Sky & Peacock Behind Mini-Series About Notorious Lockerbie Disaster; Oscar-Nominated Jim And Kirsten Sheridan To Write

Following Dame Shirley Bassey onto the stage after her performance of Diamonds Are Forever at the BAFTA Film Awards, Rebel Wilson entered to the strains of the Bond theme wearing a shimmering hot pink dress, complete with 80s-style padded shoulders.

Stuart Miller In the aftermath of #OscarSoWhite, there has been a shift, with actors of color including Viola Davis, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershali Ali and Steven Yuen earning nominations. But the parts these actors inhabited were written specifically for a Black or, in Yuen’s case, a Korean actor.It was only last year when Riz Amed, the British son of Pakistani immigrants, was nominated of “Sound of Metal,” that the Oscars hinted at a newer trend in diversity in casting.“Hollywood is finally catching up and we’re able to represent the world as it really is,” says “West Side Story” casting director Cindy Tolan, adding that studios are “following the dollar.”“If you’re more reflective of life and of the audience, then more people will be interested in your movie or TV show,” says “Macbeth” casting director Ellen Chenoweth.

News broke this week that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had been sanctioned by the UK government as part of their attempts to crack down on wealthy Russians with assets within the country.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentLondon-based Beyond Rights has scored sales to Italian broadcasters on more than 500 hours of TV content, including topical doc “The Prince and the Paedophile.”The BriteSpark Films investigation into the friendship between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein, which is also said to uncover new details on Epstein’s other British connection –– including to Ghislaine Maxwell –– has been acquired by linear broadcaster La7, which is the flagship station of the country’s third generalist TV group in terms of ratings.Comcast-owned pay TV Sky Italia re-upped their licensing deal on lifestyle show “Love It Or List It,” acquiring 290 new hours of the franchise, including four seasons from the original series and seasons from “Love It Or List It: Vancouver”; “Love It Or List It: Quebec” and “Love It Or List It: Australia.”   Discovery Italy purchased a 103-hour, multi-genre package comprising true crime titles such as “Fatal Vows,” and “Deadly Women,” plus “Massive Engineering Mistakes,” and auto show “Flipping Bangers.” AETN Italy picked up the latest two seasons of “Forbidden History” and the show’s new upcoming two instalments, one of which examines war propaganda methods used in Nazi Germany.Finally, GotGame, a new digital channel dedicated to the gaming world, bought 105 hours of science and tech programming from Beyond Rights comprising the shows “Myth or Science,” “How Hacks Work,” and “Superhuman Science.”“We are delighted that our extensive factual catalogue can meet the needs of so many key broadcasters at the same time in such an important territory as Italy.” said Sarah Bickley, Beyond Rights’ SVP sales for Italy, in a statement. 

Labour is putting pressure on Boris Johnson to ramp up sanctions against Russian oligarchs associated with Vladimir Putin.

BBC Studios And Sky Deutschland Strike Factual Content Deal

Stuart Miller In Hollywood, it’s easier to sell a movie if you can say, “It’s like a new take on ___” and fill in the blank with a box office hit. But the films that get nominated for director are usually the result of a singular vision, one that’s hard to pin down and categorize.Still, just as many Americans love doing DNA searches for their own family, we can trace the genre roots of this year’s director nominees.“Belfast,” Kenneth BranaghAn acclaimed British director, who earned his first Oscar nomination for a picture filled with action sequences and memorable quotes, earns another for an intimate autobiographical story about a childhood in which encroaching violence casts a shadow.

K.J. Yossman Sky have released first look images for a new Sky Original drama, “Unwanted.”Inspired by the book “Bilal,” an investigative book from journalist Fabrizio Gatti, the eight-part series tells the story of an undercover human rights defender who is helping migrants journey from Africa to Europe as they battle human traffickers and government officials.Stefano Bises (“Gomorrah”) created and wrote the series in collaboration with with the collaboration of Alessandro Valenti, Bernardo Pellegrini and Michela Straniero.

How well do we know the people in our lives, especially those we call family? The dramatic series “Pieces of Her” presents a woman struggling with her mother’s secrets. Based on the book by Karin Slaughter, the Netflix project hails from Minkie Spiro.

Sheridan Smith fans who tuned in for ITV's No Return have been left frustrated.