News

Exclusive: Rebecca Hall has revealed how she got into the character of a woman who hears a constant, low humming sound in BBC series The Listeners.

Adapted from the Jordan Tannahill novel, Hall plays English teacher Claire, tormented by the sound and desperate to make it stop.

Speaking to Deadline on the eve of TIFF, where it is world premiering, Hall said she developed a trick to help her get into character.

“What was helpful was we were shooting on film,” said the Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire star. “Digital is silent but with film you can hear the sound of the whir. Sooner or later I latched onto that as my hum. It was comfortable and helped me be where I needed to be.”

After a while, Hall said “it became the thing of the character, I knew it was there and it was a sort of companion.

“The Lord of the Rings” is the most successful film series in the history of the Academy Awards, winning 17 Oscars including two Best Picture awards out of 30 total nominations.

Both “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Return of the King” won Best Picture while Peter Jackson won Best Director for the latter movie, which holds the joint record for most Oscar wins of all time with 11 victories (the same number as “Ben-Hur” and “Titanic”). However, the lauded trilogy only received one acting citation — that was for Ian McKellen for Best Supporting Actor for “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

But while the Oscars didn’t nominate nearly enough actors in this trilogy (shout out to Andy Serkis), “The Lord of the Rings” cast is full of incredible actors who have received multiple awards nominations for other projects. Considering it is Emmys season, we’re going to focus on Emmys.

Below...

Exclusive: The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy’s sweeping portrait of a wealthy British family in 1880s London, is getting its third TV adaptation in less than 60 years.

PBS Masterpiece has set a six-part season based on the 1920s novels, with BAFTA-nominated Poldark writer Debbie Horsfield penning the adaptation, designed to become a returning series.

It follows the BBC’s 1967 adaptation, which was watched by audiences of up to 18M. The 2002 version aired on ITV and featured a cast including Damian Lewis and Gina McKee.

The latest reimagining is housed at Mammoth Screen, the ITV Studios-backed British production company behind Parade’s End, The Serpent, and Victoria. Filming begins next month in England, Wales, and Italy.

Mammoth has gathered an ensemble cast for the series, led by BAFTA-winner Francesca Annis (Lillie), who plays formidable Forsyte matriarch Ann.

True Blood star Stephen Moyer (Sexy Beast) features as Ann’s eldest son, Jolyon Senior,...

Exclusive: Veteran British director Susanna White has revealed she’s working on a feature film based on her teenage life set against changes in the fashion world, as she gears up for today’s launch of Apple TV+ period drama The Buccaneers.

White is developing an untitled script for the BFI, the first time she has written a feature script herself, and the plot is based on her personal coming of age story. “It’s the story of me at 13, set in the world of fashion in early 1970s,” she told Deadline in an interview. “It’s very fun, sexy and hopefully moving.”

We hear the film will follow 13-year-old Gingernut as she grows up with the fur trade’s decline playing out in the background. The plot will see her trying to make sense of her parents’ dysfunctional relationship and include themes of family, growing up, betrayal, love and loss.

Bill Kenwright, the British West End theater and movie producer, who also acted in Coronation Street, has died aged 78.

Everton Football Club, at which Kenwright was Chairman for two decades, shared the news on X, stating that he had “passed away peacefully last night aged 78, surrounded by his family and loved ones.” “The club has lost a chairman, a leader, a friend, and an inspiration,” the statement added.

Another statement from Kenwright’s Bill Kenwright Limited said it was “devastated to share the news,” describing him as a “beloved partner, father, grandfather and friend.”

“Bill was driven by his passions and devoted his life to them: his deep love of theatre, film, music, and his beloved Everton and the families they created,” added the statement. “He impacted the lives of thousands, whether that be through launching the careers or his unending loyalty, generosity and unfaltering friendship and support.”

Kenwright was...

In 2021, “WandaVision” star Paul Bettany made history as the first man to be Emmy-nominated for a lead performance on a Marvel TV series, thus laying the groundwork for 2022 hopefuls Tom Hiddleston (“Loki”), Oscar Isaac (“Moon Knight”) and Jeremy Renner (“Hawkeye”). Although he lost the last Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor race to Ewan McGregor (“Halston”), he may now get an immediate second shot at the same prize based on his work on “A Very British Scandal.” Luckily for him, there is ample precedent for back-to-back bids in this category.

The first man recognized twice in a row for TV movie and/or limited series roles was Mickey Rooney. His example has been followed by 16 others, beginning with George C. Scott. Next came Hal Holbrook and Laurence Olivier, the latter of whom then became the category’s first three-time consecutive nominee with his 1975 bid for “Love Among the Ruins.”

