News

The BBC’s unscripted supremo Kate Phillips will take on content boss Charlotte Moore’s role at least in the interim.

An all-staff note from Director General Tim Davie has just been sent around announcing Phillips’ new temporary gig with “immediate effect.”

“We’re very lucky to have someone of her calibre and deep experience ready to step in,” wrote Davie. “I know that she’ll be supported by our world-class Content team through this period. The process of finding a permanent Chief Content Officer is now underway, and I’ll keep you updated with progress.”

Phillips will work closely with Moore over the coming weeks to “ensure a seamless transition for the Content division,” Davie wrote, and she will also join the BBC Executive Committee.

In our runners and riders piece yesterday, which followed Moore’s shock exit announcement, we had predicted Phillips would take on the role in the interim.

Creative Europe Media would likely welcome an application from the UK to re-join as negotiations for the next cycle of the EU funding programme from 2028 begin this year, Screen has learned.

An application from the UK would send a signal of the importance of the programme, European sources believe.

British Film Institute (BFI) chair Jay Hunt said last month there are “more positive noises from this [Labour] government” about the possibility of a UK return to the Creative Europe, compared to the previous government. The BFI has declined to comment further.

The current cycle for the EU subsidy programme for sales,...

Creative Europe Media would likely welcome an application from the UK to re-join as negotiations for the next cycle of the EU funding programme begin this year, Screen has learned.

An application from the UK would send a signal of the importance of the programme, European sources believe.

British Film Institute chair Jay Hunt said last month there are “more positive noises from this [Labour] government” about the possibility of a UK return to the Creative Europe, compared to the previous government. The BFI declined to comment further.

The current cycle for the EU subsidy programme for sales, distribution and production...

Quick LinksCanada's Cinematic Future Is in JeopardyCalifornia in the CrosshairsExecs Curry Favor as the President Plays Favorites

As of 2024, Donald Trump was already persona non grata among the celebrity class, and if his executive orders are any indicator, he's not going to make any new friends any time soon. Should you think you could take refuge in entertainment as the culture war rages outside your door, we reluctantly have to inform you there is no escape. In the wake of US President Trump’s ascension to the Oval Office, he announced a series of protectionist policies. While currently paused at the moment of writing, the Canadian tariff executive order is sending a shiver up the spine of everyone in Canada, threatening to topple decades of established business arrangements and funding deals. It's not just the skylines in movies that's going to change, but which movies get funded and who makes them.

Slow Horses star Christopher Chung has promised fans are in for “a bit of a surprise” with season five. Chung is reprising his role as Roddy Ho in the Apple TV+ series.

Chung’s character Roddy started out as a rogue hacktivist in the political thriller series, before winning over the very reluctant Slow Horses with his hacking skills. In a new interview with The Radio Times, Chung hinted that there will be some important developments in Roddy’s relationship with his team.

Slow Horses Star Christopher Chung Teases Major Developments for Roddy

'He Should Have Been More Ruthless': James Callis Dissects Slow Horses' Claude Whelan

Slow Horses Season 4 star James Callis tells Cbr what his character Claude Whelan has done wrong - and why he's not counting Claude out yet.

“[In] season 5, he becomes a little bit louder and a little bit more self-assured, even more so than he already is,...

Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon has urged UK intervention on public service news to help resist “sliding into an American news swamp.”

The network commissioned research into Gen-z news consumption habits and uncovered a wealth of what it deems concerning findings, although Channel 4 said the UK regulatory environment is equipped to attempt to resolve the problem.

“First of all, it is important to remember that the UK is in a better situation than most other countries,” said Mahon at a Channel 4-Rts event unveiling the research. “Let’s compare to somewhere else. The simplest case would be the USA, where many people get their information from non-verified platforms or from those with a vested economic interest in the algorithms set to promote popularity rather than factuality. Here, in the UK, we can still resist sliding into an American news swamp.”

Mahon was talking tough on American news and its lack of regulation,...

Chris Bryant, UK minister for the creative industries, arts and tourism at Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms), has said he wants to see more Bollywood and Nigerian film production coming to the UK.

Bryant was speaking yesterday (January 28) in front of the parliament’s culture media and sport committee, in the final day of its year-long inquiry into the UK film and high-end TV sector. He wa joined by Alastair Jones, deputy director for the creative industries at the Dcms.

