Ruth Madeley takes on her first leading TV role in BBC thriller The Rapture, playing a forensic psychologist convinced a teenage murder suspect might be telling the truth about her psychic visions. She tells DQ how the role also marked her debut as an executive producer, and why authentically portraying a wheelchair user on screen mattered so much to her.
FIRST LOOK: Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth team up as police detectives investigating a death that sends shockwaves through a small town in The Blame, coming to ITV1 and ITVX this autumn.
When DI Emma Crane (Keegan) and DI Tom Radley (Booth) dig deeper into what appears to be a tragic death in the town of Wakestead, a murder enquiry soon spirals into a tangled web of lies, institutional cover-ups and moral compromise. As the clock ticks and trust fractures, Crane must navigate both a murder investigation and the treacherous politics inside her own team.
The cast also includes Ian Hart as DCI Kenneth Walker, Nathan Mensah as DC Lewis Brimah, Nigel Boyle as digital forensic technician Neil Shergill, Joe Armstrong plays ice-skating coach Kyle Frasier and Matilda Freeman is Sophie Madsen.
Gavin Spokes, Josh Bolt and Ceallach Spellman are part of the Wakestead Police team as DC Joel Stevens, DC Douglas James and PC Callum Drummond.
Based on the novel of the same name by Charlotte Langley, the six-part series is produced by Quay Street Productions. It is written by Megan Gallagher (All Her Fault, Wolf). Matt Strevens (Capital, Cucumber) is the series producer, with Sara Huxley as coproducer.
Bex Rycroft (The Crow Girl, Screw) is the director for episodes 1-3 and Claire Tailyour (The Wives, Beyond Paradise) directs episodes 4-6.
Executive producers for Quay Street Productions are Nicola Shindler (Happy Valley, It’s A Sin) and Richard Fee (Fool Me Once, After The Flood). Polly Hill is executive producer for ITV.
Gallagher is executive producer and the lead writer alongside series co-writers Ashley Sanders (episode 3) and Namsi Khan (episode 4 with Megan Gallagher).
The Blame was filmed in and around London. Fifth Season is handling global distribution.
tagged in: Douglas Booth, Fifth Season, ITV1, ITVX, Michelle Keegan, Quay Street Productions, The Blame
As casting directors finally earn awards recognition, Kate Rhodes James explains why hers remains an invisible art – and why patience, instinct and strong director relationships matter more than ever.
Landing the title role in Goolagong was a breakthrough for Australian rising star Lila McGuire, who charts tennis legend Evonne Goolagong’s rise on the court and her fight against racial barriers as an Indigenous woman. On the tennis court, Evonne Goolagong is widely recognised as one of the sport’s greatest players. She won the French Open in 1971 aged 19, became the first mother to win Wimbledon when she triumphed on grass for the second time in 1980, reached number one in the world and collected a total of seven singles majors – and 14 overall – in an era when her competition included fellow greats Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Chris Evert. But away from the sport, her impact and legacy are even greater after she became a trailblazer for Indigenous Australians – work that continues through the Evonne Goolagong Foundation. Among Goolagong’s many admirers are rising acting star Lila McGuire, who plays the tennis star in a three-part television biopic – called Goolagong – and has now been nominated for two prizes at the 2026 Logie Awards, which each year recognise the best in Australian television. She will find out if she has won either the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent or the Silver Logie for Best Lead Actress in a Drama at a ceremony in Sydney on August 16. “Honestly, I just feel so incredibly lucky, like I lucked out with the crew and the cast and everyone who was working … Continue reading Lila McGuire on her big break starring as tennis ace and Indigenous Australian trailblazer Evonne Goolagong
As The Rockford Files returns to screens nearly 50 years after it first aired, David Boreanaz discusses stepping into James Garner’s shoes, why his own fears about losing his father shaped the role, and how he ended up trading blows with his son on set.
