Last Tango in Halifax


Sally Wainwright on directing, delegating and drawing women behind the lens

British writer-director Sally Wainwright, creator of Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack, is one of the few creative talents who can pursue whatever projects she likes. But as she tells Manori Ravindran, you can’t afford to be too complacent in this industry. Sally Wainwright, one of the UK’s pre-eminent writers, will be thinking long and hard […]

Different shades of Red: Nicola Shindler one-on-one

Nicola Shindler is surely the most well known drama producer from Manchester, England, with a credits list including Queer as Folk, Last Tango in Halifax and Happy Valley. She tells Jesse Whittock about finding the perfect story and whether she could produce in the US Think of the most influential producers in the UK in […]

Viewpoint: the seven deadly sins of scripted formats

K7 Media founder Keri Lewis-Brown provides some hints on what constitutes a hit, and where the dangers of scripted formats lie. In television, we can spend so much time talking about formats that we risk viewing them as an end in themselves. When talking about formats, particularly in drama and comedy, often what we really […]

BBC’s drama channel launching in Europe

BBC Worldwide is launching its drama channel BBC First in Europe for the first time, TBI understands. It will launch in the Netherlands next month and throughout the Benelux region soon after. First is programmed with high-end scripted programming from BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the UK pubcaster, and third-party UK drama. It has […]

PBS prepares Great British Bake Off

US pubcaster PBS has acquired The Great British Bake Off as it cements its place as a key home for UK content in the States. The high-rating BBC Two reality competition show will run on PBS from Sunday, December 28 as The Great British Baking Show. The series will sit alongside UK shows such as […]

Amazon and BBC Worldwide cut content deal

Amazon has struck a programming deal with BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the UK public broadcaster. The agreement gives Amazon a raft of BBC programming for its Prime Instant Video subscription video-on-demand service. It covers library and current titles. Catalogue shows include comedy classics Only Fools and Horses, Red Dwarf, The Office, Absolutely Fabulous […]

StudioCanal seals deal for Red Production Company

StudioCanal has sealed a deal for UK prodco Red Production Company. Canal Plus Groupe company StudioCanal has been in talks over the acquisition for several months – as first reported by TBI in October – and has now concluded a deal for the Manchester-based company. Well-placed sources confirmed to TBI today that the deal had […]

StudioCanal closes in on deal for Red Production Company (exclusive)

France-based movie producer and distributor StudioCanal is locked in exclusive takeover talks with UK indie producer Red Production Company, TBI can reveal. The studio, which is part of the Vivendi-owned Canal Plus Groupe, has already staked a claim in the TV world with the acquisition of Munich-based Pillars of the Earth and Crossing Lines producer […]

PBS buys BBC dramas

PBS has acquired US rights to British dramas Last Tango in Halifax and Call the Midwife. The US broadcaster has done well with UK drama in recent times with period series Downton Abbey a ratings hit. It has now picked up two more UK-originated scripted series from the US arm of BBC Worldwide. Comedy drama […]