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India’s pioneering horror film festival Wench is set to unleash its fifth edition at Mumbai venues with British psychological thriller “The Eye,” toplining Shruti Haasan, who will participate in a post-screening Q&a. Running Feb. 27-March 2, the fest continues its mission to spotlight female voices in genre cinema, with women helmers accounting for 35 of the 42 selected films.

Festival founder Sapna Bhavnani is expanding the event’s footprint with a Kolkata edition while also launching Terror Talkies, billed as India’s first horror portal. The lineup boasts partnerships with genre heavyweights Fantasia and Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, including Oscar-nominated short “I’m Not a Robot” as part of the Fantasia collaboration.

Closing night honors go to Ishan Shukla’s IFFR winner “Schirkoa – In Lies We Trust.” The fest will also present masterclasses by Riksundar Banerjee and Vishal Furia, plus an art installation titled “Silent Skies” spotlighting avian conservation,...

Ruth Wilson’s power to switch between vulnerability, resilience, and outright manipulation makes her one of the most versatile actresses in films. A bright and daring actress, her repertoire ranges from works like Jane Eyre to The Affair. Her layered characters make for some of the best drawn-out characters in movies and TV shows, even if she is not leading them.

Ruth Wilson as Alison Lockhart in The Affair | Credits: Showtime

Wilson gave some of her finest performances in a number of films and TV shows, with each of them receiving more critical acclaim than the previous ones. One of these performances never had her on the screen, yet she was able to paint a perfect picture of her character.

10. See How They Run (2022)

Ruth Wilson shines in a film filled with caricature-ish roles. See How They Run is a comedy murder mystery that takes you back to the 1950s London theater scene.

Exclusive: Bodyguard star Keeley Hawes is set to lend her voice to narrate Airborne, a four-part tentpole series from UK-based Humble Bee Films, for Love Nature and Sky Nature.

The hourlong series promises “an astonishing and revelatory adventure into the wonderfully diverse world of creatures that fly, glide and leap through the air.” It follows a diverse array of charismatic creatures through their trials and triumphs. From great soaring condors to leaping lemurs, and from gliding squirrels to beautifully buzzing orchid bees —the series reveals unexpected and fascinating stories of animals who defy gravity and master the air around them in extraordinary ways.

Airborne, produced by Humble Bee Films, premieres soon on Sky Nature in the UK, Ireland and Italy and will roll out on Love Nature around the world.

“We’re thrilled to have Keeley Hawes on board to add her voice to the beautiful cinematography in Airborne.” says Alison Barrat,...

Anupam Kher is making a significant return to directing with his new film Tanvi: The Great, marking his first directorial project since Om Jai Jagdish in 2002. The announcement came on Kher’s 69th birthday in March, but details about the film’s narrative and cast had largely been kept under wraps until now. The big revelation is that Iain Glen, widely recognized for his role as Ser Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones, has joined the cast in a key role.

This news was confirmed by Kher through an Instagram video featuring Glen, where the two actors discussed their collaboration. Glen expressed his enthusiasm for the project and his admiration for Kher, mentioning their previous work together on the British series Mrs Wilson. The video ends with both actors sharing a friendly “namaste,” symbolizing their mutual respect and the cross-cultural nature of their collaboration.

Game of Thrones actor Iain Glen...

Exclusive: Mrs Wilson producer Snowed-In Productions has hired Victoria Fea, the former ITV commissioner who co-founded Longboat Pictures.

Fea joins Snowed-In as an executive producer in June, reporting to CEO Ruth Kenley-Letts. Her appointment follows the departure of Jenny van der Lande to Big Talk Studios.

Snowed-In is behind projects including Itvx’s upcoming Sophie Turner series Joan and Mrs Wilson, the BBC’s Ruth Wilson drama. It also made The Midwich Cuckoos for Sky.

Fea said Snowed-In had a reputation for “classy” television, while Kenley-Letts paid tribute to van der Lande’s tenure at the company.