As New Zealand drama Blue Murder Motel is sold around the world, series co-creator and lead writer Kate McDermott discusses the show’s motel setting, casting stars Michala Banas and Brett Tucker, and how the series departs from traditional cosy crime series.
Scottish actor John Hannah tells DQ about starring in upcoming 5 detective drama Benidorm is Murder, reveals why he thought he might never play a police officer on screen again, and calls for the television industry to support more working-class voices.
Four years after Channel 4’s cyber-thriller The Undeclared War first aired, the series returns with a new writer and director, a one-shot opener and a story that heightens the political intrigue – as star Hannah Khalique-Brown, writer Colin Teevan and executive producer Colin Callender reveal. When political thriller The Undeclared War returns for its second season, it is with a dazzling one-shot sequence that sees the camera glide from a communications room filled with video and radar screens to busy corridors and an open-plan office where dozens of staff are standing at their computer terminals under muted lighting. The immersive nine-minute opening reintroduces Simon Pegg’s Danny Patrick, director of operations at GCHQ (the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters), in the moments immediately after the end of season one and throws viewers straight back into a geopolitical crisis that threatens the future of the country. In S1, the British government accused Russia of attempting to subvert democracy by interfering in elections after a cyber-attack exposes its political institutions and telecoms – an event described as the equivalent of “an armed attack… an act of war.” Diplomatic relations between the UK and the US were also suspended after Russia’s FSB (Federal Security Service) stole American intelligence data from GCHQ. It concluded with hacker Vadim Trusov, who had been coerced into working for the FSB, sharing top-secret Russian files with GCHQ’s Saara Parvin, just as a radar picked up Russian aircraft entering UK airspace. Picking up from that exact moment, the story resumes as … Continue reading Inside the return of The Undeclared War with Hannah Khalique-Brown, Colin Teevan and Colin Callender
As Paramount+ psychological thriller The Crow Girl returns for a second season, stars Eve Myles and Katherine Kelly speak to DQ about continuing the multi-layered story set out in season one, what’s in store for their characters this time around and how they prepare to tackle the show’s themes of abuse and past trauma.
As he reflects on departing Grey’s Anatomy after almost two decades, Scottish actor Kevin McKidd looks ahead to upcoming film and television roles, discusses his burgeoning production company Ferryman Films and reveals the biggest challenge he faces when directing himself. After 18 years starring as trauma surgeon Dr Owen Hunt in Grey’s Anatomy, Scottish actor Kevin McKidd has been discharged from Shonda Rhimes’ medical drama. Unsurprisingly, he has mixed emotions about leaving a part he first took on in 2005. “It’s been 18 years of my life, and it became my family,” he says, speaking at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival where he was a member of the event’s fiction competition jury. “I moved to America to do a different show that only lasted one season, Journeyman, but then I got asked to join Grey’s – and my whole family are in Scotland and so Grey’s actually did become like my family.” Linda Klein, one of the series producers, even became godmother to his children. “So it was quite hard to leave, because I’m not gonna see all those people every day.” It’s not the end of McKidd’s relationship with the series, however, as he has already been asked back to direct some episodes in its upcoming 23rd season. “So it’s a weird mix of emotions, because I’m really enjoying being out in the world and playing different roles, because I’ve been so locked into that for so long. I felt like I’m getting older, but while I’m still young enough … Continue reading Scottish star Kevin McKidd on acting, directing and producing after saying goodbye to Grey’s Anatomy
British star Tamsin Greig reflects on starring in BBC music drama Riot Women, learning bass guitar for her role and why she couldn’t say no to working with writer and director Sally Wainwright.
