows the first generation raised in a surviving civilization of the post-apocalyptic world. Two sisters along with two friends leave a place of safety and comfort to brave dangers, known and unknown, living and undead on an important quest. Pursued by those who wish to protect them and those who wish to harm them, a tale of growing up and transformation unfurls across dangerous terrain, challenging everything they know about the world, themselves and each other. Some will become heroes. Some will become villains.

AMC has set a date for the series bow of its zombie spinoff The Walking Dead: Beyond World for April, and AMC Networks also revealed a number of other premiere dates during its panel today at the TCA winter press tour. Read details below.

The Walking Dead: Beyond World will begin stalking on Sunday, April 12. Elsewhere, the fourth season of Ride with Norman Reedus, starring the Walking Dead regular, will get its motor running March 8, and the three-part drama Quiz — about the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire cheating scandal in the UK — will buzz in Wednesday, May 27, on AMC.

BBC America had set the Season 3 premiere of its Emmy-nominated drama Killing Eve for spring, and today it narrowed that down to April but gave no specific date.

Also today, IFC set a March 18 date for the fourth and final season of its Hank Azaria baseball comedy Brockmire, and February...

HBO Max will show “White House Farm” in the U.S., having snagged the streaming rights to the upcoming British drama series.

WarnerMedia has pre-bought the show, which centers on the notorious real-life murder of three generations of one family at an isolated English farmhouse in 1985.

Freddie Fox (“Year of the Rabbit”), Mark Addy (“New Blood”), Stephen Graham (“Line of Duty”), and Gemma Whelan (“Gentleman Jack”) star in the series. Kris Mrksa and Giula Sandler penned the six-parter, which is directed by Paul Whittington.

All3Media-backed New Pictures is on production duty. All3Media International is overseeing distribution and did the U.S. deal with HBO Max. It has also sealed a raft of pre-sales with other major partners.

Canal Plus has acquired the drama for France, DirecTV for Latin America, and Sky for New Zealand. BBC Studios has scored rights for its channels in Australia. Pubcasters in Belgium, Denmark, Norway,...

Exclusive: Nigerian-British actress Susan Wokoma has landed a role in the Harry Bradbeer-directed Enola Holmes adaptation at Legendary, joining Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, Sam Claflin, Fiona Shaw, and Adeel Akhtar.

Wokoma is best known for her roles in Netflix shows Crazyhead and Chewing Gum as well as the British sitcom Year of the Rabbit.

Written by Jack Thorne, based on Nancy Springer’s book series, The Enola Holmes Mysteries, the story follows the adventures of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes’ much younger sister, Enola, a highly capable detective in her own right.

Brown is producing alongside producing partner Paige Brown through their Pcma Productions shingle. Alex Garcia and Ali Mendes will oversee for Legendary.

Wokoma is repped by Scott Marshall Partners, Gersh, and Management 360...

Fresh from the success of “Bodyguard,” Keeley Hawes has told Variety that her next move is into producing. The star has set up her own shingle, Buddy Club Productions, and will start work on its first project as soon as she has wrapped on Netflix film “Rebecca,” in which she will play Beatrice Lacy, sister of Maxim (Armie Hammer).

“Producing and making things happen myself just feels like a natural progression for me,” she said. “I’m enjoying it. It’s at an early stage, but I have a couple of things in the pipeline.

“It’s looking at it from a different angle and coming at it with 30 years of experience. The older you get, the younger everyone else is, and then you realize you are the one with the most experience. That can be really useful on both sides of the camera.”

Details of the first Buddy Club project will be revealed soon.

Taika Waitiki is stepping in front of the camera again, but this time for someone else's comedy creation.

The New Zealander, who directed himself as Adolf Hitler in the upcoming dark WWII comedy feature Jojo Rabbit alongside Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell, and is set to helm an upcoming Time Bandits TV series for Apple and a live-action feature adaptation of Akira, will guest-star in an episode of IFC/Channel 4 series Year of the Rabbit.

Set in Victorian era London, the comedy focuses on a crime-fighting trio, led by Matt Berry’s Detective Inspector Rabbit, assisted by Susan Wokoma (Chewing Gum, Crashing) ...

Exclusive: Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show) and Susan Wokoma (Year of the Rabbit) are set as series regulars opposite Elizabeth Alderfer and David Walton in the newly retitled Super Simple Love Story, CBS’ hybrid comedy pilot from Mike Royce, Nick Stoller, Sony Pictures TV and CBS TV Studios.

Written and executive produced by Royce and directed by Pam Fryman, Super Simple Love Story is a story told through interviews and vignettes spanning 10 years about how an unlikely couple becomes an unlikely family.

Chieng will portray Harris, Kevin’s (Walton) friend and former college roommate, an atheist without a filter who “loves to debate” and mostly ruins every social interaction by getting in his own way — and everybody else’s.

Wokoma will play Abby. While friend and co-worker Morgan (Alderfer) agonizes over job and relationship fulfillment, Abby is happy to hate her job...

Happy Endings alum Adam Pally and Abby Elliott (Saturday Night Live) are set as the leads of NBC’s Uninsured, a multi-camera comedy from The Goldbergs writer/co-executive producer Dan Levy, executive producer Doug Robinson and Sony Pictures TV. Pally also will serve as co-executive producer on the pilot, which also has cast as series regulars Jessy Hodges (Barry) and Amer Padha-Chatel (Beecham House).

Written by Levy, Uninsured revolves around young parents Dave (Pally) and Rebecca (Elliott), who end up having to take care of Dave’s parents who have mishandled their finances and need help to pay down a sizable debt.

Pally’s Dave is a natural hype man with a good heart. Elliott’s Rebecca is a supermom who longs for the kind of order she never can achieve in a chaotic household.

Pally and Elliott did not need a chemistry test together as they already played a...

Some of your favorite TV shows are back in action. Recently, AMC, BBC America, and IFC announced production has begun on new seasons of The Terror, Lodge 49, Doctor Who, and Year of the Rabbit.

A new TV show, Year of the Rabbit "stars BAFTA-winning actor Matt Berry as Detective Inspector Rabbit, a hardened booze-hound cop in Victorian London. He's aided and abetted by his new partner Wilbur Strauss (Freddie Fox) and the country's first female police officer, Mabel Wisbech (Susan Wokoma), as they bring justice to the streets of the east end."

Read More…...

Keely Hawes, one of the breakout stars of Bodyguard, Veep’s Sally Phillips and Three Girls’ Jill Halfpenny have joined IFC and Channel 4’s comedy series Year of the Rabbit.

The trio have joined the show, which stars Toast of London’s Matt Berry, as it goes into production on location in the UK.

Hawes stars as the mysterious Lydia, Phillips is Princess Juliana of Bulgaria, and Halfpenny features as Rabbit’s ex, the deadly Flora.

The six-part series follows a group of Victorian detectives; Berry, who stars in Jim Hosking’s An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn and Matt Groening’s Netflix animation Disenchantment, plays Detective Inspector Rabbitt, a hardened booze-hound who’s seen it all, and his new, hapless, by-the-books partner, played by Parade End’s Freddie Fox. While investigating a local murder, the chief of police’s lewd but insightful adoptive daughter, played by Chewing Gum’s Susan Wokoma,...