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Steven Spielberg once revealed that he was rejected twice from helming a James Bond film. He shared that it was right after the success of his blockbuster film, Jaws. When he approached producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, he shared that Spielberg didn’t have enough experience to direct a big-budget film like James Bond.

Steven Spielberg | Elena Ternovaja, licensed under Cc By-sa 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

However, Spielberg had the last laugh since he became one of the pioneer filmmakers in the industry. He has far outgrown the spy thriller franchise, which is looking to reboot the character for a modern audience after Daniel Craig retired from the role.

Steven Spielberg Was Rejected From Helming A James Bond Film Despite His Jaws Success Roger Moore and Lois Chiles in Moonraker (1979) | Credits: MGM

James Bond films were brought to life by six different actors and directed by twelve different directors. Steven Spielberg could...

Warning: this Inside No. 9 review contains spoilers.

Alfred Hitchcock and co. needed just shy of two hours for Rear Window; Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and director Al Campbell nailed their version in under 29 minutes and got a great gag in at the end.

Inside No. 9 perfection? I’d argue so. Show me one second wasted in this expertly constructed half hour. From Larry’s “best to use a brick” introduction, all the way to the Netflix punchline, this was pretty unassailable storytelling. It had comedy, tension, surprise, very decent guest stars and a formal experiment that was no gimmick, but integral to the story’s suburban satire.

Less Rear Window than Front Door, “Mulberry Close” was told almost entirely through the static frame of a video doorbell. Val and Damon (Vinette Robinson and Shearsmith) were newcomers to the close, having just moved into No. 9 next door to Larry...

Steven Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The filmmaker has captivated audiences for over five decades with his entertaining and deeply impactful stories along with introducing hit franchises like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. However, despite his illustrious career, there’s one coveted project he has been unable to tackle, a James Bond film.

Steven Spielberg | Credits: Wikimedia Commons

Multiple iterations of the character have been brought to the screen by several filmmakers and actors throughout the years. Although Spielberg expressed interest in making a film with a beloved character, his offers were met with rejection from the franchise’s producers.

Steven Spielberg Faced Rejections From the James Bond Producer

Steven Spielberg has shared that he is a “huge [James] Bond fan.” And during a conversation on Michael Ball’s BBC Radio 2, the filmmaker revealed that he even approached the franchise’s producer to direct a James Bond film.

Exclusive: Sky has landed UK broadcast rights to music film My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80thAnniversary Concert.

The deal was announced today by the film executive producers Sophia Dilley from Concord Originals and Imogen Lloyd Webber from Concord Theatricals. Sky will broadcast the film in the UK on Sky Arts in May.

Directed by BAFTA winner Julia Knowles (The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration), the film celebrates the historic partnership of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and features iconic songs from The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Oklahoma! and others.

The film includes a concert captured in London in December 2023 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane – the same venue that premiered the original West End productions of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Carousel, SouthPacific and The King and I.

It was headlined by the likes of recent Rogers & Hammerstein leading lady Joanna Ampil (Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific); Olivier...

“No job. No boss. Just fun.” That was the offer the Fifteenth Doctor made to Ruby Sunday in the Doctor Who series 14 trailer. ‘And’, he should probably have added, ‘quite a lot of mortal peril,’ – but when has the Doctor ever been upfront with companions about the not-insignificant dangers of travelling in time and space? He probably doesn’t even fill in a risk assessment.

We else do we know about series 14? The first episode will arrive on BBC One, iPlayer and Disney+ on a Saturday in May 2024, and there will be eight episodes in total followed by a Christmas Day special. We also know that the currently-filming series 15 will follow in 2025 with a rumoured new companion.

Aside from that, verified info about the new series is summarised below (catch up on the valiant work of the @set_dw account for non-official but useful clues). We’ll update it all...

More details are emerging about the planned Doctor Who spin-offs, one of which is set to feature Jemma Redgrave, as showrunner Russell T. Davies says an episode of the new series is “one of the greatest things I’ve ever made in my life.”

Since striking a mega international distribution deal for the show with Disney+, Davies, who is showrunning the series for the second time, has been clear that spin-offs will arrive as part of an expanded ‘Whoniverse.’

