BBC First has bought the Australian rights to Around the World in 80 Days from Seven, and will show it at Sunday nights from June 26.
HBO has axed Gentleman Jack after two seasons, so the BBC must find a new production partner if the drama is to continue.
EDIT: further reactions from lead actor Suranne Jones, the BBC and the production company behind Gentleman Jack
One of the channels most popular programs. Also shown later on ABC.
BBC and BritBox North America release first look at Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrance and Bella Ramsay in Time series two, as further casting is announced
The BBC and BritBox North America have released a first-look picture from the second series of Jimmy McGovern’s multi award-winning hit drama Time.
As previously announced, the three-part drama made by BBC Studios and co-produced by BritBox International for North America, will be led by Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who, Broadchurch), Tamara Lawrance (The Silent Twins, The Long Song) and Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us, His Dark Materials), with Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Downton Abbey) reprising her role from series one as Marie-Louise, a prison chaplain. The series is written by multi-award winning Jimmy McGovern (Broken, Cracker, The Street) and Helen Black, writer of the BAFTA-nominated Life and Death in the Warehouse, and is directed by Andrea Harkin (The Confessions of Frannie Langton, The Trial Of Christine Keeler).
Announced today, BAFTA-award winner Sophie Willan (Alma’s Not Normal, Still Open All Hours) has joined the cast of Time series two, alongside Julie Graham (Shetland, Being Eileen), Alicia Forde (Waterloo Road, Ryan Can’t Read), Lisa Millett (The A Word, Robin Hood), Faye McKeever (The Responder, Des), Kayla Meikle (The Capture, The Girl Before), James Corrigan (This Is Going to Hurt, This England), Nicholas Nunn (Clique, SAS Rogue Heroes) and Maimuna Memon (Sherwood, Unforgotten).
Told through the lens of three very different inmates, Time is a moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a women’s prison. Arriving at Carlingford Prison on the same day, Kelsey (Bella Ramsey), Orla (Jodie Whittaker) and Abi (Tamara Lawrance) are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world. But even with the ever-present threat of violence within its walls, they discover that an unexpected sense of community, and a shared understanding, still might be possible.
Time series two (3x60’) is a BBC Studios production for the BBC, in a co-production with BritBox North America. Additional funding and support comes from the Liverpool Film Office through its Liverpool City Region Production Fund. Global distribution will be handled by BBC Studios.
The series is produced by Mark Hedges (Hanna, The Rising), with executive producers Priscilla Parish, Michael Parke and Andrew Morrissey for BBC Studios, Lucy Richer for the BBC, and Jimmy McGovern.
Time series one is available to view on BBC First or stream On Demand. Series two is coming soon to Australian screens.
FIFTEEN-LOVE TO PREMIERE ON BBC FIRST
Fifteen-Love, a provocative new drama set in the world of elite tennis, is set to premiere on BBC First on Sundays at 8.30pm from July 23.
From the makers of Line of Duty and Vigil, the series promises to tackle themes and issues within the world of sport that aren’t often shown on screen. It’s written by Hania Elkington and explores the “intense rapport” between tennis prodigy Justine Pearce (newcomer Ella Lily Hyland) and her maverick coach Glenn Lapthorn (Aidan Turner) and looks into the grayer areas that come with relationships and power dynamics.
Fifteen-Love centers on Justine Pearce, a teenage prodigy who had a meteoric rise in the elite world of Grand Slam tennis. Together with her maverick coach, Glenn Lapthorn, Justine reached the semi-finals of the French Open. However, as the world watched, her dreams were brutally shattered by a career-ending injury. Five years on, it seems Justine has finally healed – physically and psychologically – until she makes an explosive allegation against her former coach. And as they both seek glory at the grass court event of the year, Justine and Glenn’s battle over the truth will force everyone to reconsider what they thought they knew about their past success. Examining the intense pressures of professional sport, Fifteen-Love is a gripping and sensitive exploration of trust, power and obsession – and what can be lost when you’ll do anything to win…
Series writer/creator Hania Elkington said: “The voice of women in sport has never been heard as loudly and clearly as over the last two years. From Simon Biles to Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu to Pam Shriver, the pressures and realities of being at the top of your game on the world stage are finally breaking through to us, making us look again at the price our young prodigies can pay for the goals they work so hard to achieve.”