Longboat Changes

Fea’s exit from Longboat follows an ownership change at the production company she co-founded in 2019 with Julie Anne Robinson, a director who has worked on Doctor Who and Bridgerton.

Sky exited Longboat last year after taking a 25% stake in the company in 2020. Longboat is now wholly owned by The Story Collective,...

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...

Actress Ruth Wilson ("Luther") poses for the October 2023 issue of "Tatler" magazine, wearing Marni, Schiaparelli and Jimmy Choo, photographed by Luc Braquet:

The Brit actress is noted for her performance in "Jane Eyre" (2006), as 'Alice Morgan' in the BBC psychological crime drama "Luther",[ as 'Alison Lockhart' in the Showtime drama "The Affair" (2014–2018), and as "Mrs Wilson" (2018).

Since 2019, she has portrayed 'Marisa Coulter' in the BBC/HBO fantasy series "His Dark Materials".

Her film credits include "The Lone Ranger" (2013), "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013), "I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House" (2016), and "Dark River" (2017). She is now starring in the TV series "The Woman In The Wall" (2023).

Click the images to enlarge...

“Bridgerton” Season 2 breakout Calam Lynch has joined “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” cast, along with new additions Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin

Eldon, Will Keen and Selina Lo.

The eight new members join previously announced Season 2 additions Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen “Zates” Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle and Nicholas Woodeson.

Sam Hazeldine was also recently announced as a replacement for “Game of Thrones” alumnus Joseph Mawle as antagonist Adar.

As is custom for the series, character details for all are being kept under wraps.

Also Read:

‘Rings of Power’ Recasts Orc Villain Role Adar for Season 2 as Additional New Cast Members Revealed

Lynch broke out in Netflix’s second season of “Bridgerton” with the role of Theo Sharpe, a love interest of sorts to the stubborn Eloise (Claudia Jessie). Other television credits include Channel 4’s “Derry Girls” and BBC’s “Mrs. Wilson.

HBO Max is developing Heatwave, a limited series from director Shannon Murphy (Killing Eve), writer Anna Symon (Mrs. Wilson) and Banijay’s Tiger Aspect Productions.

Written by Symon, in Heatwave, on a scorching family holiday in Ibiza, a forty-something woman embarks on a reckless affair with her friends’ teenage son. As the temperature rises, long held secrets and buried grievances set fire to both marriages. Both couples must confront the reality of who they once were and who they have now become.

Symon and Murphy executive produce and Murphy will direct the first block of the series. Peaky Blinders producer Tiger Aspect executive produces for HBO Max.

BAFTA nominee Symon most recently penned the adaptation of The Essex Serpent, starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston, based on Sarah Perry’s bestselling novel, for Apple TV+. Her other credits include the TV miniseries Deep Water and Mrs. Wilson.

Murphy made her...

Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson have teamed up once again — this time to throw cyber criminals against walls.

The two stars appear in a new cybersecurity awareness PSA from Amazon as a part of the company’s protect and connect program, which aims to teach Internet users how to protect themselves from phishing and other cybersecurity threats.

The PSA features Jordan and Thompson saving unsuspecting internet users from sketchy internet schemes. The PSA comes as a follow up on Amazon’s commitments at the White House Cybersecurity Summit in 2021.

“Being part of this PSA was an opportunity to work with Tessa again, one of my mentors — Paul Hunter, and to support the Amazon family to get this message out that cyber security and your privacy is really important,” Jordan said. “Nobody wants their information stolen. As much as you can protect your information, and your family and friends, you should do that.

Exclusive: Bodyguard and Line of Duty star Keeley Hawes has been tapped as a co-lead opposite Krysten Ritter in Orphan Black: Echoes, the upcoming offshoot series set in the world of Orphan Black, which is slated for a 2023 debut on AMC Networks’ digital platform AMC+ and linear nets.

The 10-episode Orphan Black: Echoes, produced and distributed globally by Boat Rocker, takes place in the near future and explores the scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women — two of them played by Hawes and Ritter — as they weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unravelling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal.