The committee will issue a report with its findings and recommendations from the year-long inquiry in the spring.

Ben Roberts, chief executive of the British Film Institute (BFI), and BFI chair Jay Hunt today said they were in talks with the UK governmentregarding the possibility of rejoining the Creative Europe Media programme.

Hunt confirmed there are “more positive noises from this [Labour] government” about rejoining Creative Europe, in comparison to the former Conservative government.

The UK was forced to withdraw from the funding programme following the country’s exitfrom the European Union. However, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway are not part of the EU but can participate in the programme as a third country.

According to the BFI, the UK...

Ben Roberts, chief executive of the British Film Institute (BFI), and BFI chair Jay Hunt today said they were in talks with the UK governmentregarding the possibility of rejoining the Creative Europe Media programme.

Hunt confirmed there are “more positive noises from this [Labour] government” about rejoining Creative Europe, in comparison to the former Conservative government.

The UK was forced to withdraw from the funding programme following the country’s exitfrom the European Union. However, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway are not part of the EU but can participate in the programme as a third country.

According to the BFI, the UK...

BFI chair Jay Hunt has revealed that she has appointed “anti-racism champions” to the movie body’s board after an independent investigation concluded last year that it mishandled a discrimination complaint.

Appearing before lawmakers on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday, Hunt and BFI CEO Ben Roberts were asked about concerns raised by producer and researcher Faisal A. Qureshi, who has worked on series including Leaving Neverland and Lockerbie: A Search for Truth.

Deadline first revealed Qureshi’s concerns in March 2023 and has continued to follow his story. Qureshi alleged he experienced discrimination during a March 2019 funding meeting with the BFI Network, a third-party BFI delivery organization. Qureshi said his complaint about the meeting was compounded by the BFI’s response, which he felt was dismissive of his concerns.

He escalated his grievance to Verita, the complaints reviewer for National Lottery-funded organizations, which concluded in a report...

British Film Institute (BFI) Chair Jay Hunt is voicing concerns over “very protectionist language around Hollywood” since Donald Trump reclaimed the White House.

At a U.K. parliamentary inquiry into high-end TV and film on Tuesday, Hunt made a plea to ministers for continued investment in the sector as the £4.2 billion ($5.2 billion) production spend is where she worries the industry will settle.

“My biggest concern is that we end up being complacent about the high water mark that we now find ourselves at,” Hunt said. “I look across the landscape at a challenging regulatory environment in Europe and immediately from the new U.S. administration some very protectionist language around Hollywood, and I think one of the reasons the BFI has an important role to play is drawing attention to challenges and making it clear that the growth trajectory will not continue unless we invest in and support the sector.

BFI chair Jay Hunt has warned the British film and TV industry to avoid becoming “complacent” as she cites concerns over “very protectionist language around Hollywood” from the new Donald Trump administration.

Delivering an impassioned plea for continued investment in the sector, Hunt said her “biggest concern” is that the £4.2B ($5.2B) local industry begins to feel that it has hit a “high watermark” from which it will never fall down.

“There is a danger that we assume this is where the industry will settle,” she told the UK parliamentary inquiry into high-end TV and film. “I look across the landscape at a challenging regulatory environment in Europe and immediately from the new U.S. administration some very protectionist language around Hollywood and I think one of the reasons the BFI has an important role to play is drawing attention to challenges and making it clear that the growth trajectory...

Noel Fielding will return to host this year’s Great British Bake Off, according to his spokeswoman.

Questions had emerged over whether Fielding would present Channel 4’s most popular show following the revelation last week that his Apple TV+ comedy The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin was being scrapped after Fielding pulled out around three-quarters of the way through the shoot. That show will not be salvaged and reports stated that Fielding had “failed to come to work.”

Fielding’s spokeswoman has since issued a statement saying: “There has been absolutely no discussion about Noel stepping down from Bake Off. We have been in contact with Channel 4 and Love Productions throughout all the speculation and his ‘stepping down’ has never been part of that dialogue. We can confirm he will be returning to co-host the next series of Bake Off.”

Love Productions, which makes Bake Off (titled The Great British Baking Show...