“Writing this drama, and the people I’ve met through my deep-dive into researching it, has been revelatory. I hope that Fifteen-Love has the same effect on its audience, and can become another valuable part of this urgent, emerging story.”
The cast in this series include newcomer Ella Lily Hyland (Silent Roar), Aidan Turner (The Hobbit Film Series, Poldark), Anna Chancellor (The Crown), Jess Darrow (Encanto), Tom Varey (Ridley Road), Lorenzo Richelmy (Marco Polo), Manon Azem (Your Honour) and Chuku Modu (The Good Doctor).
Fifteen-Love will premiere on BBC First on Sundays at 8.30pm from July 23 and will be available to stream On Demand and through Binge.
Found the design brief for BBC First Australia’s new graphics: 5 idents are made by Vandal.
2 of those 5 idents are collaborated with Luxx, who was responsible for relaunching 10 (!):
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT TO PREMIERE ON BBC FIRST ON THURSDAYS AT 8.30PM FROM AUGUST 24
“As immaculate a piece of TV as you will ever see” – The Guardian.
“a heart-breaking portrayal of a sickening crime” The Times.
“Brits are certain of one thing – it deserves all the awards” – Entertainment Daily.
The Sixth Commandment, a brand new four-part true crime drama is set to premiere on BBC First on Thursdays at 8.30pm from August 24. This series explores The Maids Moreton Murders, a case that gripped the UK in 2015. It shows the unfortunate deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in the village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire and the extraordinary events that unfolded over the following years. It is a study of faith, loneliness and the endless vulnerability of humanity, especially that of the good and innocent. The series stars Timothy Spall (Mr Turner, Spencer), Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax, Sanditon, Dinner Ladies), Éanna Hardwicke (Lakelands, Normal People) and Annabel Scholey (The Split, The Salisbury Poisonings) and will be available on Foxtel On Demand and also on Binge.
This series, written by Sarah Phelps (A Very British Scandal, The Pale Horse) and directed by Saul Dibb (The Salisbury Poisonings), inspired by the critically acclaimed and BAFTA nominated documentary Catching A Killer: A Diary From The Grave, tells the story of how the meeting of an inspirational teacher, Peter Farquhar (Spall), and a charismatic young student, Ben Field (Hardwicke), who bonded over their love of books and involvement with the Church of England, set the stage for one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent memory. It also focuses on how suspicions around Ben’s relationship with Peter’s deeply religious neighbour Ann Moore-Martin (Reid), also targeted by Field, unlocked a series of stunning revelations, culminating in a headline-grabbing trial.
The Sixth Commandment captures the initial seductions, the extreme gaslighting, the gripping police investigation and Peter’s killer finally being brought to justice four years after his untimely death. While poignantly highlighting the damaging effect of isolation and loneliness. It also celebrates both Peter and Ann’s lives as cherished mentors, much-loved relatives and adored friends.
Derek Wax, Executive Producer for Wild Mercury Productions, says: “This is a compelling and complex story, intimate, chilling and so poignant. Sarah’s scripts have really got inside its emotional heart, and with extraordinary nuance and passion. Saul Dibb as director, has illuminated these characters’ stories with such insight, detail and authenticity.”
Brian Woods, Executive Producer for True Vision Productions, says: “Drama has the ability to explore the emotional truth beneath the headlines. From the outset, we have been working with the families of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin and we hope that The Sixth Commandment will illuminate their experiences and most of all, honour the lives of Peter and Ann.”
Written by Sarah Phelps and produced by Wild Mercury Productions and True Vision Productions, the distinguished cast includes Timothy Spall (Mr Turner, Spencer), Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax, Sanditon, Dinner Ladies), Éanna Hardwicke (Lakelands, Normal People), Annabel Scholey (The Split, The Salisbury Poisonings), Sheila Hancock (Unforgotten, A Discovery of Witches, Great Canal Journeys), Ben Bailey Smith (The Split, Andor), Conor MacNeill (Industry), Adrian Rawlins (Baptiste, Chernobyl) and Amanda Root (Summerland, Unforgotten).
The Sixth Commandment has been made in full cooperation with Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin’s families.
The Sixth Commandment will premiere on BBC First on Thursdays at 8.30pm from August 24 and will be available to stream On Demand and through Binge at a later date.
All our channel content is available on Foxtel and Fetch.