The Westies stars JK Simmons, Tom Brittney, Titus Welliver and Jessica Frances Dukes join creators Chris Brancato and Michael Panes to tell DQ about building the world and the characters of this MGM+ crime drama about an Irish gang with ambitions to rule 1980s New York City. On Godfather of Harlem, Michael Panes joined the writing staff of a show co-created by Chris Brancato, telling the story of a gangster making his way in 1960s Harlem. The pair then reunited on Hotel Cocaine, with Panes joining the crew of Brancato’s show that centres on the Mutiny Hotel, which stood at the epicentre of the Miami cocaine market in the 1970s and 1980s. Now the pair have come together to create and showrun The Westies, a gritty crime drama inspired by the real Irish gang of the same name that sought to rule New York City in the early 1980s, at a time when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Centre on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being vastly outnumbered by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning give them the leverage they need to shape the spoils through a fragile détente. But rising internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to tear the gang apart – and lead them straight into the path of the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian Mafia. “We’re pleased to depict 1980 New York, and the … Continue reading Go West: JK Simmons, Tom Brittney, Titus Welliver and Jessica Frances Dukes talk MGM+ crime drama The Westies
Based on the 1930s books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and following the classic 1970s western series, Little House on the Prairie has been rebooted for Netflix. Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine reveals some of the secrets behind the series, discusses her focus on detail and outlines the challenge of creating a love story about a family.
Lesley Manville has spent her career moving between stage and screen, and her latest project keeps that momentum going. After Broadway triumphs, major film roles and acclaimed television work, she reveals why she’s heading back to New York for a new role that is as playful as it is unexpected.
Six years after the conclusion of Vikings, creator and writer Michael Hirst is overseeing the finishing touches to Bloodaxe, a new Viking saga coming to Prime Video. He tells DQ about dramatising “the last great Viking,” the changing shape of the TV business and why he’s no longer writing on his own.
Silo star Alexandria Riley reflects on her character’s rise from supporting character to protagonist in Apple TV’s sci-fi thriller, discusses what’s in store in the upcoming third season and reveals why being on the set of the series is like visiting an amusement park.
TRAILER: Eve Myles and Katherine Kelly continue the story of The Crow Girl when season two of the Paramount+ crime thriller debuts in the UK and Ireland on July 20. Watch the trailer now.
Myles (The Guest, Gone) and Kelly (Mr Bates vs The Post Office, In Flight) reprise their roles as DCI Jeanette Kilburn and Dr Sophia Craven in the show, which picks up after the events of season one.
As Jeanette continues the hunt for the killers of young male asylum seekers, her investigation takes a shocking new turn when a mummified body discovered in a church wall, and a body in a freezer, reveal a chilling connection.
As Jeanette digs deeper, Sophia begins to suspect Victoria Burkeman, her mysterious former patient, could be responsible. As Jeanette and Sophia’s relationship becomes increasingly complex and emotionally charged, the case places their trust and judgement under strain.
With the investigation growing darker, Sophia suspects Victoria is closer to the truth than she thought, leading them into a disturbing web of historic abuse and buried truths. With time running out, Jeanette must face the terrifying truth: the killer may be closer than she ever imagined.
The Crow Girl is produced by Buccaneer Media in association with ITV Studios, which handles international distribution.
tagged in: Buccaneer Media, Eve Myles, ITV Studios, Katherine Kelly, The Crow Girl
TRAILER: Simon Pegg and Hannah Khalique-Brown return for the second season of cyber-thriller The Undeclared War, which is coming soon to Channel 4.
Siân Brooke also stars in the show, which is set in 2024 and centres on a fresh wave of tension and drama as the elite Malware Department at GCHQ grapples with the aftermath of a devastating Russian cyber-attack.
Pegg is back as Danny Patrick, director of operations at GCHQ (UK’s Government Communications Headquarters). Khalique-Brown also reprises her role as Saara Parvin, a brilliant young coder on placement at GCHQ.
Brooke joins as Barbara Patrick, Danny’s wife, ex-MI6 and now an analyst at GCHQ.
Alex Jennings returns as Danny’s boss, David Neal, the director of GCHQ. Danny Sapani plays Charlie Francis, GCHQ’s head of security and Danny’s childhood friend.
