The BBC series initially appeared on television screens in 2012 before making its comeback in 2016 for a second run, drawing inspiration from William Shakespeare’s theatrical works.
One perfect 10/10 review on IMDb bore the headline “Superb production” with the viewer revealing: “When I was at school, Shakespeare was as dry as the pages it was written on.
“To watch it, performed by actors who really know and understand Shakespeare, and can convey that in their work, is to enter a world of majesty, of subtle innuendo, of humour and of total understanding of the work of the Shakespeare who used his gift to allow ‘the common man’ to discuss and understand the goings-on and political machinations of his age.
“There are no ‘spoilers’ when it comes to Shakespeare – the work is out there in a myriad of forms and interpretations, waiting to be read. This production is one of the best available.”
Dame Judi Dench starred in the historical epic(Image: BBC)
Another glowing 10/10 review headlined “Shakespeare Taken to Another Level” saw the fan confess they weren’t “expecting this level of pure brilliance” and declared they were “totally immersed” in the programme. Adding: “Somehow this production has defied all the odds and managed to tick all the boxes.
“And can I say, I’m loving the portrayal of the women as strong, intelligent individuals, who, more often than not, appear to be better at scheming and deceiving than any of their male counterparts. I hope some day, all Shakespeare will be made this way.”
A third viewer praised the programme for featuring “the flower of British acting” thanks to its stellar ensemble and remarked: “Arguably one of the very best screen adaptations of Shakespeare ever produced.
“They have pulled off what many have tried and failed to do: make good cinema out of the plays. The necessary realism is there, without detracting in any way from the source material.”
Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville appeared in the drama(Image: BBC)
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The Hollow Crown served as a BBC interpretation of Shakespeare’s historical dramas Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; Henry V, Henry VI, Part 1; Henry VI, Part 2; and Richard III.
The programme was split into seven episodes across two series, with each chapter focusing on one of the Bard’s works.
The Hollow Crown brought to life the scheming and political battles of numerous medieval monarchs, featuring more backstabbing and manipulation than a Game of Thrones episode.
Additional performers who featured in the production included The Walking Dead’s David Morrisey, Dame Judi Dench, Sophie Okenedo, Julie Walters, Tom Hiddleston, Anton Lesser, John Hurt, Tom Sturridge, Sally Hawkins, Keeley Hawes and Adrian Dunbar, amongst many others.
The Hollow Crown is streaming on Prime Video for a fee
The programme might have slipped past some viewers’ attention, but it delivers an exceptional viewing experience.
One glowing IMDb review stated: “An immaculate, terrifying alternate history that is accurate down to the buttons. I love period pieces, and this scary projection of a post WW2 hegemony ruled by the Japanese and German empires certainly fits the bill.”
Another viewer gushed: “I’m a TV show lover, but never! ever! has a series made me want to write a review.”
They continued: “The story line is incredible. The acting is great. The emotions that it brought out of me was real and raw. It made me appreciate and think differently about the word/idea/concept that we all throw around ‘FREEDOM [sic].'”
Rufus Sewell starred in the groundbreaking series(Image: PRIME VIDEO)
A third reviewer entitled their assessment: “An amazing adaptation of the novel!”.
They elaborated: “The pilot episode was exceptional. It held my attention and made me believe in such an alternate history.
“I have read the book, and although it is different, it is an incredible adaptation. If the book was turned into a show without any edits, it would be far too complicated and very hard to enjoy (although the book is incredible).
“The acting, story, and visuals are spot on and only intensified what I had imagined when I read the book.”
The alternate history drama has proved captivating(Image: PRIME VIDEO)
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Another viewer gave a glowing 10/10 review, exclaiming: “A must watch, absolutely amazing!” and added: “If you like Hunger Games, GoT, Legends, Vikings or any of these shows, you will like this. I highly recommend watching this, to everyone. Watch it! [sic].”
The Man in the High Castle first aired in 2015 and was Amazon Prime Video’s inaugural original series, spanning four seasons.
The series is an adaptation of renowned science fiction author Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel bearing the same title.
The plot envisages an alternate history where Adolf Hitler and the Nazis emerged victorious from WW2, with the action set 15 years post-conflict.
A woman holds her hands up with soldiers pointing a gun at her(Image: PRIME VIDEO)
The storyline follows various characters living under the rule of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany in a divided USA.
The TV adaptation stays true to this premise and centres around Juliana Crain (portrayed by Alexa Davalos), who starts to rebel against the regime after viewing a subversive newsreel titled The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, which portrays a world where the USA and the Allies triumphed in the war.
The Man in the High Castle was Prime Video’s first major original series. The streaming platform kick-started its original programming by producing a series of pilots and inviting its users to vote on which one they wanted to see developed into a full series, with the science fiction alternate history emerging as the winner.
The Man in the High Castle boasts a star-studded cast including Davalos, Rufus Sewell from ITV’s Victoria and The Holidays, Luke Kleintank known for FBI and Bones, DJ Qualls of Z Nation fame, Joel de la Fuente from Hemlock Grove, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, renowned for Pearl Harbor and Netflix’s Lost in Space.
The Man in the High Castle is streaming on Prime Video now
People in L.A. and New York better get ready for a sea of ESPN red on their morning and evening commutes.
Walt Disney Co.’s is backing the Thursday launch of its sports media unit’s direct-to-consumer streaming app with a major advertising campaign aimed at captive audiences in their cars and on the railway tracks.
The aggressive four-week push is aimed at telling consumers that ESPN — long one of the pillars of the cable television business — will be available for the first time without a pay TV subscription.
The service, a major initiative since ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro took over the Disney unit in 2018, is a response to the growing number of consumers who are bypassing cable and satellite for streaming video platforms. The trend has decreased the number of pay TV homes receiving ESPN, which is a major source of revenue for the company.
ESPN ad on a Cadillac SUV used for Lyft.
(ESPN)
Consumers can subscribe to the new ESPN streaming app for $29.99 a month. Households already paying to receive ESPN channels through cable or satellite can sign up at no additional cost, enabling up to five people to stream the service on mobile devices and internet-connected TV sets.
“We designed our campaign exactly as we designed our product, which is to serve sports fans anytime, anywhere,” Jo Fox, executive vice president of marketing for ESPN, said in a recent interview. “So we want to make sure we are showing up in as many places as possible.”
The advertising campaign that starts Thursday will feature Lyft-operated Cadillac SUVs wrapped in the company logo and the promotional campaign’s tagline “All of ESPN. All in One Place.”
The vehicles will be concentrated in high-traffic areas near sporting events in Los Angeles and New York, where the U.S. Open tennis tournament will soon begin. The ESPN brand name and logo will also appear on the Lyft app and maps.
Mass transit users won’t be left out, as ESPN will take over the E Line of the New York City subway that travels from the World Trade Center to Queens. The exterior of the train cars will be covered with logos while more specific ad messages will appear on the inside.
The public address announcements at the Spring Street subway station — located near Disney’s downtown Manhattan headquarters — will be delivered by ESPN’s voluble $20-million-a-year man Stephen A. Smith, the co-host of “First Take.”
Signage will also take over electronic screens in New York’s Moynihan Train Hall and Port Authority Bus Terminal and billboards along L.A.’s Sunset Boulevard and adjacent to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
ESPN’s campaign will go beyond the major media centers on the coasts. The streaming service will be featured on TV screens in the home entertainment sections in 4,000 Walmart stores across the country.