THE FOLLOWING EVENTS ARE BASED ON A PACK OF LIES PREMIERES SEPTEMBER 22
“A joyfully fun takedown of a scammer ex-husband” – The Guardian.
The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies will premiere on BBC First on Fridays at 8.30pm from September 22 and will available to stream through Binge and On Demand. This adrenaline-packed thriller explores the rapid rise of the modern fraudster, and the strength two women find to take on a conman at his own game. The series stars Alistair Petrie (Sex Education, The Night Manager), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (In Fabric, Boxing Day), and Rebekah Staton (Raised by Wolves, Home) as Rob, Cheryl and Alice respectively and is from SISTER productions, the markers of Chernobyl and This Is Going To Hurt.
It shows two very different women (Alice Newman and Cheryl Harker) and the conman (Dr Rob Chance) they have in common. It’s a dark, funny, and unpredictable thriller about three remarkable characters trapped in a tangled triangle of complexly layered half-truths and lies of epic proportions. Cheryl (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is a bestselling fantasy fiction author who, recently bereaved, now lives alone with her poodle, Goblin. Alice (Staton) is a formidable but long-underestimated PA who lives in a bungalow with her young son and magician partner. Rob (Petrie) is an eccentric and celebrated ecopreneur (allegedly). Three apparent strangers with nothing in common… except Rob’s dupes, deceptions and delusions.
This is a story about lies and artifice, about our weakness for self-deception, and about the rapid ascent of the modern fraudster. It is the story of an unexpected friendship between two very different women and the power they’ll discover when they raise their voices in joyous rage. As they finally find the courage and self-belief to take charge, the con is on to try and take a sociopathic predator down.
Executive Producer Naomi De Pear says “some of the main themes of the series are artifice, trust, love. I think there’s a real feeling of wanting to inspire a kind of ‘happy rage’. There’s a kind of joyfulness to the rage that’s in this show. This isn’t a show about victims, it’s not depressing. This is a show where you see people rise up and go, actually, I’m not going to take this. And they fight back, and they learn to take up more space and learn to make more noise. And it’s a really empowering show. The themes are very much about standing up and fighting back when people take advantage of you.”
Director Nicole Charles adds “this story is really kaleidoscopic in that it covers several genres. It’s a comedy, it’s a drama, it’s a thriller. But humour, I think, is almost the juice that helps the medicine go down.”
Joining the formidable trio are Romola Garai (The Hour, Emma, Atonement) who plays Juno Fish, Alice’s boss and a prominent designer who is famous for her unique brand of idiosyncratic floral patterns and products, Derek Jacobi (Last Tango in Halifax, The Crown, Gladiator) who plays Sir Ralph Unwin who may or may not be being scammed by Rob, Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh, Mindhorn, Nathan Barley) who plays Alice’s painfully predictable, deeply kind, magician husband Benjy, Karl Johnson (Hot Fuzz, Lark Rise to Candleford) who plays Bill, Alice’s father and confidant, and Ellie Haddington (Enola Holmes, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) who plays Diane, Alice’s long suffering, insufferable mother.
The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies will premiere on BBC First on Saturdays at 8.30pm from September 22 and will be available to stream on Binge and On Demand. All our channel content is available on Foxtel and Fetch.
BOILING POINT
PREMIERES OCTOBER 31
“British TV at its finest” – The Guardian
“The pressure is unbearably palpable” – The Observer
Boiling Point will premiere on BBC First on Tuesdays at 8.30pm from October 31 and will be available to stream through Binge and On Demand. The new fast-paced drama series adapted from the multi-award-winning feature film stars Stephen Graham (This Is England, Line of Duty), Vinette Robinson (Six Four, Sherlock) and Hannah Walters (This Is England, Time) and follows a team of chefs as the stresses of keeping a restaurant running bear down on them amidst a hospitality industry in crisis.
Picking up six months on from where the film left off, Boiling Point will see Sous Chef Carly, played by Vinette Robinson (who received a Bifa award for her role in the film), as Head Chef at her own restaurant, with many of the film’s original cast reprising their roles alongside her. With the pressure to draw in new, hungry customers and the financial squeeze to keep the business profitable, the team must find a way to manage their complicated personal lives whilst creating quality food day in day out.