SEEClaire...

by Cláudio Alves

One must admit when they were wrong. For the past decade, I've come to dismiss Benedict Cumberbatch as a limited and repetitive actor with very few exciting works. Someone who'd received undue acclaim, rising to fame in such meteoric fashion that it boggles the mind. In other words, I wasn't a fan of his take on Sherlock Holmes and quickly grew tired of his shtick as he graduated from TV stardom to a prestige movie juggernaut. Some performances made me rethink my distaste throughout the years, like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Parade's End, and, to a lesser extent, War Horse. But, of course, even a stopped watch is right twice a day, or so I told myself.

Well, it's 2021, and Benedict Cumberbatch is both on his way to an Oscar nomination and into my cinephile's heart. He gives three of the year's best performances in a slew...

Before shooting “The Power of the Dog” back at the start of 2020, Jane Campion kept having crazy dreams. “I’ve had this terrible fear of being on this big black horse and trying to go down this little lane on this cliff,” she said. “The horse was very testy. And I was proud to be on such an exciting animal, but I didn’t really know it at all. I was going down this trail, it’s getting smaller and smaller. And I can see we can’t fit here. And we can’t get back because this horse and I don’t know each other, I can’t get it to go back. ‘This is certain death.’ Then I woke up.”

Campion faced her fears with a woman who “facilitates a dialogue between yourself and your dreams and work,” she said. “She’s a genius. Most people are just too scared to do it.

Geoffrey Palmer, the prolific British film and TV actor, has died at the age of 93.

His death was confirmed by the BBC, which was home to As Time Goes By, the comedy in which he starred alongside Judi Dench. Palmer’s agent told the BBC that he died peacefully at home.

As Time Goes By ran for more than a decade on the BBC, but Palmer appeared in a huge number of other TV shows and movies throughout a career that began in the 1950s.

He was reunited with Dench in James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, while his range is demonstrated in other credits including Doctor Who, The Legacy of Reginald Perrin, Parade’s End and The Hollow Crown. More recent roles included appearing in Paddington.

In 2004, Palmer was honored by Queen Elizabeth II with an Order of the British Empire.

Below is a selection of tributes paid to Palmer:...

As the U.K.’s film and TV industry looks to restart, a crucial 10-day consultation period is underway on production guidelines that are now circulating across the industry. (Excerpts of the guidelines are published below.)

More than six weeks on from the March 23 lockdown, industry figures such as John McVay, head of producers’ trade body Pact, warns that restarting business “is not like switching a factory back on.”

“A lot of people are saying, ‘You should just do what Denmark or other countries did,’ (but) every country is different. Just because Denmark does it one way, it doesn’t mean it will work here,” McVay tells Variety.

The route to get cameras rolling again has required a complex network of British Film Institute-led working groups on high-end film and TV production, exhibition and distribution, broadcasting and independent film — all of whom have spent more than a month compiling best...

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...

Directors UK, the professional guild for screen directors in Britain, has launched guidelines for directing nude and simulated sex scenes to prevent unprofessional conduct in film and TV.

Described as the “first of their kind in the U.K.,” the new guidelines “are born of the need to set clear and shared professional expectations that apply to everyone involved in making sensitive content, with the aim that they will become standard working practice within the industry,” Directors UK said.

The guidelines encompass rehearsal techniques and directing scenes of sexual violence, as well as planning shots so that they respect individual contract clauses, and knowing how to address challenges that occur on set.

The guidelines were conceived in consultation with Directors UK members, as well as directors, industry bodies and with professionals from different fields to provide best practice for everyone involved: filmmakers, producers, writers, performers, casting directors, wardrobe and makeup,...

Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, which recounts the evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied soldiers from a beach in Northern France in May and June of 1940, finds the director working in a different register. From Julien Allen at Reverse Shot:For one thing, the events being dramatized in Dunkirk are not a leap of a storyteller's imagination, but recorded facts. Nolan's challenge is constricted by history rather than by science; and it is complicated, morally and artistically, by the need to do justice to real life events. For another, Nolan's obsession with exposition—a painful burden for his films to carry, particularly his highest concept pictures such as Inception and Interstellar—is nowhere to be seen. The story of these stranded men, sitting ducks on the barren beaches, is stripped down to a bare exercise in survival, in which the denial of exposition is demonstrative almost to the point of abstraction. The...

A new sci-fi thriller is in the works for BBC Two, based on China Miéville's novel The City & the City.

The book, which will be turned into four episodes by Poldark and Parade's End producer Mammoth Screen, follows Inspector Tyador Borlú who investigates the discovery of a foreign student's mutilated body on wasteland in the city of Besźel.