ESPN also has a deal with Samsung, which will offer free yearlong subscriptions to the streaming service to customers who purchase a QLED 4K TV at Best Buy or Samsung.com. Best Buy stores will feature the ESPN app in stores as well during the promotion.
ESPN has already been touting its streaming service on air and in paid TV media buys with commercials featuring actor and WWE star John Cena. Cena will soon be an ESPN fixture as the streaming service becomes the new home of major WWE events such as WrestleMania and Royal Rumble, starting in 2026.
The ESPN app will include a number of features that will complement the live sports offerings. Fans will be able to create their own personalized “SportsCenter,” which will use artificial intelligence to provide a short personalized highlight program geared to the user’s favorite teams and events.
NBC Sports pioneered the customized highlight show on its Peacock streaming platform during the 2024 Summer Olympics, using the voice of Al Michaels. The voices of ESPN “SportsCenter” hosts will be used on “SportsCenter for You.”
The app will also offer stats, betting, commerce and fantasy sports information alongside the live game coverage shown on ESPN channels.
Marvel fans say this blockbuster was their best movie of 2025 and you’ll soon be able to stream it at no extra cost
Disney+ will soon be streaming one of the best comic book movies of the year at no extra charge.
The film is currently available to rent or buy at home, though you’ll still have to pay up to £13.99 on platforms such as Apple TV, Prime Video and Sky Store.
Thankfully, there’s not long to wait until Disney+ users will be able to stream the film whenever they want without paying anything on top of their monthly subscription.
Comic book fans have called it one of Marvel Studios’ best blockbusters in years – and, no, it’s not the recently released The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Instead, we’re talking about Thunderbolts*, which is set to debut exclusively on Disney+ on Wednesday, 27th August.
Starring Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Sebastian Stan, the film follows an unlikely team of heroes and villains from across the Marvel universe who reluctantly team up to protect the Earth from a dangerous and unpredictable new threat.
Superhero fans have called Thunderbolts* Marvel’s best movie in years(Image: MARVEL STUDIOS)
Pugh returns as Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow, an elite mercenary who is struggling to find her place in the world when the enigmatic Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) entrusts her with an important but suspicious new mission.
Following a period of disappointment for the superhero franchise, both box office and critical, Marvel fans were pleasantly surprised when Thunderbolts* burst onto the big screen back in April.
One five-star Google review described the film as an “absolute gem of the superhero genre”.
“If you’re looking for a fresh, high-octane adventure with a unique twist, Thunderbolts is exactly what you’ve been waiting for,” they went on to promise.
“This story is a masterclass in reimagining the traditional superhero team-up, featuring a lineup of antiheroes, former villains, and morally ambiguous characters who are forced to work together for a common cause.”
Someone else gushed: “Thunderbolts* was an incredible surprise. This movie fixes so many of the problems that recent MCU projects have suffered from.
“It actually feels like one director was in charge of this, not a committee of executives. The humor also feels natural, not forced.
Florence Pugh shines as Marvel’s new Black Widow Yelena Belova(Image: MARVEL STUDIOS)
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Disney+ has added La Liga football to its line-up, with fans able to stream the games with a Disney+ subscription from £4.99
“Which makes everything better. It doesn’t feel like this movie was reworked and reshot a thousand times. The characters are also great. Every actor is doing their absolute best and their chemistry is great.”
Another die-hard fan raved on X: “Had the time of my life with #thunderbolts! One of the best mcu projects in recent years.
“The movie does an outstanding job of exploring its themes surrounding mental health. I absolutely love [the] team and their dynamic, I cared so much about all of them. Easy 10/10.”
And a final viewer admitted: “Shocked how good THUNDERBOLTS* is. Putting emphasis on the character work and practical action makes this feel like the old Marvel that had us for a decade plus.
“Wish we’d gotten this sooner. Helps that this dysfunctional team has chemistry too.”
Will you be checking out Thunderbolts* for the first time or giving the film a much-deserved rewatch next week?
Thunderbolts* will be available to stream on Disney+ from Wednesday, 27th August.
Fans have praised the four episode series(Image: Doane Gregory/Netflix )
Netflix fans can stream a “moving” period drama that is making fans “sob”.
All The Light We Cannot See is a limited series that was released back in 2023. It follows the story of a blind teenager, Marie-Laure, and her father, Daniel LeBlanc, who flee German-occupied Paris with a legendary diamond.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr, fans see Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure and Avengers star Mark Ruffalo as Daniel LeBlanc. Viewers may also recognise Hugh Laurie as Uncle Etienne, Louis Hofmann as Werner, Lars Eidinger as Von Rumpel, and Marion Bailey as Madame Manec.
Netflix teases: “Relentlessly pursued by a cruel Gestapo officer who seeks to possess the stone for his own selfish means, Marie-Laure and Daniel soon find refuge in St. Malo, where they take up residence with a reclusive uncle who transmits clandestine radio broadcasts as part of the resistance.
Mark Ruffalo stars as Daniel LeBlanc(Image: Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix)
“Yet here in this once-idyllic seaside city, Marie-Laure’s path also collides inexorably with the unlikeliest of kindred spirits: Werner, a brilliant teenager enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts, who instead shares a secret connection to Marie-Laure as well as her faith in humanity and the possibility of hope.”
Aria Mia Loberti herself is legally blind and has previously opened up on the importance of her role. Since its release in 2023, the four part series is available to stream on Netflix as fans have commented on its high emotion.
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, one fan said: “Even after all the war she’s been through she’s still standing . . this made me sob like a child deep inside my soul, just wow it’s perfection.”
Another wrote: “One of the most amazing war related TV shows out there. I wish more people knew of it. It has a beautiful, moving storyline, wonderful actors portraying strong and thoughtful characters.
All the Light We Cannot See is streaming on Netflix(Image: Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix)
“The atmosphere of war, the dressing, the music set the right mood for the viewer to enjoy. And it’s got deep messages, love, care, light in it. I highly recommend.”
A fourth replied: “Moving storylines, underlying statements about class, intelligence, and education. Excellent sets. A series with all the emotions.”
Another said: “We loved this series. There have been a million WW2 movies and series but they came from a perspective I have never seen before. Only thing I didn’t like was it was only 4 episodes.”
All The Light We Cannot See is available to stream on Netflix.
The BBC series is just one of many adaptations of a novel that was banned due to the social mores of the time.
However, this version has been praised by many viewers for capturing the spirit of the book.
One 10/10 review on IMDb read: “A truly masterful performance for all involved. I did not even know this existed until recently and I sat to watch it in one sitting.”
Another person praised the show’s aesthetics in their review: “An excellent work of art in a long and expertly made movie. Being almost totally visual, I must admit I’m carried away by visually beautiful movies, and this one is tops.”
The story focused on an inter-class romance (Image: BBC)
A third person titled their review: “A beautiful, complicated love story I enjoyed” and explained: “This movie was very enjoyable as well as instructive.
“It was enjoyable because it was so faithful to the most popular version of the story and instructive about how people conducted their lives after WW1 in England.”
Lady Chatterley came out in 1993, and charted the passionate affair between an upper-class woman, Constance Chatterley (played by Joely Richardson) and her working-class groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors (Sean Bean).
Constance and Mellors initially had an arrangement whereby she would fall pregnant and claim the child was her injured WWI veteran husband Sir Clifford Chatterley’s (James Wilby) child.
