Sabbatical Entertainment Sets Distribution Partnership With V Channels Media
Miami-based production company Sabbatical Entertainment has set a two-year distribution partnership with V Channels Media. As part of the deal, Sabbatical will distribute 50 V Channel documentaries that explore extraterrestrial life. The deal includes Fast channel rights and Linear Over-the-Air Television rights. V Channels will continue to distribute the titles on their YouTube network of channels. “V Channels is focused on the analysis of big data that we collect via our YouTube network. Alien documentaries are some of the highest searched documentaries within our international network, and our commitment is to produce content to engage our users across the globe,” said V Channels CEO Niccolo Messina.
‘Shameless’ & ‘Strangers’ To Be Remade In India
Shameless and Strangers are being remade in India following a deal struck between BBC Studios India and All3Media. As part of the agreement, BBC Studios India Production will adapt...
Miami-based production company Sabbatical Entertainment has set a two-year distribution partnership with V Channels Media. As part of the deal, Sabbatical will distribute 50 V Channel documentaries that explore extraterrestrial life. The deal includes Fast channel rights and Linear Over-the-Air Television rights. V Channels will continue to distribute the titles on their YouTube network of channels. “V Channels is focused on the analysis of big data that we collect via our YouTube network. Alien documentaries are some of the highest searched documentaries within our international network, and our commitment is to produce content to engage our users across the globe,” said V Channels CEO Niccolo Messina.
‘Shameless’ & ‘Strangers’ To Be Remade In India
Shameless and Strangers are being remade in India following a deal struck between BBC Studios India and All3Media. As part of the agreement, BBC Studios India Production will adapt...
- 7/18/2023
- by Zac Ntim and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Sale
John Malone’s multinational telco Liberty Global — owners of “Fleabag” and “1917” producer All3Media and joint owners with Telefonica of the merged Virgin Media and O2 – has reached an agreement sell its Polish operations to the iliad group’s Polish mobile subsidiary Play.
Liberty Global has agreed to sell Upc Poland for a total enterprise value of Pln 7.0 billion ($1.8 billion). The sale price represents a multiple of approximately 9 times Upc Poland’s estimated 2021 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, and nearly 20 times its estimated 2021 operating free cash flow. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022 and generate approximately $600 million of net cash proceeds to Liberty Global after debt repayment.
Liberty’s networks in Poland serve 1.5 million customers who subscribe to 1.3 million broadband, 1.4 million video, and over 600,000 telephony services.
Acquisition
French-Canadian network Radio-Canada has acquired “Germinal,” the six-part drama based on Émile Zola’s classic 19th century novel,...
John Malone’s multinational telco Liberty Global — owners of “Fleabag” and “1917” producer All3Media and joint owners with Telefonica of the merged Virgin Media and O2 – has reached an agreement sell its Polish operations to the iliad group’s Polish mobile subsidiary Play.
Liberty Global has agreed to sell Upc Poland for a total enterprise value of Pln 7.0 billion ($1.8 billion). The sale price represents a multiple of approximately 9 times Upc Poland’s estimated 2021 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, and nearly 20 times its estimated 2021 operating free cash flow. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022 and generate approximately $600 million of net cash proceeds to Liberty Global after debt repayment.
Liberty’s networks in Poland serve 1.5 million customers who subscribe to 1.3 million broadband, 1.4 million video, and over 600,000 telephony services.
Acquisition
French-Canadian network Radio-Canada has acquired “Germinal,” the six-part drama based on Émile Zola’s classic 19th century novel,...
- 9/22/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Abbott, the creator of the show Shameless once said, “If you ever want to tell them the truth you better make them laugh or they’ll kill you.” And that’s exactly what he’s done so brilliantly on Shameless. He’s taken the “sadcom” or “Sad Comedy” to new heights with the Gallaghers and frankly (pun intended) I cannot wait for the next season to begin. Hell I can’t wait to hear that they’re shooting or anything for that matter. It’s far and away my favorite show on television and if you haven’t seen it then you simply must. While we’re waiting
Shameless: A Lesson in How to Make Tragedy Funny...
Shameless: A Lesson in How to Make Tragedy Funny...
- 5/5/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
Author: Guest
Right from its opening scene – where a suspect is chased under a bus and his head squashed like a jam doughnut – No Offence marked itself out as a gripping cop show like no other. The brainchild of Shameless’ Paul Abbott, it smashes together lightning-paced police drama with dark comedy and lashings of soap opera. At the centre is impulsive detective constable Dinah Kowalska, played by Elaine Cassidy, who we caught up with on the phone ahead of the second series beginning tonight (January 4th) on Channel 4. Key to No Offence’s success, she told us, was the Paul Abbott factor.
“It is like when you really like a band and you are waiting for their next album,” she said. “No Offence felt like his next album after Shameless, even though he has written films and stuff since. Paul’s writing is unique. It is just about three degrees left of reality.
Right from its opening scene – where a suspect is chased under a bus and his head squashed like a jam doughnut – No Offence marked itself out as a gripping cop show like no other. The brainchild of Shameless’ Paul Abbott, it smashes together lightning-paced police drama with dark comedy and lashings of soap opera. At the centre is impulsive detective constable Dinah Kowalska, played by Elaine Cassidy, who we caught up with on the phone ahead of the second series beginning tonight (January 4th) on Channel 4. Key to No Offence’s success, she told us, was the Paul Abbott factor.
“It is like when you really like a band and you are waiting for their next album,” she said. “No Offence felt like his next album after Shameless, even though he has written films and stuff since. Paul’s writing is unique. It is just about three degrees left of reality.
- 1/4/2017
- by Guest
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Shameless star Emmy Rossum jumped the gun a little bit five days ago, confirming that the hit Showtime series will return for an eighth season as she told fans that she had closed a deal to return. Now the network has made it official, announcing an eighth-season renewal for the show on the heels of its seventh-season finale last night. Created by Paul Abbott and developed for U.S. television by John Wells, Shameless, starring William H. Macy and Rossum, has been Showtime…...
- 12/19/2016
- Deadline TV
Channel 4 head of drama Piers Wenger has been appointed BBC director of drama commissioning after four years at the ad-supported broadcaster.
He will take up the new role in the autumn, replacing independent drama commissioning editor Lucy Richer who has been acting BBC drama boss since Polly Hill’s departure to ITV earlier this year.
Wenger will be replaced at C4 by deputy head of drama Beth Willis.
Wenger joined Channel 4 in 2012 having previously been head of drama at BBC Wales and an executive producer on the reboot of Doctor Who, in which he cast Matt Smith as the lead role.
He was responsible for commissioning major C4 drama series over the past four years, including Indian Summers, Paul Abbott’s No Offence and Humans.
Indian Summers recorded the highest-ever overnight in 20 years for a C4 drama last year and Humans went onto break that record later in 2015.
Wenger will be responsible for commissioning across...
He will take up the new role in the autumn, replacing independent drama commissioning editor Lucy Richer who has been acting BBC drama boss since Polly Hill’s departure to ITV earlier this year.
Wenger will be replaced at C4 by deputy head of drama Beth Willis.
Wenger joined Channel 4 in 2012 having previously been head of drama at BBC Wales and an executive producer on the reboot of Doctor Who, in which he cast Matt Smith as the lead role.
He was responsible for commissioning major C4 drama series over the past four years, including Indian Summers, Paul Abbott’s No Offence and Humans.
Indian Summers recorded the highest-ever overnight in 20 years for a C4 drama last year and Humans went onto break that record later in 2015.
Wenger will be responsible for commissioning across...
- 6/28/2016
- ScreenDaily
Doctor Who warps back on to our screens in two short days, with the premiere of a new 12-part series of sci-fi, sonic screwdrivers and Capaldi attack eyebrows.
But while the BBC has broadcast more than 800 episodes of generation-defining time travels, there's been as many cracking scripts that never made it to our TVs – from key character deaths to Jk Rowling cameos.
1. Jk Rowling vs. wizards
Russell T Davies' first idea for the 2008 Christmas special was to have the Doctor meet Jk Rowling - playing herself - with the pair battling wizards and witches.
David Tennant wasn't fond of the idea - he felt it sounded like a spoof - so Davies quashed the story to placate his leading man. In its place, we got 'The Next Doctor', which was pretty magical in its own right - so no damage, no foul.