On stage at British television’s biggest annual gathering in 2023, Paramount UK content chief Ben Frow recounted the story of his resignation with signature flamboyance. Frow told Edinburgh TV Festival delegates he was suffering from gnawing burnout that felt as if he were being “pecked alive.” Quitting granted him paradoxical relief: it soothed his anxiety to the point where he felt able to later withdraw his resignation.

Sixteen months on from his confession, Frow remains in charge of Channel 5, the jewel in the crown of Paramount’s UK operations. It’s a job he has done for more than 12 years, which is at least three times longer than any of his predecessors. Frow’s brush with burnout may be a personal story, but he touched on a universal issue: how long is too long in the rarefied executive roles at the top of television?

Ben Frow

Wherever you turn,...

‘The Diary Of A CEO’ Hits 1B Streams

Exclusive: Steven Bartlett’s The Diary Of A CEO has reached 1 billion streams across Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, according to his company Flight Studio. In addition to the landmark, Apple has confirmed Diary Of A CEO as the UK’s most-downloaded podcast for a third year. Bartlett, who also features as an investor on BBC series Dragons’ Den, launched Diary Of A CEO in 2017 and has interviewed the likes of Simon Cowell, Jada Pinkett Smith, Boris Johnson, Seth Rogen, Maisie Williams, Thierry Henry, and Richard Branson. It is Europe’s biggest podcast and the second-largest globally on YouTube. Bartlett said: “It’s frankly unfathomable to me. The show began as a passion project with just me, my laptop, and a microphone, and it has grown into something I never imagined.”

Amazon Confirms Molly-Mae Hague Docuseries

Amazon has confirmed a docuseries following Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague.

Shooting has kicked off in Bordeaux for Gaya Jiji’s Pieces Of A Foreign Life (L’Etrangère), with Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi starring as a Syrian woman seeking freedom and a new life in France.

France tv distribution has picked up international sales rights to the film and will kick off discussions with buyers at the upcoming American Film Market. It has also released this first-look image.

Ebrahimi, who won Cannes’ best actress prize in 2022 for Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider, plays a woman who flees war-torn Syria, leaving her son and husband behind, and ends up seeking asylum in Bordeaux.

Executives from companies including Anton Corp, Charades, The Match Factory and Netflix are among the speakers set for San Sebastian International Film Festival’s third annual Creative Investors’ Conference, which takes place September 24 and 25.

Organised in collaboration with CAA Media Finance, the conference line-up includes Bobby Allen, svp of production at Mubi; Louis Balsan, evp for distribution and acquisitions at production-financing firm Anton Corp; Caroline Benjo, partner at Haut et Court; Teresa Moneo, director of international original film at Netflix; Christine Vachon of Killer Films; Michael Weber, managing director of The Match Factory; Fabien Westerhoff, CEO of Film Constellation; Bronte Payne...

San Sebastian Creative Investors’ Conference

The San Sebastian Festival will host its third annual Creative Investors’ Conference on September 24 and 25 in collaboration with CAA Media Finance. Execs set for the conference include Bobby Allen of Mubi, Jeffrey Clifford of Heyday Films, Axel Kuchevatzsky of Infinity Hill, Bronte Payne of LuckyChap Entertainment, Michael Weber of The Match Factory, Teresa Moneo of Netflix, Vincent Maraval of Goodfellas and Danny Perkins of Elysian Film Group. The festival has said topics of discussion will include an analysis of the current landscape of the US and European film industries, international opportunities for the Spanish market, and an examination of the Korean film marketplace. Roeg Sutherland, Sarah Schweitzman, and Nick Ogiony from CAA Media Finance will participate in the Conference and moderate talks. Jose Luis Rebordinos, director of the San Sebastian International Film Festival, said he is “thrilled” to have the “support of the Spanish government...

Working Title Films co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner and Searchlight Pictures executive Katie Goodson-Thomas will participate in conversation events as part of the 68th BFI London Film Festival’s industry programme.

This year’s industry forum will run from October 10-16 with a focus on the industry’s challenging financial climate while also exploring fresh opportunities.

Three Spotlight conversations include Bevan and Fellner, whose Working Title Films has produced more than 130 films that have grossed over $8.5bn and earlier this year announced with Universal the Global Writers Program, the studio’s first internationally-run talent initiative. Their latest film, Blitz directed by Steve McQueen,...