However, the agreement quickly gave way to feelings between Constance and Mellors, with their affair marking a sexual and spiritual awakening for her.
The show has won praise for its depiction of the novel and also leading man Bean.
The novel the show is based on was banned for decades in the UK(Image: BBC)
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One person commented on IMDb: “This is the definitive Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and the noted: “After having seen all the film adaptations of Lady Chatterley’s Lover 1981 onwards, in my opinion none of them can hold a candle to (this) Ken Russell’s version. It has beauty, poetry, squalor and vision.”
Another audience member urged viewers to watch Lady Chatterley for Bean and said the series “belongs” to him, “who gets his teeth in and doesn’t let go”.
Someone else commented: “Sean Bean Amazes Yet Again” and elaborated: “I have followed his career since seeing the Sharpe’s episodes and in everything he is in, he takes the part and makes it his own. A simply wonderful effort and a beautifully touching love story.”
The four-part series was adapted from D.H. Lawrence’s 1928 novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover, which was banned in the UK, America, Australia, India, Japan, and other countries for obscenity.
Sean Bean starred in the romantic period drama (Image: BBC)
It wasn’t until 1960 with the outcome of the British obscenity trial R v Penguin Books Ltd that people in the UK were finally able to read the novel. Unsurprisingly, the book quickly became a bestseller after its lengthy censorship.
The novel had been banned in Britain after it was deemed indecent and immoral due to its sexual content and explicit language.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover also featured an inter-class romance, which was taboo at the time given Britain’s rigid social structure, not to mention featuring an extramarital affair.
The novel has been published privately in the late 1920s in France and Italy, the BBC reported, but was censored by others after this.
Lady Chatterley (1993) is streaming on Prime Video for a fee
Thirty years ago, the coming-of-age romantic comedy “Clueless” opened in movie theaters and went on to become an enduring American pop culture touchstone.
“I’m thrilled that people love it and continue to love it,” the movie’s star, Alicia Silverstone, said in a recent conversation in New York. “Young people. Old people. It’s really gone on and on, and obviously that’s lovely.”
AMC Networks is counting on Silverstone’s multigenerational appeal to help boost the New York-based media company’s streaming service Acorn TV, which specializes in British dramas and other programs from overseas.
Silverstone is the lead in the new Acorn original series “Irish Blood,” which premiered Monday. She plays hard-bitten Los Angeles divorce lawyer Fiona Sharpe, who heads to Ireland to resolve a mystery involving the father who abandoned her as a child.
AMC has also signed the imperishable Brooke Shields to star in another Acorn project titled “You’re Killing Me.” She portrays a mystery novelist who teams with a young wannabe writer and influencer to investigate murders in a small New England town. The series starts shooting this summer and is set to premiere in 2026.
Why put two iconic American actors on a streaming platform with a well-defined niche of providing viewers with international locations and accents that at times require closed-captioning even when the language is English?
Even the small players in streaming have to get bigger.
AMC does not have the deep pockets to compete with the likes of Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+. The company has blazed its own digital path by serving dedicated audiences who will pay for an additional streaming service that caters to their passions, such as Shudder for horror fans and HIDIVE for anime lovers.
The company’s suite of streaming services has around 10.4 million customers. Even with that modest figure, AMC Networks’ streaming revenue has steadily grown to the point where it will soon surpass what the company earns from its traditional TV channels such as AMC, BBC America, Sundance TV and WE, which continue to see subscriber declines because of cord-cutting.
AMC has found that the strong fan bases for its niche services are willing to absorb price increases and are less likely to cancel. The company has managed to keep its streaming platforms priced at less than $10 a month.
Brooke Shields is set to star next year in “You’re Killing Me,” a new small-town mystery from Acorn TV.
(Evelyn Freja / For The Times)
Now AMC Networks is looking to accelerate its subscriber growth and Acorn — the most popular and profitable of its standalone offerings — is seen as the platform best suited to the task.
“It’s a service we really believe in,” Courtney Thomasma, executive vice president for streaming and content strategy at AMC Networks, told The Times in a recent interview. “Over the last year, we’ve been really focused on looking for ways to continue to raise awareness of the brand and invite new viewers in who we know would also love it. We’re doing that with a focus on investing in the brand and inviting bigger talent that’s more familiar to North American audiences.”
Many fans of Acorn — which started out as a direct marketer of British TV series on home video and was acquired by AMC in 2018 — are what Thomasma calls “armchair travelers” who want to take in a French vineyard or the cobblestone streets of Chelsea. But AMC believes aligning Acorn more closely to the mystery genre will widen its appeal.
A monthlong promotional campaign under the banner of Murder Mystery May — which featured a number of season premieres — drove Acorn TV subscription sign-ups to a four-year high. The 20 million hours watched during the month was the best ever for the service, according to AMC.
The emphasis on mystery provides Acorn the latitude to cast Silverstone and Shields. One way AMC attracts star talent is the opportunity to put their own creative stamp on their programs. “They become as invested in the success of the projects as we are,” Thomasma said.
Silverstone came on to “Irish Blood” as executive producer and became involved in the development of the series. She was involved in the hiring of key positions in the production and worked with the writers. She’s happy with the result.
“I thought it was quirky and also an emotionally deep drama,” Silverstone said. “There’s a lot for me to do.”
Shields and writer Robin Bernheim pitched the generation gap tandem at the center of “You’re Killing Me” to AMC, and the actor remains deeply involved in the process as shooting begins. “This is the first time I’ve ever had this much creative control as an executive producer,” Shields said in an interview. “I feel lucky that they entrusted me to do what we’re doing.”
Silverstone, left, with Ruth Codd in “Irish Blood.”
(Szymon Lazewski / Acorn TV)
Acorn teams with production partners around the world and generates revenue from selling some of its series for second runs on international broadcasters and PBS. AMC spends in the range of $1 million per episode for its cost-efficient series, which are heavy on dialogue and largely car-chase free. The audience is older — they are avid readers who are likely to subscribe to newspapers, watch cable news and PBS, and enjoy solving puzzles.
And though Acorn is hoping to attract more younger subscribers, the service won’t be losing its British accent.
Acorn recently launched “Art Detectives” with Stephen Moyer, who also is an executive producer. The series, about a Heritage Crime Unit that solves murders connected to art and antiques, had the strongest premiere in the streamer’s history.
Later this year, it will offer a new six-episode series starring Matthew Lewis, known for his Neville Longbottom role in the Harry Potter films. Based on the series of Canon Clements mystery novels by the Rev. Richard Coles, “Murder Before Evensong” is a co-production with British broadcaster Channel 5.
“We pride ourselves on being a boutique neighborhood store, the kind that you walk in, you know the owner [and] the owner knows you,” Thomasma said. “We have deep connection to our audience.”
The Netflix thriller boasts a rare 95% Rotten Tomatoes score
16:51, 13 Aug 2025Updated 16:52, 13 Aug 2025
An “outstanding” series with rave reviews is available on Netflix. Dark first launched in 2017 and is somewhat of a hidden gem on the streaming service with those who’ve only just found it labelling it the best-written sci-fi show of all time.
The thriller was the first German Netflix original series to land on the platform and follows the disappearance of a missing child that sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers as they unearth a mind-bending mystery that spans three generations.
The twist ties back to the same town in 1986 with the missing children exposing the double lives and fractured relationships among the four families. The mystery family saga stars Louis Hofmann, Oliver Masucci, Jördis Triebel and many more.