2. Stephen Fry's 1920s adventure
Doctor Who...
But while the BBC has broadcast more than 800 episodes of generation-defining time travels, there's been as many cracking scripts that never made it to our TVs – from key character deaths to Jk Rowling cameos.
1. Jk Rowling vs. wizards
Russell T Davies' first idea for the 2008 Christmas special was to have the Doctor meet Jk Rowling - playing herself - with the pair battling wizards and witches.
David Tennant wasn't fond of the idea - he felt it sounded like a spoof - so Davies quashed the story to placate his leading man. In its place, we got 'The Next Doctor', which was pretty magical in its own right - so no damage, no foul.
2. Stephen Fry's 1920s adventure
Doctor Who...
- 9/16/2015
- Digital Spy
No Offence made its mark as one of the standout drama series of 2015 - not least for having three strong female characters at the fore.
It was the characters that attracted actress Alexandra Roach to the project, she told Digital Spy.
"In this day and age, it shouldn't be a novelty to have three female leads, but it really was - and the characters are so different. Not your average leading ladies."
Roach plays the shy but brilliant DS Joy Freers on the Channel 4 series, starring opposite Joanna Scanlan as the formidable Di Viv Deering and Elaine Cassidy as passionate DC Dinah Kowalska.
"There's Joanna, who is a bit of a powerhouse," she said. "What I loved about reading that character is that there's no apologies for who she is or how she is, and you don't normally get that with leading ladies.
"Then there's my character, who's a...
It was the characters that attracted actress Alexandra Roach to the project, she told Digital Spy.
"In this day and age, it shouldn't be a novelty to have three female leads, but it really was - and the characters are so different. Not your average leading ladies."
Roach plays the shy but brilliant DS Joy Freers on the Channel 4 series, starring opposite Joanna Scanlan as the formidable Di Viv Deering and Elaine Cassidy as passionate DC Dinah Kowalska.
"There's Joanna, who is a bit of a powerhouse," she said. "What I loved about reading that character is that there's no apologies for who she is or how she is, and you don't normally get that with leading ladies.
"Then there's my character, who's a...
- 8/14/2015
- Digital Spy
No Offence will be returning for a second series.
The Channel 4 police procedural has been commissioned for an eight-episode run in 2016.
From Paul Abbott, No Offence stars Joanna Scanlan, Elaine Cassidy, Alexandra Roach, Will Mellor and Paul Ritter.
The second series will see the team investigating a new case involving warring crime families.
"No Offence is not just unlike any other cop show on TV. It's unlike any other show on TV, and we are delighted to announce its return next year," Channel 4's head of drama Piers Wenger said.
"Paul and the cast have set the bar high in terms of thrills, spills and belly laughs this year, and we can't wait to see where they go in series two."
The first series comes to an end tonight, with the finale airing on Channel 4 at 9pm.
The Channel 4 police procedural has been commissioned for an eight-episode run in 2016.
From Paul Abbott, No Offence stars Joanna Scanlan, Elaine Cassidy, Alexandra Roach, Will Mellor and Paul Ritter.
The second series will see the team investigating a new case involving warring crime families.
"No Offence is not just unlike any other cop show on TV. It's unlike any other show on TV, and we are delighted to announce its return next year," Channel 4's head of drama Piers Wenger said.
"Paul and the cast have set the bar high in terms of thrills, spills and belly laughs this year, and we can't wait to see where they go in series two."
The first series comes to an end tonight, with the finale airing on Channel 4 at 9pm.
- 6/22/2015
- Digital Spy
The first trailer for Shameless creator Paul Abbott's Channel 4 drama No Offence has been released.
The Manchester-based crime drama stars Joanna Scanlan, Alexandra Roach and Colin Salmon, and mixes "cop drama, family saga and social mayhem".
No Offence consists of eight hour-long episodes, and follows Di Vivienne Deering (Scanlan), DC Dinah Kowalska (Elaine Cassidy) and DS Joy Freers (Roach) as they attempt to keep the streets clean from crime.
Broadchurch's Will Mellor and Friday Night Dinner's Paul Ritter also star.
Writer Abbott previously said about the show: "I'm a big fan of well-told cop shows and jet-black social comedy, and I wanted to see how explosively we could bang two genres' heads together.
"No Offence is reared on wilder-than-average seeds, and I've had a ball with the AbbottVision team in building this concept."
Abbott is known for his work on Cracker, State of Play and Clocking Off.
The Manchester-based crime drama stars Joanna Scanlan, Alexandra Roach and Colin Salmon, and mixes "cop drama, family saga and social mayhem".
No Offence consists of eight hour-long episodes, and follows Di Vivienne Deering (Scanlan), DC Dinah Kowalska (Elaine Cassidy) and DS Joy Freers (Roach) as they attempt to keep the streets clean from crime.
Broadchurch's Will Mellor and Friday Night Dinner's Paul Ritter also star.
Writer Abbott previously said about the show: "I'm a big fan of well-told cop shows and jet-black social comedy, and I wanted to see how explosively we could bang two genres' heads together.
"No Offence is reared on wilder-than-average seeds, and I've had a ball with the AbbottVision team in building this concept."
Abbott is known for his work on Cracker, State of Play and Clocking Off.
- 4/7/2015
- Digital Spy
Channel 4's head of drama has said that the network will continue to be "different" in providing programmes with "something unique to say".
In a piece for Broadcast, Piers Wenger directly responded to critic Maggie Brown's review of Russell T Davies's Cucumber, in which she questioned why Channel 4's drama slate was struggling to attract viewers.
Russell T Davies's Cucumber episode 3 review: Freddie's revenge
"As Channel 4 head of drama, it's a bit of a badge of honour to open Broadcast and see you have appalled a TV critic. Writing last week, Maggie Brown described discomfort in her family home at all the lingering shots of buttocks and biceps at the start of Russell T Davies' brilliant new drama Cucumber," he wrote.
"I have known Maggie for many years but I have to say I think she is missing the point. Channel 4 drama...
In a piece for Broadcast, Piers Wenger directly responded to critic Maggie Brown's review of Russell T Davies's Cucumber, in which she questioned why Channel 4's drama slate was struggling to attract viewers.
Russell T Davies's Cucumber episode 3 review: Freddie's revenge
"As Channel 4 head of drama, it's a bit of a badge of honour to open Broadcast and see you have appalled a TV critic. Writing last week, Maggie Brown described discomfort in her family home at all the lingering shots of buttocks and biceps at the start of Russell T Davies' brilliant new drama Cucumber," he wrote.
"I have known Maggie for many years but I have to say I think she is missing the point. Channel 4 drama...
- 2/10/2015
- Digital Spy
Fernandes joins from Company 3.
Film and television post-production house Molinare has appointed Company 3’s Marie Fernandes as senior post-production manager, following a raft of new project wins.
Fernandes previously worked in project management on high end feature films and joins from Company 3 where she was Di producer on The Double and The Counselor among other titles.
Fernandes will focus on Molinare’s film offering and high end dramas. Prior to Company 3, she held the position of VFX line producer at Prime Focus.
She is due to start at Molinare this month, with her first project being Paul Abbott’s new comedy drama, No Offence, for Channel 4.
Film and television post-production house Molinare has appointed Company 3’s Marie Fernandes as senior post-production manager, following a raft of new project wins.
Fernandes previously worked in project management on high end feature films and joins from Company 3 where she was Di producer on The Double and The Counselor among other titles.
Fernandes will focus on Molinare’s film offering and high end dramas. Prior to Company 3, she held the position of VFX line producer at Prime Focus.
She is due to start at Molinare this month, with her first project being Paul Abbott’s new comedy drama, No Offence, for Channel 4.
- 11/27/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Joanna Scanlan and Will Mellor will star in Channel 4's "anarchic" new cop drama No Offence.
The eight-part series, from Shameless writer Paul Abbott, will follow an unorthodox team of cops who must hunt down a serial killer.
Alexandra Roach (Utopia), Elaine Cassidy (The Paradise), Colin Salmon (Arrow) and Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner) have also joined the cast.
The team is led by the unquestionably unhinged Di Vivienne Deering (Scanlan), with the impulsive DC Dinah Kowalska (Cassidy) and recently promoted DS Joy Freers (Roach) serving as her right-hand women.