His searches lead to the revelation the dead girl was involved in so-called "political turmoil" between Besźel and neighbouring twin city Ul Qoma, with no-one allowed to see anyone from the other city and the borders between the cities patrolled.

To solve the mystery, Borlú must deal with violent deaths around him and cross the borders.

Kim Shillinglaw, controller of BBC Two who commissioned the adaptation, said: "I want BBC Two to give writers and directors the space to do their most creative, signature work and I'm thrilled to be announcing an adaptation of China Miéville's novel,...

Louisa Mellor Aug 22, 2016

You've heard of Breaking Bad, Orange Is The New Black & House Of Cards, what about Danger 5, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Darknet and more?…

Quite understandably, column inches can't fill up quickly enough with praise for the likes of Netflix original series House Of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul and Marvel's Daredevil. What though, about some of the lesser-known series available on the UK streaming site?

Sweeping past the well-publicised riches of Doctor Who, Sherlock, Arrested Development, Community and the like, we've ventured into the slightly dustier shelf of TV shows available on Netflix UK that may be lesser-known or less widely celebrated than the big hitters out there, but are still richly deserving of your time. Some are new, some are old, some were cancelled long ago, some are ongoing, several are from outside the UK and Us.

From supernatural, sci-fi,...

David Thewlis will lead the cast of BBC One's new adaptation of An Inspector Calls.

The Harry Potter and War Horse actor will play The Inspector in the Aisling Walsh-directed drama, which will air as part of the channel's season of classic 20th century literature adaptations.

Thewlis will be joined by Ken Stott (The Hobbit) as Arthur Birling and Miranda Richardson (Parade's End) as Sybil Birling.

Chloe Pirrie (Black Mirror), Kyle Soller (Poldark) and Sophie Rundle (Happy Valley) will also star.

Thewlis said: "An Inspector Calls is a British classic, and I am thrilled to be working on this beautiful screen adaptation with Aisling Walsh."

The adaptation will be produced by Drama Republic, who recently worked on The Honourable Woman for BBC Two. Playwright Helen Edmunson will adapt the play for television.

Lucy Richer, Commissioning Editor of BBC Drama, added: "The mysterious and elusive Inspector Goole has fascinated audiences for generations,...

If you don’t have a strong stomach, then you might want to pass on this short film. If you like the idea of a romantic film that tells the story of a man who takes his skin off for his girlfriend, then this is right up your alley! It’s probably not the best idea for anyone to take his or her skin off, but that's just how the guy in this story rolls. This short is kind of hard to watch because it’s pretty disgusting, but it’s a great and really well-made film. One of the things that makes it stand out is the fact that there were no CGI effects used to make it.

The movie was directed by Ben Aston, and here’s some information that came along with it:

He Took His Skin Off For Me is a practical SFX fairytale. No CGI whatsoever.

Benedict Cumberbatch is everywhere. He's got no fewer than three films coming out between now and the end of the year, with Oscar-tipped biopic The Imitation Game in cinemas now, and The Penguins of Madagascar and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies imminent.

After months of speculation surrounding the casting of Marvel's next superhero Doctor Strange, fresh reports have emerged linking Cumberbatch to the coveted role, although nothing has yet been confirmed. There's also the small matter of his recent engagement, which was announced in a characteristically classy manner earlier this month.

It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Cumberexposure. But fear not – Digital Spy's handy A-z guide is here to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.

A is for Alan Turing

In what's being widely heralded as the performance that will earn him his first Oscar nomination come January, Cumberbatch...

Benedict Cumberbatch is everywhere. He's got no fewer than three films coming out between now and the end of the year, with Oscar-tipped biopic The Imitation Game in cinemas now, and The Penguins of Madagascar and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies imminent.

After months of speculation surrounding the casting of Marvel's next superhero Doctor Strange, fresh reports have emerged linking Cumberbatch to the coveted role, although nothing has yet been confirmed. There's also the small matter of his recent engagement, which was announced in a characteristically classy manner earlier this month.

It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Cumberexposure. But fear not – Digital Spy's handy A-z guide is here to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.

A is for Alan Turing

In what's being widely heralded as the performance that will earn him his first Oscar nomination come January, Cumberbatch...

Netflix is in talks with Channel 4 to co-produce a television adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.

If the deal goes ahead then it will be the streaming service's most significant partnership with a UK broadcaster to date, Broadcast reports.

It is expected that Netflix will continue to work on co-productions as it launches in more European markets, such as France and Germany.

The Channel 4 adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities will be made by independent production company Mammoth Screen, who previously worked on the BBC and HBO mini-series Parade's End.

Channel 4 is reportedly looking for a Us partner for the project, with Netflix currently the lead contender. BBC Worldwide owns the international rights to the series.