The 2024 BFI London Film Festival has unveiled a bustling lineup of speakers and events for its industry forum.

Set to take place between Oct. 10-16 at the Picturehouse Central cinema in central London, the festival’s industry arm is headlined by a trio of “Lff Spotlight” conversations with Working Title Films co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (whose current output includes Steve McQueen’s festival opener “Blitz”), Searchlight’s head of international production and development Katie Goodson-Thomas, and Apple TV+ creative director for Europe — and BFI Chair — Jay Hunt.

Elsewhere, Variety is sponsoring a conversation with Johnnie Burn, the award-winning sound designer whose long list of credits include a lengthy collaborative partnership with Yorgos Lanthimos (including last year’s “Poor Things”) and “The Zone of Interest,” for which he won an Oscar.

Other events include discussions with documentary filmmakers Cécile Embleton (“Mother Vera”) and Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter (“Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other...

Spotlight sessions featuring the bosses of Working Title Films, the international head of Searchlight Pictures and the chair of the BFI, as well as panels on the story behind the success of Last Swim, emerging film writers and documentary makers, adaptations and remakes, the art of sound, and marketing magic are among the industry sessions at this year’s BFI London Film Festival.

Organizers unveiled the discussions on a broad range of topics on Monday.

In Spotlight sessions, BFI CEO Ben Roberts will discuss U.K. film production, the transformation of the industry, talent relationships and how to nurture a new generation of filmmakers with Working Title co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, while BFI chair Jay Hunt, who is also creative director, Europe, worldwide video at Apple, will discuss her career and the industry. Plus, Katie Goodson-Thomas, head of international production and development for Searchlight’s U.K operations (The Banshees of Inisherin,...

Will Smith walked onto the stage at the Emmy Awards on Sunday night. Still, any tension associated with that name and the awards stage was quickly assuaged when he opened his mouth to accept the outstanding writing for a drama series award.

“First of all, relax. Despite my name, I come in peace,” Smith, who is not the famous actor, but the showrunner for the Apple TV hit series Slow Horses, told the crowd at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The crowd laughed at the callback to one of the most notorious moments in recent awards show history.

Many will recall what has been dubbed “the slap,” when the actor Will Smith, of Men in Black and King Richard fame, walked onto the stage during Chris Rock’s presentation and slapped him across the face. This attack on live TV, which shocked the show’s guests and those watching worldwide,...

A surprised Will Smith, the veteran British comedy writer-producer who created and executive produces/showruns Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, started off his speech accepting the Emmy for Writing For a Drama Series by addressing what was on the minds of many TV viewers and ceremony attendees when his name was announced as the winner.

“First off, relax,” he said. “Despite my name, I come in peace.”

He was referring, of course, to the infamous incident at the 2022 Oscars when American actor Will Smith leaped to the stage and slapped presented Chris Rock after the latter made a Jada Pinkett Smith joke.

Slow Horses‘ Will Smith went on to thank author Mick Herron, on whose Slough House books the Apple TV+ spy thriller series is based. He also acknowledged the streamer’s Europe boss Jay Hunt, his team of writers. “and most of all, Gary Oldman and all of the actors” on the show.

Exclusive: Eugene Levy has another plane to catch for Apple.

The Schitt’s Creek star will present and executive produce a third season of The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy after the show was renewed by Apple TV+.

Season 3 promises to follow Levy on a “truly global adventure” as he attempts to curate his ultimate travel bucket list.

It follows the actor’s journey through Europe in Season 2, during which he went truffle hunting in Italy, explored the wellness hay baths of Germany, and enjoyed the company of Joan Collins in Saint-Tropez.

Levy said: “I really appreciate what this show is trying to do for me. But to be a real seasoned traveler you need to have a strong sense of adventure and curiosity, and I’m ashamed to say over the past two seasons I’ve developed neither. But I have to admit I’m having a lot of fun putting in the effort.

Emma Thompson of Sense and Sensibility and Love Actually and Ruth Wilson of The Affair and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House have signed on to star in the Apple TV+ thriller series Down Cemetery Road, Deadline reports. The series is based on a novel by author Mick Herron, whose Slough House novels serve as inspiration for the Apple TV+ show Slow Horses that has been running for three seasons (Apple plans to keep it going for at least five) and has proven to be very successful for the streaming service.