Abbott said: "No Offence is a precinct cop drama. It's also one of the funniest things I've ever been allowed to put together. It doesn't look like anything else.
"No Offence's cake mix is as bipolar as they get - it lurches from jet black laugh-out-loud, into fragile material on the turn of a sixpence.
"Writing three strong female leads is one thing.
The eight-part series, from Shameless writer Paul Abbott, will follow an unorthodox team of cops who must hunt down a serial killer.
Alexandra Roach (Utopia), Elaine Cassidy (The Paradise), Colin Salmon (Arrow) and Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner) have also joined the cast.
The team is led by the unquestionably unhinged Di Vivienne Deering (Scanlan), with the impulsive DC Dinah Kowalska (Cassidy) and recently promoted DS Joy Freers (Roach) serving as her right-hand women.
Abbott said: "No Offence is a precinct cop drama. It's also one of the funniest things I've ever been allowed to put together. It doesn't look like anything else.
"No Offence's cake mix is as bipolar as they get - it lurches from jet black laugh-out-loud, into fragile material on the turn of a sixpence.
"Writing three strong female leads is one thing.
- 8/1/2014
- Digital Spy
There's no point in lying: The pilot for BBC America's "Intruders" makes almost no sense to me. It's 45 minutes of enticing teasing, jumping around from location to location as characters we've barely met commit suicide or flee from other characters we've never met, some holding cards embossed with the number "9." There are enigmatic declarations about characters not being who they appear to be or not being who once they were. There's a preternaturally wise -- and therefore terrifying -- child (Millie Brown's Madison). There's an Oscar winning actress (Mira Sorvino), who you assume was lured by character details beyond the pilot. There are multiple familiar and well-regarded British actors (James Frain and John Simm) possibly playing American and therefore seeming suspicious. If you enjoy the teasing, you'll be champing at the bit waiting for a second episode to maybe or maybe not get to the business of explaining things.
- 7/10/2014
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
'If I'm wrong, I'm insane. If I'm right, it's worse': in conspiracy films – from Rosemary's Baby to State of Play – solving the crime does not bring peace. Michael Newton investigates a rich cinematic genre
Some believe that JFK was shot by his driver, some that Bobby Kennedy was killed by one of his guards; some believe the world is ruled by a Yale fraternity, some by lizard-aliens in disguise; some believe that Obama is a Communist mole; some that, back in 1966, Paul McCartney died. These notions are, at best, deluded; but as potential pitches for an as yet unmade Hollywood movie, they might just secure the contract. For, in movies, you can believe that the moon shots were faked, or that men are replacing their wives with compliant robots, or that space shuttles are firing earthquake-inducing weapons, or that the world itself is a delusion – and in each case you could be proved right.
Some believe that JFK was shot by his driver, some that Bobby Kennedy was killed by one of his guards; some believe the world is ruled by a Yale fraternity, some by lizard-aliens in disguise; some believe that Obama is a Communist mole; some that, back in 1966, Paul McCartney died. These notions are, at best, deluded; but as potential pitches for an as yet unmade Hollywood movie, they might just secure the contract. For, in movies, you can believe that the moon shots were faked, or that men are replacing their wives with compliant robots, or that space shuttles are firing earthquake-inducing weapons, or that the world itself is a delusion – and in each case you could be proved right.
- 2/8/2014
- by Michael Newton
- The Guardian - Film News
N Conrad
Truckers is a new BBC dramedy based in Nottingham. As the title suggests, the show is about a handful of truck drivers all of whom are employed by a firm called Bank’s of England. The owner of the firm recently died and his son is doing his level best to keep the company afloat. He’s introduced Gps tracking and a number of other fairly reasonable technical innovations to try and ensure that his drivers stay the course. Sadly for him, the truckers are a wayward bunch who view his tracking as an infringement on their civil liberties.
In episode one, the owner’s worst headaches are caused by Malachi (Stephen Tompkinson) – a recently divorced Dad who is experiencing a midlife crisis. Tompkinson goes for laughs reveling in the sillier aspects of the dialogue while the rest of his cast mates play it straight. The balance between...
Truckers is a new BBC dramedy based in Nottingham. As the title suggests, the show is about a handful of truck drivers all of whom are employed by a firm called Bank’s of England. The owner of the firm recently died and his son is doing his level best to keep the company afloat. He’s introduced Gps tracking and a number of other fairly reasonable technical innovations to try and ensure that his drivers stay the course. Sadly for him, the truckers are a wayward bunch who view his tracking as an infringement on their civil liberties.
In episode one, the owner’s worst headaches are caused by Malachi (Stephen Tompkinson) – a recently divorced Dad who is experiencing a midlife crisis. Tompkinson goes for laughs reveling in the sillier aspects of the dialogue while the rest of his cast mates play it straight. The balance between...
- 10/17/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Dec. 17, 2013
Price: DVD $39.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $49.99
Studio: Showtime/Warner
It's all in the family in Shameless.
Premium cable channel Showtime’s critically acclaimed television comedy-drama series Shameless: Season Three delivers another 12 episodes of outrageous family dysfunction.
Shameless stars William H. Macy (The Lincoln Lawyer) as the South side of Chicago’s Frank Gallagher, a proud, working-class patriarch to a motley brood of six smart, spirited and independent kids. Booze-addled Frank leaves it up to eldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera) to hold down the fort as he takes a drunken bite out of life. Unofficial matriarch Fiona is fiercely determined to keep her dysfunctional family happy and whole, even if it means sacrificing her own personal needs. Needless to say, a half-dozen kids means a half-dozen unique sets of circumstances (and at least as many storylines)!
Season three of Shameless picks...
Price: DVD $39.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $49.99
Studio: Showtime/Warner
It's all in the family in Shameless.
Premium cable channel Showtime’s critically acclaimed television comedy-drama series Shameless: Season Three delivers another 12 episodes of outrageous family dysfunction.
Shameless stars William H. Macy (The Lincoln Lawyer) as the South side of Chicago’s Frank Gallagher, a proud, working-class patriarch to a motley brood of six smart, spirited and independent kids. Booze-addled Frank leaves it up to eldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera) to hold down the fort as he takes a drunken bite out of life. Unofficial matriarch Fiona is fiercely determined to keep her dysfunctional family happy and whole, even if it means sacrificing her own personal needs. Needless to say, a half-dozen kids means a half-dozen unique sets of circumstances (and at least as many storylines)!
Season three of Shameless picks...
- 9/30/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
News Michael Noble 29 Sep 2013 - 19:13
A Us version of French supernatural drama The Returned is on its way...
Update: Contrary to the below, we've learned that the newly announced A&E remake is one and the same as the FremantleMedia adaptation formerly attached to production company, AbbottVision. Paul Abbott is no longer working on the project.
To clarify, that means there is currently one English-language version of Les Revenants/The Returned in development, and not two.
We spoke to FremantleMedia International, who told us the company "was previously developing the show with AbbottVision in the UK but has since agreed not to move forward together on this project. AbbottVision is currently developing poltergeist series 'The Deservers'.
AbbottVision and FremantleMedia International continue to work together on Paul Abbott's No Offence which is currently in production for Channel 4 in the UK."
It had to happen. The Us network A&E,...
A Us version of French supernatural drama The Returned is on its way...
Update: Contrary to the below, we've learned that the newly announced A&E remake is one and the same as the FremantleMedia adaptation formerly attached to production company, AbbottVision. Paul Abbott is no longer working on the project.
To clarify, that means there is currently one English-language version of Les Revenants/The Returned in development, and not two.
We spoke to FremantleMedia International, who told us the company "was previously developing the show with AbbottVision in the UK but has since agreed not to move forward together on this project. AbbottVision is currently developing poltergeist series 'The Deservers'.
AbbottVision and FremantleMedia International continue to work together on Paul Abbott's No Offence which is currently in production for Channel 4 in the UK."
It had to happen. The Us network A&E,...
- 9/29/2013
- by michaeln
- Den of Geek
A&E Network have begun development of a U.S. series adaptation of the popular French zombie series "The Returned".
Fabrice Gobert ("Lights Out") created the series which is set in a mysterious mountain town and follows a seemingly random collection of people who attempt to regain their homes and lives without realizing that they’ve been dead for years.
