News

The acclaimed Belfast-based police drama Blue Lights is returning for a third season, BritBox has announced, with filming currently underway. The series, known for its realistic portrayal of policing in Northern Ireland, is adding Cathy Tyson (Boiling Point) and Michael Smiley (Bad Sisters) to its already impressive cast. Returning favorites include Siân Brooke, Martin McCann, […]

Belfast Heat: Blue Lights Adds New Faces for Season 3...

BritBox has announced the start of production of the third season of the multi-award-winning Belfast-based drama Blue Lights, along with the news that Cathy Tyson and Michael Smiley have joined the cast.

Produced by Two Cities Television and co-produced by Gallagher Films for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, the critically acclaimed show also stars returning cast Siân Brooke, Martin McCann, Katherine Devlin, Nathan Braniff, Joanne Crawford, Andi Osho, Frank Blake, Abigail McGibbon, Dearbháile McKinney and Andrea Irvine.

Two years into their jobs as response officers, Grace (Brooke), Annie (Devlin) and Tommy (Braniff) are accustomed to life under the blue lights. But their work will take them into a sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life, the world of the accountants and lawyers facilitating organized crime.

The old political and criminal order has gone and a new global gang rules Belfast, bringing danger closer to home for our officers than ever before.

“Kneecap” — the Irish-language music biopic that became one of the buzziest indie films of 2024 and is now tipped for both Oscar and BAFTA recognition — has, perhaps unsurprisingly, emerged far ahead of the pack of nominees for the 2025 Irish Film & TV Academy (IFTA) awards.

Rich Peppiatt’s raucous comedy, about (and starring) the Belfast rap trio of the same name, has landed an astonishing 17 nominations for the awards, including best film, director, three of the six slots for lead actor, three of the six for supporting actress and one for Michael Fassbender in the supporting actor category.

“Small Things Like These,” the considerably quieter Irish drama fronted (and produced) by Cillian Murphy has nine nominations, including lead actor for Murphy, who won the award last year for “Oppenheimer.”

Having been co-produced by Irish company Tailored Films, Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” is also in the mix, with four nominations.

Nominations are out for the 2025 Irish Film & Television Awards with the Cillian Murphy drama Small Things Like These and the music comedy Kneecap among the tipped films. Scroll down for the full list of nominees.

Small Things Like These has nods in Best Screenplay, Lead Actor for Murphy, and Best Film. Other Best Film nominees include Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice, King Frankie, and Kneecap.

Kneecap has a strong showing across the noms, with nods in Best Director for Rich Peppiatt and all three of the film’s leads pop up in Best Actor. Paul Mescal also received a Best Actor nomination for his role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II.

On the TV side, Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters is nominated for Best Drama while the Eddie Redmayne thriller The Day of the Jackal has multiple noms, including Best Director for a Drama Series.

The Irish Film & Television Academy...

Today, BritBox announced its 2025 slate of premieres and returning series. The BritBox 2025 lineup includes Original commissions, celebrated co-productions, and highly anticipated acquisitions.

With new series from top UK writers such as Sally Wainwright (Riot Women), Sarah Williams (Outrageous), Rachel Bennette (Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero), Catherine Moulton (Code of Silence), Kelly Jones (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story), Anna Symon (Joan), and Cat Jones (The Jetty), BritBox’s slate highlights the depth and power of British storytelling.

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story

In 2025, BritBox will bring beloved characters back to the screen with new seasons of its iconic favorites such as Blue Lights, Vera, Father Brown, Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, Silent Witness and Sister Boniface Mysteries plus reimagined looks at treasured literary characters in Lynley and Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero.

From detectives, to Psni recruits, to crime-solving priests and nuns, BritBox audiences will have the...

The BBC and ITV teamed up to launch the streaming service BritBox, with an extensive library of British television programming. BritBox is an absolute must-subscribe for any fan of British TV, with a catalog spanning numerous decades and genres. For those unfamiliar with television projects coming out of the United Kingdom, BritBox serves as a welcome introduction to plenty of prestige TV from Great Britain. Simply put, any anglophile or TV buff should look into subscribing to BritBox for its incredible breadth of television content.

With everything from intense crime thrillers to nonsensical period piece comedies, there is something for everybody on BritBox. For the North American market, BritBox is the only streaming service to carry some timeless television favorites. And with a library of series that expansive, it can be daunting to figure out which shows to check out first. 

With that in mind, here are the 12 best TV...

Sony Pictures Television has expanded its UK television production by acquiring a majority stake in the new Belfast-based company Hot Sauce. Hot Sauce was founded by acclaimed writers Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, known for their work on BBC shows like “The Salisbury Poisonings” and the police drama “Blue Lights.”

