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The actor starred in the innuendo-laced comedy films as well as TV sitcoms including Porridge and The Likely Lads

Julian Holloway, who starred in eight Carry On films and was a regular in TV shows such as The Sweeney and Doctor Who, has died. He was 80.

In a statement to the Guardian, agents for the actor confirmed that Holloway died after a brief illness in a Bournemouth hospital on 16 February.

Only Fools and Horses, the legendary British sitcom created by John Sullivan, remains a timeless comedy gem. First hitting screens in 1981, it revolves around the Trotter brothers, Del Boy and Rodney, as they chase dreams of striking it rich through hilariously ill-fated schemes. Living in Peckham, South London, the duo operates their market trading business out of a beaten-up yellow Reliant Regal three-wheeler van.

Del Boy, the older sibling, is a cheeky, quick-witted wheeler-dealer with grand ideas of becoming a millionaire. Rodney, on the other hand, is more level-headed and forever frustrated by his brother’s far-fetched plans.

Only Fools and Horses | Credit: BBC

The show isn’t just about laughs, it’s about family, friendship, and everyday struggles. Alongside Del and Rodney are unforgettable characters like their Grandad, and quirky friends including Trigger, Boycie, and Denzil. From slapstick comedy moments to touching emotional scenes, the series beautifully balanced humor and heart.

Britcom Goes To The Movies, all about British sitcom spin-off movies, is the latest addition to the Film Stories Podcast Network. Links and details here:

We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of an established show to the Film Stories Podcast Network… Britcom Goes To The Movies.

In this fun film podcast, hosts Guy Walker and Rob Heath delve into the world of British sitcom movie translations, with a few additions along the way, breaking them down in detail scene by scene and uncovering the comic moments, great performances and shall we say, dated social mores along the way!

Previous seasons have covered everything from The Inbetweeners Movie, Porridge, Steptoe And Son, and even a few of the Carry On pictures. Season 3 begins next week with a look at On The Buses with Smersh Pod's very own John Rain. Cor blimey!

Find all the episodes here on Spotify or...

Biographies of artists have typical rises and falls, eddies into new enthusiasms and returns to consistent themes. But when it comes to musician, artist and cultural provocateur Genesis P-Orridge, such rhythms occur in truly outsized relief. In S/He Is Still Her/e — The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary, director Charles Rodrigues, whose previous Tribeca-premiering feature was Gay Chorus Deep South, proceeds biographically through P-Orridge’s life, from her childhood in Manchester through early assaultive work with the UK performance group Coum Transmission, industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle and finally the more beatific psych-rock outfit Psychic TV. P-Orridge’s ultimate destination was the body-morphing Pandrogyny […]

The post “A True Download of Her Consciousness Into What Has Now Become a Feature Film”: Director David Charles Rodrigues On His Tribeca-Premiering S/He Is Still Her/e — The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Biographies of artists have typical rises and falls, eddies into new enthusiasms and returns to consistent themes. But when it comes to musician, artist and cultural provocateur Genesis P-Orridge, such rhythms occur in truly outsized relief. In S/He Is Still Her/e — The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary, director Charles Rodrigues, whose previous Tribeca-premiering feature was Gay Chorus Deep South, proceeds biographically through P-Orridge’s life, from her childhood in Manchester through early assaultive work with the UK performance group Coum Transmission, industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle and finally the more beatific psych-rock outfit Psychic TV. P-Orridge’s ultimate destination was the body-morphing Pandrogyny […]

The post “A True Download of Her Consciousness Into What Has Now Become a Feature Film”: Director David Charles Rodrigues On His Tribeca-Premiering S/He Is Still Her/e — The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

After a gap of a few years and a messy-yet-secretive legal dispute between creators Doug Naylor and Rob Grant, Red Dwarf is rumoured to be back on its way to our screens once again with three new episodes. Which poses the question – how many more returns can it make before it finally draws to a close? How will the TV series that started with a pilot episode called “The End” end?

Red Dwarf is unlike any other science fiction franchise of comparable longevity. It is not like Stars Trek or Wars, an expansive universe full of side characters and unexplored domains for spin-offs to inhabit. Nor is it the adventure of a single character whose face changes on a semi-regular basis.

As part of the ongoing mysterious feud settlement, Rob Grant is launching Red Dwarf: Titan, which is set to give us a prequel/alternate universe take on Lister and Rimmer.

Kate Beckensale left her fans alarmed Monday after sharing emotional photos of herself in the hospital.