Their arrival coincides with a series of gruesome murders which bear resemblance to the work of a serial killer from the past. The eight episode series was inspired by the 2004 film "They Came Back".
A+E Studios and FremantleMedia North America will produce the American version. No writer is yet in place, though there's word that "Bates Motel" showrunner Carlton Cuse is near a deal to serve in a similar capacity on this.
This is not to be confused with a British adaptation in the works from "Shameless" and "State of Play" creator Paul Abbott.
Fabrice Gobert ("Lights Out") created the series which is set in a mysterious mountain town and follows a seemingly random collection of people who attempt to regain their homes and lives without realizing that they’ve been dead for years.
Their arrival coincides with a series of gruesome murders which bear resemblance to the work of a serial killer from the past. The eight episode series was inspired by the 2004 film "They Came Back".
A+E Studios and FremantleMedia North America will produce the American version. No writer is yet in place, though there's word that "Bates Motel" showrunner Carlton Cuse is near a deal to serve in a similar capacity on this.
This is not to be confused with a British adaptation in the works from "Shameless" and "State of Play" creator Paul Abbott.
- 9/28/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Returned (Les Revenants) originally aired in France on Canal Plus last fall. Since then, the UK’s Channel 4 broadcast the first series, renamed Rebound, drawing an average 1.5 million viewers each week. A second season of eight episodes goes into production in France in early 2014. Zodiak is handling international and has sold all U.S. rights on the first season to Music Box Films for a VOD/DVD release in January. This will follow an as-yet undisclosed U.S. TV debut in October. Created by Fabrice Gobert and produced by Caroline Benjo, Jimmy Desmarais and Carole Scotta of Haut et Court, the show centers on a group of people in a small Alpine village who find themselves in a state of confusion, trying to return to their homes. What they don’t know is that they’ve been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back.
- 9/9/2013
- by NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor
- Deadline TV
House of Cards
Kieran Kinsella
David Croft
If you write a list of your 10 favorite British TV sitcom characters, probably half of them were created by comic genius David Croft. His creations include Mr Humphries (Are You Being Served?), Sergeant Major ‘Shut up’ Williams (It Ain’t Half Hot Mum) Herr Flick (Allo, Allo) and Corporal Jones (Dad’s Army). Like many great comedy writers, Croft collaborated with others including Jimmy Perry and David Floyd. Few writers though could match his creativity or career longevity. Such was Croft’s popularity that he was a regular guest on the British TV convention circuit right up until his death at the age of 89.
Paul Abbott
BAFTA and Emmy winning writer Paul Abbott, rose from humble origins to become one of the most successful writers in British TV history. His hard-hitting dramas are far removed from the idyllic world of Marple and Midsomer Murders.
Kieran Kinsella
David Croft
If you write a list of your 10 favorite British TV sitcom characters, probably half of them were created by comic genius David Croft. His creations include Mr Humphries (Are You Being Served?), Sergeant Major ‘Shut up’ Williams (It Ain’t Half Hot Mum) Herr Flick (Allo, Allo) and Corporal Jones (Dad’s Army). Like many great comedy writers, Croft collaborated with others including Jimmy Perry and David Floyd. Few writers though could match his creativity or career longevity. Such was Croft’s popularity that he was a regular guest on the British TV convention circuit right up until his death at the age of 89.
Paul Abbott
BAFTA and Emmy winning writer Paul Abbott, rose from humble origins to become one of the most successful writers in British TV history. His hard-hitting dramas are far removed from the idyllic world of Marple and Midsomer Murders.
- 7/31/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
The surprise hit of the summer has to go to the French zombie show The Returned. Over a million Brits watch the Sunday night Gallic drama and now two remakes are in the pipelines. Shameless creator Paul Abbott has brought the rights to remake it in the UK and Brad Pitt’s production company have used it as inspiration for a show of the same name. The show itself is based on a French movie called They Came Back and was the highest ratings programme ever on Canal+ (the French equivalent of HBO). It’s the first time Channel 4 have showed a fully subtitled foreign drama for 20 years and it’s worth putting down Twitter for a second to really pay attention to the screen.
The show features no household names, even to most French households, but we were hooked. Sunday was the last in the series to be...
The show features no household names, even to most French households, but we were hooked. Sunday was the last in the series to be...
- 7/29/2013
- by Amelia Harvey
- Obsessed with Film
The actor on listening to Lloyd Cole, watching Man of Steel and reading Stoner by John Williams
John Simm is a British actor best known for playing Sam Tyler in Life on Mars and the Master in Doctor Who. He began performing as a teenager, singing and playing guitar alongside his musician father in northern working men's clubs. He attended Drama Centre London where he studied the Stanislavski school of method acting. He received huge acclaim for his roles in Paul Abbott's State of Play and Jimmy McGovern's The Lakes. He was recently to be seen in the first world war drama The Village and Sky's surreal crime caper Mad Dogs. He is currently playing the priggish Gibbs in Jamie Lloyd's theatrical production of Harold Pinter's The Hothouse at Trafalgar Studios, London.
Lloyd Cole: Standards
I was about 13 when Lloyd Cole was big in the...
John Simm is a British actor best known for playing Sam Tyler in Life on Mars and the Master in Doctor Who. He began performing as a teenager, singing and playing guitar alongside his musician father in northern working men's clubs. He attended Drama Centre London where he studied the Stanislavski school of method acting. He received huge acclaim for his roles in Paul Abbott's State of Play and Jimmy McGovern's The Lakes. He was recently to be seen in the first world war drama The Village and Sky's surreal crime caper Mad Dogs. He is currently playing the priggish Gibbs in Jamie Lloyd's theatrical production of Harold Pinter's The Hothouse at Trafalgar Studios, London.
Lloyd Cole: Standards
I was about 13 when Lloyd Cole was big in the...
- 7/15/2013
- by Michael Hogan, Ben Marshall
- The Guardian - Film News
David Baddiel is developing a new sitcom for Channel 4.
Sit.com will focus on a family addicted to technology, according to Broadcast.
Baddiel's last TV effort was an instalment of Sky1's Little Crackers in 2010.
In recent years, the 49-year-old comic also wrote 2010 film The Infidel and has penned four novels.
Other comedy projects in the works at Channel 4 include a final It Crowd special and a new series from Shameless creator Paul Abbott.
Sketch show Smack the Pony could also be revived by the channel, reports suggest.
Sit.com will focus on a family addicted to technology, according to Broadcast.
Baddiel's last TV effort was an instalment of Sky1's Little Crackers in 2010.
In recent years, the 49-year-old comic also wrote 2010 film The Infidel and has penned four novels.
Other comedy projects in the works at Channel 4 include a final It Crowd special and a new series from Shameless creator Paul Abbott.
Sketch show Smack the Pony could also be revived by the channel, reports suggest.
- 6/18/2013
- Digital Spy
Springhill Acorn Media
Kieran Kinsella
Never before seen in the U.S., Springhill is a peculiar little gem of a drama from the pen of Shameless creator Paul Abbott. He of course, is the one British TV writer whose dark story lines can make Jimmy McGovern’s work look like Disney fairy tales. Springhill was one of his earliest works, and it isn’t particularly well remembered because it aired on the fledgling Sky One rather than on the BBC or ITV. However, while it wasn’t a high profile series, it is actually very good.
The series is set in mid 90s Liverpool and it revolves around the Freemans – a lower middle-class family consisting of Mum, Dad and five kids. They lead a fairly humdrum existence until Eva Morrigan unexpectedly barges into their lives. She knows a thing or two about dark secrets from the Freeman’s past. Her...
Kieran Kinsella
Never before seen in the U.S., Springhill is a peculiar little gem of a drama from the pen of Shameless creator Paul Abbott. He of course, is the one British TV writer whose dark story lines can make Jimmy McGovern’s work look like Disney fairy tales. Springhill was one of his earliest works, and it isn’t particularly well remembered because it aired on the fledgling Sky One rather than on the BBC or ITV. However, while it wasn’t a high profile series, it is actually very good.
The series is set in mid 90s Liverpool and it revolves around the Freemans – a lower middle-class family consisting of Mum, Dad and five kids. They lead a fairly humdrum existence until Eva Morrigan unexpectedly barges into their lives. She knows a thing or two about dark secrets from the Freeman’s past. Her...
