RTS Award winner Michaela Coel sits down with us at the RTS Programme Awards 2018 to reflect on two years of success since winning the inaugural RTS Breakthrough Award in 2016.
Chewing Gum won three awards at the 2016 RTS awards, and has since gone on to win Baftas. The show is shown around the world, however it was Michaela's work on the recent series of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror that really shot her to international attention.
The ‘unlikely jazz/comedy hybrid’ will feature guest performances from some of the biggest names in comedy and music.
The two hour show will be recorded live at The London Palladium later this year.
Alex Horne said, “I’m pretty sure no-one’s ever tried combining music with comedy before, let alone filming the whole thing and putting it on TV, so we’re pretty excited to see how Twitter will cope with jazz and jokes for two hours.”
The comedy features an ensemble cast with Elba at the helm as family man Walter Easmon, alongside wife Agnes (Madeline Appiah), son Kobna (Sammy Kamara), Walter's younger brother Valentine (Jimmy Akingbola) and Walter’s best mate Bagpipes played by comedy favourite Bill Bailey.
The series, loosely based on Idris Elba’s own childhood, follows the story of Walter and Agnes Easmon whose life is all about quiet routine. They arrived from Sierra Leone 13 years ago and work hard to pay the bills, raise son Kobna as well as support their family back home.
The lobby of Avalon’s office in west London is dominated by two monsters. One is a huge cast of Lenin in full declamation, the other is a Dalek. A visitor’s first thought is that you would not want to get on the wrong side of this entertainment giant – one-third talent agency, one-third live show promoter, one-third TV production company – or its famously effective Managing Director and co-founder, Jon Thoday. You would want Avalon and its boss fighting for you.
UKTV has announced plans to build on the successes of 2017, which saw record viewing figures across its channels and soaring ratings for Gold’s Murder on the Blackpool Express. The broadcaster intends to increase its total number of commissioned hours from indies by nearly a third, and will push into commissioned drama.
The new original series centres around the egotistical and self-assured Warren, who thinks the world is out to get him. The six-part series was penned by up-and-coming writers Jimmy Donny Cosgrove and Paul McKenna.
Warren grapples against problems and misunderstandings of his own making which often have chaotic and disastrous consequences for those around him, but especially for himself.
Whether you're staying in to avoid any surprises that Friday the 13th has in store or you're relishing the prospect of spooky TV delights, the BBC has six creepy comedy shorts ready to see you through the night.
Linda Robson (Birds of a Feather), Pam St Clement (Eastenders), presenter and former darts player Bobby George, actor Christopher Biggins and ex-footballer Josh Fashanu take an unconventional trip across the US to discover the issues surrounding marijuana in the states where the drug has been legalised.
The Luther star joins forces with Bill Bailey who plays his best friend in the programme.
The show is the latest in a line of British comedies for Sky 1 which also includes The Reluctant Landlord from Romesh Ranganathan, and Sick of It from Karl Pilkington, best known for Sky programme An Idiot Abroad.
The series of commissions is part of Sky’s effort to corner the market on daring, late night, grown up comedy programmes, to air in the 10pm slot on Sky 1.