The deal gives Sony Pictures Television control over Hot Sauce and allows the company to join Sony’s other UK production studios. Financial terms of the acquisition were not released. Matthew Justice, head of UK and European television for Sony Pictures, said the deal strengthens the company’s position in British drama.

Lawn and Patterson started Hot Sauce as a creative partnership after working together at BBC. Their drama “Blue Lights” was a big success, receiving a renewal for two seasons before the second one even aired. Justice called Lawn and Patterson’s storytelling style “unique and analytical,” and said...

Sony Pictures Television (Spt) is getting into business with the creators of BBC hits The Salisbury Poisonings and Blue Lights.

Spt has forayed once again into the UK drama market by giving majority backing to Belfast-based Hot Sauce, the new label run by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson. Hot Sauce joins the likes of Left Bank and Bad Wolf in the Spt stable. The percentage stake in the fledgling outfit and deal terms are undisclosed.

Lawn and Patterson met whilst working on the BBC’s Panorama and went on to co-write hit drama The Salisbury Poisonings about the unbelievable events that took place in 2018 surrounding the novichok nerve agent and Russian spies. That catapulted them to factual drama royalty and they have since made Netflix movie Rogue Agent starring James Norton and BBC Northern Ireland police drama Blue Lights, which was recently handed a rare double recommission to take it...

Sony Pictures Television on Tuesday unveiled the launch of Hot Sauce, a Belfast-based production company run by investigative journalists-turned drama creatives Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, known for such projects as Netflix film Rogue Agent and BBC police drama Blue Lights.

“The backing from Spt will supercharge Hot Sauce and see it launched as a full production company,” Sony said. “As a majority-owned company, Hot Sauce joins the Spt International Production group portfolio, alongside fellow scripted companies Left Bank Pictures, Eleven, Eleventh Hour Films, and Cardiff-based Bad Wolf, and will be Spt’s second production company in Belfast, alongside non-scripted and formats specialist Stellify Media.”

Lawn and Patterson met while working for the BBC’s flagship current affairs show Panorama. They then co-wrote hit BBC drama The Salisbury Poisonings, which Sony highlighted became the BBC’s most-watched drama of 20201. Their first feature film Rogue Agent, starring James Norton and Gemma Arterton,...

Spain’s The Mediapro Studio brought out the big guns at this year’s Mipcom to promote its first-ever English-language slate, which includes projects featuring John Turturro, Melissa Leo, “24” showrunner Evan Katz and Oscar winner Juan José Campanella, among others.

Though the ambitious pipeline was The Mediapro Studio’s big Mipcom head-turner, the company also closed noteworthy deals for a handful of its highest-profile shows of the last several years.

Disney+ Spain has acquired The Mediapro Studio and 3Cat’s thriller series “Quiet” (“El mal invisible”), which recently screened at Catalonia’s prestigious genre-focused Sitges International Film Festival. The show will debut on Catalan public television channel TV3 and the 3Cat platform soon, although a specific date hasn’t been announced.

Set in lock-down era Barcelona, “Quite” follows a police investigation to track down a serial killer who targets the homeless. David Verdaguer (“Saben Aquell”), Ángela Cervantes (“La Maternal”), and...

Exclusive: Fran Harris, co-writer on BBC cop show Blue Lights, is developing a Cold Feet-style drama series with backing from Irish pubcaster RTÉ.

Harris has been working on the relationship drama Laura McNicholas, founder of Dublin-based indie 925 Productions, who is here in Rome at Mia Market pitching Yes! to buyers, co-production partners and distributors. RTÉ is aboard alongside Screen Ireland to support development, but the series isn’t yet greenlit.

McNicholas told Deadline it was being set up as an hour-long relationship drama “along the lines of Cold Feet as an ensemble. “There will ideally be multiple storylines and threads we can explore, giving it renewability for many seasons,” she added.

The plot is being billed as a “generational story about self-rediscovery” in which several unhappy college friends who reconnect in their late-30s been look for new venues after hitting crises in their lives, such as being widowed or divorced.

Starz and BritBox first announced their new bundle in August, and now it’s ready for customers.

The long-awaited combination of Starz and BritBox has finally arrived. The two streamers first announced in August that they would combine to create a new package at a discounted price, and as of Friday, customers are officially able to sign up. Cord-cutters can subscribe to BritBox and Starz together for a price of just $15 which is 25% off the regular price of the two services.

How to Get New BritBox, Starz Streaming Bundle Click here to get the bundle. Click “Get Bundle” and create an account using your email address. Enter your payment information and finish signing up. Get BritBox/Starz Bundle $15 starz.com Sign up for BritBox and Starz together and save 25% off what you’d pay to get the two separately! What Can You Watch with BritBox, Starz Bundle?

The bundle of...