The “Underworld” star actress posted to Instagram celebrating her mother Judy Lowe’s birthday and Mother’s Day in the U.K. The 50-year-old actress also shared a teary-eyed photo of herself sitting in a hospital bed, wearing a gown and a large black bow on her head, but she gave no reason for her hospitalization.

“Happy birthday and U.K. Mother’s Day this last week to my incredible mother,” Beckinsale captioned the post. “Thank you to those that love us and support us when it’s s–t and try to make sure there are some bits that aren’t.”

“And for looking after our dogs when we can’t, and lead us to remember happy things when we can’t,” she continued. “And turn up when we are sick and sit...

We’ve been keeping an eye on the progress of writer/director Craig Rees’ film Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge, which puts a horror thriller twist on a classic children’s story, ever since it was first announced several months ago. We still don’t know of a release date for this one, but there is a positive update to share, as Variety has reported that international sales company Iuvit Media Sales has secured distribution deals for Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge in multiple territories while presenting it to potential buyers at the European Film Market. Buyers include Gussi Films for Latin America, Pioneer for the Philippines, and Front Row for the Middle East.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge has a short and simple synopsis: Never enter into someone’s house without permission. Variety has another synopsis: Goldilocks and the three...

Last month, we unveiled the trailer for writer/director Craig Rees’ film Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge, which puts a horror thriller twist on a classic children’s story. (You can watch that trailer in the embed above.) While we’re still waiting to hear when the film is going to make its way out into the world, Rees has provided The Daily Star with some interesting information, revealing that Goldilocks is going to feature some “pretty graphic” violence, including head crushing and eyeball damage!

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge has a short and simple synopsis: Never enter into someone’s house without permission.

But most of us already know the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A young girl called Goldilocks wanders into a house in the woods, helps herself to some porridge, sits in the chairs, tries out the beds. Then...

James Corden has given more insight into how Tom Cruise persuaded him to join him in a fighter jet for a “The Late Late Show” sketch.

“A few days before [the flight] I had a genuine worry,” he said during a Q&a session at the Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge, U.K. on Thursday afternoon. “I ended up going, like, ‘He’s an actor, he’s Not a pilot.’ Like, respectfully, it’s just the two of us in an airplane. If something happens then we die.”

“And worse than my own death is my children growing up and people going ‘Their dad killed Tom Cruise,’” he added.

Corden said that he tried to back out of the stunt when Cruise called him and said: “James, your life is more valuable than mine. You’re not in danger.”

In a wide-ranging chat, Corden also discussed his strategy when he first...

A few weeks ago, we shared the exclusive first look at a teaser trailer for writer/director Craig Rees’ film Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge, which puts a horror thriller twist on a classic children’s story. Now a full trailer has arrived online to give us a better idea of what exactly is going on this movie – and again, we have the Exclusive first look at this trailer! You can check it out in the embed above.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge has a short and simple synopsis: Never enter into someone’s house without permission.

But most of us already know the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A young girl called Goldilocks wanders into a house in the woods, helps herself to some porridge, sits in the chairs, tries out the beds. Then the home’s inhabitants – a family of...

Putting a horrific twist on popular children’s stories is all the rage these days. Earlier this year, we got Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (read our review Here), and the filmmakers behind that movie are planning to not only make a sequel, but to also build a cinematic universe that will include horror versions of Bambi and Peter Pan (Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare), among others. Meanwhile, Cinderella’s Curse, Cinderella’s Revenge, and Sleeping Beauty’s Massacre are coming down the line. Now writer/director Craig Rees has revealed that his horror thriller Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge is already in post-production – and we have the Exclusive first look at the teaser trailer in the embed above!

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge has a short and simple synopsis: Never enter into someone’s house without permission.

But most of us...

The BBC’s streaming service iPlayer has started adding new warnings to certain shows that people may find offensive following the controversy over blackface performances in comedy.

Archive comedies, including The League Of Gentlemen and The Mighty Boosh, now feature a little “i” logo, which carries a warning that they reflect attitudes of their time.

Here’s the full quote: “The Mighty Boosh is a classic comedy which reflects the broadcast standards, language and attitudes of its time. Some viewers may find this content offensive.”

Furthermore, when watching iPlayer through Sky, viewers are greeted with the same message and have to click “ok” before the show begins to stream.

The warning was not present on The League Of Gentlemen and The Mighty Boosh last month and comes after the shows were scrubbed by Netflix for featuring white actors in black makeup.

The BBC, Netflix and others also removed Little Britain...