One of those spin-offs will be based on military research organization Unit and will star Redgrave as Kate Stewart, BBC sources confirmed. Redgrave has played Stewart in 10 episodes of Doctor Who since 2012 and the spin-off will focus on her running of the unit, which has appeared on and off in Doctor Who for the past 50 years.

She will potentially appear in the Doctor Who Christmas special later this year alongside new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

Lorraine Kelly has been sharing a list of her favourite guests of 2022.

As the year draws to a close, the host of ITV morning TV staple Lorraine has spent this week’s editions of the show looking back on some highlights from the past 12 months.

Among the guests featured on Wednesday (28 December) were former prime minister Theresa May, Davina McCall, Steve Carell and Louis Tomlinson.

Fellow ITV star Alison Hammond also was named as a memorable personality on the programme, back in June. Together, they covered topics from her stint on Big Brother to her work on This Morning with Dermot O’Leary.

Kelly continued her rundown on Thursday (29 December) with a retrospective look at her chat with long-time music collaborators Michael Ball and Alfie Boe.

Also included in Kelly’s 2022 list was Scott Mitchell, the widower of Barbara Windsor. He appeared on the programme this year to speak about the...

Michael Ball has revealed the one thing that he will never do on stage.

The 60-year-old singer was discussing his life and career alongside his long-term collaborator Alfie Boe on the High Performance Podcast.

While discussing his mental health struggles, the singer revealed that he would never let his personal life bleed into his performance.

“No matter what’s been happening off stage in our own lives, you never take it on stage, never” the singer told hosts Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes.

The star also offered up his advice for dealing with mental health for those who might be struggling.

“My advice has always been to share, to open up when you need to have somebody that you can talk to,” he said.

Ball also explained how he often takes comfort in a famous William Shakespeare quote from Hamlet.

“And the greatest, the answer to the greatest philosophy in the world.

Exclusive: Susan Stroman, the celebrated Broadway director and choreographer, has revealed that an acclaimed UK revival of musical comedy Crazy for You, which features show-stopping numbers from the George and Ira Gershwin songbook, will transfer from the Chichester Festival Theater into Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Lw Theatres-owned Gillian Lynne Theatre for a strictly limited 30-week West End season from June 24. Opening night is July 3.

The production with British stars Charlie Stemp and Carly Anderson played to packed houses during an eight-week summer run at Chichester.

Related Story ‘The Wiz’ Sets 2024 Broadway Return With New Material By Amber Ruffin Related Story Andrew Lloyd Webber & Producer Michael Harrison Announce New Musical Theater Partnership Related Story Love Changes Everything: Michael Ball Will Revisit 'Aspects Of Love' In A Reimagined Version Of Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical

It’s a coming home of sorts for Stroman, who won the Tony Award for Best Choreography when...

BBC’s Children in Need is back for another year to raise money for children and young people across the UK.

The 2022 event, according to the BBC, will be “jam-packed with exclusive sketches, exciting performances, music, dance and a few Big surprises”.

During the show, Ncuti Gatwa’s new companion on Doctor Who will be unveiled.

Read below for more information about Children in Need 2022, including who’s hosting, guest performances, appeal night highlights and how to donate.

Who’s hosting and what time will it air?

This year’s show will welcome back Ade Adepitan MBE, Mel Giedroyc, Chris Ramsey and Alex Scott MBE as returning hosts. They will be joined by first-time host comedian Jason Manford.

Children in Need 2022 will broadcast live from MediaCityUK in Salford on Friday 18 November, and will be broadcast from 7-10pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

Guest musical performances

Viewers can expect to...

Exclusive: Three decades ago Michael Ball (Les Miserables) had teeny-bopper groupies waiting for him at the stage door — in London and on Broadway — thanks to a heartthrob role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Aspects of Love. It didn’t hurt that Ball got to belt out “Love Changes Everything,” which was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ball will star in a new production of the musical, and will sing that song again.

Aspects of Love is set to open in May at London’s Lyric Theatre, owned by Nimax Theatres, a company controlled by Nica Burns and producer Max Weitzenhoffer. Burns will produce.

