FIRST LOOK: Sharon D Clarke plays the title character in three-part detective drama Ellis, coming to Acorn TV in November.
All posts by Michael Pickard
UKTV identifies I, Jack Wright
FIRST LOOK: Nikki Amuka-Bird, John Simm and Gemma Jones head the cast of I, Jack Wright, a murder mystery drama created by writer Chris Lang (Unforgotten).
Uncovering Secrets
Danish director Kaspar Munk reflects on the changing television landscape that led him to write and direct eight-part drama Secrets, the story of two siblings caught in a spiral of co-dependency and the lies that threaten to tear their seemingly perfect lives apart.
Now and then
Swedish stars Alexandra Rapaport and Ella Hammasten Liedberg join writer-director Martina Haag to pull back the curtain on the making of Det är något som inte stammer (Little Did I Know), a Viaplay film about a woman looking back on her childhood as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
Lost Seul
The cast and creative team behind Seul (Alone at Sea) preview this France Télévisions TV movie about a yachtsman’s incredible voyage of survival during a solo around-the-world race, and reveal the challenges they faced filming at sea.
Box to box
Warren Brown reflects on his rise from Thai boxing champion to leading actor after becoming a regular face on British television thanks to shows including The Responder, The Gathering and Ten Pound Poms.
Heaven or Helgoland
In Helgoland 513, the survivors of a deadly pandemic must live together under barbaric rules that mean the population can never increase. Creators Florian Wentsch and Veronica Priefer and executive producer Oliver Ossege discuss the very modern roots of this dystopian drama.
Pushing the boat out
Three-part miniseries La Ley del Mar (The Law of the Sea) dramatises the true story of a Spanish fishing crew who rescued a group of stranded migrants and sparked a diplomatic crisis. DQ hears about why this universal story can cross borders, and the challenges of filming at sea. When the crew of the Francisco y Catalina left the Spanish town of Santa Pola to fish in the Mediterranean Sea, they didn’t realise they would soon find themselves at the centre of a humanitarian and diplomatic standoff. Yet that’s exactly what happened in July 2006 when they came across a boat carrying 51 stranded migrants – including a young girl and a pregnant woman – in international waters. Invoking the ‘Law of the Sea,’ they determined to rescue them and take them to the Maltese capital of Valetta. But when they arrived, they were prevented from landing by local patrol ships. For nine days, the crew – led by captain José ‘Pepe’ Durá – and the migrants lived together aboard the fishing boat while Spanish and Maltese authorities, and others, sought a resolution to the crisis. Meanwhile, on shore, the families of the crew including Pepe’s wife Pepi Irles, a manager of the fishing boat company, brought the crisis to the public’s attention as the Spanish ambassador to Malta, Andrea de Velasco Lorente, led the charge to find a solution – one that would go on to change EU legislation relating to immigration. Spanish producer, comedian and screenwriter Enrique Domingo … Continue reading Pushing the boat out
Cracking the accent code
Dialect coach Natalie Grady explains how she uses her love of accents to help actors perfect their voice for a new role, revealing the keys to learning a new accent and why practice makes perfect.
UKTV tells Outrageous tale
FIRST LOOK: Bessie Carter, Joanna Vanderham, Isobel Jesper Jones and Shannon Watson star in Outrageous, a dramatisation of the story of the Mitford sisters due to air in 2025.
Hulu, Disney+ reveal more Murders
TRAILER: Here’s the trailer for the fourth season of Only Murders in the Building, coming to Hulu in the US and Disney+ from August 27.
Apple TV+ backs Slow Horses
TRAILER: Gary Oldman returns to Slough House for the fourth season of Slow Horses, launching on Apple TV+ on September 4.
Prime Video uncovers A Very Royal Scandal
FIRST LOOK: Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen star in A Very Royal Scandal, Prime Video’s three-part miniseries chronicling Prince Andrew’s 2019 Newsnight interview with journalist Emily Maitlis.
Who’s the Daddy?
Writer Danielle Ward, director Damon Beesley and executive producer Phil Gilbert discuss their partnership on BBC Three series Daddy Issues, the challenge with comedies, and working with “dream” stars Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey.
BBC makes the case with Ludwig
FIRST LOOK: The BBC has released new images from Ludwig, its upcoming crime procedural starring David Mitchell, ahead of its launch this autumn on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Grill thrills
US actor Edwin Lee Gibson takes DQ inside the making of acclaimed restaurant drama The Bear, playing chef Ebraheim, the key to the show’s success and why the food on set occasionally gets him into trouble.
Paramount+ sets Curfew
FIRST LOOK: Sarah Parish stars in Curfew, a six-part alternative reality thriller set in a world where all men live under a curfew. It will launch on Paramount+ in the UK later this year. Based on Jayne Cowie’s novel After Dark, the story takes place at a time when The Women’s Safety Act decrees that men abide by a curfew from 7pm to 7am every night, with their movements tracked by an ankle tag 24 hours a day. When a woman’s body is discovered brutally murdered during curfew hours and left on the steps of the Women’s Safety Centre, veteran Police officer Pamela Green (Parish) believes that a man is responsible. But in a world where men are bound by the curfew system, her theory is rejected. The introduction of The Women’s Safety Act almost three years earlier is widely considered as effective at protecting women, who have been able to go out at night without looking over their shoulders, and nobody wants to hear different. If Pamela proves a man committed this murder, it could bring The Women’s Safety Act crashing down… people in high places are determined to make the curfew a success and will do all it takes to prevent Pamela from discovering the truth. Mitchell Robertson (Mayflies) plays rookie cop Eddie, shadowing Pamela on his first murder investigation. Mandip Gill (Doctor Who) joins the cast as Sarah, an employee at the local Women’s Safety Centre at the heart of Pamela and Eddie’s investigation. Alexandra Burke (Sister … Continue reading Paramount+ sets Curfew
Turk of the town
From teen drama Skins to new show The Turkish Detective, Ben Schiffer has risen from aspiring screenwriter to head writer. He speaks about building his TV career and blending British drama sensibilities with the hustle and bustle of modern-day Istanbul in his first original series.
S4C sets October launch for Cleddau
FIRST LOOK: Filming has wrapped on Cleddau, a Welsh language series starring Elen Rhys (The Mallorca Files) and Richard Harrington (Hinterland) that will debut on S4C in October.
Sky meets Sweetpea
TRAILER: Fallout star Ella Purnell heads the cast of Sweetpea, a “twisted, coming-of-rage” series coming to Sky this October. Here’s a teaser trailer.