BBC and ITV have previously adapted Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities, which is set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution.

The Channel...

Rufus Hound has joined the cast of Russell T Davies's new series Cucumber.

The actor and comedian will guest star as Rupert, a man who is interested in the show's lead character Henry (Vincent Franklin), Gay Times reports.

Meanwhile, Father Ted's Ardal O'Hanlon and Doctor Who's Adjoa Andoh have also been added to the cast.

The new Channel 4 series - which was first announced last year - is an eight-part drama and will focus on gay life in the 21st Century.

Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh will appear in the show, alongside Cyril Nri (The Bill), Freddie Fox (Parade's End), Fisayo Akinade (Fresh Meat), Con O'Neill (Uncle), James Murray (Primeval) and Ceallach Spellman (Waterloo Road).

Channel 4 has also commissioned an E4 follow-up series titled Banana, as well as an online factual series called Tofu. All three series are expected to debut in 2015.

Andrew Hayden-Smith has joined the cast of Russell T Davies's new E4 series Banana.

Banana is a new eight-part companion series to Channel 4 drama Cucumber, which also comes from former Doctor Who boss Davies.

Hayden-Smith - who previously starred in Doctor Who - is joined by Hannah John-Kamen (Happy Valley), Letitia Wright (Top Boy), Georgia Henshaw (Waterloo Road) and comedian Bethany Black, who makes her television debut.

Cucumber regulars Freddie Fox (Parade's End) and Fisayo Akinade (Fresh Meat) will also feature in the series.

Banana is a series of eight stand-alone stories, which takes a look at the lives of individual Lgbt characters.

Davies has penned three episodes out of eight, and is joined on the writing team by Sue Perkins, Matthew Berry, and newcomers Charlie Covell and Lee Warburton.

Davies explained: "The joy of Banana is in the beautiful, charming, witty and sometimes heart breaking stories of a wide variety of characters,...

Star Wars actor Denis Lawson has revealed that he turned down an appearance in Episode VII.

The actor - who played X-Wing fighter pilot Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy - declined an offer to reprise his role in Jj Abrams's hotly anticipated sequel.

"I'm not going to do that," Lawson told The Courier. "They asked me but it just would have bored me."

Lawson - who is uncle to prequel trilogy star Ewan McGregor - has previously said he would only be interested in a role that was larger than his original appearances.

The actor's career has mainly focused on television, including stints on Holby City and Parade's End.

Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker are confirmed to be returning to Disney's sci-fi franchise, along with several newcomers including Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and Andy Serkis.

Star Wars: Episode VII will...

Julie Hesmondhalgh has landed her first television role since exiting Coronation Street earlier this year.

Hesmondhalgh will star in the upcoming Russell T Davies drama series Cucumber.

The series - which was first announced last year - will air on Channel 4 and focus on gay life in the 21st Century.

The Thick of It star Vincent Franklin will also appear in the eight-part Channel 4 project, along with Cyril Nri (The Bill), Freddie Fox (Parade's End), Fisayo Akinade (Fresh Meat), Con O'Neill (Uncle), James Murray (Primeval) and Ceallach Spellman (Waterloo Road).

Cucumber will focus on 46-year-old Henry (Franklin) and his boyfriend Lance (Nri). After a disastrous date night, Henry's life changes forever.

Lance gets to know the mysterious Daniel (Murray), while Freddie (Fox) and 19-year-old Dean (Akinade) find themselves all living under the same roof.

Hesmondhalgh will play Henry's sister Cleo, who juggles her career with her three children,...

Eh? What did he say?

Earlier this week, viewers complained that they couldn't make out half of what was being said in BBC One's new drama Jamaica Inn. A combination of Cornish accents and dodgy sound meant that most of the dialogue went over people's heads. Say what you want about Made in Chelsea or EastEnders, but at least you can follow what's going on.

Turn on the subtitles as Digital Spy takes a look back at some of the most confusing performances from TV and film, whether it was intentional or not.

1. Bane - Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises)

Fans of Christopher Nolan's Batman series were already concerned about Bane after seeing the first trailer. After reassurances that the sound will be altered in time for its full release, we are as confused as ever by what Bane was going on about. We thought Christian Bale's growling Batman was bad enough.

Eh? What did he say?

Earlier this week, viewers complained that they couldn't make out half of what was being said in BBC One's new drama Jamaica Inn. A combination of Cornish accents and dodgy sound meant that most of the dialogue went over people's heads. Say what you want about Made in Chelsea or EastEnders, but at least you can follow what's going on.

Turn on the subtitles as Digital Spy takes a look back at some of the most confusing performances from TV and film, whether it was intentional or not.

