Two abandoned seal pups have been saved in a 182-mile rescue by land and sea.
11.06.2024 - 08:57 / deadline.com
Trigger warning: this article includes mention of suicide and other topics that readers may find disturbing.
Channel 4 has ordered an independent investigation into the death of a producer who took his own life after working on the UK broadcaster’s true crime series In the Footsteps of Killers, Deadline can reveal.
John Balson died on May 17, having spent weeks experiencing intense physical pain and mental anguish. Deadline has spoken with his family and they have given us permission to publish this article in order to raise awareness of the dangers of overwork in factual TV, which was one of Balson’s wishes.
Channel 4 said it was “deeply saddened” by Balson’s death and has instructed British legal firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) to investigate, pledging to take “whatever action is appropriate.” The broadcaster is in contact with Balson’s family. No decision has been made over whether the show will be broadcast.
During his time working on In the Footsteps of Killers in the first four months of 2024, Balson, a 40-year-old father of one whose wife is pregnant with their second child, told his family he received threats from someone associated with a person he was researching. According to his wife, he felt he was blamed by the production for a family declining to take part in the show and became exhausted leading to intense physical symptoms associated with vestibular migraine disorder, while his mental health deteriorated.
Alaska TV, the London-based producer behind In the Footsteps of Killers, said the wellbeing of its employees was of “paramount importance,” but declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation. An inquest into Balson’s death won’t take place for months and charities advise that no
Two abandoned seal pups have been saved in a 182-mile rescue by land and sea.
Paul Heaton has announced his new Ian Broudie-produced album ‘The Mighty Several’ and has shared a new single ‘Fish ‘N’ Chip Supper’.‘The Mighty Several’ is set for release on October 11 – which is available for pre-order here – and follows his 2022 LP ‘N.K-pop‘ with Jacqui Abbott. The Housemartins and Beautiful South legend’s upcoming album was recorded at Blueprint Studios in Salford and was produced by Broudie of the Lightning Seeds.The album is comprised of 12 tracks, with some featuring special guests such as Rianne Downey (Heaton’s regular live vocalist), Yvonne Shelton and Danny Muldoon. The featured artists are all pictured alongside Heaton on the album’s artwork.
The family of a "beautiful and kind" woman who was found dead at her apartment in Dubai, UAE, have said it would have been 'completely out of character' for her to take her own life.
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Russell Brand‘s behaviour while hosting Big Brother spin-off programmes were “not adequately addressed”, an investigation has found.The comedian and actor presented shows including Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother’s Celebrity Hijack on Channel 4 between 2004 and 2008.An investigation by production company Banijay UK has said managers were alerted to allegations that Brand asked staff to get audience members’ phone numbers, and that his behaviour made female crew members feel uncomfortable or intimidated.However, the production company said that no formal complaints were made and the concerns were “not properly escalated”.Banijay said (via BBC News): “We are extremely sorry to anyone who was impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up or that their voice was not properly heard.”Banijay is one of several broadcasting organisations to have investigated whether any complaints were made about Brand’s behaviour during his employment. The company asked law firm Lewis Silkin LLP to conduct the investigation.Lewis Silkin’s head of investigations Karen Baxter concluded: “No formal complaints were made about Brand during the programmes.”“There were, however, concerns regarding Brand’s behaviour which were raised informally with senior members of staff, particularly in relation to him asking runners to obtain phone numbers of audience members and female crew members feeling uncomfortable or intimidated by his behaviour while working in Bristol in 2004/2005.
A hard-working sushi chef at a high-end fish restaurant in Manchester died after he drank a bottle of Jack Daniels on a bench outside his home in the early hours of Christmas Eve, an inquest heard.
Kate Winslet went to the London home of director Stephen Frears to discuss HBO’s political satire “The Regime.” She’d been cast in the role of Elena Vernham, a narcissistic European autocrat, and Frears had been pinpointed by the production as a potential director. “I was offered a cup of tea, which I then ended up making myself because he clearly had no intention of making the tea for me at all,” Winslet says. “In fact, he didn’t even seem to know where the cups were.” (The British use the phrase “Shall I be mother?” when offering to be in charge of the kettle at teatime, and Winslet, a mother of three, has some experience there.) Over the tea and some chocolate biscuits, she asked the director how he believed Elena should be played.
EXCLUSIVE: The UK’s nascent true crime producing body has urged broadcasters and indies to “recognise the additional burdens” placed on people making true crime in the wake of the tragic death of John Balson.
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Trigger warning: this article contains mention of suicide and other disturbing topics.
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