Coronation Street star Jodie Prenger has bagged herself a fresh role away from the cobbles after surprising fans with an unrecognisable appearance. The actress joined the ITV soap last year as Glenda Shuttleworth, the sister of undertaker George.
27.10.2023 - 15:35 / deadline.com
The cancellation of BBC stalwart drama Doctors has had a huge impact on the UK’s TV community and the Writers Guild of Great Britiain (WGGB) has now launched a campaign to save the show.
The WGGB says it is in talks with the BBC and is consulting with other unions. As part of the campaign, it is urging people to write to their local MPs and ask them to ask BBC Director General Tim Davie to reverse the decision.
“The continuing drama series BBC Doctors is to close after 23 years – a terrible loss to the UK writing community and to audiences,” said a WGGB statement. “The closure of another drama series following the cancellation of Holby City two years ago leaves a big hole in the drama slate and in the pockets of Doctors writers, some of whom have written for the show for years.”
A petition set up by fans urging a reverse of the decision has amassed nearly 5,000 signatures. The WGGB is also asking fans to share social media assets and is offering advice and support to Doctors writers. It said more updates are incoming.
The BBC announced the “difficult decision” last week after 23 years and it has had the community up in arms, with the show having blooded dozens of UK scribes and employed hundreds of production staff. The BBC put the move down to “super inflation in drama production” and has said the money saved will be reinvested in programing from the local Birmingham region.
Deadline revealed yesterday that the BBC is developing Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight‘s drama based in a Birmingham university, which could feasibly be funded by the Doctors saving, although no decisions have been made.
Airing in the daytime and produced by BBC Studios out of Birmingham, Doctors follows the goings-on of a fictional
Coronation Street star Jodie Prenger has bagged herself a fresh role away from the cobbles after surprising fans with an unrecognisable appearance. The actress joined the ITV soap last year as Glenda Shuttleworth, the sister of undertaker George.
Olly Murs appeared emotional on The Voice UK after watching a performance by a suicide prevention volunteer.
The Chase star Jenny Ryan has showed off her dramatic transformation as she took to the stage to play the Wicked Queen in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. The 41-year-old quiz master revealed her new look, which is very different from her usual appearance as The Vixen on the ITV game show. The flame-haired star posted a video to her Instagram wearing a black feathered crown as she dressed in a sequined gown.
Nicola Coughlan is getting in the Christmas spirit!
The Scottish Greens have defended the use of a “vile” phrase which critics believe is a call for the destruction of Israel.
The illegitimate use of nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, is now illegal across the UK.
Married At First Sight UK's Bianca Petronzi has shared that her on-show husband JJ Slater sent her a heartfelt apology after the couple's marriage fell apart. The 29-year-old joined the hit E4 show hoping to find her dream man, but instead found herself dealing with JJ's wandering eyes and his secret romance with Ella Morgan.The hair extension specialist's relationship with JJ appeared rocky from the start, with JJ admitting he didn't find her physically attractive.Things got worse when Ella's husband Nathanial confronted JJ and Ella about their flirting at a dinner party, leading to Bianca finally confronting JJ for his 'cowardly' actions. A massive argument broke out as Ella tried to justify her actions, with Bianca firmly telling the bride that she was not a 'girl's girl'.
Strictly Come Dancing fans were over the moon to see Kevin Clifton back on their telly, three years after he bid farewell to the popular dance competition. The 41 year old, who quit in 2020 after seven years, popped up on the show's spin-off It Takes Two for a surprise chat with host Fleur East on Tuesday, 31 October.
It's no secret that house prices have skyrocketed across the UK over the last two decades, especially in the last five years. Rising demand and low supply has pushed property costs further and further up, with the average house price having increased dramatically since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pop legend Sonia first shot to fame as a fresh-faced 18 year old in 1989, with her No 1 chart hit, You'll Never Stop Me Loving You. She went on to have a string of further hits while working with the legendary songwriting and music production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, including Can't Forget You and Listen To Your Heart.The singing superstar even represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 – coming a very respectable second place with Better The Devil You Know – and was the first female artist to have five Top 20 singles from one album. But incredibly Sonia, who's now 52, hardly seems to have changed a bit since her heyday, recently appearing on BBC Breakfast looking much younger than her age.
EXCLUSIVE: Sky Studios has put in development a comedy series about medieval Essex from The Great writer Ava Pickett and Big Talk Studios.
Alfred Johansson is in charge of F.C. Copenhagen's Under-19s and he talked to this correspondent for an interview last month.
Ellise Shafer BBC director general Tim Davie was grilled over the corporation’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war during a meeting on Wednesday night with the 1922 Committee of Conservative Members of Parliament, particularly over the broadcaster’s policy not to call Hamas “terrorists.” Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the BBC has received backlash from the public and government alike for its refusal to use the term, despite Hamas having been deemed a terrorist organization by the U.K.
Tim Davie urged MPs to put themselves in the shoes of a Palestinian child last night in a rare address to the Conservative Party’s influential 1922 Committee.
Gaumont Launches Production Services Division
Loose Women's Coleen Nolan gushed over her stunning daughter-in-law winning Miss Great Britain over the weekend. The TV personality appeared on this afternoon's episode of Loose Women wearing a tribute sash as she spoke about how proud she is of her son Shane's wife, Madeleine. She said: “I’m the most proud mother in law, because my daughter in law won Miss Great Britain.
Tens of thousands of households have been warned that more flooding could occur this week after Storm Babet battered the UK over the weekend.
BBC chief Tim Davie will make another visit to Parliament this week, where he will discuss the corporation’s coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Christopher Vourlias Amazon Prime Video and German broadcaster ARD have acquired the distribution rights to “The Morning After,” an eight-part dramedy series starring rising British actress Amara Okereke (“In the Lost Lands,” “Red Rose”), with principal photography now underway in Cape Town. Created by Thierry Cassuto and Karen Jeynes (“Recipes for Love and Murder,” “Puppet Nation”) and set in Cape Town, the show stars Okereke as a young, aspiring singer from the U.K.
Elisabeth Dermot Walsh, who plays Zara Carmichael on the BBC show Doctors, has shared her shock at the show's cancellation after 23 years. Speaking to Good Morning Britain, she revealed the cast of the show are "reeling and devastated" in the wake of the news. She told Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard on Thursday morning: "We are reeling, we are devastated.