Ed Stoppard returns as Richard Marston, the newly elevated Foreign Secretary and a constant thorn in Danny’s side. Chloe Pirrie will play Lt Colonel Roz Cavendish, seconded by Marston to GCHQ in the newly created role of director of rapid response, a move which Danny interprets as a threat to his authority.
Written by Colin Teevan, all episodes directed by Paul McGuigan. The series is produced by Playground (All Creatures Great And Small, Wolf Hall), Stonehenge Films and Universal Global (Everyone Else Burns, The Dream Lands).
The series is executive produced by Playground’s Colin Callender, Daniel Gratton and Noëlette Buckley, Stonehenge Films’ Peter Kosminsky, Colin Teevan and Paul McGuigan. Caroline Levy produces. Kosminsky and Callender created the original series.
NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution will handle international sales.
tagged in: Colin Teevan, Hannah Khalique-Brown, Paul McGuigan, Simon Pegg, The Undeclared War
TRAILER: Siân Brooke, Martin McCann, Katherine Devlin, Nathan Braniff and Frank Blake return for the fourth season of Belfast-set police drama Blue Lights, which returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn.
Brooke reprises her role as Grace, with McCann as Stevie, Devlin as Annie, Braniff as Tommy and Blake as Shane.
Richard Dormer, who played Gerry Cliff in season one, returns alongside Hannah McClean as solicitor Jen Robinson and Jonathan Harden as disgraced former Inspector, Jonty, in an episode that will answer important questions from the past.
In this first look clip, Constable Shane Bradley (Blake) stops an elderly driver, David (Trevor Gill) and his passenger Imelda (Rosamund Monteith), in a bid to improve Blackthorn’s crime statistics.
Blue Lights also stars Joanne Crawford as Helen McNally, Andi Osho as Sandra, Abigail McGibbon as Tina, Dearbháile McKinney as Aisling, Neil Keery as McCloskey and Andrea Irvine as Nicola.
The cast also sees the return of Cathy Tyson, who plays private members club owner Dana Morgan and Michael Smiley as C3 intelligence officer Paul ‘Colly’ Collins.
The six-part series is co-created, written and executive produced by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, co-created and produced by Stephen Wright for Two Cities Television and co-created and coproduced by Louise Gallagher for Gallagher Films.
The producer for season four is Brendan Mullin (In Flight, Wreck S2), episodes 1-3 are directed by Angela Griffin (Blue Lights S3, Waterloo Road) and episodes 4-6 are directed by Sam O’Mahony (The Wise Guy).
The executive producers are Stephen Wright (Two Cities Television), Louise Gallagher (Gallagher Films), Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson and the executive producer for the BBC is Nick Lambon.
BBC Studios is handling global sales. Blue Lights has been sold in more than 160 territories.
tagged in: BBC iPlayer, BBC One, BBC Studios, Blue Lights., Gallagher Films, Two Cities Television
In Peacock series Ponies, two secretaries become CIA operatives in 1977 Moscow after their husbands die in mysterious circumstances. Showrunner David Iserson reveals his interest in spy stories, discusses filming in Budapest and explains how his start on Saturday Night Live shaped his approach to writing. David Iserson has been in a lot of fast-paced writers’ rooms, picking up credits on shows from New Girl and Mad Men to Mr Robot and Mozart in the Jungle. Yet the US screenwriter started his career among the comics that populated the legendary halls of Saturday Night Live – and it’s an experience that has shaped every project he’s later worked on, whether they are labelled as comedies or dramas. “Any writer who has any sort of interest in comedy at all, even if that is not where they end up, they’re gonna learn a lot by working in a comedy room, by just being able to write a joke at that speed and that volume,” he tells DQ at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, where Ponies won the public prize at the event’s Golden Nymph Awards. “When I worked on New Girl, you would write 50 jokes as alternates to every joke [in the script], and it gets your brain in that zone. So when I write on my own, not for anybody, or when I write things that speak to me, I love things to be in a middle tone that has drama, that has comedy, because that’s just how I see … Continue reading Why Ponies showrunner David Iserson is interested in people of no interest