Thrilling 2017 German sci-fi series Dark is proving a smash hit all over again for Netflix(Image: Netflix)
Dark has a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score and 8.7/10 on IMDb. Some reviewers have labelled the series a “masterpiece” thanks to its intricate puzzle filled storyline that includes a web of curious characters.
One critic wrote on IMDb: “Insanely good, every episode shocks you in ways you never thought was possible. The constant gripping revelations were so unexpected but tied the story so well together. Exceptional and convincing acting skills by the entire cast and tons of heartfelt scenes between different character dynamics.
Dark has been dubbed ‘a masterpiece’(Image: NETFLIX)
“This show is the perfect epitome of a well thought out show, meticulously crafted and executed so well and overall knows where it’s trying to advance it’s story. This show has revolutionized time travel storytelling and is definitely one of the most smartly and consistently written shows of our time.”
While another added: “Wish I could give this 11/10. This show is the best thing Netflix has done. It is an absolute masterpiece of story telling.”
And a Google Reviewer said: “Standing ovation to this highly creatively created time travel show ever made in the history of Cinema with brilliant and mind bending twisted SCREENPLAY throughout out all 3 seasons.
“Amazingly performed by all artist with brilliant Direction, story, production, cinematography, art direction, background music, make up, everything about this show is just brilliant.
It’s been a dramatic couple of weeks in the wide world of sports rights, as media companies locked down a slew of deals that remake the way that fans watch their favorite athletic competitions.
On Monday came a big one: David Ellison, the new owner of Paramount, came into the ring punching hard with a $7.7-billion deal for the streaming and TV rights to UFC matches. In the seven-year pact with UFC owner TKO Group Holdings, the Ellison-led Paramount will pay an average of $1.1 billion annually — about twice what Walt Disney Co. was paying to air the mixed martial arts league on ESPN.
It’s a signal that Ellison is willing to spend big bucks on content that he and his fresh executive team think will make Paramount+ a more formidable competitor to Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, HBO Max and others. Paramount+ will have the rights to stream 13 marquee “numbered” UFC events and 30 fight nights, while certain numbered events will be simulcast on the company’s broadcast network, CBS.
Now those sightings of the tech scion-turned Hollywood mogul speaking with President Trump at UFC fights make even more sense, as do Ellison and Paramount’s recent peripheral dealings with superagent Ari Emanuel, TKO’s executive chair. In a key part of the deal, UFC will move away from showcasing fights through its pay-per-view model, which should dramatically increase the reach of a sport with strong appeal among young men.
The deal is also the latest sign that the streaming wars are far from over, at least when it comes to sports broadcasts. Last week, the NFL inked a deal to take a 10% stake in ESPN as part of a complex arrangement that will give Bob Iger-led Disney control of the NFL cable properties, including the NFL Network and the linear RedZone channel. The ESPN stake is estimated to be worth more than $2 billion.
This highly anticipated blockbuster deal further aligns the financial interests of the most powerful TV sports brand with what is by far the nation’s most popular sports league, which accounts for the vast majority of most-watched programs every year. The agreement is part of Iger and ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro’s strategy to bulk up the content offering available through the network’s upcoming stand-alone streaming service, which will cost $30 a month when it launches later this month.
Separately, ESPN is staying in business with TKO, having agreed to pay $1.6 billion over five years to stream WWE events including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam. Analysts say that should ease some of the pain of losing UFC to Ellison and Paramount. The WWE events are moving to ESPN’s service from their current streaming home, NBCUniversal’s Peacock. Disney’s fees will be nearly twice those of NBCUniversal.
Disney will use the new ESPN service to make its wider streaming offering more attractive, bundling it with Disney+ and Hulu.
All this is happening amid a broader overhauling of the sports media landscape in the streaming age that has made life more confusing for fans as fewer people subscribe to all-in-one cable and satellite TV bundles.
NFL games, for example, run on a broad array of streaming services, including Paramount+, Prime Video (for Thursday night games), and, in the case of Christmas Day matchups, Netflix. The league, which has significant leverage, is widely expected to exercise its option to renegotiate media rights deals starting in 2029.
Apple is expected to win the rights to Formula One racing telecasts, adding to its sports portfolio that includes MLB games and Major League Soccer. The NBA last year got itself a big pay bump, securing media rights deals with NBCUniversal, Amazon and Disney worth $77 billion over 11 years.
As these shifts take place, the media industry is about to go through a major test: How many people are willing to pay for a lot of — but not all — the sports content they want to watch, and what will they be willing to fork over?
The entertainment and media companies say they are aiming these services at cord-cutters and cord-nevers, people who don’t pay for a more-or-less traditional package of TV channels but still want to watch sports.
The question is whether such people actually exist.
Despite its branding power and its significant share of sports rights, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer app will have limited appeal. Many analysts estimate that the offering will attract 2 million subscribers in the short term.
For most of the kind of dedicated sports fans who might be interested in streaming ESPN, a digital bundle such as YouTube TV ($83 a month) probably makes more sense than cobbling together individual brands.
Recognizing the limitations, the media companies are taking another stab at consolidating their sports streaming offerings at a discount. On Monday, Disney and Fox Corp. said they would offer a bundle of the ESPN streamer and the new Fox One — which includes live sports, news and entertainment — for $40 a month. On its own, Fox One will be priced at $20 a month.
A previous attempt at a more inclusive offering — a proposed joint venture called Venu Sports from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery — was abandoned after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against the media giants in an antitrust lawsuit from FuboTV. The saga ended up with Disney making a deal to take a 70% stake in Fubo and merge it with its Hulu Live TV service.
But the question for all services and mini-bundles remains the same: Who are they really for?
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Number of the week
Filmmaker Zach Cregger won the weekend with his acclaimed new horror movie “Weapons,” which topped expectations with $43.5 million in ticket sales through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada.
Cregger’s follow-up to his surprise hit “Barbarian” is the latest win for Warner Bros., marking six successful openings in a row (after “A Minecraft Movie,” “Sinners,” “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “F1 the Movie” and “Superman”). Not bad, considering the studio’s leaders were rumored to be on the chopping block earlier this year.
Doing solid business was Disney’s “Freakier Friday,” a body-swap comedy sequel reuniting Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan more than 20 years after the first one, itself a remake of a 1976 movie. The new installment opened with $28.6 million domestically.
After this and “The Naked Gun,” I’m certainly not going to declare that Hollywood big-screen comedies are back, but the genre is not completely lost either, as long as there’s intellectual property attached.
Finally …
Watch: Marc Maron has a new HBO stand-up special, “Panicked.” As always, it’s funny, acerbic, insightful and sometimes deep.
Listen: On Aug. 14, the estate of Woody Guthrie will release a collection of home recordings, including a version of “This Land Is Your Land” and his take on “Deportee.” Absolutely fascinating.
In a major early move under new ownership, Paramount acquired the media rights to UFC’s mixed martial arts events in the U.S., the company said Monday.
Paramount signed a seven-year deal with TKO Group Holdings that will put 13 marquee events and 30 fight nights on streaming platform Paramount+. Some of the matches will air on broadcast TV network CBS.
Paramount is paying an average of $1.1 billion a year, totaling $7.7 billion, more than double the amount under TKO’s current pact with ESPN, which expires at the end of 2025.
