Russell T.Davies Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

All aboard the Tardis for an adventure in space and time as Doctor Who celebrates its 60th anniversary. Fan favourite David Tennant returns as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as his companion, Donna Noble, in three specials from showrunner Russell T Davies. All three left the hit series 13 years ago, but Russell says that despite having moved on to write such series as A Very English Scandal, It’s A Sin and Nolly, he has never stopped thinking about Doctor Who.

Nicola Coughlan will be appearing in a Doctor Who Christmas special. Just not this year.

Ellise Shafer Nicola Coughlan is joining the “Doctor Who” universe. Returning showrunner Russell T Davies revealed the news during a Q&A on Monday night following a press screening of “The Star Beast,” the first of the BBC series’ annual specials. Celebrating the show’s 60th anniversary, this year’s specials bring back David Tennant as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble before Ncuti Gatwa takes over the reins as the Fifteenth Doctor on Christmas Day.

EXCLUSIVE: Priscilla Parish has quietly stepped down as the head of drama at BBC Studios after four years.

Disney+ and BBC have announced premiere dates for the three new Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials.

Jaden Thompson Get ready to re-enter the TARDIS. Disney Branded Television and BBC have revealed the trailer and premiere dates for the 60th anniversary “Doctor Who” specials, debuting on Disney+ and the BBC later this year. The first special, “The Star Beast,” premieres Nov.

Loki director and EP Kate Herron is to co-write an upcoming episode of Doctor Who featuring Ncuti Gatwa.

Lenny Henry has launched a scripted production outfit backed by the £50M ($61M) Banijay UK Growth Fund.

K.J. Yossman Lenny Henry has launched a new production company backed by Banijay U.K. Titled Esmerelda, the new venture will focus on drama and comedy with an emphasis on under-represented voices.

National treasure Sir Lenny Henry delved deep into his family history to create his new Windrush-inspired drama Three Little Birds.The 65-year-old comedy star joined forces with It’s A Sin writer Russell T Davies for the series, which tells the story of three young Jamaican women beginning a new life in Britain in the 1950s. “My inspiration was the stories of my parents, my uncles and aunties talking about what it was actually like to come to Britain in the 50s,” Lenny says. The six-part period drama follows sisters Leah and Chantrelle, played by The Nevers’ Rochelle Neil and EastEnders ’ Saffron Coomber, as they emigrate from Saint Ann Parish to Notting Hill and eventually the West Midlands with their family friend Hosanna (newcomer Yazmin Belo).

Pablo Sandoval As earning significant profile for shows in a packed marketplace has become one of Europe’s most pressing industry concerns, a new and ambitious TV series festival is launching in Cadiz, southern Spain, as an initiative of Mediaset España and backed by shows from other key players on the Spanish TV scene, such as The Mediapro Studio and Movistar Plus+. Speakers announced by the festival include Peter Morgan’s “The Crown,”“Billy Elliot’s” Stephen Daldry and “Fleabag” creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Naman Ramachandran The BBC has commissioned “Doctor Who: Unleashed,” a 30-minute factual entertainment series that will accompany the upcoming new season of “Doctor Who.” The companion show, hosted by Steffan Powell, will kick off after every episode of “Doctor Who” and will provide insights into how it was made and feature interviews with cast and crew. “Doctor Who,” which is celebrating its 60th anniversary with David Tennant as the 14th Doctor, returns in November with three episodes. Jemma Redgrave reprises her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Neil Patrick Harris will play the Toymaker, an all-powerful enemy last seen in 1966.

An exclusive new trailer revealing more of what’s to come when Doctor Who returns this November has arrived.

Actress Miriam Margolyes will star in the 60th anniversary specials of Doctor Who. It comes as the 82-year-old actress recently opened up on her health battle as she admitted not being able to walk anymore, and fears she will soon be wheelchair-bound.

Masterpiece has revealed the premiere date and released a trailer for the upcoming miniseries, Nolly which stars Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown, Harry Potter) as Noele “Nolly” Gordon, one of the most famous faces on British TV in the 1960s and ’70s.

Harry Potter actress Miriam Margolyes has become the latest big name to join the cast of Doctor Who.

EXCLUSIVE: Nick Angel, Sarah Bridge, Iain Cooke and Catherine Grieves, four of the UK’s most esteemed film and TV music supervisors, have banded together to launch 45 RPM, a music supervision collective that will be a “one-stop shop” for creatives. 

In 1999 - some 24 years ago - Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton was staying at Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower Hotel on Oxford Road (then the Palace Hotel) as he filmed scenes for his first big role in Queer as Folk on Canal Street.

A new Doctor is hopping through space, time and dimension.

K.J. Yossman The WGA strike has had an impact on U.K./U.S. co-productions, Channel 4’s head of content Ian Katz said today. The strike, which has been running since May 2, has spooked U.K. writers who are too loyal or nervous to engage in conversations with U.S. co-production partners, Katz said at a press briefing on Wednesday morning, where Channel 4 unveiled its 2022 revenue results. “A lot of U.K. writers, either out of a feeling of solidarity with colleagues in the States or concerns about not being able to work in the States, don’t want to be involved in any conversations with U.S. platforms,” Katz said in response to Variety’s question about whether the U.S. strike had had any impact across the pond.

