BBC Basks in Norwegian ‘Afterglow’ Acquisition – Global Bulletin

Love Island’s Anton Danyluk may be a ripped reality star but he openly admits he has battled body insecurity all his life.

Siobhan McSweeney’s BAFTA acceptance speech was edited out of the BAFTA TV Awards ceremony broadcast on Sunday. McSweeney won the best female comedy performance BAFTA for playing Sister Michael in Channel 4’s Northern Ireland-set show “Derry Girls.” During her speech McSweeney said: “I am daily impressed with how you encompass the spirit of compromise and resilience despite the indignities, ignorance, and stupidity of your so-called leaders in Dublin, Stormont and Westminster. In the words of my beloved Sister Michael, ‘It’s time they started to wise up.'” These lines were cut from the broadcast.

BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent has reportedly split from her husband Gavin Hawthorn of 13 years after they “tried to tough it out”. Sally, 52 and husband Gavin, 52, who share a son together, have reportedly decided to “amicably” end their marriage.

Prime Video To Remake South Korea’s ‘EXchange’ In Japan

Naman Ramachandran Gross box office in the European Union (EU) and the U.K. grew by 70% in 2022 compared with 2021 – from €3 billion ($3.27 billion) to €5.1 billion ($5.57 billion), down by 28% on pre-pandemic levels. The numbers were revealed in the 2023 edition of Focus – World Film Market Trends, a report which is prepared each year for the Cannes film market. Three U.S. films, “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru” topped the European charts in 2022, selling 34.4 million, 30.6 and 30.2 million tickets throughout the calendar year respectively. Cinema attendance in the EU and the U.K. increased by 63% from 403 million tickets sold in 2021 to an estimated 657 million in 2022, representing 67% of the average pre-pandemic admission level registered between 2017 and 2019. 

K.J. Yossman “Tabby McTat,” the lively children’s story by writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, is set to get the BBC treatment with a new adaptation by longtime Donaldson/Scheffler collaborators Magic Light Pictures. “Doctor Who” star Jodie Whittaker will narrate the tale about a cat who gets separated from his owner while Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú (“Gangs of London”) will voice Tabby. Other stars lending their voices to the short include Rob Brydon (“Gavin and Stacey”), Cariad Lloyd (“Peep Show”), Joanna Scanlan (“The Thick of It”) and Susan Wokoma (“Enola Holmes”). “Superworm” directors Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman will helm the project, which was written by Max Lang and Suzanne Lang. Barney Goodland and Michael Rose of Magic Light Pictures will produce. BBC chief content office Charlotte Moore and BBC drama commissioning editor Nawfal Faizullah acquired the film for the BBC. Red Star Studio will provide animation services.

Former newsreader Kate Silverton has wowed fans after revealing an unexpected hair transformation on social media today.The ex-BBC Weekend News journalist and broadcaster appeared almost unrecognisable in the new snaps she shared with her 66,600 online followers on Instagram.The 52-year-old mother-of-two - who last year famously swapped news reading for child therapy, later releasing her own books - was recognisable on television screens for her signature brunette choppy pixie cut, which every so often she had highlighted with gold. In new photos however, the former television star showed off, not only a never-before-seen shade, but also a floppier, more bohemian style of cut.

Naman Ramachandran Global family entertainment streamer Da Vinci and Bear Grylls‘ production company BecomingX have debuted the first trailer for docuseries “Becoming Xtraordinary.” The series features interview-driven stories of success from Julia Roberts, Roger Federer, Courteney Cox, Channing Tatum, Olympic gold medallists, Nobel laureates and more. Co-produced by Chrome Productions, “Becoming Xtraordinary” comprises three seasons of 10 episodes each, all presented by Grylls and guided by in-studio hosts Mwaksy Mudenda (“Blue Peter”) and YouTuber Evan Edinger. The first season will premiere on May 28 and will be available across Da Vinci’s linear and video-on-demand platforms, including various FAST channels on Local Now, Sling Freestream, TCL Channel, Free TV, Rakuten TV, LG Channels, Netgem and VIDAA.