Although the filming of Netflix’s feature film Peaky Blinders had just started, it has steadily been revealed who will be in the cast of the movie. It was recently announced that Stephen Graham will be making an appearance in the movie after having joined the series at the tail-end of its run in season six as Hayden Stagg. It’s not known what his involvement with the movie entails, but nonetheless, Graham says he is “looking forward to seeing the lads again.”

Deadline has revealed that Sophie Rundle — who played the sister of Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby, Ada, on the series — will be reprising her role on the Netflix movie adaptation. When viewers last saw Ada in the series finale, Tommy had handed the reins of the family business to her. It’s also been announced that some more returning names to the cast are Ned Dennehy, who...

The upcoming “Peaky Blinders” movie has revealed more original series stars who are returning for the crime drama’s next chapter.

Stephen Graham; Sophie Rundle; Ned Dennehy; Packy Lee (“Blue Lights”); and Ian Peck are all set to reprise their roles alongside Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby. Jay Lycurgo has also joined the film in an undisclosed role.

In the final season of the original series, Graham portrays Hayden Stagg, the union leader for the Liverpool dock workers. Rundle was a mainstay throughout all six seasons as Tommy Shelby’s sister Ada, as was Dennehy as Charlie Strong, a sort of uncle to the Shelby siblings. Lee plays Johnny Dogs, a friend of Tommy’s, while Ian Peck is Curly, Charlie’s assistant.

Production on the film started last week and a first look at Murphy back in character was revealed. The plot of the film remains tightly under wraps,...

Today, Starz and BritBox launched a complementary bundle that allows new customers the ability to access both digital platforms easily from a single subscription through the Starz site. A first-of-its-kind for the platform, the offering provides customers with a seamless way to access the vast, premium libraries of both networks.

The launch coincides with the debut of new series from Starz and BritBox, offering audiences access to Starz’s extensive lineup of premium action, thriller, and female-driven programming alongside BritBox’s expertly curated selection of classic and contemporary British television.

“Partnerships have always been key for us as a complementary premium service, and we are excited to now offer bundles through our own retail platform,” said Alison Hoffman, President of Starz Networks. “We believe this expanded offering adds value for adult audiences seeking prestige, high-quality premium programming and provides an incredibly seamless and low-friction consumer experience.”

“It’s a transformative time in the industry,...

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days may be over, but there are still streaming deals to be found!

On Thursday, Starz launched a new bundle with BritBox to help you save on your streaming subscriptions. Here’s everything you need to know about the offer.

More from TVLineThe Serpent Queen Cancelled at Starz; Minnie Driver-Led Spinoff in the WorksHow to Watch Abbott Elementary Season 4 Online Without CablePrime Big Deal Days: Get Apple AirPods for Less Than $169 on Amazon Starz x BritBox Bundle $14.99/month Buy Now

The new bundle is available to purchase for just $14.99/month. Typically, a BritBox subscription goes for $8.99/month,...

Sky and Peacock have revealed the full trailer for the upcoming Original 10-part series of ‘The Day of the Jackal.’

Alongside the teaser, a set of first-look images featuring Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch and Úrsula Corberó, gives audiences a glimpse at the highly anticipated modern reimagining.

The adaptation is based on the seminal novel by Frederick Forsyth and the subsequent award-winning 1973 film from Universal Pictures. It follows an unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, (Eddie Redmayne) makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer (Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.

Starring Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist) as Nuria, someone at the heart of The Jackal’s personal life, unaware of who he truly is.

Wider cast includes...

Those who are looking to watch the Scottish series Shetland have a few handy options as long as they're willing to subscribe to the right service. Originally based on the crime novels by Ann Cleeves, Shetland takes place on the Scottish archipelago that gives the series its name. Premiering in March 2013 on BBC One, the show follows a local police team who solves a bevy of crimes within the close-knit island community. The cast of Shetland features an ensemble of talented Scottish actors, but the series has seen plenty of turnover throughout its eight seasons.

The most notable change came with the lead of the show. From seasons 1 through 7, Douglas Henshall as Jimmy Prez led the police team. Then Henshall departed, and Detective Inspector Prez was replaced by Detective Inspector Ruth Calder, played by Ashley Jensen. There have been more changes than that, and yet, Shetland has soldiered on for 8 seasons and counting.

David Mortimer has been promoted at Stv Studios as the Criminal Record producer predicts “strong H2 profitability.”

Mortimer has risen from MD to CEO of Stv Studios, coming a few days after ex-ITV exec Rufus Radcliffe was revealed to be taking over as CEO of Stv from Simon Pitts, who will stand down next month.

The news about Mortimer’s promotion comes as Stv, which is a public company, revealed solid half-year results for the first six months of 2024. Stv, which incorporates linear channels, streaming and Stv Studios, saw turnover rise 20% to £75.3M ($98.9M) while adjusted operating profit was up by one third to £10.6M.