1. Bane - Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises)

Fans of Christopher Nolan's Batman series were already concerned about Bane after seeing the first trailer. After reassurances that the sound will be altered in time for its full release, we are as confused as ever by what Bane was going on about. We thought Christian Bale's growling Batman was bad enough.

Eh? What did he say?

Earlier this week, viewers complained that they couldn't make out half of what was being said in BBC One's new drama Jamaica Inn. A combination of Cornish accents and dodgy sound meant that most of the dialogue went over people's heads. Say what you want about Made in Chelsea or EastEnders, but at least you can follow what's going on.

Turn on the subtitles as Digital Spy takes a look back at some of the most confusing performances from TV and film, whether it was intentional or not.

Bane - Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises)

Fans of Christopher Nolan's Batman series were already concerned about Bane after seeing the first trailer. After reassurances that the sound will be altered in time for its full release, we are as confused as ever by what Bane was going on about. We thought Christian Bale's growling Batman was bad enough.

Eh? What did he say?

Earlier this week, viewers complained that they couldn't make out half of what was being said in BBC One's new drama Jamaica Inn. A combination of Cornish accents and dodgy sound meant that most of the dialogue went over people's heads. Say what you want about Made in Chelsea or EastEnders, but at least you can follow what's going on.

Turn on the subtitles as Digital Spy takes a look back at some of the most confusing performances from TV and film, whether it was intentional or not.

Bane - Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises)

Fans of Christopher Nolan's Batman series were already concerned about Bane after seeing the first trailer. After reassurances that the sound will be altered in time for its full release, we are as confused as ever by what Bane was going on about. We thought Christian Bale's growling Batman was bad enough.

From Sherlock Holmes to JFK, the contenders in this category are quite the mixed bag, with Oscar nominees (or winners) Mark Ruffalo, Billy Bob Thornton, Christopher Plummer and Chiwetel Ejiofor all looking to score Emmy nods here. And will Idris Elba and Benedict Cumberbatch return to the fold after missing out on nominations last year for "Luther" and "Sherlock," respectively (Cumberbatch was nominated for "Parade's End" instead")? Either way they should all be thanking Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson for switching to the series category. Both definitely would have been nominated here otherwise. Below are predictions for best TV movie/miniseries actor from both Indiewire Awards Editor Peter Knegt and Assistant TV Editor Ben Travers. Check back as they might very well change 'em up between now and July 10th. Check out predictions in all the categories here. Ben's predictions: 1. Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart 2. Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo 3. Rob Lowe,...

Feature Louisa Mellor Simon Brew 7 Apr 2014 - 06:55

Who’s that? What did she just say? Wait, he’s English? Here are the things we don’t admit when watching acclaimed TV shows…

Omission makes the world go round. Without the art of keeping things to ourselves, most social interactions would disintegrate within seconds. Too much soul-baring honesty would snap the taut bonds that keep us all from running screaming through the Toby Carvery of a Sunday lunchtime jabbing family members with corn-on-the-cob prongs. We’re a tightly wound, insular people, the British. It takes court injunctions and Jeremy Kyle to prise loose our secrets.

Every so often though, it does us good to share. It’s cathartic to confess, between friends, that we’re sometimes a little bit lacking or dim. In the spirit of honesty and self-improvement then, here are the things we’d rather not admit to...

After winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his espionage drama series "Homeland" on Showtime, British actor Damian Lewis is getting into the spy thriller game back in his home country. THR reports Lewis has just landed a role in Our Kind of Traitor, the adaptation of John Le Carre's novel of the same name with Ewan McGregor in the lead. The story follows an English couple vacationing in Antigua who become entangled in the dealings of a Russian mobster desperate to defect. That's when the British Secret Service gets involved and the real suspense begins. Lewis will be playing a member of British Intelligence. Lewis joins a cast that also includes Stellan Skarsgard (Thor) and Naomie Harris (Skyfall), so it's an impressive assembly of talent for the film from director Susanna White("Parade's End") and writer Hossein Amini (Drive). Hopefully Lewis can make good use of his acclaimed...

ABC's drama project "American Crime" is lining up one of the deepest casts you'll find this pilot season. The latest addition is Timothy Hutton, who has landed a lead role in the show.

The pilot, from "12 Years a Slave" Oscar winner John Ridley, is about a racially charged murder trial in California's Central Valley and its effect on those involved. Hutton, formerly of TNT's "Leverage," will play the father of the murder victim. His character is a gambling addict who has managed to turn his life around.

Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives") is in talks to play Hutton's wife, and Penelope Ann Miller has signed on to play the mother of the victim's wife, who was badly beaten when her husband was killed. The cast also includes Benito Martinez ("The Shield"), W. Earl Brown ("Deadwood"), Caitlin Gerard, Elvis Nolasco and Richard Cabral.

