Category: TV

The 2023 edition of the Edinburgh TV Festival is drawing to a close after four days of intense industry talks, gossip and Louis Theroux lectures. The halls of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre were buzzing as UK execs, creatives and talent took the chance to get together and talk shop. Here, we outline

“Ripple effect” of the strikes

No TV industry confab would be complete at present without a bit of strike chatter. As the writers strike moves way beyond 100 days and the actors’ action rumbles on, the “ripple effects” continue to be felt around the world, according to Lindsay Salt, the BBC’s new Drama Director. There was a small American presence at Edinburgh plus numerous UK commmissioners from the U.S. streamers’ hubs but, somewhat surprisingly, the labor action was not raised during panel sessions with both Netflix and Disney execs. Universal’s Pearlena Igbokwe, however, did tackle the elephant in the room, stating that CEOs and top senior leaders are “invested and committed to figuring out a deal that is fair and equitable for everybody.” In the busy halls of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, attendees that Deadline spoke with off record had mixed feelings about the strikes, which are biting at the same time as an unrelated commissioning slowdown driven by the economic crisis (more on that later). While there was a general feeling of solidarity coupled with knowledge that a good deal for the U.S. is a good deal for the UK, there were frustrations over loss of work caused by a labor action happening thousands of miles away. Equity boss Paul Fleming threw his weight behind SAG-AFTRA’s plight during a webinar to hundreds of union workers on Monday but the feeling of loss of work was compounded by a petition launched this week calling for the UK government to create an “income replacement scheme” for those who have lost work, which has amassed 25,000 signatures. Yesterday afternoon, The Late, Late Show with James Corden executive producer Ben Winston said his company, Fulwell73, had lost a premium unscripted order in the U.S. due to budget concerns related to the strikes. The longer the twin disputes rumble on, the more the freelance community may feel its patience beginning to wear thin.

How fast is the slowdown?

It’s been a slow old summer in the world of UK TV commissioning. Ever since Deadline revealed Channel 4 had canceled a high-profile Four Weddings reboot due to budget constraints, freelancers and execs alike have been feeling the heavy weight of the commissioning slowdown, driven in the main by the ad slump. Channel 4 has been in the eye of the slowdown storm and programs boss Ian Katz was forced onto the defensive during his spotlight session by a volley of tricky questions about the network’s finances. He fought fire with fire when claiming Channel 4 has “perhaps been a bit more honest” than rivals about the slowdown, as he pushed back on the perception that C4’s financial picture is “more dramatic than elsewhere.” The previous day, Katz’s ITV counterpart Kevin Lygo said he would not be dropping ITV’s program budget during the slowdown. “I hear Channel 4 shut the gates or something but we are not doing that,” Lygo added, refusing to mince his words as ever. The BBC, for what it’s worth, may not be funded by ads but is certainly not immune from the slowdown’s clutches following two years of a frozen licence fee. Content boss Charlotte Moore backed the pubcaster’s long-established ‘fewer bigger better’ approach, which she said is a “good thing in today’s market.”

Freelancer woes

Swathes of the UK’s freelance community attended Edinburgh as per but the collective atmosphere was muted. The aforementioned commissioning slowdown has meant a seriously tough few months, with the Film & TV Charity revealing the shocking statistic Monday that applications for financial help rose 800% in July 2023 compared to the same time last year. Execs debated the situation and presented more research – such as this gobsmacking BAFTA survey finding that a third of its members are quitting the TV industry – but few genuine solutions were forthcoming. The situation represents a complete 360 from the previous year, when it felt as if the freelance workforce was virtually at full employment. During the opening Power of TV debate, chaired by Deadline’s Jake Kanter, incoming Film & TV Charity CEO Marcus Ryder urged a change in industry structures akin to the changes which caused a flood of investment in Scottish TV around 15 years ago – establishing what would become a thriving production sector. Storyville boss Emma Hindley floated a number of “wacky ideas” such as bosses paying 1% of their bonuses to the charity’s donation fund, or celebraties giving a day’s earnings, but the situation is far from resolved and will require a huge collective effort until commissioning returns to something akin to normal once again.