Stv Studios, meanwhile, saw a 38% boost in revenue to £37.5M. Stv said it is “on track” to deliver on the target of doubling Studios revenue to £140M by the end of 2026 with a 10% margin. While its operating profit was just £0.1M, the company blamed...

En una remota isla griega, una asesina retirada y su hijo distante se reencuentran.

De acuerdo con Deadline, Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard) y Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor) encabezarán el reparto de The Assassin, una serie de suspense de Prime Video.

The Assassin se sitúa en una remota isla griega y sigue a la asesina retirada Julie (Hawes) que tiene un reencuentro con su hijo distanciado, Edward (Highmore), durante su visita desde Inglaterra. Armado con preguntas en torno a la nueva información sobre su paternidad, Edward lucha por encontrar el momento adecuado para hablar con su frustrantemente distante madre. Pero cuando por fin llega el momento, las cosas dan un giro mortal cuando el peligroso pasado de Julie la atrapa y se ven obligados a huir juntos de la isla. La búsqueda de la verdad de Edward choca con el secretismo de Julie mientras se ven obligados a trabajar juntos en una lucha por la supervivencia,...

After a five season run of playing Norman Bates on the TV series Bates Motel, Freddie Highmore moved on to playing the character Shaun Murphy on seven seasons of The Good Doctor – and now that The Good Doctor has wrapped up, Highmore has signed on for his next TV series gig. Deadline reports that Highmore is set to star in the Prime Video series The Assassin alongside Keeley Hawes, whose credits include Orphan Black: Echoes and Line of Duty.

Coming from the minds of Harry and Jack Williams, the creators of The Missing and its spinoff Baptiste, The Assassin will tell the following story: Secluded on a remote Greek island, retired assassin Julie (Hawes) has a somewhat thorny reunion with her estranged son, Edward (Highmore), visiting from England. Armed with questions around new information on his paternity, Edward battles to find the right time to speak to his frustratingly distant mother.

Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore will lead a new Amazon Prime Video series entitled The Assassin.

Written by Harry and Jack Williams’, the six-episode series has commenced filming in Greece. It follows a retired assassin called Julie, played by Hawes (Bodyguard, Scoop) who, while living a secluded life on a remote Greek island, has a somewhat thorny reunion with Highmore (The Good Doctor, Bates Motel), portraying her estranged son Edward.

“Armed with questions around new information on his paternity, Edward battles to find the right time to speak to his frustratingly distant mother,” a plot synopsis reads. “But, when the moment finally presents itself, things take a deadly turn as Julie’s dangerous past catches up with her and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run together.”

The series is produced by award-winning production company Two Brothers Pictures (The Tourist, Boat Story, Fleabag) in association...

The trend of streamers bundling together to increase value and engagement continues.

The Great Bundling Craze is continuing to sweep across the streaming landscape. The biggest streamers in the marketplace like Netflix, Disney+, Max, Hulu, and others have all joined new bundles in 2024, and now smaller streamers are getting in on the trend. As part of its quarterly earnings report on Thursday, Lionsgate Entertainment announced that it was adding its direct-to-consumer service Starz to a new streaming bundle with BritBox, which should make its way to customers by the end of 2024.

Key Details: Lionsgate executives said the new bundle would be available to customers sometime next quarter. The bundle will be sold directly through starz.com There was no official word on how much the combo will end up costing. Save 70% $9.99+ / month starz.com

Limited Time: Get Starz for only $3 per month!

The new combination of Starz and BritBox will be available sometime “next quarter.

Starz and BBC Studios’ BritBox will come together on a new bundle next quarter as streamers big and small continue to pair up, said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer.

Starz’ strong core demos “make it a bundling partner of choice,” he added on a call after the company reported earnings for the June quarter. The combination will see the respective apps bundled directly through Starz.com.

“By leveraging its advanced tech stack, Starz is enabling the creation of a compelling and complimentary offering that pairs Starz hits like Outlander and The Serpent Queen with BritBox’s unmatched collection of original series such as Vera Shetland and Blue Lights alongside iconic library classics like Downton Abbey and Killing Eve.”

Starz is set to assume a higher profile as Lionsgate splits in two with execs confirming a year-end 2024 timeline. Lionsgate Studios, which merged with a Spac, has been a separately publicly traded company since April.

A new survey found that viewing of British TV shows in the United States grew by a shocking 40% between Q2 of 2023 and Q1 of 2024 on select platforms.

The United Kingdom may be an ocean away from the United States, but video content moves back and forth between the two with ease. An exclusive report from Deadline shows that audiences in the U.S. have registered a new level of interest in British television after strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in 2023 put a halt to new productions stateside for months. I’ll get into how much viewership for British content rose during the strikes, and which streamers offer the best British TV at the best value below.

Key Details: British series accounted for three of the top five most-watched programs between January and May 2024. Streamers like Netflix and Prime Video have boosted their commissioning of shows outside the United States.