Down Cemetery Road will tell the story of Sarah Tucker, who becomes obsessed with finding a neighbor girl who disappeared in the aftermath of a house explosion in a quiet Oxford suburb. After enlisting the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm in her quest, the pair find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals that...

Emma Thompson y Ruth Wilson protagonizan esta nueva serie de la plataforma de streaming.

Apple TV+ ha anunciado su nueva serie, “Down Cemetery Road”. Se trata de un thriller que adaptará la novela homónima del galardonado autor Mick Herron, que forma parte de su “Serie de Oxford”.

Cuando una casa explosiona en un tranquilo barrio de Oxford y como consecuencia desaparece una niña, la vecina Sarah Tucker se obsesiona con encontrarla y solicita la ayuda de la investigadora privada Zoë Boehm. Zoë y Sarah se topan de repente con una compleja conspiración que revela que las personas a las que se creía muertas desde hace mucho tiempo siguen entre los vivos, mientras que los vivos se unen rápidamente a los muertos.

“Down Cemetery Road” está protagonizada y producida por la ganadora de un Oscar, un BAFTA, un Globo de Oro y un Emmy Emma Thompson (“Sentido y Sensibilidad”), que interpreta...

Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson lead Apple TV+ show Down Cemetery Road, based on Mick Herron's novel. Thompson's recent Golden Globe nomination and Wilson's BAFTA nod make them strong choices for the series. Down Cemetery Road promises a return to Herron's writing universe, balancing dark themes with humor in promising new series.

A new Apple TV+ show called Down Cemetery Road has found its two main leads. Down Cemetery Road is the first novel in Mick Herron’s Oxford series, and was originally published in 2003. Herron is also known for writing the 2010 novel Slow Horses, which received its own television adaptation starting in 2022.

Now, Apple TV+ has announced their development of a TV adaptation of Down Cemetery Road, with its leading cast announced. At the front of Down Cemetery Road will be Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson. Thompson will play Oxford private eye Zoe Boehm, and Wilson will play Sarah Tucker.

Apple TV+ and producers of Slow Horses are teaming up on another series.

Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson will star in Down Cemetery Road, a thriller based on a novel by Mick Herron, whose Slough House spy series is the source material for Slow Horses. The new project is the third Apple TV+ series from producer 60Forty Films, which is also behind Slow Horses — which was renewed for a fifth season earlier this year — and Hijack. Morwenna Banks, who has penned several episodes of Slow Horses, will be the lead writer.

Down Cemetery Road kicks off with a house exploding in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappearing in the aftermath. Sarah Tucker (Wilson, The Affair), who lives nearby, becomes obsessed with finding the girl and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Oscar and Emmy winner Thompson). They find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals that...

Apple TV+ has ordered a series adaptation of Mick Herron’s “Down Cemetery Road” with Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson attached to star, Variety has learned.

This is now the second adaptation of Herron’s books to get the series treatment at Apple, with the other being the popular spy series “Slow Horses” starring Gary Oldman. Morwenna Banks, who is a writer on “Slow Horses,” will serve as lead writer on “Down Cemetery Road.”

The official logline of the new series states, “When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Tucker (Wilson) becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson). Zoë and Sarah suddenly find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.”

Banks and Thompson...

Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson (Luther) have been tapped to star in Down Cemetery Road, a thriller series for Apple TV+ based on the book from Gold Dagger Award-winning author Mick Herron.

The project comes to Apple following the streamer’s work with Herron on Slow Horses, its hugely popular espionage drama based on his Slough House novels. Thus far airing three seasons, the show starring Gary Oldman has garnered multiple BAFTA nominations and has been renewed through Season 5.

A writer on that series, Morwenna Banks, will serve as lead writer and exec producer of Down Cemetery Road. The show centers on Sarah Tucker (Wilson), who becomes obsessed with finding a neighbor girl who disappeared in the aftermath of a house explosion in a quiet Oxford suburb. After enlisting the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson) in her quest, the pair find themselves...

During the reading of the U.K. government’s spring budget on Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt revealed a 40% corporate tax relief for film and TV studios through 2034.

The plan also includes a new tax credit for independent films shot in the U.K. that have a budget less than $19 million (£15 million), and a 5% increase in credit for visual effects in film and high-end TV along with the removal of the 80% cap.