Like the film, the series portrays the high-pressure environment of a contemporary east London restaurant. Carly faces the responsibility of managing financial burdens, handling new staff as well as navigating personal obstacles. Taking over from the former head chef, played by Stephen Graham, who is covering physically and mentally from the heart attack which forced him to withdraw from the kitchen.
The series explores some important themes, including the idea of people putting on a front at work while struggling behind closed doors at home, with everyone working at the restaurant dealing with their own personal issues which include poor mental health, poverty, alcoholism and family tension.
Director and Executive Producer Phil Barantini says “Restaurants work very similarly all over the world, there’s the chef, then the hierarchy below, but if you go deeper, there is a real mental health crisis across the industry which we’ve tried to show. The themes we touch upon are relatable across the globe, alcoholism, addiction, mental health, human beings going through a rough time. We wanted to shine a light on society on those issues and I want the audience to come away from each episode feeling something about themselves, or someone that they know.”
Vinette Robinson , Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters will reprise their roles from the multi-award-winning film. They will be joined by the film’s co-stars Ray Panthaki (Marcella, Gangs of London ), Gary Lamont (River City, The North Water), Áine Rose Daly (HANNA, The Cursed), Taz Skylar (One Piece, Split Sole), Daniel Larkai (Split Sole, Villain), Stephen McMillan (The Lesson, Dead Shot) and Hannah Traylen (Hounded, Ridley Road).
When it was first released as a film in 2021, Boiling Point was met with huge critical acclaim and was nominated worldwide for over 30 awards in multiple categories, including four Bafta nominations and 11 Bifa nominations, delivering four Bifa wins, two National Film Awards and four Taormina Film Festival Awards.
Boiling Point will premiere on BBC First on Tuesdays at 8.30pm from October 31 and will be available to stream on Binge and On Demand. All our channel content is available on Foxtel and Fetch.
Seven showed the first two season in which Morven Christie had the lead role. In season 3 she was replaced by Marsha Thomason. The drama has since been renewed for two more seasons.
Just finished S1 on Stan. Quite a good show.
TIME SERIES 2 PREMIERES DECEMBER 5
“Prison drama is BBC at its very best” – Radio Times
“Bella Ramsey steals the show” – The Independent
Jimmy McGovern’s BAFTA-winning series returns in this moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a woman’s prison starring Bella Ramsey , Jodie Whittaker and Tamara Lawrance. Time – Series 2 premieres on BBC First on Thursdays at 8.30pm from December 5 and will be available to stream through Binge and On Demand.
This brand-new story is told through the lens of three very different female inmates. Arriving at Carlingford Prison on the same day, Kelsey (Bella Ramsey), Orla (Jodie Whittaker) and Abi (Tamara Lawrance) are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world. But even with the ever-present threat of violence within its walls, they discover that an unexpected sense of community, and a shared understanding, still might be possible.
As previously announced, the three-part series is written by multi-award winning Jimmy McGovern (Broken, Cracker, The Street) and Helen Black, writer of the BAFTA-nominated Life and Death in the Warehouse, and is directed by Andrea Harkin (The Confessions of Frannie Langton, The Trial Of Christine Keeler).
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “Jimmy McGovern and Helen Black’s scripts are nothing short of extraordinary, and in Bella, Jodie and Tamara we’ve found the perfect acting talents to bring these utterly compelling central characters to life. With Siobhan Finneran reprising her role from series one and Andrea Harkin in the director’s chair, viewers are in for a remarkable three hours of television.”
The series stars Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us, Game of Thrones), Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who, Broadchurch), Tamara Lawrence (King Charles III, The Silent Twins), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Downton Abbey) with further cast members including BAFTA-award winner Sophie Willan (Alma’s Not Normal, Still Open All Hours), Julie Graham (Shetland, Being Eileen), Alicia Forde (Waterloo Road, Ryan Can’t Read), Lisa Millett (The A Word, Robin Hood), Faye McKeever (The Responder, Des), Kayla Meikle (The Capture, The Girl Before), James Corrigan (This Is Going to Hurt, This England), Nicholas Nunn (Clique, SAS Rogue Heroes) and Maimuna Memon (Sherwood, Unforgotten).
The first series won best mini-series at the 2022 BAFTAs and received an average audience of 11.6 million viewers in the UK (across a 30-day period).