Hawes will portray a perceptive but sensitive scientist who finds herself at odds with her own moral code when circumstances lead her to make an unthinkable choice. In addition to Ritter,...

Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson will literally discover The Woman in the Wall, as the star and an executive producer of a six-episode gothic thriller greenlit by Showtime and the BBC.

Daryl McCormick (Peaky Blinders, The Wheel of Time) will co-star alongside the alum of The Affair and Mrs Wilson.

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Created and written by BAFTA Award nominee Joe Murtagh, The Woman in the...

UK producer Jackie Larkin to lead joint venture.

WME Independent and Nordic production studio Yellow Film & TV are teaming on an English-language feature slate of cast-driven comedies in a joint venture to be headed by UK producer Jackie Larkin.

Larkin’s credits include J. K. Rowling’s Strike series, Mrs. Wilson and Stella Days.

Yellow Film, led by CEO Olli Haikka, and based in Helsinki, has a strong track record of producing English-language content such as Janus Metz Pedersen’s Borg Vs McEnroe, co-produced Sf Film and John Webster’s Finnish documentary feature The Happy Worker.

“In partnership with WME Independent,...

Exclusive: ABC comedy pilot The Son In Law has found its father-in-law. Anupam Kher, who has starred in such series as NBC’s New Amsterdam and the Amazon film The Big Sick, has been cast as one of the leads alongside Reema Sampat, Chris Sullivan and Meera Simhan.

The Son In Law, a single-camera pilot from 20th Television, is written and executive produced by Ajay Sahgal and executive produced by Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar. It follows a salt-of-the-earth man, Jake (Sullivan), who finds himself seeking the approval of his new fiancée Asha’s (Sampat) sophisticated parents, including a difficult-to-impress father-in-law.

Kher, who has starred in over 500 Hindi-language films, plays Om Mehta, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic who lives with his wife Khushi, played by Simhan, in an 18,000 square foot Fifth Avenue penthouse and hobnobs with an A-list circle of friends and celebrities. Despite that, Om, who was raised in relatively modest circumstances,...

Image Source: YouTube user Netflix

Regé-Jean Page may not return as Simon Basset in "Bridgerton" season two, but we have a new handsome character to pine over in his absence. The Netflix show's second installment introduces Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch), an apprentice at the printing shop where Lady Whistledown prints her gossip papers. He's an intellectual, working-class man with a keen interest in women's rights, which leads him to form a bond with Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie). Though Eloise is fiercely independent and tends to avoid suitors altogether, their friendship becomes increasingly romantic, showing a softer side to her character.

Eloise and Theo first cross paths in episode two when the former stumbles upon the latter's print shop while investigating Lady Whistledown's identity, unaware that the infamous storyteller is actually her best friend, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). Their initial exchange is ridden with sharp wit and banter, and they meet...

Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes starrer “The Essex Serpent” has confirmed its release date.

The series, based on Sarah Perry’s novel of the same name, will debut globally on Apple TV Plus on May 13.

Two episodes will be released on that date with more to follow.

To accompany the news, the streamer also released a new image of “Loki” star Hiddleston and “Homeland” lead Danes dressed in period clothing walking through a desolate English countryside.

“The Essex Serpent” tells the story of Cora (played by Danes), a Victorian-era widow looking for a fresh start following her escape from an abusive marriage.

Cora relocates to a small Essex village plagued by a local superstition about a mythical serpent. There she encounters Will (Hiddleston), a trusted community leader trying to contain rumors about the beast.

Rounding out the cast are Frank Dillane (“The Girlfriend Experience”), Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter) Hayley Squires...

HBO is developing a limited series version of the Stitcher podcast “Mob Queens” with Lena Dunham, Ruth Wilson, and Dennis Lehane, Variety has learned.

The series tells the story of Anna Genovese (Wilson), most widely known as the second wife of infamous crime boss Vito Genovese and a fixture in the Village’s drag bar scene in the 1930s who later broke Cosa Nostra law when she spilled the illegal dealings of her husband in divorce hearings.