- 6/17/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
Interview Louisa Mellor 5 Jun 2013 - 07:00
We chat to The Returned’s director and producer about zombies, French fantasy TV, genre, style, Mogwai, and more…
“No tradition, status: non-existent” is the unequivocal reply from film and television producer Caroline Benjo when I ask her about the status of fantasy and sci-fi television in France. “A bit of Franju in the seventies perhaps, with L’Homme Sans Visage…”. Writer and director Fabrice Gobert agrees, “It’s not a very developed genre in French television. Perhaps it’s a question of culture”.
That culture is changing, chiefly thanks to Benjo and Gobert, the producer and director of Canal Plus’ Les Revenants, which arrives on Channel 4 this weekend as The Returned.
A supernatural series about people coming back from the dead that’s part emotional drama, part fantasy, and part crime thriller, The Returned met with critical acclaim in France last year...
We chat to The Returned’s director and producer about zombies, French fantasy TV, genre, style, Mogwai, and more…
“No tradition, status: non-existent” is the unequivocal reply from film and television producer Caroline Benjo when I ask her about the status of fantasy and sci-fi television in France. “A bit of Franju in the seventies perhaps, with L’Homme Sans Visage…”. Writer and director Fabrice Gobert agrees, “It’s not a very developed genre in French television. Perhaps it’s a question of culture”.
That culture is changing, chiefly thanks to Benjo and Gobert, the producer and director of Canal Plus’ Les Revenants, which arrives on Channel 4 this weekend as The Returned.
A supernatural series about people coming back from the dead that’s part emotional drama, part fantasy, and part crime thriller, The Returned met with critical acclaim in France last year...
- 6/4/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
It ended the only way that Shameless could. With a car on fire, a pub-load of punters and families partying, a police chase and the overwhelming message that even in the worst situations and with the worst people, there is always something holding us together. Family matters.
Paul Abbott's comedy drama has spanned an impressive 11 series and despite many cast departures, the show has maintained a loyal audience and tonight's (May 28) finale delivered a treat for those who have stuck with the show from the very start.
Anne-Marie Duff, Dean Lennox Kelly, Elliott Tittensor, Jody Latham and Kelli Hollis all returned for one last jaunt around the Chatsworth Estate, while the episode managed to squeeze in a birth, a funeral, an extended Frank Gallagher rant about overpaid footballers and technology-obsessed kids and a brilliant line about Jesus ("He never had a wife. God as his father. Silver spoon up the arse that one.
Paul Abbott's comedy drama has spanned an impressive 11 series and despite many cast departures, the show has maintained a loyal audience and tonight's (May 28) finale delivered a treat for those who have stuck with the show from the very start.
Anne-Marie Duff, Dean Lennox Kelly, Elliott Tittensor, Jody Latham and Kelli Hollis all returned for one last jaunt around the Chatsworth Estate, while the episode managed to squeeze in a birth, a funeral, an extended Frank Gallagher rant about overpaid footballers and technology-obsessed kids and a brilliant line about Jesus ("He never had a wife. God as his father. Silver spoon up the arse that one.
- 5/28/2013
- Digital Spy
Trailer Louisa Mellor 24 May 2013 - 12:45
French supernatural thriller The Returned is coming to Channel 4 very soon, and well deserves your time...
If you watch just one exquisitely made, atmospheric, eight-part supernatural French drama set in a remote mountain village this year, make sure it's The Returned (Les Revenants).
Written and directed by Simon Werner a Disparu's Fabrice Gobert, The Returned channels the best of David Lynch, Six Feet Under and much more, by telling a human drama story with a fantastic premise.
No doubt thanks to the success of, amongst others, The Killing, Channel 4 is bringing us its first subtitled TV import for some years, and has demonstrated real savvy and taste in its choice. The series picked up accolades when it aired in France last year, meaning, thankfully, that a second series is currently being written for transmission in 2014.
An English-language remake led by Paul Abbott...
French supernatural thriller The Returned is coming to Channel 4 very soon, and well deserves your time...
If you watch just one exquisitely made, atmospheric, eight-part supernatural French drama set in a remote mountain village this year, make sure it's The Returned (Les Revenants).
Written and directed by Simon Werner a Disparu's Fabrice Gobert, The Returned channels the best of David Lynch, Six Feet Under and much more, by telling a human drama story with a fantastic premise.
No doubt thanks to the success of, amongst others, The Killing, Channel 4 is bringing us its first subtitled TV import for some years, and has demonstrated real savvy and taste in its choice. The series picked up accolades when it aired in France last year, meaning, thankfully, that a second series is currently being written for transmission in 2014.
An English-language remake led by Paul Abbott...
- 5/24/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Sam Bain lifts the lid on 'painful' decision to turn down HBO series, Three Men in a Boat stars enter choppy waters – and Britain's smelliest-looking celebrity
This week's comedy news
Laughing Stock this week brings you news, not of something that's happened in the world of comedy, but something that didn't. According to an interview with Peep Show creator Sam Bain on the Stateside podcast A Bit of a Chat, Bain and his writing partner Jesse Armstrong "were about a week away from flying to La to co-create Flight of the Conchords, and then Peep Show got recommissioned and we couldn't go".
Bain and Armstrong had agreed to make the HBO series with Conchords stars Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement – "[although] we didn't know it was gonna be as good as it was," Bain told interviewer Ken Plume. (It turned out – with the Conchords' eventual co-writer James Bobin – to be very good indeed.
This week's comedy news
Laughing Stock this week brings you news, not of something that's happened in the world of comedy, but something that didn't. According to an interview with Peep Show creator Sam Bain on the Stateside podcast A Bit of a Chat, Bain and his writing partner Jesse Armstrong "were about a week away from flying to La to co-create Flight of the Conchords, and then Peep Show got recommissioned and we couldn't go".
Bain and Armstrong had agreed to make the HBO series with Conchords stars Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement – "[although] we didn't know it was gonna be as good as it was," Bain told interviewer Ken Plume. (It turned out – with the Conchords' eventual co-writer James Bobin – to be very good indeed.
- 5/22/2013
- by Brian Logan
- The Guardian - Film News
On the day the actor bids farewell to her character in the last episode of Shameless, she will open in a very different role in Eugene O'Neill's marathon, Strange Interlude, at the National
Anne-Marie Duff holds out her hand – a shy shake. She is wearing what looks like a child's white vest, jeans and no jewellery. There is nothing to give her away, apart from her face. Even her feet are bare – maroon nail varnish excepted. It is a sunny day – warm upstairs at the Jerwood rehearsal space in south London – and we have two reasons to meet. She is about to star in Strange Interlude at the National, a Eugene O'Neill marathon. And the final episode of Channel 4's Shameless (now in its 11th series) is about to be aired, featuring Fiona – peroxide hair and tarty Gypsy earrings to the fore – taking a last stand. Anne-Marie's range is incredible: Elizabeth I,...
Anne-Marie Duff holds out her hand – a shy shake. She is wearing what looks like a child's white vest, jeans and no jewellery. There is nothing to give her away, apart from her face. Even her feet are bare – maroon nail varnish excepted. It is a sunny day – warm upstairs at the Jerwood rehearsal space in south London – and we have two reasons to meet. She is about to star in Strange Interlude at the National, a Eugene O'Neill marathon. And the final episode of Channel 4's Shameless (now in its 11th series) is about to be aired, featuring Fiona – peroxide hair and tarty Gypsy earrings to the fore – taking a last stand. Anne-Marie's range is incredible: Elizabeth I,...
- 5/19/2013
- by Kate Kellaway
- The Guardian - Film News
Shameless creator Paul Abbott has revealed his new Channel 4 comedy drama project No Offence.
The eight-part series is a Manchester-based police show, which Abbott claims will mix "cop drama, family saga and social mayhem".
Channel 4's press release about the show describes its plot as follows:
"Set in a crumbling Victorian cop shop on the wrong side of Manchester, No Offence follows a group of bobbies on the front line, wondering what they did to end up here, in this force, on this side of town. Keeping these streets clean is a Herculean task, enough to demoralize even the keenest rookie.
"But there's a reason these cops are in this force. As the never ending rabble off the local estates pours in, Inspector Vivienne Deering, the station's sharp, funny (peculiar) and hard as they come boss, and her team led by DC Dinah Kowalski (smart but impetuous, stuck in the middle,...