Sky and Peacock have revealed a thrilling first-look teaser for the upcoming Original 10-part series of ‘The Day of the Jackal.’

Alongside the teaser, a set of first-look images featuring Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch and Úrsula Corberó, gives audiences a glimpse at the highly anticipated modern reimagining.

The adaptation is based on the seminal novel by Frederick Forsyth and the subsequent award-winning 1973 film from Universal Pictures. It follows an unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, (Eddie Redmayne) makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer (Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.

Starring Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist) as Nuria, someone at the heart of The Jackal’s personal life, unaware of who he truly is.

Wider cast...

Netflix’s House of Guinness has brewed its cast.

James Norton and Jack Gleeson have been named among the cast for Steven Knight-penned Guinness factory drama series.

Joining them are Niamh McCormack, Anthony Boyle (Masters of the Air, Manhunt), Louis Partridge (Pistol, Enola Holmes), Emily Fairn (The Responder, Black Mirror: Demon 79), Fionn O’Shea (Normal People, Dance First), Seamus O’Hara (Blue Lights, An Irish Goodbye), Dervla Kirwan (True Detective: Night Country, Smother), Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones, The Long Shadow), Danielle Galligan (Shadow and Bone, Obituary), David Wilmot (Station Eleven, Bodkin) and Hilda Fay (The Woman in the Wall, Spilt Milk).

The series, from Banijay UK’s Kudos, is billed as an epic story inspired by The Guinness family, a European dynasty made famous by the drink they brew.

Exclusive: BritBox International is operating “autonomously” and free of “creative pressure” from the BBC, according to its president, who branded the streamer “the best route to market for British TV outside of the UK.”

Robert Schildhouse was speaking to Deadline for the first time since being promoted to President of BritBox North America and General Manager of BritBox International after the landmark £255M ($329M) deal that saw BBC Studios acquire ITV’s shareholding in what was previously a Jv streamer, which was followed by the exit of his predecessor Reemah Sakaan. The deal was one of convenience, fulfilling the BBC’s desire to grow internationally while ITV sought to pump investment into new domestic streamer Itvx.

Schildhouse said BritBox, which is available in North America, Australia and Scandinavia with a library featuring Gavin & Stacey, The Sixth Commandment and a hefty Agatha Christie back catalog, has “not changed materially,” while BBC...

“Bridgerton” star Florence Hunt, Jim Sturgess and Australia’s Teresa Palmer have joined the cast of “Mix Tape,” a music-themed drama series. The Australian-Irish co-production shot in Sydney in May and is now underway in Dublin.

The series is adapted by Irish writer Jo Spain from the popular and critically-acclaimed novel of the same title by Jane Sanderson. It is directed by Australia’s Lucy Gaffy.

“’Mix Tape’ will take viewers back in time to that intoxicating feeling of first love [and be] a classic all-encompassing romance set to a banging nostalgic soundtrack,” said producers.

The series is produced by Subotica and Aquarius Films, with Boat Rocker overseeing international distribution. In Australia, it will play on Binge, a streaming service operated by local market pay-tv leader Foxtel.

Palmer will portray Alison and the U.K.’s Sturgess (“Cloud Atlas”) plays Daniel, two friends now living on opposite sides of the planet, who...

A favorite police drama, Blue Lights, is available to watch on Britbox, and season 2 just dropped!

If you enjoyed Blue Lights season 1 on Britbox, you can now catch more episodes on the service. About the series, co-creator Adam Patterson says, “We felt like a cop show was a really interesting and a brilliant vehicle to look at any aspect of society. You can literally go anywhere! So if you want to tell a story about a place, but more importantly about really interesting characters, the cops are a brilliant Trojan horse to go into any aspect of the city. So that’s why it really works for us.”

Watch now on Britbox

The Nacelle Company has revived several IPs for their new toy collections, and founder Brian Volk-Weiss shares how he was able to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

Fresh off the success of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Will Smith...

Blue Lights season 2 is now available on BritBox for US and Canada viewers, while UK fans can watch on BBC iPlayer for free. The subscription cost for BritBox is $8.99/month or $89.99/year in the US, with a 7-day free trial available for new viewers. Blue Lights has been renewed for a third and fourth season, but season 2 is only available for streaming on BritBox.

Spoilers for Blue Lights seasons 1 and 2 ahead.

Blue Lights season 2 has arrived and fans of the British police drama will want to know how to watch it, particularly if they don't live in the United Kingdom. There are dozens of British crime dramas that many viewers have never heard of, but they're all worth viewing for one reason or another. One of the more recent entries in the canon is Blue Lights, a series set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, following the officers at the fictional Blackthorn police station,...