The deal is a signal that Paramount intends to be aggressive in its pursuit of properties that will make its streaming platform attractive to consumers as it battles with Netflix, Amazon and other competitors.
David Ellison, who became chief executive of Paramount last week after his company Skydance completed an $8-billion merger with the media company, has been seen at recent UFC fights speaking with President Trump. Ellison had been awaiting regulatory approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger.
The major promotions presented throughout the year by TKO and WWE are seen as powerful tools to keep streaming subscribers signed up.
Under the new pact, UFC will no longer use pay-per-view to distribute its offerings, in a significant shift. All fights will be available with a Paramount + subscription. TKO produces 43 live events a year, providing 350 hours of live programming.
“This is a milestone moment and trademark deal for UFC, solidifying its position as a preeminent sports asset,” said Ari Emanuel, executive chair of TKO.
The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN will remain in business with TKO, having recently signed a new five-year $1.6-billion deal to carry its WWE events. ESPN will offer WWE events such as WrestleMania and SummerSlam to subscribers of its direct-to-consumer platform, which launches later this month.
Starring Andrew Lincoln and Jack Davenport, This Life was the hit BBC series of the 90s about a group of young lawyers who shared a house and partied hard
This Life started in 1996 and was a big hit with viewers(Image: BBC)
It was the massive TV drama that had everyone talking around the office water cooler back in the ’90s – and now, three decades on, you can enjoy the action once more on Amazon Prime.
This Life started in 1996 and spanned 33 episodes across just two series but was included on BFI’s list of the 100 greatest British television programmes and has been hailed by fans as the ‘best British TV drama ever’.
The gritty BBC drama centres around a group of law graduates in their twenties, embarking upon their careers while sharing a house in south London. There are no courtroom scenes and instead the main focus is on their private lives which features everything from infidelity to addiction.
Among the cast are Andrew Lincoln who’s gone on to enjoy a huge career in Teachers, Afterlife, The Walking Dead and the movie Love, Actually. He will soon be seen in the new ITV series Coldwater. Co-star Jack Davenport has gone on to enjoy success in Matt Damon film The Talented Mr Ripley, Pirates of the Caribbean and TV series like Coupling and Smash.
This Life features five main characters living under one roof – Edgar ‘Egg’ Cooke (Lincoln) and girlfriend Milly (Amita Dhiri) along with party girl Anna Forbes (Daniela Nardini), her university ex Myles Stewart (Davenport) and Welshman Warren Jones (Jason Hughes) who was dealing with his sexuality.
The housemates were embroiled in plenty of drama(Image: BBC)
The cast also features Ramon Tikaram (Virdie) as Ferdy, Natasha Little as Rachel, Steven John Shepherd (Karen Pirie) as Jo and Luisa Bradshaw-White (EastEnders) ad Kira.
The show, which was created by Amy Jenkins, became a popular word-of-mouth hit and was included on BFI’s list of the 100 greatest British television programmes.
In 2007 there was a special episode, This Life: 10 Years On, which reunited the main cast and explored their lives a decade after the series ended. The special episode focusing on the death of Ferdy and the subsequent gathering of the other housemates pulled in 3.5 million viewers.
Despite it being 30 years old and set in the days well before social media, fans are now enjoying streaming episodes and have been rushing to IMDb with their thoughts.
Andrew Lincoln starred as Egg(Image: BBC)
One said: “I still hold firmly to the belief that the last episode of this landmark show is the best 40 mins of British TV drama ever. Any number of storylines coming sharply to a head, the terrific wedding reception with its toilet sex and terrible dancing, darkest secrets coming horrifyingly to light and the legendary punch.
“But how sad! If we’d known then that there would never be another series we would have stormed the BBC ourselves. But think positive. The show is endlessly rewatchable, and its influence has lived on in Queer as Folk, Attachments, Teachers, Metropolis, Tinsel Town and most contemporary drama since. Just please, please publish the damn scripts!”
Fans are hailing This Life ‘the best British TV drama ever’(Image: BBC)
Another said: “Move over Friends this is your more intelligent English big brother. A perfect picture of 90s London through the eyes of young professionals and ordinary blokes and girls. A few cheesy performances by Tikarum but it sort of worked at the time much like the Fonz worked in Happy days at the time. Not a poor performance from a rich cast that all went in to achieve memorable careers. This is a collectors piece for those who lived through and experienced the era in London. Nostalgic and immersive TV.”
A third added: “Watching This Life almost 30 years after its release is an interesting experience. Although its format has been much copied since the late 90s, it still retains the same freshness and vitality that made it such a captivating watch first time round.
“The success of the series stems from the fact that it feels so real. Each of the characters is impressively three-dimensional, with both strengths and weaknesses. They’re at that interesting stage of their lives where they’re finding their way in the world while also trying to find themselves, and each of them makes some understandable mistakes along the way.”
The road to find steady work in Hollywood is more fraught now than ever before. The entertainment industry is in the throes of a seismic transformation, as traditional jobs are vanishing, and AI threatens to completely upend the way visual media is made and consumed. Fortunately, Ada Tseng and Jon Healey are here to help.
The writing team, both former Times editors with extensive experience covering show business, have written “Breaking Into New Hollywood,” a how-to guide like no other. Healey and Tseng interviewed hundreds of insiders both above and below the line — gaffers, casting directors, actors, writers, stunt people and many others — to provide an extensive, wide-screen view of how to break in, and what it’s like when you actually do find that dream job.
I sat down with Healey and Tseng to discuss their new book.
Ada Tseng, left, and Jon Healey.
(Ricardo DeAratanha; Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
This is the most comprehensive how-to guide for Hollywood careers I’ve ever read. Where did the impetus for the book come from?
Ada: The book started as a Hollywood careers series at the Los Angeles Times, when Jon and I were editors on a team that specialized in writing guides and explainers. As we were thinking about how to be useful to L.A. Times readers, I pitched a project to help people who were interested in getting a job in Hollywood. A lot of people come to L.A. starry-eyed with big dreams, but the film and TV industry can be pretty brutal.
As journalists, we’re Hollywood outsiders, but we had access to hundreds of professionals who were generous enough to share what they wished they knew when they were starting out. We see it like this: On behalf of the people who don’t have connections in the industry, we cold-emailed people, asked for informational interviews, picked their brains, listened to stories of what they did to build a career — and did our best to consolidate their most practical pieces of advice into an actionable guide.
Jon: A lot of folks I interviewed had similar origin stories in this respect: They knew that they wanted to work in the industry in some capacity, but they didn’t know what exactly they could do. So it made sense to do a book for that sort of person — a guide that would show an array of possible career paths to people who didn’t know what role they wanted to fill.
I feel like “How to Break into the Business” books in the past have tended to focus on positive outcomes rather than the struggle. Did you want to temper expectations, or at least make sure people think things through very thoroughly before jumping in?
Ada: We just wanted to be honest. The glamorous fantasy of Hollywood is so intoxicating. But if you’re going to work in the industry, you need to navigate the day-to-day reality of it. I don’t think we were trying to encourage or discourage anyone. I’d hope that some people would read the chapters and think, “This seems doable, and now I can make a plan,” while others would read it and think, “If I’m honest with myself, I’m someone who needs more stability in my life.” Because it’s not just a career choice. It’s a lifestyle choice.