The eight-part series is a Manchester-based police show, which Abbott claims will mix "cop drama, family saga and social mayhem".
Channel 4's press release about the show describes its plot as follows:
"Set in a crumbling Victorian cop shop on the wrong side of Manchester, No Offence follows a group of bobbies on the front line, wondering what they did to end up here, in this force, on this side of town. Keeping these streets clean is a Herculean task, enough to demoralize even the keenest rookie.
"But there's a reason these cops are in this force. As the never ending rabble off the local estates pours in, Inspector Vivienne Deering, the station's sharp, funny (peculiar) and hard as they come boss, and her team led by DC Dinah Kowalski (smart but impetuous, stuck in the middle,...
- 5/14/2013
- Digital Spy
Feature Andrew Blair 9 May 2013 - 07:00
Andrew looks at some likely (and unlikely) theories to answer the question running through Doctor Who 7b: who is Clara Oswald?
This article contains spoilers for the current series, and finale, of Doctor Who.
Maybe, by making us ask this question, Steven Moffat is giving us a subtle clue: Clara is Who, ie. The Doctor and/or Valeyard. Probably not though. Let's be more scientific about this*.
We first saw someone looking very like Clara through the medium of an insane Dalek, formerly Oswin Oswald, with leet haxor skillz and a position of Junior Entertainment Manager on a starliner in the future. Then, in the past, we saw Clara Oswin Oswald – governess and barmaid – whose date of birth is the 23rd of November. In Clara's 101 Places to See book she misses out the number 23. What Does It All Mean?
Sorry, I just spat on you there.
Andrew looks at some likely (and unlikely) theories to answer the question running through Doctor Who 7b: who is Clara Oswald?
This article contains spoilers for the current series, and finale, of Doctor Who.
Maybe, by making us ask this question, Steven Moffat is giving us a subtle clue: Clara is Who, ie. The Doctor and/or Valeyard. Probably not though. Let's be more scientific about this*.
We first saw someone looking very like Clara through the medium of an insane Dalek, formerly Oswin Oswald, with leet haxor skillz and a position of Junior Entertainment Manager on a starliner in the future. Then, in the past, we saw Clara Oswin Oswald – governess and barmaid – whose date of birth is the 23rd of November. In Clara's 101 Places to See book she misses out the number 23. What Does It All Mean?
Sorry, I just spat on you there.
- 5/8/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Independence Day's Roland Emmerich is to produce a new Lawrence of Arabia miniseries.
The six-hour drama event is from FremantleMedia International and will be written by Clive Bradley (Waking the Dead) and Rod Lurie (Straw Dogs).
Lawrence of Arabia will chart the heroic journey of the British Army officer T E Lawrence, who became famous as 'Lawrence of Arabia' owing to his unique role with Arab leaders during World War I.
Lawrence's story was previously dramatised for a 1962 film starring Peter O'Toole and directed by David Lean - the movie won seven Academy Awards and was nominated for three more.
David Ellender, CEO of FremantleMedia International, said: "T E Lawrence was undoubtedly one of the greatest military and political strategists of our time and a stunningly intrepid Englishman who tried to unite the Arab world.
"The heritage of this story is fascinating - beyond the historical element,...
The six-hour drama event is from FremantleMedia International and will be written by Clive Bradley (Waking the Dead) and Rod Lurie (Straw Dogs).
Lawrence of Arabia will chart the heroic journey of the British Army officer T E Lawrence, who became famous as 'Lawrence of Arabia' owing to his unique role with Arab leaders during World War I.
Lawrence's story was previously dramatised for a 1962 film starring Peter O'Toole and directed by David Lean - the movie won seven Academy Awards and was nominated for three more.
David Ellender, CEO of FremantleMedia International, said: "T E Lawrence was undoubtedly one of the greatest military and political strategists of our time and a stunningly intrepid Englishman who tried to unite the Arab world.
"The heritage of this story is fascinating - beyond the historical element,...
- 4/30/2013
- Digital Spy
Timothy Spall in The Syndicate. BBC
Kieran Kinsella
The Syndicate Series 1
The Syndicate, Series One is the pick of Acorn Media’s late April DVD releases. The show is a fascinating character study involving the mundane staff members of a humdrum low-end British supermarket. In the normal course of events, there is nothing particularly intriguing about this group but that all changes when they win the national lottery. When millions of pounds are involved, personal relationships, work rivalries and previously undetected misdeeds suddenly become a lot more important. While the show doesn’t exactly portray the lottery as a bad thing, let’s just say that Kay Mellor’s scripts show us that every silver lining has a massive dark cloud attached to it.
The cast for The Syndicate is top notch and the biggest star among the talented ensemble is Harry Potter actor Timothy Spall. He plays the store manager Bob.
Kieran Kinsella
The Syndicate Series 1
The Syndicate, Series One is the pick of Acorn Media’s late April DVD releases. The show is a fascinating character study involving the mundane staff members of a humdrum low-end British supermarket. In the normal course of events, there is nothing particularly intriguing about this group but that all changes when they win the national lottery. When millions of pounds are involved, personal relationships, work rivalries and previously undetected misdeeds suddenly become a lot more important. While the show doesn’t exactly portray the lottery as a bad thing, let’s just say that Kay Mellor’s scripts show us that every silver lining has a massive dark cloud attached to it.
The cast for The Syndicate is top notch and the biggest star among the talented ensemble is Harry Potter actor Timothy Spall. He plays the store manager Bob.
- 4/30/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
From Meryl Streep's Iron Lady to Spitting Image and the Spice Girls, Observer writers and critics pick the films, books, art, music and TV that show Thatcher's lasting influence
Art, chosen by Laura Cumming
Treatment Room (1983)
In Richard Hamilton's installation, Thatcher administered her own harsh medicine from a video above the operating table with the viewer as helpless patient: a case of kill or cure.
Taking Stock (1984)
Hans Haacke portrayed Thatcher enthroned, nose in the air like a gun-dog, surrounded by images of Queen Victoria, the Saatchi brothers and, ominously, Pandora. Caused national furore.
In the Sleep of Reason (1982)
Mark Wallinger edited Thatcher's 1982 Falklands speech from blink to blink, fading to black in between, emphasising her solipsistic tendency to close her eyes when speaking as if nobody else existed.
The Battle of Orgreave (2001)
Jeremy Deller's restaged the worst conflict of the miners' strike from multiple viewpoints, uniting...
Art, chosen by Laura Cumming
Treatment Room (1983)
In Richard Hamilton's installation, Thatcher administered her own harsh medicine from a video above the operating table with the viewer as helpless patient: a case of kill or cure.
Taking Stock (1984)
Hans Haacke portrayed Thatcher enthroned, nose in the air like a gun-dog, surrounded by images of Queen Victoria, the Saatchi brothers and, ominously, Pandora. Caused national furore.
In the Sleep of Reason (1982)
Mark Wallinger edited Thatcher's 1982 Falklands speech from blink to blink, fading to black in between, emphasising her solipsistic tendency to close her eyes when speaking as if nobody else existed.
The Battle of Orgreave (2001)
Jeremy Deller's restaged the worst conflict of the miners' strike from multiple viewpoints, uniting...
- 4/13/2013
- by Robert McCrum, Kitty Empire, Philip French, Andrew Rawnsley, Euan Ferguson
- The Guardian - Film News
James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff are Britain's new golden acting couple, tackling everything from classical theatres to action movies. But they are reluctant stars who are happy to live out of the limelight
Standards have been set when it comes to golden couples of stage and screen. Half a century ago, when Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton met on the set of Cleopatra, then the most expensive movie ever made, the powerful personal chemistry was immediately clear. In consequence, the love of the two British-born stars is now almost as fabled as the story of Antony and Cleopatra itself.
Since the 1960s there have been occasional challenges, one from Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, perhaps, for the title of Britain's premiere theatrical partners. But quietly, even reluctantly, since they do not desire it, a talented new pairing has staked a claim: Anne-Marie Duff and her husband James McAvoy.
Their screen...
Standards have been set when it comes to golden couples of stage and screen. Half a century ago, when Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton met on the set of Cleopatra, then the most expensive movie ever made, the powerful personal chemistry was immediately clear. In consequence, the love of the two British-born stars is now almost as fabled as the story of Antony and Cleopatra itself.