If P.E. was your favourite subject at school, then oh boy, are you in for a treat. We’ve reached the time of year when British television suddenly gets very P.E. There’s running and jumping, football and tennis, the Olympic Games… Competitions and tournaments abound, and all televised as an interruption to your usual programming.

For non-sports fans, of course, that means a TV drought approaches. Or, to see it as more glass-half-full, it’s an opportunity to catch up on stuff you missed from earlier in the year. Below is a list of picks of the best British TV series from the first half of 2024. The US TV list is coming, and the movies one is here. Feel free to add your own recommendations below!

Baby Reindeer

Stream on: Netflix

If you haven’t watched Baby Reindeer, then you’ve almost certainly heard its name. In publicity Netflix couldn’t buy,...

Public service broadcasting is in a “red alert situation” in “many many markets” around the world, according to the most powerful man in British broadcasting.

BBC Director General Tim Davie urged the audience at the Deloitte and Enders Media & Telecoms 2024 and Beyond Conference to “look around the world and see what’s happening to PSBs.”

“It’s scary,” he added. “It’s really problematic. We are not merely troublesome we are in a red alert situation in many many markets and as politics gets more polarized we have to decide what we do about institutions.”

Davie said the BBC, on the other hand, is “not a market failure provider” and stressed partnerships with major global players such as Warner Bros. Discovery in sports as a factor.

But this doesn’t stop the BBC from making “uneconomic” decisions, he stressed, in order to preserve its place as a public broadcaster.

“Sometimes...

As we are now officially in June, BritBox has announced their slate of new programming arriving this month. From beloved, returning police dramas to new series premiering for the first time. We have the complete list and have selected three of the most exciting titles landing on the service during the month.

In the United States, BritBox has just one subscription price. American Anglophiles can sign up for the service for just $8.99 per month. Not only will they have access to all of the new titles every month, but they will also get an incredible library of iconic series like, “Sherlock,” “Luther,” “Vera,” “Father Brown,” “Death in Paradise,” and more.

7-Day Free Trial $8.99+ / month BritBox.com What are the 3 Best Shows, Movies, and Specials Coming to BritBox in June 2024? “Changing Ends” | Thursday, June 6

Chatty Man himself Alan Carr stars in the semi-autobiographical sitcom that focuses on the comedian’s upbringing...

“The Diplomat” star Rory Kinnear has joined Will Sharpe and Paul Bettany in Joe Barton’s upcoming Sky limited series “Amadeus.”

Based on the story of famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sharpe stars as the virtuoso while Bettany plays his fierce rival, Italian composer Antonio Salieri.

Kinnear, who is also known for his turns in “Skyfall” and “Men” has been cast as Emperor Joseph.

Joining them are Lucy Cohu (“Becoming Jane”) as Cecilia Weber, Jonathan Aris (“The Sixth Commandment”) as Leopold Mozart, Ényì Okoronkwo (“Renegade Nell”) as Da Ponte, Jessica Alexander (“The Little Mermaid”) as Katerina and Hugh Sachs (“Bridgerton”) as Von Strack.

Paul Bazely (“Such Brave Girls”), Rupert Vansittart (“Game of Thrones”), Anastasia Martin (“In From The Cold”), Nancy Farino (“Masters of the Air”), Olivia-Mai Barrett (“Invasion”), Viola Prettejohn (“The Crown”) and Jyuddah Jaymes (“Hijack”) round out the cast.

“Set within the musical hub of bustling Vienna at the end of the 18th century,...

Today, BritBox, the premiere streaming destination for British television offering the biggest and best collection of unmissable British television, announced a dynamic slate of upcoming Original series.

Sharing a suspenseful teaser, BritBox announced that the thrilling new mystery Passenger, led by Wunmi Mosaku (Loki), will premiere in October. In the captivating screenwriting debut of actor Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch), inexplicable crimes haunt the fictional village of Chadder Vale, where perhaps more is afoot than meets the eye.

Barry Sloane (Revenge), David Threlfall (Shameless), and Rowan Robinson (A Haunting in Venice) also star in the atmospheric crime drama.

Summer will see the powerful return of gritty, impactful crime dramas, starting with the June 13 return of Blue Lights. A breakout hit in the UK, the Belfast-based series delves into complex local politics through the lens of a police drama.

Multi-bafta-nominated The Responder returns July 11 for a new season, once again led by Martin Freeman...

Warning: spoilers for Blue Lights series 2.

The message in the Blue Lights series two finale could hardly seem clearer. After six episodes of being assaulted, petrol bombed and shot at on their turbulent Belfast patch, police officers Grace and Stevie finally give in to their feelings and drive off into the night while Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” perkily assures us that “Everything’s gonna be alright/It’s gonna be okay.”