Jon: Right, this was about expectation-setting and reality-checking. The very first interviews I did in this project were of Foley artists. An expert I interviewed said there were 40 to 50 established Foley practitioners in the U.S., and 100 to 200 folks trying to get into the field. That’s a very tough nut to crack. Then there are the Hollywood unions, which present a catch-22 to anyone trying to join their ranks — they have to do a certain number of hours in jobs covered by union contracts, but union members get first crack at all those gigs.
Your book also covers jobs above and below the line. I think many people don’t even realize how many different career opportunities exist.
Ada: There are two things we heard over and over again. People would say, “It’s incredibly important to understand what all the different departments do.” And they’d also say, “So many people — even our own colleagues in the industry — don’t understand what we do.” So we wanted to encourage newcomers to learn about all different types of jobs in Hollywood and how they work together.
Jon: Talking about the emotional components is about setting expectations too. The vast majority of people who work in Hollywood, from A-list actors to entry-level grips, are freelancers. That’s a tough life of highs and lows, and you have to prepare for that mentally as well as financially. People have to hustle for years to establish themselves, and that takes an enormous capacity for rejection. On top of that is the physical toll the work can extract, especially on the folks involved in setting up and tearing down sets. Part of the point of the book is to tell people with Hollywood dreams that they’ll need to gird themselves emotionally and physically for the work.
You also broach the subject of money and who makes what. Another novel idea for a book like this.
Ada: We consistently heard from people that it takes 5 to 7 years to make a living — and that’s if you’re successful. So unless you come from wealth, how you pay your bills when you aren’t booking gigs is an integral part of breaking into — and achieving longevity — in Hollywood.
Also, the money varies widely — depending on experience, how big the project is and other factors, but it’s good to understand the basic minimums dictated by the unions, as well as whether you’re interested in a career path where you can expect to have yearly full-time work – or if 30 weeks of employment a year is considered a really good year.
Jon: The hardest parts to write for me, and probably for Ada too, were the sections telling people in certain fields that they were expected to work for free. Happily, the industry seems to be getting better about that, albeit because it’s been forced to do so.
Ada: Although, it’s not even that you aren’t making money. You have to spend a lot of money, whether you’re taking classes, buying equipment, submitting your work for fellowships — getting your own plane tickets and hotel rooms to go to events to network or promote your work. You’re basically investing in yourself as a business.
Your sections on AI are eye-opening.It is not necessarily a career killer but, in fact, might boost employment, right?
Jon: I like to give a super long answer to this question that cites the long history of industrial revolutions, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll just say that technology has always been crucial to the film and TV industry, and innovations over the years have ended some livelihoods while creating others. AI tools can allow filmmakers to be more efficient, just as digital cameras and LED lights have done. That inevitably means fewer jobs per project, but also should result in more projects being green-lit. And as digital tools and streaming services eliminate barriers to entry in music, so can AI eliminate barriers to entry in film. Advocates of AI believe there will be a net increase in jobs, and time will tell whether they’re right. But there’s no question that the jobs in film and TV will be different.
Ada: This was another hard part to give advice about, because AI is rapidly evolving and there’s a lot of well-founded fear about the jobs of our generations that will be eliminated. But this book is for the next generation, and aspiring creatives need to treat AI as part of their toolkit.
Was there any common thread that runs through all of the interviews you conducted with professionals?
Ada: Everyone is deeply committed to their crafts, but what they’re most passionate about is storytelling. What I mean by that is: A costume designer, of course, is passionate about clothing, but if their main priority was beautiful clothing, they’d be a stylist or a fashion designer. Costume designers are passionate about using clothing to create a character and tell a story. Similarly, if a set decorator’s main passion was creating beautiful homes, they’d be an interior designer. But a set decorator wants to use the furniture, decor and objects to help you understand the protagonist’s backstory.
Jon: Even the most accomplished crew members and producers we talked to said they looked at their jobs as advancing someone else’s vision, not their own. They learned early on not to get invested emotionally in their best ideas because someone else — the director on a film, the showrunner on a TV series — would be the judge of which ideas to use. That’s really humbling.
What do you think is the most profound change in Hollywood as it continues to transition from theatrical and TV into streaming?
Jon: Streaming has proven to be a huge boon to long-form storytelling, at least from the viewer’s vantage point. You’d still have “Succession” without streaming, but you don’t have the quantity of “Succession”-level shows without the investment and competition from the likes of Netflix, Apple and Amazon. But the economics of streaming series are very different from those of a long-running broadcast TV show. There are fewer episodes, which means less pay for writers, actors and crew members over the course of a year. And residuals are lower for those who are entitled to them. Meanwhile, after a steady rise in the number of scripted shows released in the U.S., the volume fell sharply in 2024. So it appears that peak TV may have peaked.
For movies, the pandemic gave studios a preview of the post-theatrical world to come. Nevertheless, the industry is still struggling to come up with a coherent approach to streaming. So much of a movie’s marketing is still tied to theatrical releases, and multiplexes and studios continue to fight over how long a new movie should wait before it hits the streamers. And I wonder if there isn’t a lingering stigma for movies that are available immediately for streaming, similar to the one for movies that went straight to DVD.
Ada: It’s not just streaming. Everything that we consume from our phones — from social media content to podcasts to gaming livestreams — is not only competing with mainstream Hollywood but also becoming part of the same big entertainment ecosystem.
But on the flip side, it’s never been more possible for aspiring creatives to bypass traditional gatekeepers, make their own projects, connect directly with audiences and build their own revenue streams — even if it’s never going to be easy.
ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service will be the new home for WWE’s biggest live events including WrestleMania, the companies announced Wedesday.
The Walt Disney Co.’s sports media unit will pay around $1.6 billion in a five year deal with the WWE, which will begin in 2026. The rights fee is nearly double the $180 million a year paid by NBCUniversal, which carried the events on Peacock.
ESPN is launching its new streaming platform on Aug. 21. For $29,99 a month, consumers will get access to ESPN’s channels and other content without a pay TV subscription.
The service will carry the 10 marquee events staged annually by WWE, which include Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and SummerSlam.
The deal comes after ESPN’s announcement that the NFL is taking a 10% equity stake in the unit. In return, ESPN takes over the NFL’s media properties, NFL Network and RedZone, giving the company more live games and exclusive content from the league.
While the WWE’s programming is entertainment with predetermined outcomes, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro told the Times that the live events will help broaden the audience for the company’s new streaming service.
“When you look at the WWE audience it is younger than what we typically see across other sports,” Pitaro said. “It’s more diverse and it is about 38% female which is a higher percentage of what we have at the network level.”
Pitaro noted that having major WWE events scheduled throughout the year will help the new streaming service retain subscribers who otherwise might check out when their favorite sports are not in season.
ESPN has aired wrestling programs in the past. The network carried matches from the American Wrestling Assn., a Minneapolis-based outfit, from 1985 to 1990.
ESPN already has strong business relationship with WWE parent TKO Group Holdings, as the network has carried the company’s UFC events.
Continued growth in streaming subscriptions and strong domestic tourism to its theme parks propelled Walt Disney Co.’s fiscal third quarter earnings, even as its theatrical results dipped, the company said Wednesday.
The Burbank media and entertainment giant reported $23.7 billion in revenue for the three-month period that ended June 28, up 2% compared with the same quarter a year earlier. Earnings before taxes totaled $3.2 billion, 4% higher than a year ago . Earnings per share were $2.92, up from $1.43 last year.
“We are pleased with our creative success and financial performance,” Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said in a statement. “With ambitious plans ahead for all our businesses, we’re not done building, and we are excited for Disney’s future.”
