U.K. Culture Minister Unveils New BBC Chair

Banksy has unveiled a new anti-war artwork in London which only stayed up for an hour before it was supposedly stolen.The new piece was found in Peckham, south London, and featured a “stop” traffic sign emblazoned with 3D war planes, which is believed to relate to the current conflict in Israel and Palestine.Less than one hour after its arrival, PA captured images of two anonymous men removing the artwork. One stood on a Lime Bike to get to the sign, while the other held it in place.Earlier, Banksy had shared a photo of the artwork to his Instagram to officially confirm he was behind its creation.

The late Queen Elizabeth II needed some reassurance that it would be alright for her to die at Balmoral according to a new documentary.

VH1 has unveiled the cast, trailer and premiere date for The Impact New York, a spinoff to the BET+ reality series The Impact ATL.

Sleep Token have kicked off a new era by unveiling updated masks during their London show this weekend.The anonymous masked alt-metal band performed a sold-out show at London’s OVO Arena Wembley this Saturday (December 16) where they teased the next chapter with striking new looks.The band also took to Instagram over the weekend to share close ups of the new masks, which were designed by Lani Hernandez-David.“A New Era,” they captioned the posts. Check them out below.A post shared by Lani Hernandez-David (@_lani_mask_)A post shared by II (@ii_sleeptoken)A post shared by III (@iii_sleeptoken)A post shared by IV (@iv_sleeptoken)While the band formed back in 2016, a string of January releases including ‘The Summoning’ contributed to the skyrocketing of streams and new listeners in 2023.They are due to head back out on the road next year, supporting Bring Me The Horizon on their 2024 Australian tour.Kicking off on April 14 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Oli Sykes and Co.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Les Arcs Film Festival, the European equivalent to the Sundance Film Festival, has unveiled the list of projects which will be presented during its competitive Work-in-Progress showcase. Curated by Tribeca and Les Arcs’ artistic director Frederic Boyer and Lison Hervé, the selection will present a broad range of movies in post-production seeking a sales agent, festival slots and international distribution.

Doja Cat has announced a series of UK and European tour dates, set to kick off next summer. Find ticket details below.The new dates come as part of her ongoing ‘Scarlet Tour’, which is currently underway in North America and celebrates the release of her critically acclaimed fourth studio album earlier this year.Consisting of eight dates throughout June and July, the European leg of the tour marks the first time that the hit singer will embark on a headline arena tour on the continent.

Good afternoon Insiders, here we go again with a busy old week in TV and film. Max Goldbart penning the newsletter. Read on and sign up here.

Naman Ramachandran The annual license fee for the BBC will rise by £10.50 ($13.20) to £169.50 ($213.35), lower than what the corporation expected, causing a funding gap of £90 million ($113 million). As revealed in the BBC’s annual report, the bulk of its income was from the license fee paid for by the public, which accounted for £3.74 billion, £60 million down from last year. The licence fee was been frozen for two years at £159.50.

EXCLUSIVE: BBC insiders have voiced alarm over a funding deal that has blown a £90M ($113M) hole in the UK broadcaster’s finances and sources say potentially threatens its independence.

BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has said sorry for showing her middle finger on live TV. She said she didn't mean to "offend or upset anyone".

The BBC‘s licence fee will not rise by as much as previously promised, the UK government has confirmed, condemning the corporation to a difficult year that could see more cuts and less shows commissioned. The government has, meanwhile, launched a review into the BBC’s funding model.

Robert Jenrick has said in a letter to the Prime Minister that he had to resign as immigration minister because he has “such strong disagreements with the direction of the Government’s policy on immigration”. The Newark, Nottinghamshire MP had been pushing for the UK to reject some European human rights laws to facilitate the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has tonight (Wednesday) resigned after a row over sending immigrants to Rwanda. The Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed to the House of Commons this evening that Mr Jenrick has left the Government.

British TV vet Samir Shah has been unveiled as the new BBC Chair, coming with a major decision on the licence fee imminent.

London Film Festival program boss Rowan Woods is to take on the Creative Director post at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

Cast have revealed the date for their upcoming album ‘Love Is The Call’, and shared a new track called ‘Love You Like I Do’.The Liverpudlians started teasing their return in October this year, releasing the title track from their upcoming album. Today (December 5), they have shared the next snippet of their album, a song called ‘Love You Like I Do’ – take a listen below.Frontman John Power (also of The La’s) says of the new track: “‘Love You Like I Do’ is a twisting psychedelic love song that stretches itself between the emotions of a love forever felt and a love forever lost. Uplifting choruses, jumping Bass lines and sonic guitars cascading.

Never mind Turkey, the true star of Christmas dinner comes miniature and wrapped in bacon.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has said that a £15 increase in the BBC licence fee would be "high". Her comments come after reports that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is planning to block a 9% rise in the annual charge.

The BBC is staring down the barrel of another real terms funding cut after the UK government signaled its intention to renege on the 2022 license fee deal.

Meet the new KISS – not the same as the old KISS, but a version that could live forever.