Phew. Thank heavens! If there’s one thing Siân Brooke’s Grace and Martin McCann’s Stevie deserve in Blue Lights, it’s for everything to be alright and okay. He’s a widower who nursed his beloved wife through cancer; she’s a former social worker and single parent whose only son has moved away, and they both do a job so stressful it’s a wonder that they don’t spontaneously burst...

The cast and crew of Belfast-set police drama Blue Lights had less than a month of filming left on their second series in 2023 when they found out that their show had been renewed for a third and a fourth run.

“We were three or four weeks off the end of shooting season two when we got the news,” actor Siân Brooke tells Den of Geek. “I was so pleasantly surprised because it doesn’t really happen very much in this day and age, to have somebody support you and nail their colours to the mast the way that they have, it means a lot that they’re behind us.”

Blue Lights follows the progress of Brooke’s character Grace, with Annie (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy (Nathan Braniff), three new recruits to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Grace is a former social worker, Annie’s a young local and Tommy...

UK sales company Wildstar Sales has inked deals on its slate including for romantic comedy F.L.Y..

Rafael Albarran and Trent Kendrick’s film has sold to Breaking Glass Pictures for North America, with the company planning a theatrical release.

F.L.Y. played at US festivals including Outshine Miami and Outfest Film Festival, and plays India’s Kashish Pride Film Festival this month.

Wildstar has sold three films to France’s Optimale - Lucas Santa Ana’s drama Blue Lights, Matias de Leis Correa’s romance Since The Last Time We Met and Marco Berger’s new film The Astronaut Lovers, with...

‘If you didn’t laugh, you’d cry’ isn’t just the correct British response to any exasperating situation, it must also be Tony Schumacher’s screenwriting mantra. His crime drama The Responder would be unwatchably bleak if it wasn’t also so bloody funny.

Series one put response officer Chris Carson (Martin Freeman) through the wringer so thoroughly that it was a wonder he survived. His childhood pal Carl, a small-time drug dealer who’d been paying him for police intel, didn’t, and in a characteristically heroic/risky attempt to help Carl’s widow, Chris gave her the rucksack of stolen cocaine that had kicked off all this mess. Now it’s six months later and guess what? Chris’ problems are far from over.

Series two of The Responder is just as buzzing with life and wry observation as the first. Chris’ night-time police patrols offer up a...

Exclusive: Gilles Bannier, the director of the first seasons of hit series Blue Lights and Trigger Point is opening up a new drama indie, Alef UK. The London-based label will be a subsidiary of Alef One, Nora Melhli’s Paris-based prodco that counts Flight MH370 and doc Carlos Ghosn The Last Flight among its credits.

French born writer-director Bannier has been based in England for a decade and will be Creative Director of the new UK drama business. His directing credits include iconic dramas Spiral and Les Beaux Mecs as well as The Tunnel, which is where he first collaborated with Melhli, who was a producer on the Kudos drama. The duo also worked together on Tim Roth-starrer Tin Star.

Melhli worked at Endemol and Altice before teaming with Jacques Arthur Essebag to create Alef One in 2018. She told Deadline that working with Bannier during Covid – and the problem-solving...

Cillian Murphy obtained one of acting’s most coveted achievements when he won an Oscar for his leading role in “Oppenheimer.” But his award season run for the acclaimed Christopher Nolan film didn’t end with his big night at the Dolby Theater. The Irish actor went on to receive his home country’s highest acting honor on Sunday at the Irish Film and TV Academy Awards when he won the Lead Actor — Film category for “Oppenheimer.”

The ceremony honored the best Irish film and television of 2023, with Pat Collins’ “That They May Face the Rising Sun” winning Best Film. Other notable winners included Paul Mescal taking Supporting Actor for “All of Us Strangers” and Alison Oliver winning Supporting Actress for “Saltburn.”

Keep reading for a complete list of winners from the 2024 Irish Film and TV Academy Awards.

Best Film

“Double Blind”

“Flora and Son”

“Lies We Tell”

“Lola”

“That They May Face the Rising Sun...

Cillian Murphy, Kin season two and Paul Mescal were among the winners of the Irish Film & Television Awards 2024, which were handed out during a ceremony in Dublin on Saturday.

Lies We Tell, about an orphaned teenage heiress in 19th-century Ireland who is forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family, led the nominations for the movie portion of the awards with 13 and went home with three. It was followed by That They May Face the Rising Sun, which took home the best film prize, and Double Blind, with 11 each. Rising Sun is an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel about passion, war and migration, while Double Blind is a horror film about an experimental drug trial that goes wrong.

Among the lead acting nominees were such big names as Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Eve Hewson and Jessie Buckley. Murphy took home the best actor...

Cillian Murphy capped off his domination of awards season by claiming the top acting prize for film on home soil.

The Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG award winner on Saturday night added perhaps a final statue to his flawless haul of honors for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” when he was named best lead actor at the 21st Irish Film and TV Academy Awards.