The company’s entertainment division, which includes its studios, Disney+, Hulu and linear television business, reported $10.7 billion in revenue, 1% higher than a year earlier. Its operating income, however, totaled $1 billion, down 15% compared with the previous year. That was the result of lower results in content sales and licensing, which includes theatrical distribution, and linear television.
Disney’s content sales and licensing unit reported revenue of $2.3 billion, up 7% compared with a year ago , but recorded a loss of $21 million in operating income. The company attributed that to lower theatrical distribution results during the third quarter of this year, when it released Disney and Pixar’s original animated film “Elio,” which struggled at the box office, as well as Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*,” which received strong critical reviews but had a middling commercial performance.
The earnings only captured part of the theatrical results for the live-action adaptation of “Lilo & Stitch,” which would go on to gross $1 billion in global box office revenue. The quarterly earnings were also negatively impacted by the comparison to last year’s “Inside Out 2” box office performance.
Disney’s linear networks including ABC and the Disney Channel continued to struggle, reporting revenue of $2.3 billion, down 15% compared with last year. Operating income fell 28% to $697 million. Part of that decline was due to the lower international results stemming from the company’s Star India merger.
Still, Disney’s streaming business saw gains during the third quarter, posting a 6% increase in revenue to $6.2 billion and operating income of $346 million, compared with a loss of $19 million a year earlier.
The company now has 183 million Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions.
Disney’s theme parks also boosted revenues, despite concerns about a drop-off in international tourism to the U.S. fueled by trade tensions. The experiences division, which includes the Disney theme parks, cruise line and Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii, reported revenue of $9.1 billion, up 8% compared with the previous year. Operating income rose 13% to $2.5 billion.
Disney said visitors spent more at the parks during the third quarter, and that its domestic parks and experiences operating income increased 22% to $1.7 billion.
Disney’s sports unit, which includes ESPN, reported revenue of $4.3 billion, down 5%, due to higher programming and production costs for the NBA and college sports rights and the lack of NHL Stanley Cup Finals rights, which Disney has every other year. Operating income was $1 billion, up 29% from last year.
The acclaimed novel was turned into a groundbreaking series
The BBC series was groundbreaking (Image: BBC)
A period piece based on an acclaimed novel is now streaming and a must watch for any fans of costume dramas.
Audience members have praised the limited series on IMDb, with one user giving a 10/10 review and the title: “A skilled adaptation of an extraordinary novel”.
A second person titled their review “sublime” and said: “The BBC has done it again: this is a wonderful production of a very good book, and they have done it up in style.”
Another person heaped praised on the programme: “The sets and costumes are flawless, the direction is stylish and the characters are likeable. There is a fair amount of humor [sic] but it has surprisingly dark interludes. The protagonist is really a tragic figure, but not devoid of happiness.”
They added: “The BBC have made some wonderful productions in the past, and this adventurous period piece only confirms their standard of excellence on all fronts.”
Hugh Bonneville featured in the BBC series (Image: BBC)
A fourth commented: “This wonderful 3 part BBC production is one of the sweetest love stories that I have seen in a while.”
They went on to say: “The characters are well defined and very believable. I guess this is a by-product of a good adaptation from a well written novel.”
Tipping the Velvet aired on the BBC in 2022, based on Welsh author Sarah Waters 1998 debut novel of the same name.
The three-part series saw Pride and Prejudice and The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders screenwriter Andrew Davies overseeing the scripts.
Tipping the Velvet was set in the Victorian era and followed the sexual awakening of Whitstable native Nan Astley (played by Rachael Stirling) after she headed to the big smoke of London and fell in love with male impersonator Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes).
The pair embarked on a passionate romance as Nan funded her life in London, before the pair form an onstage double-act.
Rachael Stirling and Keeley Hawes starred in the BBC period drama (Image: BBC)
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The series was a coming-of-age tale with moments of humour and darkness with a bawdy twist.
Tipping the Velvet featured a stellar cast, including Four Weddings and a Funeral star Anna Chancellor, Game of Thrones’ Jodhi May, Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, Line of Duty’s Daniel Mays, Downton Abbey favourite Hugh Bonneville, Monica Dolan of Appropriate Adult fame, and even a turns from Doctor Stranger star Benedict Cumberbatch, Johnny Vegas and Alexei Sayle.
Both the TV series and novel have had a positive impact on the depiction of queer characters on screen and led to more LGBTQIA+ stories to be told onscreen.
Previously reflecting on the success of her novel and the subsequent BBC adaptation, author Waters wrote at length about it in 2018, marking the book’s 20th anniversary.
She explained in The Guardian how she was “thrilled” by the reception among the queer community but the success among straight readers “took me by surprise”.
Waters also pondered on whether she’d write a sequel and would focus on Kitty.
Tipping the Velvet is available to stream on Prime Video for a fee
The show based on a famous gothic novel was adapted for the BBC in a 2014 miniseries and it stars a familiar face from Downton Abbey.
Jessica Brown Findlay plays Mary and Jessica Brown Findlay plays Jem(Image: BBC)
BBC enthusiasts have been left gobsmacked by a period drama miniseries they’re calling a “masterpiece” – and it’s crafted from the pages of a novel by a “queen of the genre”. The gothic tale of Jamaica Inn, penned by Daphne Du Maurier in 1936, has been brought to life in a gripping 2014 adaptation.
Set against the backdrop of 1821, Jamaica Inn spins the story of Mary Yellan, who after the heartbreak of losing her mother, goes to live with her aunt at the eponymous coaching inn in Cornwall. However, Mary soon discovers the inn’s lack of guests hides a dark secret, as she stumbles upon a nest of criminal dealings and finds herself entangled in romance with a dashing petty thief.
The series features Downton Abbey star Jessica Brown Findlay portraying the intrepid Mary and Matthew McNulty as her roguish love interest Jem Merlyn, joined by Emmerdale‘s own Danny Miller and Andrew Scarborough.
BBC fans are raving over a ‘beautiful’ period drama(Image: BBC)
One critique read: “This adaptation struck the right mood, it seemed to me – dark and subtly sinister.”
Another viewer was enchanted, describing it as “dark and beautiful”, and adding: “Very beautiful adaptation of the Du Maurier classic novel to a TV mini-series. There is a reason why Hitchcock directed this back in 1939. The atmosphere set is hypnotic at times.
“The music is well-chosen. It sets the right mood. When I first read the book, I imagined the setting to be similar but not quite as beautiful as shown here.”
The series received mixed reviews at the time(Image: BBC)
The New York Times lauded the novel behind the adaptation, hailing it as a work by “the queen of the form”, and an ideal read for “readers of Gothic thrillers”.
Jamaica Inn is no stranger to screen adaptations; its most renowned version was Alfred Hitchcock’s 1939 film.
The story also graced television screens in an ITV miniseries back in 1983 with Jane Seymour taking the lead, and it even crossed over into French television with a TV movie in 1995.
Jamaica Inn is available to stream on ITV Premium.
Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday unveiled the names of the proposed separate entities, post-breakup: Warner Bros. and Discovery Global.
When the corporate spin-off is complete some time next year, the venerable Burbank film and television studio properties, HBO, HBO Max streaming service and gaming properties will be part of a slimmed-down iteration called Warner Bros.
The cable networks, including TNT, CNN, HGTV and Animal Planet, and sports app Bleacher Report, will make up Discovery Global.