Ball is the first to acknowledge that he no longer can play the youthful Alex Dillingham, the part he created in the original production in 1989 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. During a recent reception at that very same theater, Ball told Deadline...

Cameron Mackintosh, the London theatre owner and impresario, nixed the idea of having a host introduce artists performing at Tuesday’s one-night-only Old Friends tribute show honoring the legacy of musical theatre genius Stephen Sondheim, who died in November at age 91.

“All you need are Steve’s words and music, and our cast. They speak, or rather sing, for themselves,“ Mackintosh explained to Deadline before the star-studded event began at London’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

Worked like a treat. Thirty minutes saved, because Old Friends wasn’t lumbered with a host.

In any case, no one needed to introduce actress Julia McKenzie when she walked onto the stage, for it was she who, with Mackintosh producing, was part of an ensemble that super-spread Sondheim in the West End over four decades ago with a revue entitled Side By Side by Sondheim.

She’s one of the composer and lyricist’s foremost interpreters.

All eyes were on Judi Dench.

The legendary actress was seated stage right, performing one of Stephen Sondheim’s greatest hits. The sound of her voice, accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra led by Alfonso Casado Trigo, held a hushed audience in awe.

There was spontaneous applause. The great dame was led off stage. She reappeared moments later to perform the number again.

“Goosebumps,” said Cameron Mackintosh, echoing the thoughts of those lucky enough to be gathered in the stalls of London’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre for several hours Monday, for a long day and night of technical technical rehearsal for Tuesday night’s celebration of Sondheim, a giant of theatre, who died last November at age 91.

Tuesday’s one-night-only show is called Old Friends, named after a number in the composer’s 1981 musical comedy Merrily We Roll Along. Mackintosh has been putting Old Friends together with Matthew Bourne and Maria Friedman staging,...

‘Saint Maud’ was the best-performing holdover.

Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (Oct 16-18) Total gross to date Week 1 Tenet (Warner Bros) £186,000 £16.9m 8 2 Saint Maud (Studiocanal) £132,462 £520,491 2 3 Cats And Dogs: Paws Unite! (Warner Bros) £106,000 £869,000 3 4 After We Collided (Shear Entertainment) £100,219 £3.8m 7 5 On The Rocks (A24/Trafalgar Releasing) £45,446 £326,030 3

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.30

Warner Bros’ blockbuster Tenet topped the UK box office for an eighth consecutive weekend, as takings for the top five titles decreased 39% on the previous session.

Tenet added £186,000, a fall of 37% on its previous session. It now has £16.9m, and will likely fall short of director Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, which...

‘Saint Maud’ was the best-performing holdover.

Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (Oct 16-18) Total gross to date Week 1 Tenet (Warner Bros) £186,000 £16.9m 8 2 Michael Ball & Alfie Boe - Back Together (CinemaLive) £170,120 £170,120 1 3 Saint Maud (Studiocanal) £132,462 £520,491 2 4 Cats And Dogs: Paws Unite! £106,000 £869,000 3 5 After We Collided (Shear Entertainment) £100,219 £3.8m 7

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.30

Warner Bros’ blockbuster Tenet topped the UK box office for an eighth consecutive weekend, as takings for the top five titles decreased 25% on the previous session.

Tenet added £186,000, a fall of 37% on its previous session. It now has £16.9m, and will likely fall short of director Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, which...

In today’s Global Bulletin, All3Media lands “All Creatures Great and Small” in several major territories, Limonero Films strikes a deal with Disney on two factual series, HBO Max picks up two Blue Ant International series, “Les Misérables -The Staged Concert” returns to London for the holidays and Gobstopper launches new sister company Flying Saucer TV.

Distribution

All3Media has announced a raft of global acquisitions for “All Creatures Great and Small,” produced by Playground for Channel 5 in the U.K. and PBS Masterpiece in North America.

Adapted from James Herriot’s bestselling novels, the series has been Channel 5’s highest rated drama of 2020 so far. It is produced in association with All3Media International and Screen Yorkshire, written by Ben Vanstone (“The Last Kingdom”), directed by Primetime Emmy and BAFTA winner Brian Percival (“Downton Abbey”) and produced by Richard Burrell (“Silent Witness”).

Deals for the series have been closed...