Other pilot casting:

- "Weeds" star Mary-Louise Parker will...

"Ichabod is the hardest part I've played," Tom Mison, star of the freshman fantasy-drama "Sleepy Hollow," airing Mondays on Fox, tells Zap2it. "There's so much that we need to balance with him. To slightly veer in any one direction a little too much, and it will collapse."

"Sleepy Hollow" can be described as a combination of author Washington Irving (in particular, his stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle"), the film "National Treasure" and the biblical book of Revelation.

Mison's Ichabod Crane was a spy for Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War, when he beheaded the Hessian Horseman and apparently perished. But, he survived and slumbered underground for over two centuries, only to emerge in present-day Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.

Stalked by the now-Headless Horseman and facing a variety of deadly supernatural forces, Ichabod has partnered with local police Lt. Abby Mills (Nicole Beharie...

Benedict Cumberbatch plays not one, but two, evil presences in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — the dragon Smaug, whose hoard of gold includes a gem that our hobbit and dwarves seek, and a mysterious figure known as the Necromancer. But in real life, the actor is twice as nice ... so nice that when we were chatting this summer about his Emmy nomination for Parade's End, he was willing to keep talking until his flight was called (he was at the airport). After we covered all the essentials, we asked him about his experience shooting The Hobbit, and he got talking about lizards, his Satanic voice, and admiring Andy Serkis.I asked Andy Serkis if he had given you any mo-cap tips, because you don't just voice Smaug, you embody the character. Thank you for saying that! That's absolutely right, and I told Peter [Jackson] that, when I first...

Brian Lowry offers his picks for the most disappointing TV programs of 2013. He says each one "didn't live to their promise. So even if they succeeded or survived commercially, creatively speaking, label them disappointments." The photo gallery begins with his top choice of "The Following", and the rest of the list (in order) consists of "Dexter," "Under the Dome," "The Bridge," "Luther," "Mob City," "Low Winter Sun," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Parade's End," and "Cult." Variety. Kris Tapley breaks news that the musical score from Alexander Payne's film "Nebraska" is not eligible for this year's Academy Awards. Elements of the score by Mark Orton are selections from music he composed for the 2005 movie "Sweet Land." He concludes by saying "even if the tracks were originally meant for another film, they work beautifully in the cont...

Hilary Mantel, Jonathan Franzen, Mohsin Hamid, Ruth Rendell, Tom Stoppard, Malcolm Gladwell, Eleanor Catton and many more recommend the books that impressed them this year

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw (Fourth Estate) is a brilliant, sprawling, layered and unsentimental portrayal of contemporary China. It made me think and laugh. I also love Dave Eggers' The Circle (Hamish Hamilton), which is a sharp-eyed and funny satire about the obsession with "sharing" our lives through technology. It's convincing and a little creepy.

William Boyd

By strange coincidence two of the most intriguing art books I read this year had the word "Breakfast" in their titles. They were Breakfast with Lucian by Geordie Greig (Jonathan Cape) and Breakfast at Sotheby's by Philip Hook (Particular). Greig's fascinating, intimate biography of Lucian Freud was a revelation. Every question I had about Freud – from the aesthetic to the intrusively gossipy – was...

Director Justin Kurzel has begun pre-production in London on Macbeth, which stars Michael Fassbender as the ambitious Scottish king and Marion Cotillard as the conniving Lady Macbeth.

Kurzel is working with two of his collaborators from his debut film Snowtown, cinematographer Adam Arkapaw and production designer Fiona Crombie.

The producers are See-Saw Films. Iain Canning and Emile Sherman, whose credits include Tracks, Top of the Lake, Shame, Dead Europe and The King.s Speech.

Crombie has just finished the production design on Julius Avery.s Son of a Gun. Snowtown was her first feature, which she followed with Dead Europe and Top of the Lake.

The daughter of director Donald Crombie and former South Australian Film Corp. CEO Judith Crombie, Fiona graduated from Nida and was the resident designer at the Sydney Theatre Co. before she embarked on short films and TVCs.

Transmission will release Macbeth in Australia. StudioCanal is...

Filmmaker Susanna White ("Generation Kill," "Parade's End") has taken over directing duties on the film adaptation of John Le Carré's "Our Kind Of Traitor."

White replaces the previously attached Justin Kurzel ("Snowtown") with filming still slated to begin early next year. Before that, screenwriter Hossein Amini ("Drive") will take another pass at the script.

The story follows a young couple who are persuaded into helping a charismatic Russian millionaire to defect to British Intelligence. The action takes place across London, Paris, Moscow and Tangiers.

