Channel 4

New Channel 4 thriller Born to Kill has begun filming

Born to Kill is the first commission for female writing duo Tracey Malone (who also wrote BBC One's Rillington Place) and BIFA-nominated actress Kate Ashfield.

This series stars Romola Garai (who starred in Atonement and Suffragette) and Daniel Mays (Made in Dagenham) as the single parents of two out-of-control teens.

Channel 4's thriller is a look into the mind of Sam (played by Jack Rowan) who’s on the verge of acting out hidden psychopathic desires. The past comes back to haunt everyone and years of deceit escape from the woodwork.

An RTS Futures Careers Fair success story

Rhys Cartwright

I found out about the RTS Futures Career's Fair on Twitter, and thought that even though travelling from Manchester to London for it specifically might be extreme, you never know who you'll meet at these events. I found everyone at the fair to be very friendly, and had no issues striking up conversations with other visitors; after all, we were all in the same boat.

This week's top TV: 12 - 18 December

Ian McKellen Vicious ITV

Monday: David Blaine: Beyond Magic

Channel 4, 9pm

Following his critically acclaimed ratings for David Blaine: Real or Magic, Blaine returns with his most revealing performance yet. 

Magic meets documentary in the one-hour special, which has been two years in the making, as Blaine blows the minds of David Beckham, Johnny Depp and Patrick Stewart, along with others.

Channel 4 announces Winnie-the-Pooh documentary

Winnie-the-Pooh Channel 4

It's the 90th anniversary of the publication of the first Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Written by A A Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh has captured the imaginations of millions of fans around the world.

In this programme, Alan Titchmarsh will set out in search of the history and all the locations that inspired Milne’s poems and stories along with E H Shepard’s memorable illustrations. 

Alan celebrates Winnie-the-Pooh in his 90th year and the legacy he left behind, speaking to Milne's biographer, children’s author Brian Sibley and journalist Matthew Sweet.

Event Report: Women in Comedy

Stage Award winner in the 2016 Funny Women Awards, Harriet Braine, performs her comedy song 'Pablo Picasso' at the event

Lynne Parker was that panellist, and the attitude represented in that quote was one of the things that inspired her to found the Funny Women Awards in 2003. Seventy women entered in the first year; this year there were more than 500 entries.

Musical comedian Harriet Braine won the 2016 Funny Women Stage Award and she entertained the RTS audience with songs about Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

Have you met Miss Jones?

“When I meet someone their first emotion is to shit themselves because they’re like ‘Is she drunk? Is she mental? What is she saying?’ I love that because I can think, right, I am going to prove you wrong!” she says.

Rosie has recently come back from the Funny Women awards where she reached the final with the support of her mentor, stand-up comedian Sara Pascoe. “It was only my tenth ever gig” she recalls. “I performed to about 800 people. That’s my biggest audience by about 780 people…”

Event Report: Breaking into Media

The Breaking into Media panel (Credit: Kenneth J Cox)

Devon and Cornwall welcomed students from across the region to its annual “Breaking into Media” event, which featured a fascinating insight into TV directing from Toby Haynes.

The event, which was held at the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s riverside rehearsal venue, TR2, in mid-November, also offered students advice on working in TV from a heavyweight panel of industry experts.

Event Report: First Dates Uncovered

First Dates C4

The Twenty Twenty Television production is that rare thing among dating shows – it wants audiences to like, not laugh at its lovelorn participants.

“The programme comes out of the docs department of Channel 4 so it’s not an entertainment programme, although it is entertaining,” said Sayers, who produces the series. “As much as it’s about love, dating and the funny, flirty, sexy things happening in the restaurant, it’s a documentary about people.”

First Dates has this amazing way of tackling big topics and themes,” she added.