Presenters, behave

The behavior of presenters when the cameras are turned off has been placed firmly in the spotlight this year due to high-profile scandals invloving Phillip Schofield and Huw Edwards, along with Deadline’s investigation into TV chef James Martin. Avalon boss Jon Thoday returned the Schofield drama to the fore during the opening debate when he exclaimed “surprise” that ITV bosses didn’t know about the former This Morning host’s affair with a much younger runner. “If you run a business and someone is doing something wrong it’s unusual for [management] not to know about it,” mused Thoday, coming a few weeks after ITV CEO Carolyn McCall said “no evidence” was ever presented to her team about the affair. ITV’s Lygo updated on the independent Schofield review during his controller session, which he said is on track to publish next month, with the lawyer leading the review having “talked to everyone involved, taken our phones and looked at every text we’ve sent, including emails and WhatsApps.” Lygo urged people not to rush to “hasty judgement” before publication, citing “enormous pressure from press and social media” attached to the saga. The BBC’s joint reviews sparked by the Edwards scandal are also both due in the coming weeks and it is unlikely this topic will be exiting the headlines anytime soon.

All eyes on AI

On Wednesday, producers crammed into a fun (and alarming) session on how AI will impact TV making in the future. TV producer-turned-academic Alex Connock, maths professor and broadcaster Hannah Fry and BBC Commissioning Editor Muslim Alim took to the stage to reveal the dos and don’ts of using AI in the future. Connock, a Fellow at the Said Business School and co-founder of Bob Geldof’s Ten Alps TV, warned those working in development that while AI could help speed up their processes and fuel creativity, many copyright infringement cases are already stemming from the use of generative machines, which are usually created and programmed by scraping existing work from the internet and regurgitating it. In an email he sent Deadline after the session, Connock predicted it would become standard practice for actors to monetize their likeness in the future and, provided it’s regulated properly, won’t be the disaster situation that many believe is developing. With AI one of the bitterest elements of the actors strike, the idea the future isn’t so dark is a soothing one. However, Connock said actors were right to be worried about their voices being used without explicit permission, and in datasets. “If I were acting for the actors, voice synthesis would be a hill I would be prepared to die on, in negotiation point terms.” TV companies are certainly taking AI seriously: just this week Banijay launched the AI Creative Fund, which will allow producers and labels across the super-indies production footprint to showcase ideas with technology and innovation at their heart.

Can I take your orders?

Edinburgh is traditionally the week when the UK’s networks and streamers reveal their latest slate. With commissioning becoming less structured and formulaic, the number of announcements has fallen in recent years but there was plenty to digest in any case. Netflix got in first, unveiling doc series Einstein and the Bomb. Clearly influenced by Oppenheimer‘s success, the John Boyega-narrated series will look at the devastating after effects of the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Japan in World War II. Disney+’s UK team have been focused on local stories such as their upcoming Coleen Rooney ‘Agatha Christie’ doc series, but the greenlight of World War Shoe: Adidas vs. Puma (w/t), a doc series from Pretty Boat Rocker’s Baby: Brooke Shields producer Matador Content, and David Beckham’s Studio 99, was more overtly a global streamer order. The series will explore the inner workings of the two major sports brands, which have a unique shared history and rivalry having been created by feuding brothers Adi and Rudi Dassler. ITV revealed its reboot of Big Brother will run for at least two seasons and Sky revealed House of Kardashian, a doc series about the famous reality TV family directed by Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story director Katie Hindley. Prime Video had little in the way of new commissions but its exec did address the future of Clarkson’s Farm after its star, Jeremy Clarkson, wrote an article about Meghan Markle that was so vicious and aggressive that it has become the most-complained about column in UK press history. Elsewhere, the BBC ordered another drama from Happy Valley scribe Sally Wainwright, titled Hot Flush. Channel 4 made several program announcements, including a further season of Everyone Else Burns, a Rosie Jones comedy series titled Disability Benefits and doc The Murder Retrial (w/t).

EXCLUSIVE: James Martin’s Spanish Adventure, which was the subject of a formal bullying complaint and led to the presenter being rapped by ITV, will air shortly and be sold to international buyers at Mipcom.