“We will proudly continue the more than century-long legacy of Warner Bros. through our commitment to bringing culture-defining stories, characters and entertainment to audiences around the world,” Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav said in a statement.
Zaslav, the longtime Discovery executive, is jumping to the Warner Bros. side, while his lieutenant, Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels, will lead Discovery Global.
The proposed corporate split is a recognition that the merger that created Warner Bros. Discovery three years ago was a misfire that eroded the value of some of the industry’s most premium brands. Zaslav championed the merger as a way to roll up several companies into one.
At the time, WarnerMedia — with its studios, HBO and Turner networks — was owned by AT&T, which was desperate to exit Hollywood after losing billions of dollars on acquisitions.
But Wall Street quickly soured on the consolidation that married nearly two dozen basic cable channels, including HGTV and Food Network, with the prestige properties of HBO and the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank.
AT&T’s sale to Discovery left Zaslav’s company struggling to tame more than $40 billion in debt. Investors also have a dim view of cable channels as the shift to streaming prompted a huge migration of viewers.
Senior executives joining Zaslav at Warner Bros. include: HBO Chairman Casey Bloys; Warner Bros. TV Group Chairman Channing Dungey; the film co-chairs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca; DC Studios leaders James Gunn and Peter Safran, Streaming and Gaming Chief Executive JB Perrette; Chief Operating Officer Bruce Campbell and Chief Communications Officer Robert Gibbs.
Discovery Global will include CNN Chairman Mark Thompson; TNT Sports Chairman Luis Silberwasser; international operations head Gerhard Zeiler; U.S. Ad Sales President Ryan Gould; and Chief Development Officer Anil Jhingan.
“As we prepare for the launch of Discovery Global, our enthusiasm for the opportunities ahead only grows thanks to our leading portfolio of beloved brands and programming, our worldwide footprint for adults, kids, and families, and now the experienced and talented leadership team,” Wiedenfels said.
Warner Bros. has started a search for a CFO as well as a chief people officer. Wiedenfels plans to hire a top communications and public affairs officer.
It follows Bond as he chases an assassin through the streets of Istanbul in a bid to recover a stolen list exposing the identities of MI6 secret agents.
When the mission goes terribly wrong, Chief M (Dame Judi Dench) is forced to take extreme measures to preserve the agency.
Skyfall is streaming now on ITVX(Image: Publicity Picture)
Craig shares the screen with Naomie Harris, who Bond enthusiasts will recognise from other films in the franchise.
Other notable cast members include Oscar winner Javier Bardem, 28 Years Later star Ralph Fiennes and French actress Bérénice Marlohe.
As you’d expect from this stellar ensemble, Skyfall was an instant hit.
It bagged a rare 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, where critics raved: “Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date.”
What’s more, the spy drama earned five Oscar nominations, including nods in the Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Sound Mixing categories.
Ultimately, the thriller won the Oscars for Best Sound Editing and Best Original Song. The latter was awarded to Adele for her hit song, Skyfall.
Viewers claim Skyfall is the best Bond film (Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios)
Moviegoers were captivated by the film, with one Google reviewer gushing: “By far the best Bond Movie I’ve ever seen especially given the amazing performances of Javier Braden.”
A second agreed: “Skyfall in my view is the best Bond film ever made. No Time To Die is good but this Bond film will always have the edge above others.”
Meanwhile, an IMDb user shared: “This is one of the best Bond movies I have ever seen.
“The story is superbly put together and has some interesting twists, the action is well done and contains none of the shaky cam which plagued the last film. The actors all do a great job.”
One of Sex Education’s biggest breakout stars took on a very different role in a sun-soaked new drama coming to streaming soon
Sex Education star worlds away from Netflix role in new drama streaming soon(Image: NETFLIX)
Sex Education star Emma Mackey’s latest cinematic role will be available to watch at home very soon.
Best known for portraying Maeve Wiley in all four seasons of Netflix’s beloved comedy-drama, she has since appeared in major films like Barbie and Death on the Nile.
Still currently in cinemas, her latest project sees her taking on her first leading role in a provocative and mysterious drama based on a Booker Prize nominated novel.
Inspired by Deborah Levy’s 2016 novel of the same name, Hot Milk follows Mackey as Sofia, a young woman whose mother, Rose (played by Fiona Shaw), has contracted an unknown illness that’s left her wheelchair-bound.
When the mother-daughter pair travel to a small Spanish seaside town to track down a physician with unusual methods who could hold the cure, Sofia finds herself drawn to an alluring traveller named Ingrid (Vicky Krieps).
Emma Mackey takes on her first leading role in this sultry drama(Image: MUBI)
The film will be streaming on Mubi from Friday, 22nd August for anyone who missed out on Mackey’s sultry and thought-provoking drama on the big screen.
The Independent gave Hot Milk four stars, calling it “a slippery, subversive coming-of-age tale”.
Mackey and Krieps were praised as “formidable” in The Guardian, while Deadline says Shaw’s performance is “truly extraordinary”.
One fan of the film gave it a five-star Google review, penning: “Powerful performances set against dreamlike scenery where reality merges with imagination.
“Starts as a slow burn but builds into a heightened frenzy of complex sensations that is impossible not to sense as you witness each separate character’s life unravel and deteriorate.”
Someone else praised: “Fever dream magic, great indie film if you like trippy movies, reminds me of I’m Thinking of Ending Things on Netflix.”
Hot Milk is based on the Booker Prize nominated novel by Deborah Levy(Image: Mubi)
Enthusiasm for the film continued on Letterboxd, where one user wrote: “The pace was perfect. The score was stunning.
“The acting was incredible, Fiona Shaw is such a talented actor. Emma Mackey is just an unreal actress too.
“I felt as if she was speaking to me and I shall carry these words with me the rest of my life. This was a film I watched at the right time in my life. A film I didn’t know I needed till I had seen it. I wish I had words to properly express how much I adore this film.”
And a final fan said: “Beautiful adaptation of the book, felt it in my soul – the story, the characters, the setting…. so moving and so real.”
Film fanatics should make sure they sign up to Mubi to check out this indie cinema gem, and many more movie masterpieces, in just under a month’s time.
Hot Milk will be released Friday, 22nd August on Mubi.
The creators of Comedy Central’s “South Park” reached a breakthrough Monday in the tense negotiations over the streaming rights of the long-running satirical cartoon.
Paramount agreed to buy the global streaming rights for “South Park” to bring the show to the company’s digital service, Paramount+, for the first time in the U.S., according to three people close to the negotiations who were not authorized to comment.
The deal with Trey Parker and Matt Stone, through their Park County production company, values the global streaming rights at $300 million a year, according to two of the people close to the agreement, who could not discuss the matter publicly because the deal is not final.
The five-year deal means the show will fetch $1.5 billion for streaming alone.
The sum preserves the show’s status as one of the world’s most valuable TV franchises.
Both sides were motivated to reach a deal before Wednesday, when Paramount’s Comedy Central channel kicks off the 27th season of “South Park.”
Paramount also wanted to avoid any public relations fiascoes when Stone and Parker take the stage Thursday at fan-fest Comic-Con in San Diego.
Separately, the two sides have been negotiating an overall deal for Parker and Stone, to renew their previous $900-million pact that kept the show on Comedy Central with new episodes through 2027. Parker and Stone’s team are seeking a higher valuation in order to produce new seasons.