The BBC suffered a hilarious blunder on Tuesday night as a Eurovision fan was mistaken for Finland's singer. Viewers cringed as the confused reporter mistook a Eurovision fan for Finland’s competition entrant Käärijä, during an interview as they were named as the country's act.The first Eurovision semi-final kicked off on Tuesday May 9, with Käärijä among the 10 acts that will go to the grand final on Saturday. BBC North West Tonight aired interviews with fans that went to the semi-final, with many of they saying they thing Finland could be the country to take this year's crown.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Prime Video has set May 18 for the global release of its upcoming Indian anthology series “Modern Love Chennai.” This is the third Indian adaptation of “Modern Love,” the internationally acclaimed original anthology directed by John Carney, following “Modern Love Mumbai” and “Modern Love Hyderabad.” Produced under the banner of Tyler Durden and Kino Fist, with Thiagarajan Kumararaja as the creator, the six-episode anthology presents a bouquet of love stories set in the city of Chennai that explore relationships, push boundaries, and open minds.  “Love stories and rom-coms have never been my cup of tea. Thus, ‘Modern Love Chennai’ was an interesting challenge,” said Kumararaja, creator of the series and writer-director of one of the episodes. “With these stories, we have explored and celebrated the old-world charm of the city, which remains rooted in a distinct blend of tradition and modernity.” 

BBC News presenter, Lukwesa Burak, suffered an awkward TV moment as she unexpectedly appeared on screen earlier than she had hoped. The news anchor had introduced a segment during a broadcast on Thursday, 4 May, with a video clip, saying: "Around the world and across the UK, this is BBC News," before video played and she couldn't be seen. But appearing to cut back to the studio prematurely, she could be seen letting out a stretch and exclaiming "OK", under the impression that she wasn't yet on screen.

K.J. Yossman Content company Catalyst has partnered with intimate apparel company Knix to launch a documentary fund. The Knix Fund Catalyst Docs for Change Project is set to launch at Banff World Media Festival, which kicks off on June 11. Catalyst founder Julie Bristow and Knix founder Joanna Griffiths will appear at the festival in a moderated conversation on June 14 to outline the fund’s objectives. The fund will open to submissions around the same time, with Catalyst and Knix green lighting the most promising entry. “The values of Knix and the thought-leadership that Joanna has provided on so many women’s issues align perfectly with Catalyst’s mission to open eyes, minds, and hearts with unapologetically brilliant storytelling by and about women,” said Bristow. “To achieve a more inclusive world, we need more stories led by women creators. Sometimes the only way to catalyse change is to challenge legacy business models by investing in new paradigms. This partnership does just that. We will ensure important stories get told because we’ll finance them.” 

Naman Ramachandran The Malta Film Commission is launching the first-ever Mediterrane Film Festival, a new annual event dedicated to celebrating film and creativity. Running from June 25-30, the festival will take place at Valletta, Malta’s capital, and other locations across the country The festival aims to serve as a platform for Malta to continue building its film brand image worldwide and attract more film business to the islands. Prominent films shot in recent years in Malta include Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” Terrence Malick’s “The Way of the Wind” and Colin Trevorrow’s “Jurassic World Dominion.” The program, which will be revealed during the Cannes Film Festival, will showcase films from each of the MED9 (an alliance of nine Mediterranean and Southern European Union member states: Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain) nations. Screenings will be accessible to the public, and the featured films will be in the running for various awards.

Naman Ramachandran British presenter, broadcaster, filmmaker, author and historian, professor David Olusoga, will be presented with a BAFTA Special Award at the upcoming BAFTA Television Awards on May 14. The award is one of BAFTA’s highest honors recognizing an outstanding contribution to film, games or television. Olusoga’s credits include presenting history series “A House Through Time” (BBC Two), writing and presenting series “Black & British: A Forgotten History” (BBC Two) and the BAFTA-winning “Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners.” In recent years he led major interviews with the former President of the United States, Barack Obama and lectures including the Edinburgh TV Festival MacTaggart Lecture in 2020.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Argentina-Chile coproduction “The Punishment,” directed by Matias Bize, was named best feature over the weekend at the close of the Beijing International Film Festival. Mexico’s Lila Avilés won the Tiantan Award for best director for her film “Totem.” Antonia Zegers and Line Renaud shared the best actress award for “The Punishment” and “Driving Madeleine,” respectively. The best actor award went to Xin Baiqing for Chinese movie “The Shadowless Tower.” The film, which premiered in February in Berlin, was the numerical winner. With the best screenplay, music, cinematography and artistic contribution awards, it won a total of five prizes.

