FIRST LOOK: Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West reunite for the second season of Channel 4 comedy Big Mood, which is set to return in 2026.
All posts by Michael Pickard
Sky reveals Gomorrah – The Origins
TRAILER: Here’s the first footage of Gomorrah – The Origins, Sky’s upcoming six-part prequel to the Italian crime saga inspired by Roberto Saviano’s novel. It will premiere in early 2026.
Netflix decides to Run Away
TRAILER: James Nesbitt, Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver and Alfred Enoch head the cast of Run Away, the latest Harlan Coben adaptation coming to Netflix. The eight-part series debuts worldwide on January 1, 2026.
Spy another day
Newsreader and screenwriter Tom Bradby lifts the lid on Secret Service, ITV’s upcoming espionage thriller that stars Gemma Arterton as an MI6 officer attempting to maintain her family life while uncovering a Russian operative at the heart of the British government.
Giving it their Best shot
A Finnish crime drama investigates the mystery behind a teenage girl’s disappearance, set against the backdrop of a Helsinki suburb in the late 1980s. Director Saara Saarela and executive producer Minna Haapkylä introduce All the Best Girls.
Sky chases down Prisoner
FIRST LOOK: Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle are on the run in this first image from Sky action thriller Prisoner, which is set to air in 2026.
No time to lie
Actor Shaun Evans and executive producer Tom Leggett discuss how their off-screen partnership paved the way for ITV drama Betrayal, which blends espionage intrigue and domestic drama to tell the story of a spy facing up to a midlife crisis.
Holliday Grainger returns for The Capture S3
FIRST LOOK: Holliday Grainger returns as Rachel Carey in the third season of surveillance thriller The Capture, which will arrive on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in spring 2026.
The road to freedom
Prisoner 951 star Narges Rashidi, writer Stephen Butchard and director Philippa Lowthorpe reveal how they dramatised the years-long story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s detention in Iran and her husband Richard Ratcliffe’s fight for justice in the UK.
Sky tunes into Mozart
TRAILER: Will Sharpe, Paul Bettany and Gabrielle Creevy strike up the orchestra in the trailer for period drama Amadeus, a six-part series about musical prodigy Wolfgang ‘Amadeus’ Mozart that will launch on Sky and NOW on December 21, 2025.
Channel 4 adds more Patience
FIRST LOOK: Jessica Hynes joins the cast of Channel 4 drama Patience, which will return for a second season in early 2026.
ITV finds psychological drama Gone
FIRST LOOK: Eve Myles and David Morrissey star in Gone, a psychological drama coming to ITV in early 2026.
Breaking the ice
Six-part drama Hildur brings Satu Rämö’s surfing and knitting detective to the small screen. Writers Matti Laine and Margrét Örnólfsdóttir, director Tinna Hrafnsdóttir and executive producer Eero Hietala unpack how they made this ‘Nordic blue’ crime series.
ITV identifies Betrayal
FIRST LOOK: Endeavour’s Shaun Evans and Romola Garai (The Years) star in Betrayal, a drama set against the backdrop of MI5 that is due to premiere on ITV and STV in 2026.
Acorn TV sets launch of Midsomer Murders S25
TRAILER: Midsumer Murders returns to Acorn TV in the US and Canada for its 25th season on December 8. Here’s the trailer.
Having a blast
Trigger Point star Nabil Elouahabi reflects on three seasons of making ITV’s tense bomb-disposal drama, hitting the show’s sweet spot and why he stands against ‘second screening.’
Peacock saddles up for PONIES
FIRST LOOK: Games of Thrones star Emilia Clarke heads the cast of PONIES, an espionage thriller debuting in the US on Peacock on January 15, 2026.
ABC, BBC uncover Treasure & Dirt
FIRST LOOK: Michael Dorman and Liv Hewson star in Treasure & Dirt, a new Australian crime drama now in production in South Australia for ABC, in association with the BBC.
Second act
Director Azhur Saleem discusses his work on historical romance Outlander: Blood of my Blood, returning for its second season and his love of “old-school romantic epics.”
Gently does it
BBC series Small Prophets is Mackenzie Crook’s spiritual successor to the acclaimed Detectorists. He joins producer Gill Isles to outline the “gentle” new comedy, his decision to move behind the camera and creating the show’s animated stars. Deep in the post-production process, Mackenzie Crook is watching his new series come to life – with the help of some animated magical sprites. Crook is best known on screen as Gareth Keenan from The Office, or for his various turns as Ragetti in the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. But over the past decade, he has established himself as a writer and director thanks to original series such as Detectorists and a reimagining of children’s fantasy show Worzel Gummidge. It’s a dual role the star now reprises on his latest project, Small Prophets, a six-part comedy commissioned by the BBC that reunites Crook with his Detectorists co-star Pearce Quigley. Quigley plays eccentric Michael Sleep who, since his darling Clea disappeared seven years earlier, has lived a very ordinary life. He eats Shreddies, works in a DIY store, visits dad Brian (Michael Palin) and hopes for Clea to return. Then one day, Brian shares an old recipe involving rainwater, horse manure and more than a little alchemy. With recipe in hand, Michael sets out (albeit with some scepticism) to create Homunculi – magical beings that can predict the future – in the hope they have the answer to his burning question, ‘Will I ever see Clea again?’ Michael gets help from his … Continue reading Gently does it