The actor’s ruined handsomeness was perfect for his portrayal of a psychopathically violent gangster in this classic 1971 thriller

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais are renowned for small-screen comic masterpieces such as Porridge and The Likely Lads, but in 1971 they scripted the deadly serious and horribly gripping London crime picture Villain, now rereleased on Blu-ray. It’s an extremely lairy and tasty piece of work in which Richard Burton gave one of his best, most lip-smackingly gruesome performances: this film’s easily as good as the far better known Get Carter with Michael Caine, released that same year.

Villain is based on the novel The Burden of Proof from pulp author James Barlow, reportedly an inspiration for Jake Arnott’s The Long Firm. Producer Elliot Krasner had originally commissioned a treatment from Hollywood actor-writer Al Lettieri, (who played the drug lord Virgil Sollozzo in The Godfather), but Clement and...

One of the consequences of the BBC’s decision to start up their own streaming service (how dare they) is that a lot of their shows will soon be departing from their competitors.

Britbox, in partnership with ITV, launched in the UK last November, and now the content available elsewhere has started to catch up. Today we’re going to run through the wealth of titles that’ll exit Netflix UK at the end of March. There’s a lot to run down, too. And yes, this is redundant for American readers. You’re more than welcome to stay for tea, though (which is more than just a cultural stereotype).

First up – and probably of most interest – are the BBC comedies leaving on March 30th:

A Bit of Fry and Laurie (4 Seasons) Absolutely Fabulous (6 Seasons) Almost Royal (2 Seasons) Daniel Deronda (1 Season) Extras (2 Seasons) Fawlty Towers (2 Seasons) French and Saunders (6 Seasons...

Exclusive: Much like the rest of the world, Rufus Jones watched on in horror as the refugee crisis gripped Europe in 2015. As people fled conflict in Syria and beyond, the Stan & Ollie actor had just fathered twins and became preoccupied with worries about the world his new-born girls were entering.

Not obvious territory for comedy, you might think. But that’s exactly how Jones’ thoughts crystallized as he set to work on a script that would domesticate the epic scale of the horrors being transmitted on rolling news at the time. And so, Home was created, but it would be four years before the comedy found its own home with Channel 4.

The show premiered last year and tells the story of how a family in the small British town of Dorking takes in a Syrian refugee named Sami. It returns for a second season in the UK on Wednesday...

Kate Beckinsale is remembering her father, the late actor Richard Beckinsale, in a sweet Father’s Day tribute.

On Sunday, Kate, 45, shared a black-and-white photo of herself when she was a child alongside her father, who died in 1979 at the age of 31 from a massive heart attack when Kate was 5.

“There has never been anyone like you . Happy Father’s Day...

"No matter what you do, evil always finds a way." Fans of The Boy (2016) might be interested to know that a sequel is on the way courtesy of STXfilms and Lakeshore Entertainment. Director William Brent Bell is returning to helm the sequel, with principal photography starting on January 14, 2019. It was already announced that the movie will star Katie Holmes, and now we have news on new additions to the cast: Owain Yeoman (The Belko Experiment ) will play Holmes' husband Sean, while Ralph Ineson (The Witch) will be playing a character named Joseph.

Press Release: STXfilms, a division of Stx Entertainment, and Lakeshore Entertainment announced today that Owain Yeoman and Ralph Ineson will star alongside Katie Holmes and Christopher Convery in William Brent Bell’s latest horror-thriller, The Boy 2. Principal photography will begin in Victoria, British Columbia on January 14th, 2019.

Brent Bell returns to the helm following the success of...

Exclusive: American Sniper and Turn actor Owain Yeoman and Ready Player One actor Ralph Ineson are joining Katie Holmes and Christopher Convery in William Brent Bell’s horror thriller The Boy 2, from STXfilms and Lakeshore Entertainment.

In the sequel to the 2016 film, a young family moves into Heelshire Mansion, unaware of the terrifying history of the estate. Soon, their young son makes an unsettling new friend, an eerily lifelike doll he calls Brahms. Yeoman will play Sean, the husband to Holmes’ Liza. Ineson has been cast in the role of Joseph. Convery co-stars as their son Jude.

Bell’s The Boy grossed $68M worldwide. Cameras roll on the sequel in Victoria, BC on January 14, 2019.

Stacey Menear, who also penned the first chapter, wrote The Boy 2. Pic will be produced by Lakeshore’s Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and Eric Reid, in addition to Matt Berenson, Jim Wedaa and Roy Lee.

