All posts by Michael Pickard

Sky starts The Iris Affair

FIRST LOOK: Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander play a deadly game of hide and seek in The Iris Affair, a chase thriller set across Italy that will debut on Sky and streamer NOW later this year. Written, created and showrun by Neil Cross (Luther), the series pits two brilliant minds against each other.  When enigmatic genius Iris Nixon (Algar) cracks a string of complex online puzzles, she’s led to a piazza in Florence where she meets charismatic entrepreneur Cameron Beck (Hollander). He invites her to come and work for him to unlock a powerful and top-secret piece of technology. Her curiosity piqued, she accepts. But when Iris discovers its dangerous potential, she steals the journal containing the device’s activation sequence – and vanishes. This leads to a relentless pursuit, from a remote cabin in Sardinia through the bustling streets of Rome, as Cameron races to find Iris in a high-stakes game where trust is dangerous and failure could be catastrophic. The cast also includes Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), Harry Lloyd (Arcane), Meréana Tomlinson (The Trials), Sacha Dhawan (The Great), Maya Sansa (Good Morning, Night), Peter Sullivan (Poldark), Debi Mazar (Younger), Marco Leonardi (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso,), Angela Bruce (Silver Haze) and Lorenzo De Moor (A Simple Favor 2). The eight-part series is directed by Terry McDonough (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) and Sarah O’Gorman (A Gentleman in Moscow, The Witcher). The Iris Affair is a Sky Studios and Fremantle coproduction. Wildside provided production services in Italy. The series executive producer … Continue reading Sky starts The Iris Affair →

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Lockerbie’s untold story

Novelist-turned-screenwriter Jonathan Lee details how years of research led him to write The Bombing of Pan Am 103, a BBC drama exploring the investigation into and response to the Lockerbie disaster in 1988.

 

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Jing Lusi, Martin Compston board new season of ITV’s Red Eye

FIRST LOOK: Jing Lusi and Martin Compston are teaming up for season two of ITV thriller Red Eye, which is currently in production.

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In good taste

Dood Spoor (Dead End) creator, writer and director Malin-Sarah Gozin helps DQ digest this unique Flemish crime series, in which a man with a unique gift – he can see the last moments of anything he puts in his mouth – joins the police hunt for a serial killer.

 

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Channel 4 unveils Rosie Jones sitcom Pushers

FIRST LOOK: Comedian Rosie Jones stars in her first ever sitcom, Pushers, about a young woman who builds an illegal drugs empire after her state benefits are cut. It is due to launch on Channel 4 in the UK in June.

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Better days

Norwegian series Ølhunden Berit (A Better Man) follows a misogynist online troll who is outed by hackers and forced to live as a woman to avoid public shaming. Creator Thomas Seeberg Torjussen and stars Anders Baasmo Christiansen and Ingrid Unnur Giæver unpack this provocative tale of transformation.

 

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AI Agatha

Agatha Christie has been resurrected using AI to lead a BBC Maestro course that aims to share the Queen of Crime’s writing secrets with budding authors – but it could also be a watershed moment for the use of technology in television production.

 

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Prime Video on board thriller Vanished

FIRST LOOK: The Flight Attendant’s Kaley Cuoco is teaming up with Sam Claflin (Peaky Blinders) for Vanished, a four-part thriller picked up by Prime Video for the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It will launch in 2026.

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Ed will roll

Director Ed Bazalgette talks taking up the reins of season two of historical drama Marie Antoinette, blending high drama with soapy character storylines and showcasing the series’ luxurious costumes and locations.

 

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Who’s that girl?

As Millie Gibson returns to Doctor Who, the star tells DQ about her journey in the TARDIS, why the sci-fi series is the best training for an actor and why viewers might not recognise her in upcoming period drama The Forsyte Saga.

 

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Art Detectives arrive at Acorn TV

TRAILER: True Blood star Stephen Moyer partners with Nina Singh (Virdee) in Art Detectives, a new crime series debuting on Acorn TV in the US and Canada on June 9.

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Paramount+ brings on Little Disasters

TRAILER: Diane Kruger, Jo Joyner, Emily Taaffe and Shelley Conn star in Little Disasters, a Paramount+ series based on Sarah Vaughan’s novel of the same name that will debut in the UK & Ireland on May 22.

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Wellness gone sour

Apple Cider Vinegar tells the ‘true-ish’ story of an Australian wellness influencer who claimed to have cured her terminal brain cancer. Showrunner Samantha Strauss discusses her interest in bringing it to the screen and working with star Kaitlyn Dever.

 

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Friendly rivals

After another stellar year of British drama, Baby Reindeer, Slow Horses and Rivals each took two trophies apiece at the BAFTA TV Crafts Awards 2025. DQ was backstage at the ceremony to chat to the winners about their work.

 

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Bringing books to life

Ahead of the BAFTA TV Craft Awards, nominated directors Peter Kosminsky and Molly Manners reflect on their respective work behind the camera on BBC historical drama Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light and Netflix’s One Day, explaining how the source material for each was brought to the screen.

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Script secrets

How are writers currently navigating the troubled British drama industry, and what were the unique storytelling methods used in making Baby Reindeer, One Day and Industry? The BAFTA-nominated writers of these shows take DQ inside their acclaimed works and explain why it’s still worth taking risks.

 

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ITV appoints Gemma Arterton for Secret Service

FIRST LOOK: Gemma Arterton takes the lead in Secret Service, a political thriller based on Tom Bradby’s novel of the same name that is set to launch on ITV and STV in 2026.

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Keeley Hawes, Paapa Essiedu start Falling for Channel 4

FIRST LOOK: Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu have started filming Falling, a love story written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence, Help) coming soon to Channel 4.

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The Mothma prophecies

What is it that separates Andor from other Star Wars series, and why has playing Mon Mothma for 20 years meant so much to Genevieve O’Reilly? The actor tells DQ about making the Disney+ thriller, its bold storytelling choices and portraying a character who would become a Rebel leader.

 

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