Ewan McGregor remains attached to star in the film, which the likes of Jessica Chastain, Mads Mikkelsen and Ralph Fiennes have been linked to. Simon Cornwell will produce.

Source: The Daily Mail...

You might remember that last year, and early this year, there were all kinds of rumblings and activity around the John Le Carré adaptation of "Our Kind Of Traitor." Justin Kurzel, the Aussie director behind the unnerving "Snowtown," had signed to direct, with Ewan McGregor attached to star, while names like Jessica Chastain, Mads Mikkelsen and Ralph Fiennes were all tossed around as potential cast members, with a 2014 shoot in mind. Well, that start date still seems to be in mind, but it looks like there's been a switch behind the camera. Baz Bamigboye reveals that Susanna White ("Generation Kill," "Parade's End") has taken over duties on the film, with screenwriter Hossein Amini ("Drive," "Snow White And The Huntsman") taking another pass at the script. The thriller will follow an English couple who get mixed up with a Russian money-laundering oligarch. They get caught up in his plans to defect...

One of the many surprises at the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards was Abi Morgan's win for "The Hour," a British period drama set at a news magazine show in the 1950s and starring Ben Whishaw, Dominic West and Romola Garai. The series, which many classified as a UK answer to "Mad Men," and which was canceled after two seasons, had more surface gloss and class than depth -- as Matt Zoller Seitz put it, "for all its fascination with journalistic ethics, political gamesmanship, and the anxiety of Great Britain during empire’s twilight, 'The Hour' has never pretended to be anything other than a very classy potboiler filled with attractive people." The show's certainly not bad, and Morgan's win in itself is less shocking than the people she beat out -- Jane Campion ("Top of the Lake"), Richard Lagravenese ("Behind the Candelabra"), David Mamet ("Phil Spector") and Tom Stoppard...

Here's the full list of nominees and winners at the 2013 Emmy Awards, and while some of the winners were pretty obvious, there were still some big surprises. Look over the list, and let us know who you thought should have won.

Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock • NBC

The Big Bang Theory • CBS

Girls • HBO

Louie • FX

*Modern Family • ABC

Veep • HBO

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Laura Dern, Enlightened

Lena Dunham, Girls

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Amy Poehler, Parks And Recreation

*Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

*Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Don Cheadle, House Of Lies

Louis C.K., Louie

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Jason Bateman, Arrested Development

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler - The Big Bang Theory • CBS

Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester - Glee • Fox

Julie Bowen as...

The 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, aired on Sunday evening and now we have the list of winners (in red) and nominees from the event. Check it out below and let us know if you agree with the results. "Breaking Bad" took home the award in the best drama series, beating such shows as "Downton Abbey," "Game of Thrones," "Homeland," House of Cards" and "Mad Men." But the biggest surprise of the evening was that "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston didn't win for best actor in a drama series. That award went to Jeff Daniels for "The Newsroom." Claire Danes won for best actress in a drama series for her work on "Homeland." The actress won the same award last year. And this year marks the first time a show not airing on television has received nominations. That show is "House of Cards," which is exclusive to Netflix.

Los Angeles, Sep 23: Actor-producer Michael Douglas won the best lead actor trophy in a miniseries at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre here Sunday. He got the award for his role of Liberace in "Behind the Candelabra".

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, "Behind the Candelabra" is a biopic about the last 10 years in the life of pianist Liberace and the secret affair he had with his friend Scott Thorson, played by actor Matt Damon.

Others vying for the lead actor trophy were Matt Damon for "Behind the Candelabra", Toby Jones for "The Girl", Benedict Cumberbatch for "Parade's End" and Al Pacino for "Phil.

"Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus took home her fourth career win, and her second for her HBO comedy, at the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday (Sept. 22), while "Breaking Bad" actress Anna Gunn earned her first award ever for her final season as Skylar White.

The complete winners list below:

Outstanding DRAMABreaking BadDownton Abbey Game of Thrones Homeland House of Cards Mad Men

Outstanding Actress In A Drama Connie Britton, Nashville Claire Danes, Homeland Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men Kerry Washington, Scandal Robin Wright, House of Cards

Outstanding Actor In A Drama Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom Jon Hamm, Mad Men Damian Lewis, Homeland Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones Christine Baranski, The Good Wife Morena Baccarin, Homeland Christina Hendricks,...

On February 22, the Television Academy presented the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, and Et is bringing you all the winners! To see which nominees took home with Emmy statuettes, see the list below. (Winners underlined.)

Click here for full Emmys coverage.