ITV is pushing on with plans to play the TV series – in which the under-fire TV chef travels around Spain cooking and meeting locals – in the Autumn. The show’s distributor, DCD Rights, meanwhile, which has sold many of Martin’s travelogues made by his indie Blue Marlin, said it will be “launched at Mipcom to international buyers as planned.”

A Deadline investigation late last month revealed that Martin had been told to change his behavior by ITV following a complaint on the set of Spanish Adventure. Martin, who has hosted ITV’s Saturday Morning for six years and the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen for a decade before that, was accused of berating people, reducing them to tears in front of other colleagues, and changing schedules at the last minute, giving his team just a few hours of sleep before the following morning’s shoot.

Furthermore, Deadline revealed a formal complaint was made to the presenter and his Blue Marlin co-owner Fiona Lindsay in 2018 by staff members over “repeated incidents of inappropriate, intimidating and bullying behavior” on James Martin’s Saturday Morning.

ITV has already said it will “closely monitor” Martin’s future productions but plans to continue working with him, and it is pushing on with the Spanish Adventure scheduling. The broadcaster has told Blue Marlin to update its processes to reflect “best practice.”  

In response to the allegations last month, a Blue Marlin statement said Martin and the indie had “agreed that lessons have been learned which have been discussed with members of the team and with ITV.” “Blue Marlin Television and James Martin have taken on board ITV’s recommendations and their sharing of best practice, and are in the process of fully implementing,” it added. Martin subsequently issued a further statement saying that he was being treated for a cancer diagnosis when the 2018 complaint was made and apologizing for “any offence or upset caused.”

Mipcom is taking place in October and factual distributor DCD Rights is making Spanish Adventure a key part of its slate.

The distributor, which also sells the likes of Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Aussie Gold Hunters, said: “DCD Rights has represented James Martin’s travelogue and cookery series produced by Blue Marlin for a number of years.  Following a series of statements from the broadcaster ITV, James Martin and Blue Marlin, the new series – Spanish Adventures – will shortly be broadcast by ITV and will be launched at MIPCOM to international buyers as planned.”

Andrea Riseborough and Domnhall Gleeson are to star in a Channel 4 drama series created by Mad Men’s Victor Levin.

The duo are leading Alice & Jack, the first major casting for Riseborough since the To Leslie Oscar controversy earlier this year.

The pair play the title characters in what distributor Fremantle described as a “love story for the ages.” Logline adds: “When they first meet they’re bound by a connection so powerful it seems nothing can break it, but will their path lead them to a place of happiness and togetherness? Or will life and their own emotional complexities get in the way.”

Alice & Jack brings together major production companies in Academy Award-nominated Groundswell Productions, Italy’s De Maio Entertainment and I Am Ruth maker Me + You Productions. Fremantle is handling global sales.

“The only work I’ve wanted to watch and do since the pandemic is work about connection and love, and work with a sense of humour,” said Gleeson, prior to the SAG strike. “Alice and Jack keep coming back to each other because they can’t help themselves – they find in each other something that they don’t have on their own.” Riseborough said: “We unite in yearning to see evidence of real love, and, too, are soothed to share with one another the ache of its inevitable imperfection.”

Fremantle Global Drama CEO Christian Vesper, meanwhile, added that the show provides a “flawless combination” of “love and comedy.”

Levin is creator and writer and Juho Kuosmanen, who co-wrote and directed 2021 Cannes Grand Prix  co-winner Compartment 6, is co-director. Hong Khaou (Lilting) directs the second block of the series. Executive producers include Levin, Riseborough, Gleeson, Kuosmanen, Richard Yee and Krishnendu Majumdar for Me + You Productions, Michael London and Shannon Gaulding for Groundswell, Lorenzo De Maio for De Maio Entertainment, Rebecca Dundon and Hilary Martin for Fremantle. Tracy O’Riordan produces for Me + You Productions. 

Gleeson is repped by Paradigm and The Agency. Riseborough is repped by CAA, Independent Talent Group, Untitled Entertainment, and attorney Patti Felker. 

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Monday’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette.

Charity Lawson’s quest to fall in love has officially left the United States…for Fiji!

If all goes according to plan, Charity will be getting engaged in just a few short weeks. Last week, she met the families and narrowed down her final four to three. Xavier, Dotun and Joey are all still vying for the opportunity to propose to Charity. But first, fantasy suites.