Since the 1960s there have been occasional challenges, one from Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, perhaps, for the title of Britain's premiere theatrical partners. But quietly, even reluctantly, since they do not desire it, a talented new pairing has staked a claim: Anne-Marie Duff and her husband James McAvoy.
Their screen...
- 3/17/2013
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
Review Louisa Mellor 28 Feb 2013 - 12:09
Last night, we saw the first episode of BBC Three's In The Flesh, an original three-part zombie drama. Here's what we made of it...
Hear the words 'zombie drama' and what springs to mind? Chugging chainsaws, gore-splattered camera lenses, and a righteous amount of undead carnage quite probably. The zombies' opponents may be hapless “you’ve got red on you” types, or locked-and-loaded badasses in the vein of The Walking Dead’s Shane. Either way, a climactic macho circus of undead limbs and exploding heads is often on the menu, usually accompanied by a 'fuck yeah’ rock soundtrack.
A slender teen sat quietly on the edge of his bed contemplating his place in a new, crueller world as despair balladeer Keaton Henson’s Charon plays then, is not your typical zombie fare. That’s the first point to make about In The Flesh, the...
Last night, we saw the first episode of BBC Three's In The Flesh, an original three-part zombie drama. Here's what we made of it...
Hear the words 'zombie drama' and what springs to mind? Chugging chainsaws, gore-splattered camera lenses, and a righteous amount of undead carnage quite probably. The zombies' opponents may be hapless “you’ve got red on you” types, or locked-and-loaded badasses in the vein of The Walking Dead’s Shane. Either way, a climactic macho circus of undead limbs and exploding heads is often on the menu, usually accompanied by a 'fuck yeah’ rock soundtrack.
A slender teen sat quietly on the edge of his bed contemplating his place in a new, crueller world as despair balladeer Keaton Henson’s Charon plays then, is not your typical zombie fare. That’s the first point to make about In The Flesh, the...
- 2/28/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The popularity of the undead is still soaring amongst fans, so much so that everyone is mining away at any material that could be successful here in the States. That being said, Variety reports that an English language remake of the French show "Les Revenants" is on its way!
Distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises has acquired rights to the series; and the English-language version, known as "They Came Back," will be produced by Brit screenwriter Paul Abbott, whose credits include “State of Play” and “Shameless,” and his shingle AbbottVision.
“'Les Revenants' focuses on a group of men and women returning to their homes in an Alpine village. What they do not yet know is that they have all been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back.”
Originally developed as a film, “Les Revenants” was adapted for TV by producers Haut et Court for pay TV company Canal Plus.
Distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises has acquired rights to the series; and the English-language version, known as "They Came Back," will be produced by Brit screenwriter Paul Abbott, whose credits include “State of Play” and “Shameless,” and his shingle AbbottVision.
“'Les Revenants' focuses on a group of men and women returning to their homes in an Alpine village. What they do not yet know is that they have all been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back.”
Originally developed as a film, “Les Revenants” was adapted for TV by producers Haut et Court for pay TV company Canal Plus.
- 1/14/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
FremantleMedia Enterprises has scored the remake rights for an English-language version of the French zombie series "Les Revenants."
The show, originally developed as a movie, focuses on a group of men and women returning to their homes in an Alpine village. What they do not yet know is that they have all been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back.
With the working title of "They Came Back," this version will be produced by acclaimed scribe Paul Abbott, creator of the original UK versions of "State of Play" and "Shameless."
This marks the third collaboration of Abbott and FremantleMedia following the Jim Broadbent and John Simm-led drama "Exile," and the Chloe Sevigny transsexual assassin series "Hit and Miss."
Source: Variety...
The show, originally developed as a movie, focuses on a group of men and women returning to their homes in an Alpine village. What they do not yet know is that they have all been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back.
With the working title of "They Came Back," this version will be produced by acclaimed scribe Paul Abbott, creator of the original UK versions of "State of Play" and "Shameless."
This marks the third collaboration of Abbott and FremantleMedia following the Jim Broadbent and John Simm-led drama "Exile," and the Chloe Sevigny transsexual assassin series "Hit and Miss."
Source: Variety...
- 1/14/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Originally produced by France’s Haut et Court for Canal Plus, Les Revenants aired in eight one-hour episodes last fall, drawing record numbers for the pay-tv channel. Paul Abbott, creator of the British and co-creator of the U.S. version of Shameless, and his AbbottVision will produce the English-language adaptation for the international market. The series, with the English working title They Came Back, centers on a group of men and women in a small Alpine village who find themselves in a state of confusion, trying to return to their homes. What they don’t yet know is that they’ve been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back. AbbottVision has a first-look deal with Fremantle Media Enterprises which acquired the rights to the project and will handle international distribution.
- 1/14/2013
- by NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor
- Deadline TV
ITV’s children’s brand Citv celebrates its 30th birthday in 2013. To mark the occasion, ITV1 will air a documentary on 29th December 2012 charting the history of the brand, and the Citv channel will be holding an action packed ‘Old Skool’ weekend on 5th and 6th January 2013.
From 9:25am to 6pm on the 5th and 6th January 2013, Citv will be broadcasting a selection of its iconic shows including Fun House, Press Gang, Knightmare, The Raggy Dolls, Count Duckula, Art Attack and Children's Ward. Additional episodes will also be available to view and rent online at www.itv.com/itvplayer for an exclusive period giving viewers the chance to re-live their favourite childhood programmes.
Jamila Metran, Head of Programming, Citv said: “We are very proud of Citv’s heritage, and look forward to bringing back all the old favourites for this one-off, not to be missed event and show the...
From 9:25am to 6pm on the 5th and 6th January 2013, Citv will be broadcasting a selection of its iconic shows including Fun House, Press Gang, Knightmare, The Raggy Dolls, Count Duckula, Art Attack and Children's Ward. Additional episodes will also be available to view and rent online at www.itv.com/itvplayer for an exclusive period giving viewers the chance to re-live their favourite childhood programmes.
Jamila Metran, Head of Programming, Citv said: “We are very proud of Citv’s heritage, and look forward to bringing back all the old favourites for this one-off, not to be missed event and show the...
- 12/20/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (ScreenTerrier)
- ScreenTerrier
Fox is developing a Us remake of BBC series Linda Green. Family Guy star Alex Borstein will pen the adaptation, with Paul Abbott - who co-created the UK show - on board as executive producer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The original Linda Green starred Liza Tarbuck as the title character, a woman in her 30s who held two jobs - as a car saleswoman and a nightclub singer - while struggling with love and life issues. The show aired between October 2001 and December 2002 on BBC One, with the Fox remake relocating the events of the (more)...
- 12/17/2012
- by By Morgan Jeffery
- Digital Spy
Aw. Oz is always showing up after Willow's found someone to love.
News
One of the people who inspired The Wire's Omar Little, Larry "Donnie" Andrews died last week. Andrews went from stealing from drug dealers, to working as a killer for drug kingpins, to being an informant for the police. Much like Omar, he had his own code for who he would refuse to hurt in his crimes. He worked as a consultant on The Wire and eventually appeared on the show as one of Omar's crew. After his release from prison, Andrews worked to help inner-city youth find opportunities out side of gang crime through his Why Murder foundation.
Shameless creator Paul Abbott is bringing another one of his UK shows to the states. He's working with Alex Borstein (who came to fame on Mad TV and also wrote scripts for Shameless) to adapt Linda Green for U.
News
One of the people who inspired The Wire's Omar Little, Larry "Donnie" Andrews died last week. Andrews went from stealing from drug dealers, to working as a killer for drug kingpins, to being an informant for the police. Much like Omar, he had his own code for who he would refuse to hurt in his crimes. He worked as a consultant on The Wire and eventually appeared on the show as one of Omar's crew. After his release from prison, Andrews worked to help inner-city youth find opportunities out side of gang crime through his Why Murder foundation.
Shameless creator Paul Abbott is bringing another one of his UK shows to the states. He's working with Alex Borstein (who came to fame on Mad TV and also wrote scripts for Shameless) to adapt Linda Green for U.
- 12/17/2012
- by LyleMasaki
- The Backlot
Lois Griffin just scored a new TV gig. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Family Guy" star Alex Borstein has been tapped to write and executive produce the pilot script for "Linda Green," a remake of the UK series of the same name from "Shameless" creator Paul Abbott.