Time – Series 2 will premiere on BBC First on Tuesdays at 8.30pm from December 5 and will be available to stream on Binge and On Demand. All our channel content is available on Foxtel and Fetch.
BBC FIRST ANNOUNCES FESTIVE LINEUP
Festive season is upon us with BBC First fast tracking all your favourite Christmas Specials including Beyond Paradise, Call the Midwife and Death in Paradise all premiering on our premium drama channel this December. Beyond Paradise will premiere on Christmas Day at 7.30pm, Call the Midwife will premiere on Tuesday, 26 December at 7.30pm and Death in Paradise will air on Wednesday, December 27 at 7.30pm. All three specials will be available to stream on Binge and On Demand.
In Beyond Paradise, can Humphrey and the team solve a series of eerie cases – including a mystifying haunting – in time for Christmas? When a man is haunted by the ghost of his dead wife, Humphrey and the team investigate. Esther assumes there must be a rational explanation but – when Humphrey also spots the ghost – it’s clear there’s more to the case than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Kelby deals with a missing person case when the Virgin Mary disappears from Shipton Abbott Church, and Martha struggles to communicate with new foster teenager Jaiden. Can the Shipton Abbott police force solve these mysteries and come together in time for the annual Christingle?
Cast for the episode includes Kris Marshall (Sanditon, Death in Paradise), Sally Bretton (Not Going Out, The Office), Zahra Ahmadi (Closed Circuit, Doctor Who), Jade Harrison (Wedding Season, The Stranger) and Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls, Big Boys).
Call the Midwife is set on Christmas, 1968. All eyes are heavenwards as astronauts embark on their latest space exploration. But events on Earth continue to unfold at Nonnatus House. With Apollo 8 poised to orbit the moon, Sister Monica Joan believes this will be her last Christmas and decides she will not live to see a man walk on the moon. The Nonnatus Family rally round to lighten her mood. Nancy recommits to staying on and Sister Julienne offers her and Colette a room for the foreseeable future. Fresh from their honeymoon, Trixie and Matthew prepare their first Christmas as husband and wife when Trixie’s brother Geoffrey pays an unexpected visit. And Nurse Crane, away on her refresher course, gets home in time for Christmas despite treacherously heavy snowfall.
The cast includes Jenny Agutter (The Snow Goose, Logan’s Run), Linda Bassett (Lark Rise to Candleford, Grandma’s House), Judy Parfitt (Hamlet, Dolores Claiborne), Helen George (The Three Musketeers, The Monster), Stephen McGann (The Hanging Gale, Catherine the Great), Laura Main (Murder City, The Mill), Rebecca Gethings (Extras, The Thick of It) and Cliff Parisi (EastEnders, Bramwell).
In Death in Paradise, DI Neville Parker’s mum is in town for Christmas – and a wealthy business owner is found dead at the bottom of a ravine. It’s Christmas in the Caribbean and Neville’s larger than life mum is in town. But she’s disheartened to see how down on romance Neville is – can she instil some festive cheer in her unlucky-in-love son? Meanwhile, a wealthy business owner is found dead at the bottom of a ravine whilst his house guest Debbie has completely vanished. As Debbie’s hapless fiancé flies in on a rescue mission, the team learn that the victim’s picture-perfect family aren’t all that they seem.
Patsy Kensit (EastEnders), Doon Mackichan (Two Doors Down), Youssef Kerkour (House of Gucci), Geoff Bell (The Curse), Bronagh Waugh (Ridley), Amelia Clarkson (The Last Kingdom), Freddy Carter (Shadow and Bone) and Leila Khan (Heartstopper) are celebrating Christmas on the sunny shores of Saint Marie this year. They join Death in Paradise series regulars Ralf Little, Don Warrington, Shantol Jackson, Tahj Miles, Ginny Holder and Élizabeth Bourgine for the BBC Caribbean crime drama’s festive feature-length special.
Beyond Paradise Christmas Special will premiere on Christmas day at 7.30pm.
Call the Midwife Christmas Special will premiere on December 26 at 7.30pm.
Death in Paradise Christmas Special will premiere on December 27 at 7.30pm.
BBC First will show season 4 of The Bay from May 22, six months after it screened season 3.
The BBC, BritBox International and Red Planet Pictures have today announced that the hugely successful Beyond Paradise has been recommissioned for a 2024 Christmas special episode and third series.