Before she gets on with the dates, Charity breaks down her feelings with host Jesse Palmer. She says that her decision to send Aaron home is still weighing on her, but she’s hoping that spending some uninterrupted time with the remaining men will help her feel more confident in her final three contestants. She seems to feel most secure in her relationship with Dotun, and she still has a few questions for Joey and Xavier. Safe to say, she’s still falling in love with all three of them. So, she definitely has some decisions to make.

Xavier is up first for his overnight date. Charity meets him on a private island, where they’ll be spending the entire day (and hopefully the night) together. Charity still needs confirmation from him that he’s ready to call her “the one,” but she feels hopeful after meeting his parents and his sister last week.

Their reunification doesn’t last long, as they’re each whisked away to prepare for a traditional Fijian wedding ceremony. While the pair appear to be having fun with the rituals, it’s clear that being confronted with the idea of a future together in such a serious way begins to weigh on Xavier. He tells Charity how he’s feeling, but it only makes Charity worry about whether or not he should move on to a potential proposal.

Back in San Diego, Aaron is scheming. We rarely hear from contestants after they’re eliminated, but it looks like Aaron is putting himself back in the game. He’s preparing to fly to Fiji to fight for Charity’s love.

But first, Charity has some unfinished business with Xavier. The couple sits down for a candlelit dinner before they head to the fantasy suite and, in a confessional, Xavier hints that he’s nervous about divulging some sort of information to Charity. They start their conversation by talking about the date, and Xavier is honest about how the idea of “forever” has been “troubling” him. He is honest about feeling some doubt, and Charity is ready to write it off as something he’ll grow out of.

That is, until he lets her know that he was unfaithful in a past relationship. He says that he understands it was disrespectful, but he felt the need to tell Charity because infidelity is a very big red flag with her. Charity is clearly upset, and she walks away from the table to collect herself as she tries to understand why Xavier would wait until two weeks before the proposal to tell her something like this. She decides she owes it to both of them to hear him out, so she returns to the table to let him say his piece. She tells Xavier that infidelity is a sore subject, and he says that he doesn’t want to be unfaithful to her.

That’s not going to cut it for Charity though. She needs details. Xavier tells her that his infidelity happened multiple times over the span of five days on a “boys trip” about two years into his most recent previous relationship. As she tries to come to terms with the bombshell, she also asks what Xavier has done to guarantee that he wouldn’t be unfaithful to her, as he promises he wouldn’t. Xavier says he was “more introspective,” and now he knows he has the tools to prevent himself from cheating if he were ever “put in that position again.” Meaning, if he were ever on vacation on a boys trip without his partner there to keep him in check, that is. Charity tells Xavier that his love should be firm enough that he would never consider cheating on her. Xavier assures her that he’s in that place now, which appears to be enough for Charity.

Before she offers him the fantasy suite card, she wants to know if he is actually committed to her and if he will put in the work for their relationship to survive. Xavier tells her that in his heart, there is no doubt. But he still has doubts in his mind about whether this relationship is for him. He says he needs “to see more” from Charity tonight during fantasy suites in order to make a final decision, which is…concerning, to say the least.

Charity decides that’s not going to work for her, and she tells Xavier that he won’t be going to the fantasy suite with her. After a tearful goodbye, Charity sends Xavier home.

The next morning, Charity wakes up alone and ready to focus on the two men she has left. Her next overnight date is with Joey, which gives Charity something to look forward to but also comes with a bit of worry. At their hometown date, Joey’s uncle told Charity he didn’t know if she was getting to see the real Joey or if his nephew was just acting the way he thought Charity wanted him to. Joey assured her he’s been nothing but honest with her, but the comments are still on Charity’s mind.

She plans to dive into that again with him during their date, but first she has an adventure planned. She picks Joey up in an ATV so that the pair can explore the island. Their all-terrain adventure gets cut short when the ATV stalls in the middle of a field. But, they don’t let that ruin their day, completing the trek on foot to a small waterfall where they find a place to settle in for a deeper conversation.