“We have become Europe’s largest film and TV production center, with Idris Elba, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom all filming their latest productions here,” Hunt said. “Studio space in the U.K. has doubled in the last three years, and at the current rate of expansion, next year we will be second only to Hollywood globally.”

Hunt continued to say that the government had listened “carefully to representations from companies like Pinewood, Warner Bros. and Sky Studios” when making the decision.

The UK government is to introduce an indie movie tax credit for films that have budgets up to £15M ($19M), along with bringing in business rates relief for big studios and additional VFX relief.

From April 1, the new indie relief will be separate to the pre-existing film and high-end TV tax credit but both will fall under the new Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit system. The local industry has been calling for the move for months. Films will qualify if they pass a “new British film Institute test.” Productions can make claims from April 1 2025 in respect of expenditure incurred from April 1 2024.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also announced in the past few moments that there will be a 5% increase in tax relief for UK VFX costs in film and high-end TV, while the cost cap of 80% will be removed. The government will also consult on the types of expenditure that will be in scope...

The U.K. government of Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak unveiled a 40 percent corporate tax relief for film and TV studio facilities until 2034 on Wednesday, introduced a new independent film incentive of 40 percent and announced an increase to an existing incentive for visual effects. The moves earned praise from entertainment industry leaders who also said that the new Jurassic World movie would start shooting in the country later this year.

Sunak’s chancellor, or finance minister, Jeremy Hunt made the announcements during his spring budget speech.

“We have become Europe’s largest film and TV production center, with Idris Elba, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom all filming their latest productions here,” said Hunt, adding that if production space growth continues at its current pace, the country will next year rank “second only to Hollywood” in that regard. “Studio space in the U.K. has doubled in the last three years and...

Christopher Nolan was presented with his BFI Fellowship last night (Feb 14) at the Rosewood London by his Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, who introduced the director he has worked with on six films as “the most important bromance of my career” and “one of the greatest directors in the world”.

The visibly moved filmmaker paid tribute to his wife and long-time producer Emma Thomas in front of a packed industry audience.

“I was asked if in all of those years fighting to shoot on film, did you ever feel alone doing that?” said Nolan. “I was able to say I did...

Idris Elba stars in Apple TV+’s ‘Hijack’

Emmy Award nominee Idris Elba (Luther) will return to star in and executive produce a second season of Apple TV+’s Hijack. The first season premiered in June 2023 and followed Elba as Sam Nelson, a passenger on board a plane that’s hijacked. Sam’s negotiating skills were pivotal in bringing about a positive resolution.

The renewal announcement didn’t include any details on what Sam will encounter in season two.

“I was floored by the overwhelming audience response after season one. It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson, but I can assure you we will bring the high octane back!” stated Idris Elba.

Created by George Kay (Lupin) and Jim Field (Criminal), the seven-episode first season is one of Apple TV+’s top dramas. It currently sits at 88% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising Elba’s performance in the real-time thriller.

Apple TV+ has renewed Idris Elba's Hijack for a second season.

Per Deadline, Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, and Tom Nash at 60Forty Films will executive produce Hijack Season 2 alongside Idiotlamp Productions, owned by George Kay and Field Smith. Smith also serves as Hijack's lead director. Apple TV+ creative director for Europe, Jay Hunt, expressed his excitement about the renewal and continued collaboration with the series' producers. "Global audiences were on tenterhooks watching Idris's riveting performance in Hijack, and we're thrilled to be working again with 60Forty and Idiotlamp on an equally compelling season two," he said.

Related Masters of the Air Has Ties to a Classic WWII Series Masters of the Air explores the World War II battles that took place in the sky. But the series also connects to another classic military show.

Series star Elba, who also serves as an executive producer on Hijack, shared...

Idris Elba will be taking to the skies again as his 2023 series, Hijack, has now been renewed by Apple to have a follow-up season for their streaming service, according to Deadline. Told in real-time, Hijack is a tense thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven-hour flight, and authorities on the ground scramble for answers. The series comes from George Kay and Jim Field Smith.

The first season was a hit as it became one of the most-viewed dramas on AppleTV+ and would even crack the Nielsen Streaming Originals Top 10 list. Elba served as an executive producer on the show in addition to starring in it and responded to the reception, saying, “I was floored by the overwhelming audience response after season one. It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson but I can assure you...