Outstanding Drama Series

Breaking Bad

Downton Abbey

Homeland

Game of Thrones

House of Cards

Mad Men

Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock

The Big Bang Theory

Girls

Louie

Modern Family

Veep

Lead Actress - Drama

Vera Farmiga - Bates Motel

Michelle Dockery - Downton Abbey

Claire Danes - Homeland

Robin Wright - House of Cards

Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men

Connie Britton - Nashville

Kerry Washington - Scandal

Lead Actor - Drama

Hugh Bonneville - Downton Abbey

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Damian Lewis - Homeland

Kevin Spacey - House of Cards

Jon Hamm - Mad Men

Jeff Daniels - The Newsroon

Lead Actress - Comedy

Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Laura Dern - Enlightened

Lena Dunham - [link...

Sleepy Hollow will premiere on the Universal Channel in the UK next month.

Fox's new TV adaptation of the 1820 horror tale will arrive on Universal on Wednesday, October 9 at 9pm.

The series - from Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman - stars Parade's End actor Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane.

The new Sleepy Hollow follows Crane as he is transported from the 1800s to 2014, where he must battle his old nemesis, the Headless Horseman.

The channel fought off competition from a number of rival networks to secure the rights to the show. It also won the rights to air Graceland and Bates Motel, with the latter premiering last week.

Nicky Douglas, managing director at Universal Networks International, commented: "We've been looking for... distinctive, new content to bring character-focused positioning to life.

"With intriguing central characters, both Sleepy Hollow and Graceland deliver that and also tap into the universal...

Studio: HBO Video | Director: Susanna White | Cast: Rebecca Hall, Benedict Cumberbatch, Steve Graham, Rupert Everett, Rufus Sewell, Janet McTeer, Miranda Richardson

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: 9/10/2013 | Price: DVD $39.98, Blu-ray $49.99

Bonuses: interview with writer Tom Stoppard

Specs: Nr | 300 min. | Period drama | widescreen | Dolby Digital 5.1 | English, French and Spanish subtitles

Ratings (out of 5 dishes): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

The 2012 HBO/BBC co-production Parade’s End is probably best enjoyed by those who’ve read enough Victorian literature to intuitively appreciate the plight of the generation of British gentlemen who had to reckon their nineteenth-century sensibilities with twentieth-century realities. These were the men who were utterly sincere in their noblesse oblige—who truly believed that the fate of the world would rise or fall on the conscience and character of the landed British gentry.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall star in Parade's End.

Parade’s End—based on the Ford Maddox Ford tetralogy—explores the life,...

This week, Tube Talk has been keeping its ear to the street, hanging with our PR homies and hitting them up for some quotez on your favourite showz - all for you, peeps.

Alright, so that was embarrassing and we're not cool - but we are reliable and deliver the goods, so read on for scoop on Homeland, Game of Thrones, the new Sleepy Hollow TV show and more...

Does anyone know if a UK network will be airing the new TV version of Sleepy Hollow?

*throws hand up* We do! Fox's new action-packed take on the Sleepy Hollow legend - which stars Parade's End actor Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane - attracted interest from a number of different broadcasters, but has now been picked up by the Universal Channel.

It's a big score for Universal, since Sleepy is one of the most hotly-anticipated fall series in the Us -...

Sleepy Hollow is to air on the Universal Channel in the UK.

Fox's new TV adaptation of the 1820 horror tale arrives on Universal after the channel fought off competition from a number of rival broadcasters, Broadcast reports.

The series - from Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman - stars Parade's End actor Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane.

The new Sleepy Hollow follows Crane as he is transported from the 1800s to 2014, where he must battle his old nemesis, the Headless Horseman.

Universal has also picked up the Us series Graceland and Bates Motel - with the Psycho prequel set to air in the UK from September 12.

"With Bates Motel set to make its UK premiere on Universal Channel, we've been looking for further distinctive, new content to bring character-focused positioning to life," said Nicky Douglas, managing director, Universal Networks International

"With intriguing central characters, both Sleepy Hollow and...

There is no disputing that Michael Douglas is far ahead in the Emmy race for Best Movie/Miniseries Actor. He currently has the backing of all of Gold Derby's experts and editors and almost 92% of Gold Derby's users, giving Douglas 1/10 odds of winning. The other four nominees may be left in the dust with only minimal support from our site's users. Here's a closer look at each nominee and what they bring to the competition: Benedict Cumberbatch, "Parade's End" After being nominated in this category last year for "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia," the actor earns his second nomination for playing Christopher Tietjens, a statistician who is caught in a loveless marriage and tempted by another woman. Pro: Benedict Cumberbatch is currently one of the most popular actors on the planet, and the Emmys can be suckers for British stars. His popularity from the recent "Star Trek Into Darkness" and the potent.