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Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International The next season of “Bad Sisters” is slowly taking shape, even amid a writers strike. Creator Sharon Horgan confirmed that she’s currently writing Season 2 of the hit Apple TV+ series “Bad Sisters,” which will continue the story of the Garvey sisters after they successfully got rid of their toxic brother-in-law Jean-Paul (played by a deliciously evil Claes Bang). Horgan, who was speaking at the Banff World Media Festival, is likely able to continue working on the U.K.-filmed show — which she writes alongside Brett Baer and Dave Finkel — because she has a local contract in place with Apple TV+ for “Bad Sisters” rather than a WGA-governed deal. Under the current rules, U.K. writers can continue working on existing projects (under the jurisdiction of non-WGA contracts) with “struck” companies such as Apple, but can’t take on new work.

Naman Ramachandran The first look images from Lenny Henry’s “Three Little Birds,” executive produced by “It’s a Sin” creator Russell T Davies, have been unveiled. The series stars Rochelle Neil (“The Nevers”), Yazmin Belo (“What Just Happened”) and Saffron Coomber (“Tracey Beaker Returns”). Designed as a celebration of immigration, community and the strength of Black womanhood, the series is inspired by the stories of Henry’s mother. Set in 1957, it follows sisters Leah (Neil) and Chantrelle (Coomber) and their virtuous, bible-loving acquaintance, Hosanna (Belo), as they board a cruise ship from Jamaica bound for a new life in Britain. Once they reach they discover that life is not smooth sailing but are determined to succeed and overcome the many obstacles of integration and build a new life in Britain.

K.J. Yossman “Doctor Who” has just added another star to its roster: 14-year-old Lenny Rush. Rush is set to join the fourteenth season of the re-booted series as a mysterious figure called Morris. He’ll star alongside Ncuti Gatwa, who will take the mantle from David Tennant as the new Timelord, and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Indira Varma also stars as a new character known only as the Duchess while Jonathan Groff joins in “a mysterious and exciting guest role,” according to the BBC. In May, Rush won a BAFTA award for best male performance in a comedy for his role in “Am I Being Unreasonable” alongside Daisy May Cooper.

EXCLUSIVE: “We are today… WGA!” was the cry outside Cologne Cathedral yesterday evening in Germany, where around 50 protestors held a rally in solidarity with their WGA counterparts in the U.S.

British big-hitters Russell T. Davies, Jack Thorne and Dennis Kelly are preparing to stand with writers around the world today in support of striking scribes on a global day of solidarity and action.

Doctor Who has yet another new recruit.

Russell T. Davies addressed the U.S. writers strike for the first time at the London Screenwriters Everywhere protest this afternoon.

The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace will be telling fellow American writers “we are not in this alone” when he returns home from London later.

Bonnie Langford will reprise her role as Melanie Bush in the forthcoming season of “Doctor Who,” starring alongside Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, the BBC announced Wednesday. Langford joined the “Doctor Who” universe in 1986 when she played the companion to the Sixth and Seventh Doctors as portrayed by Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. She then went on to appear in a cameo role in Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the Thirteenth Doctor.  “I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing Melanie Bush back. To be part of the exceptional cast, crew and production team led by the force of nature that is Russell T Davies is a career highlight,” said Langford. “I’m so privileged and proud to have been a member of the Doctor Who family since the classic era and to be included in the new generation is phenomenal.” 

Doctor Who star Bonnie Langford is returning to the show for its upcoming 14th series, over three decades after she originally boarded the TARDIS. The actress, 58, is reprising her role as Melanie Bush for the new series alongside incoming Doctor Ncuti Gatwa, with her return set to hit screens in 2024. Bonnie made her debut on Who back in 1986 as Melanie alongside the Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, and went onto be the companion for the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy.

A familiar character will be returning to Doctor Who. Bonnie Langford will once again reprise her legendary role as Melanie Bush, joining Ncuti Gatwa who plays the Fifteenth Doctor in the new series, the BBC revealed today.

Channel 4 has picked up a wealth of U.S. content for its rebranded streaming service including Dr. Death, Queer As Folk and Becoming Elizabeth.

David Tennant goes around and around with a dancing Neil Patrick Harris in the newest teaser for the upcoming Doctor Who 60th anniversary special.

The Doctor is in — and he’s once again being portrayed by David Tennant.

K.J. Yossman David Tennant, the tenth Doctor Who, has returned to the franchise in a new trailer alongside Catherine Tate, who plays the Timelord’s longtime sidekick Donna Noble. Tennant and Tate have reprised their roles for a series of three specials to celebrate the show’s 60th anniversary, which will also make Tenant the fourteenth Doctor. He takes over from thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker. The titles of the three specials, which are set to air in November, have also been unveiled. They are “The Star Beast,” “Wild Blue Yonder” and “The Giggle.” The trailer also stars “Heartstopper’s” Yasmin Finney and “How I Met Your Mother’s” Neil Patrick Harris, who are joining the franchise.