Kirsten Howard Feb 23, 2018

The BBC is giving its Porridge sequel series the boot...

Sad news for fans of the Beeb's recently-revived Porridge, we're afraid - the series won't be back for more banged-up-(not)-abroad hijinx, as it's been nixed after just one series.

The show featured Kevin Bishop as Nigel, the cyber crime-committing grandson of Ronnie Barker's character Norman Fletcher, alongside Mark Bonnar, Dominic Coleman, Dave Hill, Harman Singh, Jason Barnett and Ricky Grover.

The BBC first floated the project as a pilot in its Landmark Comedy Season a couple of years ago. The new version of the classic sitcom was well received, and so 6 episodes were ordered and plonked in a Friday night slot. It performed fine there for a spell, but it seems that either the ratings, or general interest in keeping Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement's new Porridge alive, must have started deteriorating rather quickly.

Peter Vaughan died early this morning at 93, after a more than 75 year acting career. Peter Vaughan Dies Peacefully At 93 Vaughan is probably best remembered for his role as Harry Grout in the 70s sitcom Porridge, despite only appearing in three episodes. Most recently he played Maester Aemon in the hit show Game of Thrones. […]

The post Peter Vaughan, ‘Porridge’ And ‘Game Of Thrones’ Star, Dies At 93 appeared first on uInterview.

Actor Peter Vaughan, best known for his performances as Maester Aemon on “Game of Thrones” and Harry “Grouty” Grout on the BBC sitcom “Porridge,” has died at the age of 93. According to his agent Sally Long-Innes, Vaughan passed away “at approximately 10:30 this morning” and “died peacefully with his family around him.”

Read More: Review: ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 5 Episode 7 ‘The Gift’ Doesn’t Bounce Back From Last Week’s Trauma

The actor began his career at the Wolverhampton Repertory theater company before joining the army during World War II where he served as an officer in Normandy, Belgium and then later, the Far East. After the war, he returned to the stage where he played a bevy of roles for many years.

His first film performance was in Ralph Thomas’ 1959 film “The 39 Steps,” a loose remake of the Alfred Hitchcock film by the same name, but his first lead...

British actor Peter Vaughan died on Tuesday morning at age 93, multiple news outlets report.

His agent, Sally Long-Innes, told BBC News that Vaughan "died peacefully with his family around him."

Exclusive: Emilia Clarke and Sophie Turner Talk Game of Thrones Tattoos and Crack Dragon Jokes

The actor is perhaps best known by American TV audiences for his role as Jon Snow's mentor, Maester Aemon Targaryen, on the HBO series, Game of Thrones. Vaughan started portraying the character at age 86 and remained on the show for five years until his character died of old age in season five.

HBO

Following news of Vaughan's death, GoT writer Bryan Cogman took to Twitter to pay tribute to the actor. "Rest in Peace to our own Maester Aemon, Peter Vaughan, who passed away this morning at age 93," Cogman wrote. "Truly an honor to have known him."

Photos: Stars We've Lost in Recent Years

In the U.K. Vaughan...

Some very sad news is being reported today, as actor Peter Vaughan has passed away at the age of 93.

BBC News and multiple other sources shared this statement from Vaughan's agent, Sally Long-Innes:

"This is to confirm that very sadly Peter Vaughan passed away at approximately 10.30 this morning. He died peacefully with his family around him."

Many modern-day viewers know Vaughan as Maester Aemon on Game of Thrones, but his screen career stretches back to the ’50s.

A highly-regarded character actor, Vaughan's credits include Village of the Damned (1960), Two Living, One Dead, Die! Die! My Darling!, Haunted, Treasure Island (1968), Sudden Terror, Porridge, Brazil, Mountains of the Moon, Dandelion Dead, Murder Most Horrid, The Crucible (1996), and the aforementioned Game of Thrones.

Vaughan's legacy will surely live on through the people he worked with, the fans who admired his work, and his incredible presence onscreen. Our thoughts go out to Vaughan's...

Peter Vaughan, best known for his role as Maester Aemon on Game of Thrones, has passed away. He was 93.

The actor’s agent confirmed the news on Tuesday morning, with a statement published to Deadline indicating that he died peacefully surrounded by his family. A cause of death is unknown at this time.

Vaughan appeared in nearly a dozen episodes during the first five seasons of GoT, portraying the blind maester of the Night’s Watch. His other TV credits included BBC sitcoms Porridge and Citizen Smith, as well as the ITV drama Chancer, starring opposite a young Clive Owen.