John Watson has sparked concern after sharing a picture from his hospital bed after sustaining an injury.The BBC Breakfast star told fans on Thursday, 27 April, that he’s torn his meniscus (soft cartilage found on both sides of a person’s knee) as he shared a snap of his left knee all bandaged up. “Less of a dash more of a hop to the studio come Monday…” he wrote next to the photo posted on Twitter. Fans were quick to question what he’d done and wished the sports presenter a speedy recovery.

Naman Ramachandran Cineflix Rights has acquired international rights to Finestripe Productions‘ feature documentary “The Mysterious Mr. Lagerfeld,” which premiered on BBC Two on April 26, and has sold to Prime Video for Australia, Canada and New Zealand. “The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld” tells the story of Karl Lagerfeld, the legendary Chanel designer who transformed high fashion into blockbuster, dramatic entertainment over 40 years. The film, directed by Michael Waldman, delves into the life of the charismatic showman who lived a lavish personal life as he earned and spent millions, often courting controversy with his provocative statements. Lagerfeld had an extraordinary entourage, including his beloved cat, Choupette, who is expected to be one of the main heirs of his fortune. The documentary provides insight into the man behind the sunglasses and his legacy.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has released a first look image of its new comedy series, “Big Mood” (working title), produced by Fremantle‘s Dancing Ledge Productions. The six-part series explores the intricacies of female friendship when confronted with the complexities of serious mental illness. Starring in the show are Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West. Joining the ensemble cast are Niamh Cusack, Eamon Farren, Luke Fetherston, Kate Fleetwood, Rob Gilbert, Rebecca Lowman, Sally Phillips, Ukweli Roach, and Amalia Vitale. The cast also includes Olu Adaeze, Max Bennett, Skylar Betteridge, David Bedella, Tim Downie, Ron Donachie, Sarah Durham, Lara Grace Ilori, Neil Edmond, Amy Gledhill, Maddie Grace Jepson, Tom Rhys Harries, Layla-Belle Matthews, Simon Meacock, David Mumeni, David Newman, Freya Parker, Shuna Snow, Sid Sagar, Stephen Sobal, Lottie Tolhurst, Isobel Thom and Robin Weaver.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Director Stanley Tong (“Rumble in the Bronx”) is to team up with Jackie Chan for the tenth time on “The Legend.” State media in China report that Chan, who recently reached the top spot in the mainland Chinese box office with aged stuntman comedy “Ride On,” will play an archaeologist on a quest through time and space. With production by Bona Film Group, “The Legend” is pitched as being in the same vein as Tong and Chan’s 2005 effort “The Myth,” which was a fantasy love story. Tong and Chan have worked together on other titles including “Police Story 3,” “Supercop” and “Vanguard.” India’s Jio Studios is backing “Khashaba,” a Marathi-language film on the life of India’s first Olympic medalist Khasaba Dadasaheb. After delivering the sleeper hit Sairat and Fandry, the new film will be directed by Nagraj Manjule. The title is considered as part of Jio Studio’s ambition to deliver more than 100 stories this year. With production to begin shortly, the film will be mounted on a large scale. “Along with entertaining the audience, this film will also introduce the audience to a brave and exceptional athlete who made India proud all over the world,” said Manjule. “Khashaba” will be presented by JioStudios and produced by Aatpat Production, Jyoti Deshpande and Manjule.

K.J. Yossman ITVX and Apple TV+ have bucked the U.K.’s downward trend in streamer subscriptions by showing strong growth. According to the analysis from consultancy Kantar, the number of households in the U.K. that subscribe to at least one streaming service fell in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022. The first three months of this year showed 16.10 million households subscribed to at least one streamer while the first quarter of 2022 the figure was 16.91 million and the figure for the same quarter in 2021 was 16.95 million. Despite the consistent drop over the last two years, the research showed that ITVX’s premium service – which launched in the last quarter of 2023, replacing ITV’s previous streaming platform ITV Hub – gained the most number of new SVOD subscribers in the quarter. They were followed by Apple TV+.