Dunham will co-write, direct, and executive produce under her Good Thing Going banner. In addition to starring, Wilson will executive produce via Lady Lazarus. Lehane will co-write and executive produce. Michael P. Cohen of Good Thing Going will also executive produce along with Ryan Selzer of Lady Lazarus, Stitcher, Animal Kingdom, and Michael Seligman and Jessica Bendinger. Seligman and Bendinger created and hosted the podcast.

Wilson has previously produced and starred in the BBC miniseries “Mrs. Wilson,...

“True Things,” which world premieres Saturday in Venice’s Horizons section, is the fruit of a collaboration between the production companies of two stars, Jude Law and Ruth Wilson, the first feature film that she has produced, as well as The Bureau, a production company with a stellar track-record for delivering arthouse hits.

When literary agent Cathryn Summerhayes sent Deborah Kay Davies’ novel “True Things About Me” to Ben Jackson, who runs Law’s production company, Riff Raff U.K., he found the story “gripping, interesting and weirdly relatable,” as well as “very modern and timely.”

The story follows a thirtysomething, fed-up singleton with a dreary job in a dead-end town. When a charismatic stranger crosses her path she dives into an intoxicating yet toxic relationship, which puts her at odds with family, friends and bosses, and pushes her to the edge.

Jackson passed it to Law who shared his...

One of the bright lights of this year’s awards season, BAFTA best actress nominee Bukky Bakray of the film “Rocks” will star in forthcoming BBC One and Netflix drama “You Don’t Know Me.”

Produced by Snowed-In Production and co-produced with Netflix, the show has now begun filming in Birmingham. The project is an adaptation of Imran Mahmood’s bestselling novel, and is written by “The Crown” and “Judy” writer Tom Edge.

Directed by Sarmad Masud, the four-part drama turns on a young man named Hero (Samuel Adewunmi) who, with overwhelming evidence against him, stands accused of murder. At his trial, Hero tells an extraordinary story about the woman he loves, and how he risked everything to save her. Hero swears he is innocent, but can we believe him?

Bakray plays Bless, Hero’s younger sister, who is a guiding force for her older brother and believes fiercely in his innocence.

Tom Hiddleston will star opposite Claire Danes in Apple TV+’s drama series “The Essex Serpent,” the streaming service said Tuesday.

Based on the novel by Anna Symon, “The Essex Serpent” follows newly widowed Cora (Danes), who, having being released from an abusive marriage, relocates from Victorian London to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, intrigued by a local superstition that a mythical creature known as the Essex Serpent has returned to the area.

Hiddleston will play the role of Will Ransome, “the trusted leader of a small rural community.” You can see a first-look photo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe star in character above.

“The Essex Serpent” will be directed by Clio Barnard with Symon serving as lead writer. Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Patrick Walters, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman will executive produce the show alongside Barnard and Symon. Andrea Cornwell will serve as producer.

The drama hails from See-Saw Films,...

Exclusive: Actress Ruth Wilson has signed with UK-based talent agency Hamilton Hodell, as she continues to be repped by CAA in Hollywood.

Wilson, the Golden Globe & Olivier Award-winning star of HBO’s His Dark Materials, Mrs Wilson, The Affair, and BBC’s Luther, will be repped by the agency in all areas. She just wrapped HBO Max’s Oslo, opposite Andrew Scott. The Bartlett Sher-directed drama is produced by Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko, Marc Platt, and Adam Siegel.

Wilson has continued to produce and star in her own material, recently completing True Things, a drama co-written and directed by Harry Wootliff. She produced it alongside The Bureau, BFI and BBC Films.

Wilson next gets underway starring in Searchlight’s Untitled Murder Mystery, the Tom George-directed drama that stars Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, David Oyelowo, and Adrien Brody.

Later in the year Wilson will reprise her Mrs Coulter in...

Clare Danes has been cast to star in Apple TV+’s “Essex Serpent,” replacing Keira Knightley who was originally tapped for the lead role.