Peter Vaughan, known to legions of Game of Thrones fans as Maester Aemon in the HBO series, has died at the age of 93. 

His agent Sally Long-Innes confirmed the news Tuesday. 

"This is to confirm that very sadly Peter Vaughan passed away at approximately 10.30 this morning," she said. "He died peacefully with his family around him."

Vaughan was a veteran of British TV, starring in shows including Citizen Smith, Chancer, Our Friends in the North and Silk. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as the feared Grouty in the prison-based comedy series Porridge. He also played Aemon Targaryen, Maester of the...

Vaughan was best known for roles in TV series Porridge and Game Of Thrones.

British actor Peter Vaughan, best known for roles in Game of Thrones and Porridge, has died at the age of 93.

Vaughan played Maester Aemon in the HBO series and Grouty in the TV sitcom.

He was BAFTA-nominated for his performance in 1997 BBC series Our Friends In The North.

Movie performances included Brazil, An Ideal Husband and Straw Dogs. His most recent feature work was on 2011 drama Albatross.

Vaughan, whose career spanned more than 60 years, was also known for his work in theatre.

Game Of Thrones and Porridge actor Peter Vaughan has died at the age of 93. His agent, Sally Long-Innes, confirmed the news Tuesday. She said: "This is to confirm that very sadly Peter Vaughan has passed away at approximately 10.30 [GMT] this morning. He died peacefully with his family around him." Vaughan was known most recently for his role as Maester Aemon, the elderly, blind leader of the Night Watch who was sympathetic to Jon Snow in HBO's Game Of Thrones. He…...

Game of Thrones and Porridge actor Peter Vaughan has died at the age of 93. His agent, Sally Long-Innes, confirmed the news on Tuesday. She said: "This is to confirm that very sadly Peter Vaughan has passed away at approximately 10.30 [GMT] this morning. He died peacefully with his family around him." Vaughan was known most recently for his role as Maester Aemon, the elderly, blind master of the Night Watch who was sympathetic to Jon Snow in HBO's Game of Thrones. He…...

Louisa Mellor Dec 6, 2016

Veteran British actor Peter Vaughan, most recognised in recent years for playing Maester Aemon in Game Of Thrones, has died...

Some sad news. Veteran British actor Peter Vaughan, whose screen career stretched from the 1950s until 2015, has passed away at the age of ninety-three. His agent's announcement confirmed that he died peacefully at home this morning with his family around him.

Vaughan's most recent television role was as Maester Aemon in HBO's Game Of Thrones, a series he left just last year and on which he was a favourite of both the showrunners and recurring co-star Kit Harington for the breadth of his experience and anecdotes.  

Peter Vaughan's acting career spanned a remarkable seven decades and included roles for which he will be fondly remembered, including that of Harry 'Grouty' Grout in Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais' BBC sitcom Porridge. He also brought several literary...

The Beeb is amping up the laughs. The BBC has commissioned three new comedy TV programs. BBC One has ordered the Porridge TV show revival from creators Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. The original prison-set series, starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale, ran on BBC One from 1974 to 1977. The Porridge reboot stars Kevin Bishop as Nigel ‘Fletch’ Fletcher, grandson of Barker’s iconic Norman Stanley Fletcher.BBC Two ordered the Motherland TV series, written by Graham Linehan and Sharon Horgan, Helen Linehan, and Holly Walsh, the show features the the trials and traumas of motherhood. The pilot, which aired as part of The BBC's "Landmark Sitcom Season," starred Anna Maxwell Martin, Lucy Punch, Diane Morgan, Paul Ready, Margaret Cabourn-Smith, and Oliver Chris.Meanwhile, BBC Three has commissions the first season of the A Brief History of Tim TV show,...

Louisa Mellor Oct 6, 2016

Brilliant! The BBC has ordered a full series of new comedy Motherland, and of its rebooted Porridge starring Kevin Bishop...

Two new comedies are coming to the BBC: Motherland, written by the winning combination of Graham Linehan, Sharon Horgan, Holly Walsh and Helen Linehan, and a rebooted version of Porridge, from original creators Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. 

Both part of the BBC's recent Landmark Sitcom season, the pilot for Motherland took an acerbic look at modern middle-class parenting. Starring Anna Maxwell Martin--an absolute treat to see in a comedic role--as harassed working mother of two Julia, it showed her dealings with playground queen bee Amanda (Lucy Punch), chaotic social outcast Liz (Diane Morgan) and eager-to-please stay at home dad Kevin (Paul Ready). 