Joey tells her that he’s been nervous since hometowns, because he could tell she was a bit uneasy when she left him. Charity tells Joey about the conversation with his uncle, and Joey admits he did feel a bit uncomfortable on the tennis courts. He says he felt pressure to make sure Charity was having a good time in his hometown, and having his uncle interrupt their date put him on edge, but he promises that he’s been honest and true to his character with Charity. She takes him at his word and they decide to make the best of the rest of their day, staring with a kiss by the waterfall.

Later that night, both are in high spirits as they share a romantic dinner. Charity asks Joey if he’s nervous moving forward, and he shares that he does worry that she might fall out of love with him once she gets to know him better, because they haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time together — especially in challenging moments where he isn’t at his best. Charity says she relates to a lot of Joey’s concerns, and she is ready to take on those less glamorous moments with Joey.

For the first time, Charity tells Joey that she’s not just falling — she’s already in love with him. With that, she invites him to the fantasy suite and the pair disappear for the night.

The next morning, they share some peaceful moments together (and finally get to say “I love you”) before Charity has to jet off for her next date. Last but certainly not least is Dotun, who Charity has already said she has an undeniable connection with.

Charity meets Dotun on the beach and they kick off their date by hopping on some jet skis. They make their way to a sandbar, where they pop open a bottle of champagne and get to talking. Dotun is really the only contestant who Charity hasn’t been feeling some doubts about, so their conversation is very loving. Charity says in confessional that there hasn’t been any red flags with Dotun, which ultimately makes her a bit nervous since she has been blindsided in the past.

At dinner, Dotun tells Charity that he doesn’t feel scared to propose to her, and he admits wholeheartedly that he’s in love with her. She says she feels the exact same way. Since they’re extremely on the same page, Charity doesn’t waste any time offering him the fantasy suite card. Of course, he says yes.

Neither of them are ready to say goodbye in the morning, but they know there’s only a few left before Dotun can get down on one knee.

It should be time for the final rose ceremony, but Aaron is finally making his surprise entrance in Fiji as a last ditch effort to get Charity to take him back. He finds her enjoying a drink at her hotel pool — likely taking a moment to relax before she makes her final decisions. She’s rightfully shocked, but she’s also not upset to see him.

She’s actually excited that he’s back — and there’s no doubt that she’s in love with him. That could indicate that Charity’s decision headed into the proposals just got a lot harder.

We’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out, since next week is the Men Tell All. The Bachelorette airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Hakuna Matata! Disney got a revenue boost in the UK thanks in part to audiences returning to West End stage plays like The Lion King following the pandemic.

The U.S. media giant’s sales hit £3.1B ($4B) in the UK in the year to October 1, 2022. This was an increase of nearly 20% on the same period in 2021, according to earnings filed at Companies House.

Disney’s parks, experiences, and products business grew its revenue by nearly £100M to £547M, while the company’s media and entertainment unit recorded a 23% increase in sales to £2.6B.

Disney attributed growth in the latter division to the strength of Disney+, the streaming service that launched UK originals such as Wedding Season within the accounting period.

The Walt Disney Company Limited’s pre-tax profit rebounded over the period, thanks to internal company transactions. The company posted a profit of £457M last year, compared with a loss of £300M in 2021.

Lesli Linka Glatter has been re-elected president of the Directors Guild of America by acclamation of the delegates at the DGA’s Biennial National Convention in Los Angeles.

“I am thrilled to say we are as strong and united as ever before,” she said. “Together, we will continue our shared fight — along with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA — for an industry in which we are all fairly valued and celebrated for the work we do.”

“At this critical time for our industry, I am more committed than ever to our Guild’s mission of protecting the creative and economic rights of our members and working collaboratively both internally and externally on the issues affecting us all,” she said. “As we embark on the next chapter of our Guild, I’m elated to work alongside an incredibly talented, creative and diverse Board, all of whom generously volunteer their time to advocate for their fellow members and do their part in building an industry where everyone can thrive. As a union, our power comes from our unity.”

First elected president in two years ago, she has served on the guild’s national board for 20 years, previously serving as first vice-president, and before that as fifth VP. She’s been a member of three past negotiating committees and as president worked with the 2023 negotiating committee to achieve what the guild has called a “historic” new contract “with significant gains on wages, global streaming residuals, safety, diversity and television creative rights, building for the future and impacting every category of member in our Guild.”