Last fall, Knightley pulled out of “The Essex Serpent” ahead of its production start in the U.K. due to coronavirus-related child care concerns. The 35-year-old actress has two daughters with her husband, James Righton: 5-year-old Edie and 13-month-old Delilah. Apple TV+ ordered “The Essex Serpent” to series at the end of August with Knightley attached as star and EP.

“The Essex Serpent” follows newly widowed Cora (Danes) who, having being released from an abusive marriage, relocates from Victorian London to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, intrigued by a local superstition that a mythical creature known as the Essex Serpent has returned to the area.

The series is set to be directed by Clio Barnard. Anna Symon will serve as lead writer. Excluding Knightley,...

Harry Wootliff’s “True Things,” starring Ruth Wilson and Tom Burke, has wrapped production after a six-week shoot in the U.K. and Spain.

The film, for which Variety can provide an exclusive first image (above), began shooting at the beginning of the year, but was forced to shut down due to the global pandemic. It resumed filming again in September in Ramsgate, in the east of England, and Malaga, in southern Spain.

“True Things,” which will now enter post-production, is being shopped internationally by The Bureau Sales. The film is Wootliff’s follow-up to the BAFTA-nominated and BIFA-winning romantic drama “Only You,” which starred Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor.

The film is an adaptation of Deborah Kay Davies’ book “True Things About Me,” based on a script by Wootliff and Molly Davies. The story, a psychological drama, follows Kate (Wilson), who is sleepwalking through life when a chance sexual...

October is here and you know what that means: time for the streaming services to put their spookiest foot forward. Amazon is doing its part for its new releases in October 2020 by rolling out some horror originals and library titles.

This is the month that the much-hyped Blumhouse horror anthology series Welcome to the Blumhouse arrives. “Episodes” of that, Black Box and The Lie launch on Oct. 6 and Evil Eye and Nocturne arrive on Oct. 13. Another horror-adjacent release of note is Truth Seekers, a comedy-horror series from Nick Frost and Simon Pegg.

That’s about it for notable originals. Thankfully October 1 brings the usual burst of fascinating library movie titles. A Knights Tale, Spaceballs, and The Departed all debut on the first of the month. Terminator: Dark Fate arrives on Oct. 9. The superb final season of Mr. Robot will be available on Oct. 6. Start playing Pixies “Where is My Mind?...

As we head into the last week of September, let’s look ahead at what’s coming to Amazon Prime in October. It’s the usual mix of great newly-licensed titles arriving at the top of the month and a range of original movies and TV shows dropping throughout the upcoming weeks. But, what with it being spooky season, this time Prime’s October haul is specifically geared towards giving you some scares during Halloween.

For starters, horror fans will not want to miss the launch of Blumhouse’s “Welcome to the Blumhouse” series with four original films going up across October. The first duo, Black Box and The Lie, land on Prime on October 6th. Then, a week later on the 13th, both Evil Eye and Nocturne debut. Anything with Blumhouse behind it is usually worth checking out, so make sure not to miss those.

October 1st delivers a couple of vampire movies,...

Alex Rider Season 2 is officially in the works at Sony Pictures Television.

Developed by screenwriter Guy Burt, and based on the bestselling book series by Anthony Horowitz (creator of U.K. WWII-era detective series Foyle’s War), Sony’s Alex Rider follows the titular teen (Otto Farrant), who discovers a family legacy in the spy game after his late uncle/adoptive father seemingly dies under mysterious circumstances. Subsequently recruited by MI6 subdivision the Department of Special Operations, Alex undergoes a transformative training process for a job that uproots his adolescent life.

The second season renewal of Alex Rider arrives, via Deadline, shortly after the TV series made its June 4 debut, specifically in the franchise’s homefront, on Amazon U.K. However, while it has yet to arrive in most countries, including the U.S., Sony is reportedly close to landing a deal for platforms in the U.S., Australia and China.

Exclusive: The BBC is adapting crime novel You Don’t Know Me with The Crown writer Tom Edge and Mrs Wilson producer Snowed-In Productions.

Deadline understands that the British public broadcaster is remaking Imran Mahmood’s novel as a four-part drama.