“God, I’m still so brutal at this,” the famously shy actor said on collecting the award, presented to him by “Killers of the Flower Moon” star and fellow recent awards circuit regular Lily Gladstone. “But being in this room is so special — being at home, with people that I love and admire amongst my fellow nominees and some of my favorite people.” Speaking backstage afterwards at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, he added: “It feels lovely being home with so many friends and colleagues.”

Gladstone,...

When Blue Lights debuted on BBC One last year, it was favourably compared with Line of Duty. The comparison made sense. Both dramas deal with drug-dealing organised crime gangs, and touch on the under-funded reality of PR and stats-led UK policing. Both love an armed response unit and a cliffhanger. They’re both filmed in Belfast (though only Blue Lights is set there) and take place in fictional police sections where the dialogue gets a bit ‘sit rep on the double o-b’ spilled-Scrabble-tiles at times.

There is though, a major difference between the two – and it’s not just Blue Lights being about frontline response policing (uniforms in patrol cars) and Line of Duty being about anti-corruption detectives (suits in undercover vehicles). It’s to do with warmth.

To listen to commissioners, warmth is what audiences are currently craving. It’s what put Richard Osman on the bestseller lists for his Thursday Murder Club books,...

Whether due to spoiler phobia, poor impulse control, or an unquenchable need to know what treat Stevie will be serving next out of his magic lunchbox, some Blue Lights fans have already binge-watched all six episodes of series two. To those people we say, breathe out. More is coming.

Two months before series two arrived on BBC One and iPlayer, the corporation confirmed that it had ordered two further series of Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson’s Belfast-set police drama. Like the first two, series three and four will each have the regulation six-episodes, and if all goes to plan, we might reasonably expect them to air respectively in spring 2025 and spring 2026.

Series one arrived to acclaim last March and quickly bagsied itself high-ranking spots on ‘The Best TV of 2023’ round-ups come the end of the year. It’s the story of three rookie recruits to the Police Service of...

Siân Brooke is back on U.K. screens this week as Grace Ellis in the BBC’s Belfast, Northern Ireland-based police drama Blue Lights season 2.

Blue Lights, about three probationary police officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland struggling with the general pressures of the job and crime and tensions in Belfast, has become a hit show for the BBC, which has already ordered seasons 3 and 4. One of the new officers is Brooke’s Grace, a single mother in her 40s who left her job as a social worker to join the police but must soon wonder if she’s made the right decision.

Season 2 debuted on BBC One on Monday night London time, airing weekly, with all episodes now already available on streaming service BBC iPlayer. The show is also available internationally on streamer BritBox International. The season 2 trailer (see below) highlights tensions and new challenges for the police officers.

Walton Goggins and Lesley Sharp join us on this week’s show. Not together, of course, because the former is with us to chat Ghoul life in Prime Video’s Fallout and the latter is here in her capacity as head of MI5 in ITV’s Red-Eye.

And speaking of Red-Eye, we review that show, which sees Richard Armitage on the flight from hell, as well as Glaswegian BBC comedy Dinosaur and the return of Belfast police drama Blue Lights, also on the Beeb. Plus we record our first proper podcast in the new studio, run through our (somewhat belated) 100 Greatest TV shows list, and dispense with a listener question in record time.

Listen to the episode on your podcast app of choice or the player above. And if you want to subscribe to Pilot TV+, find all the details here.

Stormy Daniels Doc Finds Global Distribution

Blue Ant Studios (Canada’s Drag Race) has taken worldwide distribution on Stormy, an in-depth documentary about the life of Stormy Daniels coming on the day of Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Daniels made headlines in 2018 when The Wall Street Journal reported that, just before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, she was paid $130,000 to stop her disclosing an affair she and Trump allegedly had in July 2006. Trump’s trial takes place from today in New York. Peacock’s Stormy is produced by Emmy-nominated Erin Lee Carr and producer/director Sarah Gibson (Orgasm Inc: The Story of One Taste), who were also behind the Britney vs. Spears explosive doc. “Our team is thrilled to have international rights for this sought-after documentary produced by two renowned filmmakers who specialize in portraying the stories of women...

Warning: contains spoilers for the Blue Lights series one finale.

When Blue Lights arrived in 2023, it felt like counter-programming to the news headlines. Real life was filled with reports of police corruption, brutality and deadly crimes committed under cover of the uniform, and here was this drama, offering an alternative.

Grace, Tommy and Annie were that alternative. New recruits to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, they weren’t in uniform to abuse power or take greasy backhanders, they were there to help, and they had the courage of their convictions.

That isn’t to say their courage and convictions weren’t sorely tested by the reality of the job. As they discovered, policing a community riven by historical conflict is tough enough without MI5 doing deals with local kingpins that keep the drugs and crime flowing. Not to mention anonymous death threats and the violent loss of beloved colleagues.