Former DGA President Thomas Schlamme, who nominated her, said that “Over the last two rather intense years, Lesli has distinguished herself as a champion for our members across every category, including in our extremely challenging contract negotiation, and we are all better off for it. She has led with wisdom, an incredible fearlessness and an enormous amount of compassion. We are so fortunate that as a leader, she understands the needs of our membership and pursues them relentlessly — work she will continue in her next term.”

In other elections, Laura Belsey was elected National Vice President and Paris Barclay was re-elected Secretary Treasurer. Also elected were: First Vice-President Todd Holland; Second Vice-President Ron Howard; Third Vice-President Gina M. Prince-Bythewood; Fourth Vice-President Seith Mann; Fifth Vice-President Millicent Shelton; Sixth Vice-President Lily Olszewski; and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Joyce Thomas. 

Here is the full list of officers and national board members elected to serve for the next two years:

President

Lesli Linka Glatter

National Vice-President

Laura Belsey

Secretary-Treasurer

Paris Barclay

Assistant Secretary-Treasurer

Joyce Thomas

First Vice-President

Todd Holland

Second Vice-President

Ron Howard

Third Vice-President

Gina M. Prince-Bythewood

Fourth Vice-President

Seith Mann

Fifth Vice-President

Millicent Shelton

Sixth Vice-President

Lily Olszewski

Board Members
Kabir Akhtar
Jon Avnet
Norberto Barba
Valdez Flagg
Courtney Franklin
Nicole Kassell
Christopher Nolan
Joseph P. Reidy
Donald L. Sparks
Steven Spielberg
Glenn P. Weiss

Alternate Board Members

Tessa Blake

Benny Boom

Patricia Cardoso

Hanelle Culpepper

Ava DuVernay

Karen Gaviola

Maggie Greenwald

Phil Lord

Annetta Marion

Lily Mariye

Edward Ornelas

Kimberly A. Peirce

Jason Robert Reitman

Bethany Rooney

Marcos Siega

Alex Stapleton

J. Rupert Thompson

Associate Board Members

Julie Gelfand

Louis J. Guerra

Keven Koster

Glenna Meeks

Shawn Pipkin-West

Second Alternate Board Members

Alanna G.A. Campbell

Mimi (Marian) Deaton

Joe MJ Moore

Chemen A. Ochoa

Lyn Pinezich

Canella Williams-Larrabee

Riley Keough, the grandchild of Elvis Presley, today was named the sole trustee of the estate of her late mother, Lisa Marie Presley.

The appointment was approved during a hearing Friday before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lynn Healey Scaduto.

Priscilla Presley had filed a petition to challenge the validity of her late daughter Lisa Marie’s will in January. The legal action disputed a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s will that excised Priscilla as trustee of the estate. Priscilla Presley’s attorneys said she only became aware of the “purported 2016 amendment” after Lisa Marie’s death. Lawyers also contend the amendment was never delivered to their client during Lisa Marie’s lifetime

The amendment removes Priscilla and Lisa Marie’s former business manager, Barry Siegel, as co-trustees and replaces them with Lisa Marie’s eldest children Riley and Benjamin Keough. The latter died in 2020.

The Daisy Jones & the Six star filed a 73-page petition on June 12 in support of her bid for the appointment to head what the family has dubbed the Promenade Trust. Keough had earlier reached a settlement agreement with Priscilla Presley and Michael Lockwood, the guardian ad litem for her two younger half-siblings, 14-year-old twins Harper and Finley Lockwood. Lockwood was Lisa Marie’s fourth husband before they divorced.

The 34-year-old Keough, whose real name is Danielle Riley Keough, also will preside over the sub-trusts for her half-sisters. Priscilla Presley will be a special adviser to the trust and receive a monthly payment for her role. Priscilla Presley also will be allowed to be buried at Graceland, the Memphis, Tennessee former home of Elvis Presley, which Keough will now own.

Lisa Marie Presley died Jan. 12 at age 54. She had been hospitalized after suffering cardiac arrest at her Los Angeles residence. The autopsy report attributed her death to “adhesions (or, scar tissue) that developed after bariatric surgery years ago. This is a known long term complication of this type of surgery.”

City News Service contributed to this report.