You Don’t Know Me tells the story of a young man, who stands accused of murder. The evidence is overwhelming. But at his trial, this man tells an extraordinary story. It is about the woman he loves, who got into terrible trouble. It’s about how he risked everything to save her. He swears he’s innocent. But in the end, all that matters is this: do you believe him?

The series, which is expected to film later this year, is adapted by Edge, who worked on the first two seasons of Netflix’s royal drama The Crown. He also created Netflix comedy Lovesick and has written projects...

Exclusive: Hostile Planet producer Plimsoll Productions is moving into scripted. The natural history producer has hired Lisa Gilchrist, producer of Dominic West-fronted crime thriller Appropriate Adult, as Head of Drama.

This comes six months after the company, which also produces series such as Yellowstone Live and Netflix’s Night on Earth, has secured multi-million-dollar investment from private equity firm Ldc.

Gilchrist, who reports to Plimsoll CEO Grant Mansfield, has worked with Mrs Wilson producer Snowed-In Productions as well as ITV and the BBC. Other projects she has worked on include ITV’s See No Evil: The Moors Murders and This is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper and BBC One’s The Moorside.

She has been tasked with developing original scripted series with an initial focus on factual drama for the UK and international marketplace.

Grant Mansfield, CEO, said, “Lisa has built a reputation on delivering standout, award winning and emotionally powerful drama.

It’s been a year of firsts for British actress Ruth Wilson. Currently running on Broadway, “King Lear” marks her first professional Shakespeare play, her first time singing in public, her first time playing a role written for a man (likely the first time both Cordelia and The Fool have been played by the same actress), and her first time sharing the stage with the mighty Glenda Jackson. (It’s Wilson’s second Tony nomination.)

And in the past year, Wilson finally said a firm goodbye, after five seasons, to playing her Golden Globe-winning Long Island beach girl in Showtime’s “The Affair.” And the BBC’s BAFTA-nominated “Mrs. Wilson” is the first time she developed, produced and starred in her own television series – in this case, based upon her own grandmother’s story. Playing Alison Wilson could yield her first acting Emmy nod.

It’s surprising that her sexy...

It’s been a year of firsts for British actress Ruth Wilson. Currently running on Broadway, “King Lear” marks her first professional Shakespeare play, her first time singing in public, her first time playing a role written for a man (likely the first time both Cordelia and The Fool have been played by the same actress), and her first time sharing the stage with the mighty Glenda Jackson. (It’s Wilson’s second Tony nomination.)

And in the past year, Wilson finally said a firm goodbye, after five seasons, to playing her Golden Globe-winning Long Island beach girl in Showtime’s “The Affair.” And the BBC’s BAFTA-nominated “Mrs. Wilson” is the first time she developed, produced and starred in her own television series – in this case, based upon her own grandmother’s story. Playing Alison Wilson could yield her first acting Emmy nod.

It’s surprising that her sexy...

America drama "Killing Eve" was the biggest winner at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) gala here.

The awards ceremony was held on Sunday at the Royal Festival Hall here.

The hit show took home three trophies, for best drama series, best actress for Jodie Comer and best-supporting actress for Fiona Shaw, reports variety.com.

The first award of the night saw Sky Atlantic and Showtime's "Patrick Melrose" beat out strong competition from "A Very English Scandal" to take home the prize for best miniseries.

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch bagged the best leading actor prize for his performance in the show, beating competition including actor Hugh Grant in "A Very English Scandal".

"I'm very used to being the bridesmaid," said Cumberbatch, who won the award from his seventh BAFTA TV Award nomination.

He thanked author Edward St. Aubyn for his "wit and courage".

Grant's co-star, Ben Whishaw, repeated...

BBC America drama “Killing Eve” was the biggest winner Sunday at BAFTA’s British Academy Television Awards, which were handed out at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The hit show took home three trophies, for best drama series, best actress for Jodie Comer and best supporting actress for Fiona Shaw.