Sam Nelson is going to be getting into another dangerous situation. Apple TV+ has renewed Hijack for a second season. The hit thriller followed a hijacked flight in real time across seven episodes in Season 1. The series is created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith and since its debut in June 2023, has become one of Apple TV+’s top dramas. “I was floored by the overwhelming audience response after season one,” Elba said in a statement. “It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson but I can assure you we will bring the high octane back!” Added Jay Hunt, creative director, Europe, Apple TV+, “Global audiences were on tenterhooks watching Idris’s riveting performance in Hijack, and we’re thrilled to be working again with 60Forty and Idiotlamp on an equally compelling season two.” When TV Insider spoke with Elba ahead of the Season 1 premiere, he’d said,...

Apple TV+ is renewing the series 'Hijack' for a second season with Idris Elba returning as the star. Elba's character, Sam Nelson, will face a new situation and the second season will bring high-octane action. The first season of 'Hijack' received critical acclaim, with an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Apple TV+ series Hijack has now been renewed for a second season on the streaming platform, with star Idris Elba all set to return. Confirmed by Apple TV+ (via Variety), Elba will reprise the role of Sam Nelson in the second season, after surviving the events of the first season and using his skills as a business negotiator to broker a peaceful end to the hijacking of a plane on which he is a passenger.

Elba has released a short statement following the renewal, teasing a “new situation” for Sam and further “high octane” action.

Strap in, dear readers, because Hijack, AppleTV+’s high concept thriller has just been renewed for season 2. More here.

AppleTV+’s winning streak continues with the news that Hijack, their 2023 hit TV show starring Idris Elba, has been renewed for season 2.

The 7-part season 1 originally premiered on AppleTV+ in late June 2023. The series starred Elba as Sam, a business negotiator, who finds himself on a hijacked flight and must negotiate the plane’s safe landing. It was met with positive reviews and a strong word of mouth, making it one of the streaming service’s top shows in 2023.

No one seems more surprised by the news than Idris Elba himself.

“I was floored by the overwhelming audience response after season one,” said Elba, who executive produces as well as stars. “It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson but I can assure you we will bring the high octane back!

Will Idris Elba get stuck on another fateful plane ride?

The gritty details aren’t available just yet but Apple TV+ has given the go-ahead for a second season of Hijack from George Kay and Jim Field Smith.

The first season of Hijack became one of the top dramas on the streamer by landing on the Nielsen Streaming Originals Top 10 list. Elba starred alongside the likes of Archie Panjabi, The Crown’s Ben Miles and Max Beesley as Sam Nelson, an accomplished business negotiator forced to use his guile to save the lives of passengers onboard a hijacked plane making its way to London.

The second season of Hijack will be executive produced by Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta and Tom Nash at 60Forty Films, alongside executive producers Kay and Field Smith’s own production company Idiotlamp Productions. Field Smith also serves as lead director for the series.

Apple TV+ has booked a return flight for its drama series Hijack.

The tech behemoth’s streaming service has ordered a second season of the thriller starring and executive produced by Idris Elba. Details on the story for season two are being kept under wraps, but Elba will reprise his role as Sam Nelson — a corporate negotiator who in the first season used his skills to bring about a resolution to the hijacking of a flight on which he was a passenger.

“I was floored by the overwhelming audience response after season one,” Elba said in a statement. “It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson, but I can assure you we will bring the high octane back!”

Hijack, which concluded its seven-episode first season in August, drew solid viewership for Apple TV+, becoming the second series on the platform (after Ted Lasso) to earn a spot...

It’s a good day for fans of Idris Elba’s nail-biting limited series “Hijack.”

Apple TV+ has confirmed that Elba is set to return as negotiator Sam Nelson in a second season of the high-octane drama, which quickly became one of the streamer’s top shows when it dropped last year.

Told almost in real-time, the series follows Nelson on a seven-hour plane ride from Dubai to London which is hijacked by terrorists. A seasoned negotiator, Nelson quickly steps in to try and diffuse the situation before anyone gets killed – but soon realizes there is more to the hijackers’ plot than first seems. Archie Panjabi, Christine Adams, Max Beesley and Ben Miles also starred.

“I was floored by the overwhelming audience response after Season 1,” Elba said. “It’s top secret what new situation unfolds for Sam Nelson, but I can assure you we will bring the high octane back!