The story will center around the titular heroine and her four thirtysomething best friends as they explore life and love in Boston. Although the British original, which ran from 2001-02, was a half-hour show, the Fox version will reportedly feature hourlong episodes if it's picked up to series.
Fox and BBC Worldwide Productions are developing the dramedy along with Sony Pictures Television, and Abbott is set to executive produce. Borstein and Abbott have worked together previously, with Borstein writing and producing Abbott's Us version of "Shameless" for Showtime.
The British original starred Liza Tarbuck, who worked as a car saleswoman by day and...
The story will center around the titular heroine and her four thirtysomething best friends as they explore life and love in Boston. Although the British original, which ran from 2001-02, was a half-hour show, the Fox version will reportedly feature hourlong episodes if it's picked up to series.
Fox and BBC Worldwide Productions are developing the dramedy along with Sony Pictures Television, and Abbott is set to executive produce. Borstein and Abbott have worked together previously, with Borstein writing and producing Abbott's Us version of "Shameless" for Showtime.
The British original starred Liza Tarbuck, who worked as a car saleswoman by day and...
- 12/15/2012
- by Laura Prudom
- Huffington Post
Fox has put in development Linda Green, an hourlong adaptation of Paul Abbott‘s half-hour British series that ran on BBC One for two seasons from 2001-02. MadTV alumna and Family Guy voice cast member Alex Borstein is writing the pilot script, which will be executive produced by Abbott, creator of the British and co-creator of the U.S. version of Shameless. The two have worked together on Showtime’s Shameless, where Borstein has served as a writer-consulting producer. Produced by Sony Pictures TV, Linda Green is a blue-collar show set in Boston that revolves around the eponymous character and her four best friends as they navigate their way through their 30s, tackling love, marriage and stability. They are no saints, and each episode takes a peek into their life as they try to be just a little kinder to one another. But only a little. Prolific British writer Abbott created the original series,...
- 12/14/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Dec. 18, 2012
Price: DVD $39.98, Blu-ray $49.99
Studio: Warner
William H. Macy tries to make it work in Shameless: Season Two.
Premium cable channel Showtime’s critically acclaimed television comedy-drama series Shameless: Season Two delivers another 12 episodes of outrageous family dysfunction.
Shameless stars William H. Macy (The Lincoln Lawyer) as the South side of Chicago’s Frank Gallagher, a proud, working-class patriarch to a motley brood of six smart, spirited and independent kids. Booze-addled Frank leaves it up to eldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera) to hold down the fort as he takes a drunken bite out of life. Unofficial matriarch Fiona is fiercely determined to keep her dysfunctional family happy and whole, even if it means sacrificing her own personal needs. Needless to say, a half-dozen kids means a half-dozen unique sets of circumstances (and at least as many storylines)!
In Season Two of Shameless,...
Price: DVD $39.98, Blu-ray $49.99
Studio: Warner
William H. Macy tries to make it work in Shameless: Season Two.
Premium cable channel Showtime’s critically acclaimed television comedy-drama series Shameless: Season Two delivers another 12 episodes of outrageous family dysfunction.
Shameless stars William H. Macy (The Lincoln Lawyer) as the South side of Chicago’s Frank Gallagher, a proud, working-class patriarch to a motley brood of six smart, spirited and independent kids. Booze-addled Frank leaves it up to eldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera) to hold down the fort as he takes a drunken bite out of life. Unofficial matriarch Fiona is fiercely determined to keep her dysfunctional family happy and whole, even if it means sacrificing her own personal needs. Needless to say, a half-dozen kids means a half-dozen unique sets of circumstances (and at least as many storylines)!
In Season Two of Shameless,...
- 11/12/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Political thriller Secret State was stripped of ideology and a plot, while Dara O Briain had a decent stab at making science sexy
Secret State C4|4oD
Dara O Briain's Science Club BBC2 | iPlayer
Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature BBC1 | iPlayer
Imagine BBC1 | iPlayer
In an age when politics lacks any great thrills, it appears harder to make a great political thriller. The last one that comes readily to mind was Paul Abbott's State of Play, which was way back in 2003, during Tony Blair's eventful second term as prime minister. But since then the air has seeped out of the Westminster bubble and not even the prospect of global economic collapse has succeeded in reflating public interest or screenwriters' conspiratorial imagination. The Killing and Borgen suggest the Danes know how to breathe life into coalition politics but so far it's an art for which British TV...
Secret State C4|4oD
Dara O Briain's Science Club BBC2 | iPlayer
Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature BBC1 | iPlayer
Imagine BBC1 | iPlayer
In an age when politics lacks any great thrills, it appears harder to make a great political thriller. The last one that comes readily to mind was Paul Abbott's State of Play, which was way back in 2003, during Tony Blair's eventful second term as prime minister. But since then the air has seeped out of the Westminster bubble and not even the prospect of global economic collapse has succeeded in reflating public interest or screenwriters' conspiratorial imagination. The Killing and Borgen suggest the Danes know how to breathe life into coalition politics but so far it's an art for which British TV...
- 11/11/2012
- by Dara O Briain, Andrew Anthony
- The Guardian - Film News
It was a fundraising week for the Duchess of Cambridge! First, she spent two hours doing early Christmas shopping Wednesday at a children's charity bazaar at the Burlington Arcade in Mayfair, accompanied by her and Prince William's dog Lupo, as well as her sister Pippa Middleton. "Kate was absolutely gorgeous, so friendly. There were many of our lowly fundraising team there and she was so warm to them," says Paul Abbott, the charity's fundraising and communications director. Cocker spaniel Lupo, who guzzled canapés and anything else he could find, proved to be a star, too. "Many people were excited by the puppy,...
- 11/8/2012
- by Simon Perry
- PEOPLE.com
The Australian Writers. Guild (Awg) released their first line-up announcement for the biennial National Screenwriters Conference, which will take place at Mornington Peninsula in Victoria from 20-22 February 2013. Shameless creator Paul Abbott, announced as international headliner last month, will be joined by a host of industry elite including John Collee (Happy Feet, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), Craig Pearce (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom), Stephan Elliott (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Easy Virtue), Jacquelin Perske (Spirited, Love My Way, Little Fish, The Secret Life of Us), Keith Thompson & Tony Briggs (The Sapphires), Ian Simmons (Good News World, Good News Week, The Sideshow) and Peter Moon (Fast Forward, Full Frontal). "We bring together an unrivalled number of preeminent writers at the top of their game for the Nsc, which is a not-for-profit event. The retreat-like setting creates a hothouse of ideas,...
- 10/26/2012
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
The October-November issue of If Magazine is out now.
The latest edition features Anthony Lapaglia on the cover for local drama-comedy Mental. Inside, writer-director Pj Hogan reveals.his inspiration for the film, which reunited him with Muriel's Wedding star Toni Collette.
In other features this month, cinematographer Jules O'Loughlin Acs talks about his experience working with legendary filmmaker James Cameron as he dived to the deepest point in the ocean: the Mariana Trench for a National Geographic documentary.
Other features include a look at Australia.s VFX sector; an interview with director Andrew Dominik, who talks about his latest film Killing Them Softly; and new ABC animation The Adventures of Figaro Pho. Meanwhile, UK screenwriter Paul Abbott reveals the secrets of good writing while Fourth Wall Studios. head of production Jackie Turnure shows what it takes to create an Emmy-winning transmedia series.
We also delve into the world of film...
The latest edition features Anthony Lapaglia on the cover for local drama-comedy Mental. Inside, writer-director Pj Hogan reveals.his inspiration for the film, which reunited him with Muriel's Wedding star Toni Collette.
In other features this month, cinematographer Jules O'Loughlin Acs talks about his experience working with legendary filmmaker James Cameron as he dived to the deepest point in the ocean: the Mariana Trench for a National Geographic documentary.
Other features include a look at Australia.s VFX sector; an interview with director Andrew Dominik, who talks about his latest film Killing Them Softly; and new ABC animation The Adventures of Figaro Pho. Meanwhile, UK screenwriter Paul Abbott reveals the secrets of good writing while Fourth Wall Studios. head of production Jackie Turnure shows what it takes to create an Emmy-winning transmedia series.
We also delve into the world of film...
- 10/15/2012
- by Staff Reporter
- IF.com.au
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