Sharp, well-observed and caustic about the smug, competitive cliques that form in the world of play dates and PTA committees, it was...

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Ground-breaking, intelligent, prescient 1970s drama Doomwatch, now out on DVD, is a British television classic...

Playing on the public's fear that 'this could actually happen', Doomwatch had a veneer of credibility unusual in the escapist television drama landscape of the late 60s/early 70s. This spring sees the most comprehensive haul of Doomwatch episodes released on DVD for the first time. The nickname for the "Department for the Observation and Measurement of Scientific Work", the series first appeared on BBC1 on Monday 9th February 1970 at 9.40pm. It followed half an hour of comedy from Kenneth Williams, which must have surely heightened its dramatic impact.

The series would run in tandem with the early Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who; the first episode made its debut two days after part two of Doctor Who And The Silurians. The two shows undoubtedly shared a synergy of ideas - not to mention cast and crew.

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It's the final entry in Wesley's top 100 Christmas TV episodes of all time list, numbers 20 to 1. Merry Christmas to all!

Read entries 100 - 81 here, entries 80 - 61 here, entries 60 - 41 here, and entries 40 - 21 here.

Since the medium’s infancy, viewers have enjoyed sharing holidays with their favourite television characters. We grow invested in our friends on screen over the years; spending Christmas with them is a rite of passage, a chance for us to share tradition from our world with the fictional ones we see on screen. Some shows embrace the season wholeheartedly, characters in good spirits and enjoying the trappings of the season; others skew a little darker, bringing the more oppressive, burdensome side of the holidays to life. Either way, Christmas episodes tend to demonstrate the strengths of our favourite series, and it’s long been a festive ritual of mine to wheel out old...

Christopher Biggins has slammed plans for a 'Porridge' remake. The 66-year-old actor has spoken out against the BBC's decision to bring back the classic prison sitcom, in which he played inmate Lukewarm, almost 40 years after it came to an end. He said: ''I wish they would leave these things alone. ''I wish they would go and find new ideas.'' 'Porridge' was a massive hit in the 70s and became a British classic because of Ronnie Barker's hilarious portrayal of inmate Norman 'Fletch' Fletcher. And although original writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais have agreed to write a new pilot in which Fletch's grandson...

'Porridge' is returning with a new pilot. The hit prison sitcom's writers Dick Clement, 77, and Ian La Frenais, 79, have revealed they're working on a new storyline that will feature the grandson of original character Fletcher, who was famously played by the late Ronnie Barker. La Frenais told the Sunday Times newspaper: ''He's called Fletch too and is a chip off the old block. He has what I'd call attitude. ''It will be set in a modern prison, while Hmp Slade was, of course, Victorian. We were asked by the BBC to do a revival and decided to set it right up...

Remember Kinvig, Clone, Not With A Bang? These are the UK sci-fi sitcoms you’re unlikely to see on comedy best-of lists…

With E4 sci-fi comedy commissions, Tripped and Aliens, and in-development Channel 4 projects, Space Ark and Graham Linehan/Adam Buxton collaboration The Cloud, in the works, a new crop of sci-fi sitcom could be making its way to UK TV.

Making funny sci-fi on a small-screen budget is tough enough without the additional pressure of having to attract viewers more traditionally down-to-earth in their sitcom tastes. Sci-fi sets and effects can be seen as prohibitively expensive by comedy commissioners (which is perhaps why the best UK sci-fi sitcoms of recent years has been on BBC Radio), and the genre’s niche status doesn’t scream mainstream hit. Over the years, one or two stand-outs have managed to straddle the sci-fi and comedy TV worlds, but plenty more have stumbled in the attempt.

Hi! And welcome to “sentences we never expected to write in a news story in 2015”. Today’s instance: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is attached to produce and star in the Fraggle Rock movie. It’s as if two pop-cultural titans suddenly formed an alliance. Three, if you chuck in tiny teamsters, the Doozers.This provides an unexpected boost to a project that has been struggling through development since its original announcement back in 2006. We’ve had word since then about new writers and scripts, with the likes of Ahmet Zappa originally involved in bringing the idea to life. Gordon-Levitt’s involvement appears to sweep the board clean and start fresh with new scriptwriters.Fans of the ‘80s Jim Henson show will know that Gobo, Wembley, Boober, Red and Mokey live in the titular underground caves, situated beneath a lighthouse captained by former Porridge star Fulton Mackay and his Muppet dog Sprocket.* Each week,...