The first award of the night saw Sky Atlantic and Showtime’s “Patrick Melrose” beat out strong competition from “A Very English Scandal” to take home the prize for best miniseries. Benedict Cumberbatch claimed the best leading actor prize for his performance in the show, beating competition including Hugh Grant in “A Very English Scandal.” “I’m very used to being the bridesmaid,” said Cumberbatch, who won the award from his seventh BAFTA TV Award nomination. The actor thanked author Edward St. Aubyn for his “wit and courage.”

Grant’s co-star, Ben Whishaw, repeated his Golden Globe success by winning...

In a Gold Derby exclusive, we have learned the category placements of the key Emmy Awards contenders for PBS. For this season, their “Masterpiece” brand has returning dramas “The Durrrells in Corfu” (Keeley Hawes) and “Poldark” (Aidan Turner) plus limited series “Les Miserables” (Dominic West), “The Miniaturist” (Anna Taylor-Joy) and “Mrs. Wilson” (Ruth Wilson) as part of their 2019 campaign.

Below, the list of PBS lead and supporting stars for their programs. More names might be added by the networks on the final Emmy ballot. Also note that performers not included on this list may well be submitted by their personal reps.

See Watch dozens of our fun video interviews with 2019 Emmy contenders

“The Durrells In Corfu”

Drama Series

Drama Actress – Keeley Hawes

Drama Supporting Actress – Daisy Waterstone

Drama Supporting Actor – Josh O’Connor, Milo Parker, Callum Woodhouse

“Les Miserables”

Limited Series

Movie/Limited Series Actor – Dominic West

Movie/Limited Series...

Last Year’s Winner: Regina King, “Seven Seconds”

Still Eligible: No.

Hot Streak: Helen Mirren is the only actress to win consecutive trophies in the Best Actress in a Limited Series category, and even though she’s been nominated six times for playing Detective Jane Tennison in “Prime Suspect” (and won twice), she won her back-to-back trophies for two different programs. She won in 2006 for HBO’s “Elizabeth I” and then again in 2007 for “Prime Suspect: The Final Act.”

Fun Fact: Helen Mirren has the most wins (four) and the most nominations (10) in the category’s history, but it’s worth noting she’s only ever been nominated in this Emmy category — save for in 2002, when she was nominated for Best Actress in a Limited Series and Best Supporting Actress in a Limited series, for “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone” and “Door to Door,” respectively. Laura Linney and Patty Duke...

“April and May are becoming for Emmy season what November and December have been for the Oscars,” Tony Ruiz tells me and our fellow Gold Derby contributors Luca Giliberti and Zach Laws in the first slugfest of the 2019 Emmy season about the races for limited series and TV movies (watch above). “All these limited series are premiering late this year,” Giliberti alludes to the likes of “The Act” (Hulu), “Catch-22” (Hulu), “Chernobyl” (HBO), “Fosse/Verdon” (FX), “Gentleman Jack” (HBO), “Good Omens” (Amazon), “The Hot Zone” (NatGeo), “Les Misérables” (PBS), “Mrs. Wilson” (PBS), “The Spanish Princess” (Starz), “The Twilight Zone” (CBS All Access) and “When They See Us” (Netflix).

SEEthe Emmy slugfest about the top drama categories.

“Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime) is the Best Limited Series frontrunner after its wins at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and various guild awards, albeit none of its awards were in a “Best Limited Series” category; most honored Patricia Arquette,...

In the wake of “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington spoiling the ending of the show for his wife, co-star Iain Glen reflects on how HBO and the show’s creators have always trusted the cast about events of the current season versus trying to limit their knowledge.

“Certain directors work that way… but I find it slightly belittling to what we do as actors, the notion that we’re denied large [parts of the script] unless it’s integral to the story that you’re telling,” Glen said in an interview with IndieWire while promoting his upcoming PBS miniseries “Mrs. Wilson” at the Television Critics Association press tour.

“The knowledge you gain about the story, the telling, and the themes that are involved … you piece your little journey into that,” he said. “That’s what we do as actors. We should be given the material. We always got to read everything before we started.