Apple TV+ European creative director Jay Hunt is the first streamer executive to take up the mantle.

There has been a mixed reaction to the appointment of Jay Hunt, Apple TV+ European creative director, as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI), at a time when the independent UK film community is grappling with acute challenges, from a dampening of production funding options to soaring costs impacting both filmmaking and exhibition.

Calls for the introduction of a levy of some kind on the US streamers to invest in the homegrown independent sector have been growing louder due to...

Antoine Fuqua directs, Graham King produces.

Production on Michael will get underway on January 22 as Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International line up a day-and-date global launch for the Michael Jackson biopic on April 18, 2025.

Antoine Fuqua directs from a screenplay by John Logan, with Gk Films’ Graham King producing.

Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson stars as the musical icon in what the companies say will be a “riveting and honest” portrayal of the gifted and controversial performer.

The film will show Jackson’s triumphs and tragedies on an “epic, cinematic scale”.

It remains to be seen how the filmmakers will tackle...

Antoine Fuqua directs, Graham King produces.

Production on Michael will get underway on January 22 as Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International line up a day-and-date global launch for the Michael Jackson biopic on April 18, 2025.

Antoine Fuqua directs from a screenplay by John Logan, with Gk Films’ Graham King producing.

Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson stars as the musical icon in what the companies say will be a “riveting and honest” portrayal of the gifted and controversial performer.

The film will show Jackson’s triumphs and tragedies on an “epic, cinematic scale”.

It remains to be seen how the filmmakers will tackle...

Hunt is renowned for her vast experience in the UK TV landscape.

In Jay Hunt, the BFI has landed one of the most experienced UK media executives of her generation as its new chair, appointed by the government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Hunt has run three of the UK’s biggest TV channels at the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and also has US streamer experience from leading the European team of Apple TV+.

“Whatever space Jay is working in, she brings incredible energy, spirit and creative rigour to her role,” said Piers Wenger, A24’s Europe head of TV,...

Jay Hunt has been appointed chair of the British Film Institute.

A hugely well-respected name in British TV, Hunt is currently the creative director for Apple TV+ in Europe, and has been a governor of the British Film Institute since 2020.

Prior to joining Apple, she was chief creative officer at Channel 4 and, thanks to previous positions at the BBC and Channel 5, is the only person to have run three terrestrial broadcasters in the U.K.

Hunt’s commissions comprise some of the U.K.’s biggest and globally renowned TV shows over the last decade, including Apple TV+ hits “Slow Horses” and “Bad Sisters,” plus “Luther,” “Sherlock,” “Black Mirror,” “Derry Girls,” “Catastrophe” and “Gogglebox.”

“The BFI plays such a vital role in supporting great British storytellers and I’m delighted I’ll be chairing the organisation at such an exciting and challenging time,” Hunt said in a statement.

Apple TV+ exec Jay Hunt has been confirmed as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).

Hunt, who has commissioned the likes of Slow Horses, Bad Sisters, and Tiny World at the streamer, joins the BFI for a term of four years commencing 16 February 2024 at the appointment of the UK’s Culture, Media & Sport (Cms) department.

The role takes around two part-time days of work per month and, like former BFI chair Tim Richards, CEO of Vue, Hunt could continue working for Apple.

Hunt – who is the only UK TV commissioner to have run three channels – has been overseeing Apple TV+’s commissioning in Europe for nearly six years. After a slow start, she has nurtured a string of hits including the likes of Gary Oldman-starrer Slow Horses and Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters. She is well respected and introduced a...

Jay Hunt, the creative director for Apple TV+ in Europe, has been named chair of the British Film Institute for a term of four years starting on Feb. 16, the organization and the U.K. government said on Wednesday.

She has been a governor of the BFI since 2020 and served on the board of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Before joining Apple, Hunt served as chief creative officer of British broadcaster Channel 4. “She is the only person to have run three terrestrial broadcast channels, also serving as controller of BBC One and director of programs at Channel 5,” the BFI said.

Her commissions have included such global hits as Bad Sisters, Slow Horses, Luther, Sherlock, Black Mirror, and Catastrophe. She started her career at BBC News. In 2023, she was named one of the Top 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter.

“Film is at the heart of the U.