Christopher Eccleston in Accused Acorn Media Rlj Entertainment

British writer Jimmy McGovern is synonymous with quality drama. Consequently, the best and the brightest are queuing up to get their hands on his scripts. Accused is a mere 10 episodes in length and yet the cast includes a veritable who’s who of British drama. Sean Bean and Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), Peter Capaldi and Christoper Eccleston (Doctor Who), Juliet Stevenson (The Politician’s Wife), Warren Brown (Luther), and Olivia Colman (Broadchurch) are among the stars appearing in the show.

Each seasons consists of five stand-alone stories centering around an individual who is accused of committing a crime. Generally speaking the accused are guilty but the show isn’t really about nailing suspects, it’s about moral ambiguity and the large grey realm that separates right and wrong. In most, though not all of the stories, the accused parties are somewhat sympathetic.

Kill The Moon poses the viewers with a challenging new dilemma. A thought-provoking problem, one that could have eternal repercussions lasting beyond the next millennium.

Is the moon really an egg?

See, here was us humble humans assuming that the moon was made of cheese. Cows would jump over it in books. Benoit and Hobson would take samples for the Moonbase crew sandwiches. And then along comes Kill The Moon with its planet-busting revelation – talk about not making an omelette without breaking a few eggs. There's enough egg here to feed a hungry Mr Strong from the Mr Men books.

Despite this iffy science, Kill The Moon is actually a massive return to form for the latest series of Doctor Who. What starts out as an Hinchcliffe horror homage turns into a moral debate about the ethics of changing the future. The real sting in the tail comes at the...

Sam Kelly, a British actor whose career in television, theater and film spanned four decades, died Saturday. He was 70.  Kelly "died peacefully on Saturday morning after a long illness bravely fought," his manager, Lynda Ronan, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.  Photos: Notable Deaths of 2014 The actor is remembered for his role on the 1980's British World War II sitcom 'Allo 'Allo, in which he played German Captain Hans Geering. He also was featured in the 1974 BBC prison system series Porridge.  Kelly's numerous other credited roles on British television series include turns in Now and

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Feature Alex Westthorp 28 Mar 2014 - 07:00

In a new series, Alex talks us through the film roles of the actors who've played the Doctor. First up, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee...

We know them best as the twelve very different incarnations of the Doctor. But all the actors who've been the star of Doctor Who, being such good all-rounders in the first place, have also had film careers. Admittedly, some CVs are more impressive than others, but this retrospective attempts to pick out some of the many worthwhile films which have starred, featured or seen a fleeting cameo by the actors who would become (or had been) the Doctor.

William Hartnell was, above all else, a film star. He is by far the most prolific film actor of the main twelve to play the Time Lord. With over 70 films to his name, summarising Hartnell's film career is difficult at best.

Television and stage producer known for Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Birds of a Feather

The television producer Allan McKeown, who has died aged 67 of prostate cancer, created the groundbreaking Witzend Productions with the sitcom writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais and had hits on both sides of the Atlantic. It was one of the earliest independent production companies outside the British broadcasting establishment to find success within it.

A prime example of Witzend's attempts to push the boundaries of the medium – and McKeown's credit as executive producer – was Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983-86). The series, about a group of itinerant British builders in Germany – developed by Clement and La Frenais from an idea by Franc Roddam – went beyond the sitcom format to become one of the first in the comedy-drama genre.

ITV at first had no plans to make a second series but backtracked when up to 13 million viewers tuned in.

Producer Allan McKeown has passed away from prostate cancer at the age of 67.

He died at his home on Christmas Eve, surrounded by his family.

The British-born producer was the co-creator of Tracey Takes On…, which starred his wife Tracey Ullman.

His daughter Mabel paid tribute to her father on Twitter, writing:

My brilliant, funny, extraordinary father Allan McKeown passed away on Christmas Eve. Thank you all for the love. http://t.co/Pjq5p37c0d

— Mabel McKeown (@MabelMck) December 26, 2013

McKeown and Ullman also had son Johnny together.

After working as a hairdresser to the stars, McKeown started production company Witzend, becoming one of the first independent television producers in the UK.

In 1990, he became a founding member of the Meridian consortium, which won the ITV television franchise for the southeast of England.

McKeown, who married Ullman in 1983, produced 2004 musical Jerry Springer: The Opera and collaborated with Yoko Ono...

UKTV's Gold will celebrate the 40th anniversary of iconic British sitcom Porridge with three new documentaries.

The classic Ronnie Barker series originally ran from 1974 to 1977 for three series and two Christmas specials.

Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the series also had a feature film and spin-off series, Going Straight. It was voted No.7 in a BBC poll for the greatest British sitcom of all time.

The new Gold documentaries will tell the real story behind the iconic programme, from the pilot episode, through to the Christmas specials and the spin-off follow-up.

Viewers will be taken on a tour of the pivotal places Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais visited during the creation and development of the series, including the pub where they first met, the prisons they researched, and the little known filming locations they used.

The show will also feature "classic sketches alongside rare and unseen...

BBC

This Christmas we’re in for a real treat. On Boxing Day night the BBC are showing a brand new spin-off episode of Roy Clarke’s classic convenience shop comedy Open All Hours to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Several cast members – including Sir David Jason and Lynda Baron as Nurse Gladys Emmanuel – are reprising their roles from the original series for this Christmas special. The filming of this has also led to strong speculation Still Open All Hours will be given a full sequel series next year.

As delightful as that future prospect sounds, it got us wondering at WhatCulture about what made the original show so great and laugh out loud funny? Many younger viewers may not be aware of Ronnie Barker’s comic genius, but he starred both in Open All Hours as the money-grabbing Albert Arkwright and loveable lag Norman Stanley Fletcher in prison sitcom Porridge.

The X Factor continued with 8.65m (40%) on ITV on Saturday (September 14), overnight data reveals.

The third auditions show, which aired from 8pm, was up 710k on last week's instalment. It peaked at 8.85m at 8.45pm, while a further 407,000 (2%) caught the programme on ITV+1.

Earlier, Stepping Out earned 3.12m (17.5%) at 6.30pm, up 970k from last week's clash with Strictly Come Dancing (148k/1.7%). Through the Keyhole took 4.23m (20.4%) at 9pm (307k/1.8%) and movie I Am Legend was watched by 960k (7%) from 10.15pm (113k/1.5%).

On BBC One, I Love My Country appealed to 3.23m (17.4%). The National Lottery: Break the Safe then scored 3.12m (14.6%) at 8pm and Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow pulled in 2.68m (13.6%) at 9.45pm. Match of the Day had 3.65m (27.6%) at 10.30pm.

Over on BBC Two, Dad's Army took 1.45m (8%) at 7pm and Count Arthur Strong interested 680k (3.7%) half an hour later.

Thatcher: The Downing Street Years was seen by 610k (2.8%) at 8pm,...

Silk PBS Masterpiece

N Conrad

Since Perry Mason debuted, the American TV networks have been overloaded with courtroom dramas. Tonight on PBS Masterpiece, we got to see how these things play out on the other side of the pond. Silk is a critically acclaimed BBC drama about a group of barristers who are competing for the rank of Queen’s Counsel or Silk. Foremost among the contenders are Martha (Maxine Peake) and Clive (Rupert Penry-Jones). Wigs and gowns apart, it soon became apparent that Martha and Clive had very little in common.

Martha is a working-class girl from the North of England who is trying to forge a career in a world that is dominated by aristocratic men. Clive on the other hand is the archetypal London barrister: wealthy, privileged and something of a cad. He uses dirty tricks and connections to win his cases while she uses hard work and the occasional heartfelt outburst.

Feature Michael Noble 9 Aug 2013 - 07:00

Michael checks out Netflix original Orange Is The New Black, and finds it a warm, funny, comedy drama...

Cooking in Prison. Alan Partridge’s desperate TV programme suggestions are all brilliant in spite of themselves, but even he thinks that this one is doomed to failure. ‘Too depressing’ he surmises. We’ll skip over the fact that, as of 2013, Cooking in Prison, or at least a Gordon Ramsay-helmed version of it, has already aired, and admit that yes, prison isn’t the most cheerful of settings, particularly if your mind is drawn more to Scum and Oz than Porridge.

Props, then, to Orange is the New Black, which manages to find some wit and charm within the walls of a New York State thug jug. Orange, based on the real life experiences of Piper Kerman (fictionalised as Chapman in the show) and adapted...

Kate Beckinsale has unveiled a plaque for her father.

The blue plaque went up at College House Junior School in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire for the late actor Richard Beckinsale, who was a student there.

The actor was best known for his starring roles in Porridge and Rising Damp.

Beckinsale died in 1979 at the age of 31 from a heart attack.

His daughter's ex-partner Michael Sheen and comedian David Walliams made an unexpected appearance with Beckinsale at the event.

The actress was most recently seen in the 2012 remake of Total Recall.

She will next be seen starring in Eliza Graves and The Trials of Cate McCall.