BBC Studios Takes Minority Stake In Former Channel 4 Deputy Kelly Webb-Lamb’s Mothership Productions

Foster Driver and Zoë Kent, through their production company Driver+Kent Media, have entered into a first look deal at A+E Studios.Under the pact, which was announced by Tana Jamieson, executive vice president, Creative Affairs at A+E Studios, Driver+Kent Media will develop and produce projects for sale on all global and domestic television platforms and services.Driver+Kent already have “Dead Eleven,” based on the book by Jimmy Juliano, and “Summerset,” created by George Northy, set up at the studio.“Foster and Zoë come to the table with an eye for stories that are relevant, speak to a global audience and showcase the complexities of the world we live in,” Jamieson said in a statement.  “Their eclectic film and television backgrounds combined with their passion for vibrant and inclusive storytelling make them ideal partners for us at A+E Studios. We’re excited to be in business with Driver+Kent Media and look forward to what’s ahead.”“We are thrilled to be deepening our relationship with the amazing team at A+E Studios through our new first look deal,” Driver and Kent said in a joint statement.

EXCLUSIVE: Filipino production company Daluyong Studios, which co-produced Plan 75, Japan’s Best International Feature submission for the Oscars, is partnering with Tan Si En’s Singapore-based Momo Film Co to co-produce a slate of features and documentaries.

Stoke City have been languishing in the Championship for four years now, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2018 following 10 straight seasons at that level. The Potters have struggled to make an impact in the second tier since they dropped back, with all four seasons being mid-table finishes and multiple managers have tried and failed to get them towards the play-offs. Michael O’Neill’s time in charge came to an end last month, and coming in in his place was Alex Neil, who is already getting to grips with his squad and has recorded a thumping victory over Hull City.

Meghan McCain left The View at the end of Season 24 in 2021 and the search to fill the conservative chair was extensive, a fact that the former daytime talk show host relishes. Following McCain’s departure from the ABC program, producers auditioned women over the course of the season landing on Alyssa Farah Griffin and upping Ana Navarro to permanent co-host.

EJ Panaligan editor Disney, Amazon Studios, Fox Corp., Warner Bros. Discovery and other major Hollywood players are pledging support for the Roybal Film and Television Production Magnet, a major educational outreach initiative championed last year by George Clooney and others. Paramount and NBCUniversal/Telemundo Enterprises are also signing on to become founding partners of the Los Angeles Unified School District magnet facility. These companies join previously announced founding partners History Channel/A+E Networks, Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The group has committed to providing more than $4 million in funding for the school, which opened in August with 150 students at the Edward G. Roybal Learning Complex in downtown Los Angeles.

FilmNation TV UK has hired a key BBC Studios drama exec as it builds out its slate. Martin Rakusen has joined Creative Director Kirstie Macdonald’s team as COO.

Be it through love, heartache, passion, sorrow or pure lust for life, music has always fulfilled a common purpose: bringing people together. Country music is known for evoking a wide range of complicated emotions, and viewers of the upcoming "Monarch" FOX television show are in for a wild ride with equally energetic acoustics from Trace Adkins as he stands at the helm of the Roman family.  Fox News Digital exclusively spoke with several of the featured musicians on the soulful TV series, starring Susan Sarandon, Anna Friel and Beth Ditto, which highlights the lives of a dynasty of country musicians and the excitement that ensues as a family needs a little help remembering their roots.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent  SF Studios (“A Man Called Otto”) is set to produce and distribute “The Abyss,”  a female-driven Swedish disaster film directed by Richard Holm (“Johan Falk”) and chronicling the tragic events that took place in the mining town of Kiruna. Now shooting on location, the movie is headlined by Tuva Novotny(“Annihilation”) who stars alongside  Kardo Razazzi (“Honour”)and Peter Franzen (“Vikings”), Felicia Truedsson (“Young Royals”), Tintin Poggats Sarri (“Charter”) and Edvin Ryding (“Young Royals”). “The Abyss” stars Novotny as Frigga, who tries to balance her risky job as a security manager in the Kiirunavaara mine with her family life, her new love Dabir (Razazzi) and her ex, who doesn’t want to let go (Franzén). But when the ground suddenly starts to shake under their feet, the puzzle of life doesn’t matter and the struggle to not be pulled into the abyss begins. 

Federation Entertainment has hit the M&A trail once again by taking a majority stake in Britannia, Bronson and Bulletproof producer Vertigo Films, its first British acquisition.

Charley Webb has left her fans gobsmacked as she shared a singing video on Instagram. The former Emmerdale actress took to the social media platform to share a video of her eldest son belting out an Adele track.

The BBC and Channel 4 may fear the worst as the anti-Public Service Broadcasting agenda led by Boris Johnson’s administration looks set to continue under a Liz Truss premiership, with all eyes trained on whether Nadine Dorries remains Culture Secretary.

K.J. Yossman Netflix has snapped up “The Anthrax Attacks” from BBC Studios, a feature-length doc about the 2001 anthrax threat that paralyzed the U.S. in the wake of 9/11 and sparked one of the largest FBI investigations in history. The doc will star Marvel’s Clark Gregg (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”) in scripted scenes recreating some of the events that took place. Oscar-nominated Dan Krauss (“Extremis”) will direct the doc, which is set to premiere globally on Thursday, Sept. 8. It is produced by BBC Studios’ science unit. One week after 9/11 the U.S. suffered one of its worst ever biological attacks, resulting in the deaths of five people, while at least 17 more were injured.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 2 at Amazon has cast Kyra Sedgwick and Elsie Fisher in recurring roles. Variety exclusively reported that the show based on Jenny Han’s book series of the same name was renewed for a second season before Season 1 had premiered. Season 2 is currently in production but no premiere date has yet been set. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is described as a multigenerational drama that hinges on a love triangle between one girl and two brothers, the ever-evolving relationship between mothers and their children, and the enduring power of strong female friendships. It is a coming-of-age story about first love, first heartbreak, and the magic of that one perfect summer.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Georgia Brown, head of Amazon Studios in Europe, is stepping down after five years in the role, Variety can reveal. The executive’s last day at the business is Wednesday (Aug. 31), though her departure is understood to have been in the works for some time. Brown is believed to be moving on to another opportunity, though it’s not yet clear what or where her new role will be. Brown has been a strong and prominent ambassador for Amazon Studios in Europe, and was the first executive hired to lead originals for the continent. In the 2016 to 2018 period, when a number of the global streaming services were first setting up shop internationally and kept their executives largely out of view, Brown was always front and center for Amazon, keen to discuss her local-first strategy.

Amazon Studios Europe’s content chief Georgia Brown is leaving the streamer after five years in the role.

EXCLUSIVE: Shout! Studios has acquired all North American distribution rights to the neo-Western thriller Head Count, from Continuance Pictures and Method Media. Filmmakers Jacob and Ben Burghart — together known as The Burghart Brothers — are directing in their feature debut, from their script written with Josh Doke, with Aaron Jakubenko (Tidelands), Melanie Zanetti (Raven’s Hollow) and Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) set to star. Shout! Studios and the filmmakers are planning a strategic launch of the movie next year, beginning with major film festivals and film markets in 2023.

To the moon, Alice. No, Ralph Kramden isn’t involved, but that’s where NASA is headed, as it prepares its long-awaited launch of Artemis 1. That’s the renewable vehicles program that is the great hope for sending future manned missions back to the moon and potentially Mars.