Federation Entertainment Takes Majority Stake In ‘Britannia’ And ‘Bronson’ Producer Vertigo Films

The stars of this year's Strictly Come Dancing couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces as they left the studio after their first dances on the show. This season kicked off in spectacular sequinned style over the weekend, with celebrities such as actor Kym Marsh, singer Fleur East, Loose Women 's Kaye Adams and Paralympian Ellie Simmonds all putting their best feet forward. Kaye Adams, 59, was supported on night one by her fellow Loose Women panellists and good friends Jane Moore and Nadia Sawalha, and the trio were seen beaming alongside Helen Skelton - also a contestant - and Strictly pro Gorka Marquez.

Kaye Adams is looking to a fellow celebrity who has previously starred in the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom as she dusts off her own dancing shoes. Ann Widdecombe partnered up with Anton Du Beke in 2010, lasting ten weeks on the series. The former conservative MP couldn’t quite make it to the semi-finals after scoring just 14 out of a possible 40 points during the live shows.

Tennis great Roger Federer, who recently announced his retirement from the game, will go out with a longtime friend and rival by his side: Rafael Nadal will partner with Federer tomorrow night for London’s Laver Cup.

Things don't always go smoothly when Gino D'Acampo's around, as This Morning viewers well know. But on Wednesday (September 21), the Italian chef was back in the UK and rather than being on the ITV daytime show, he paid a visit to the Loose Women.

K.J. Yossman U.K. talent agency YMU has announced it is expanding into gaming and sports marketing with the integration of Digital Sports Mgmt (DSM) into its sports division. YMU has acquired a majority stake in DSM, which was launched in 2016 by Rob Wadsworth and Tom Henderson. DSM has worked with clients including EA Sports, Sorare, Avery Dennison and Warner Bros, as well as representing gaming talent such as Danny Aarons, ShaunaGames, and AJ3. As part of the merger, YMU’s services will expand to include esports consultancy, sports marketing, sponsorship brokerage, licensing, and live production.“YMU and Digital Sport Mgmt’s partnership strengthens our position at the crossroads where sport, gaming, technology, and entertainment meet and interact,” Henderson and Wadsworth said in a statement. “Our collective expertise will enrich the services we provide our talent and brand clients and will allow us both to scale into new markets. YMU is the perfect partner to expedite our business plan globally and in turn extend the YMU Group’s premium services into the future.”

Dame Kelly Holmes was left in tears seconds into her debut on the Loose Women panel. It was announced last week that double Olympic Champion would be joining the ITV lunchtime show from Monday (September 12). However, the programme has been off air since the death of the Queen was announced.

French powerhouse Federation Entertainment has rebranded to Federation Studios and signed a Group Chief Financial Officer.

Naman Ramachandran “Gangs of London” producer Pulse Films has unveiled the first clip from “Name Me Lawand,” which will have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. Directed by Edward Lovelace (“The Possibilities Are Endless”), the film is in competition at the festival’s The Grierson Award for documentaries. The documentary, filmed over four years, follows Lawand Hamad Amin, who spent his early years in Iraq unable to hear or communicate. His profound deafness meant he could not learn language, and with no access to a deaf education, Lawand grew isolated and trapped inside himself.

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.

Knowing her worth. Davina Potratz believes she hasn’t been given her due as a cast member on Selling Sunset.

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has snapped up North American and UK rights to the horror film Blood, from award-wining director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, The Call). While the feature will be released to both theaters and digital platforms, a release date has not yet been disclosed.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pascal Breton’s European banner Federation Entertainment (“The Bureau”) has acquired a majority stake in Vertigo Films, the U.K. production company behind the hit TV shows “Britannia” and “Bulletproof.” The London-based company is also the producer of B.O. films such as “StreetDance 3D,” “The Sweeney” and award-winning titles including Gareth Edwards’s “Monsters” and Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Bronson.“ Founded 20 years ago by executive producers Allan Niblo and James Richardson, Vertigo is currently in post-production with Jez Butterworth’s new comedy-drama series “Mammals,” starring James Corden and Sally Hawkins for Amazon, and the 1980s-set gangster epic “A Town Called Malice” by Nick Love for Sky Max. The banner just wrapped principal photography on a new film for Sky Cinema, with further details to be announced at a later date.  

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Les Films Pelleas, the Paris-based banner behind Mia Hansen-Love’s “One Fine Morning” (pictured), is set to produce Guillaume Senez (“Our Struggles”)’s next project, as well as the feature debut of Anne-Sophie Bailly whose short “The Midwife” is currently playing at Telluride. The Paris-based banner’s roster of completed roster includes Karim Moussaoui’s “L’Effacement,” and Annie Ernaux’s documentary “Les annes Super-8.” “Mona” revolves around around a woman in her 60’s who raised alone her disabled son and is at a point in her life where she aspires to start caring for herself. But when her son is unexpectedly having a baby, Mona finds herself with another heavy responsibility to bear.

EXCLUSIVE: Naomie Harris (Moonlight) and Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) have been tapped to lead the psychological thriller The Wasp, which BAFTA winner and two-time nominee Guillem Morales (Inside No. 9) is directing for XYZ Films.

Cinesite has continued to bolster its international footprint with the purchase of a majority stake in the Balkans-based visual effects studio FX3X.