The finale of “Britain’s Got Talent” will feature performances from the combined companies of “Les Misérables – The Staged Concert,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Mary Poppins,” presented by renowned theater producer Cameron Mackintosh.

Ant and Dec will host while Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, David Walliams and Ashley Banjo will be on judge duty.

The popular ITV show, created by Simon Cowell, took place this year largely without his physical participation as he broke his back following a bike accident early into its season.

The Oct 10. finale will feature five finalists chosen by the judges, including stand-up comedian Nabil Abdulrashid; variety act Steve Royle; dancing duo Aaron and Jasmine; magician Magical Bones; and comedy singer and performer Jon Courtenay. Five more acts chosen by public vote will be revealed on the day, with all 10 acts pre-recording their performances the night before for safety reasons. The champion will get a £250,000 prize.

The Shows Must Go On is officially back this weekwith the Fame The Musical - 30th Anniversary Tour as part of new season 'The Greats On Tour'. There will be a new show every week including Michael Ball Past Present Tour - Live, Alfie Boe Live - The Bring Him Home Tour and Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds.

Friday 25 September, The Shows Must Go On YouTube Channel returns with the Fame The Musical - 30th Anniversary Tour as part of new season 'The Greats On Tour'. There will be a new show every week including Michael Ball Past Present Tour - Live, Alfie Boe Live - The Bring Him Home Tour and Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds.

In this very special QuaranStreams, Ben and Daniel talk to Broadway producer and director Richard Jay-Alexander about 'Hey, Mr. Producer' the 1998 concert honoring Cameron Mackintosh. The concert featured performances by Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, Elaine Paige, Colm Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Jonathan Pryce, Ruthie Henshall, Ellen Greene, Michael Ball, Tom Lehrer and many more, including Julie Andrews as host. Richard Jay-Alexander served as Executive Director for the NYC office of producer Cameron Mackintosh and ran the North American operation for over a decade. Richard's recent directorial credits include 'Les Misrables' and 'Guys and Dolls,' both at the Hollywood Bowl. He has also staged concerts for superstars such as Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Kristin Chenoweth.

‘The Invisible Man.’

Leigh Whannell’s Sydney-shot The Invisible Man easily won the box office derby in Australia last weekend, matching its top-ranked Us debut.

Meanwhile Tony Tilse’s Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears had a mid-range opening although exhibitors are expecting a leggy run thanks to word-of-mouth.

Among the alternate content releases, Universal’s Les Misérables: The Staged Concert did Ok while Australian animated adventure The Wishmas Tree struggled against the third weekend of Paramount’s hit Sonic the Hedgehog.

The top 20 titles generated almost $10 million, 11 per cent down on the previous frame but 3 per cent ahead of the same weekend last year, according to Numero. Exhibitors say there is no discernible impact yet from the coronavirus.

Produced by Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum and Goalpost Pictures’ Kylie du Fresne, Whannell’s psychological thriller raked in $2.5 million on 322 screens for Universal, the best opening for an Oz title...

Pairing Michael Ball and Alfie Boe together for an album of standards seems so intuitive, it's no wonder this is their third album together. Back Together reunites the two stars for an album and a concert tour, covering everything from mid-century standards to contemporary pop-Broadway hybrids. There's little in the way of surprise on this album, but in some ways, that's perfectly fine a Ball and Boe know what works for them and for us, and they lean into it.

The O2 Silver Clef Awards earlier this month brought music industry greats together to celebrate the power of music and to raise vital funds for Nordoff Robbins – to ensure they can continue providing music therapy to vulnerable children and adults across the UK.

Video: O2 Silver Clef Awards 2018

Presenter Edith Bowman, hosted the star-studded 43rd O2 Silver Clef Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, with blue carpet arrivals coverage presented by Nordoff Robbins supporter, Peter Andre.

Two legendary giants of music, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant were honoured for their contribution to music at the awards – Roger Waters was presented with the Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Award, while Robert Plant won the Integro Outstanding Award. Welsh rockers Stereophonics picked up the American Express Icon Award, while multi-platinum recording artist Ellie Goulding was awarded the Liz Hobbs Best Female Award and British singer,...

No matter how frosty the West’s relations with Russia, is there really any reason to roll “Chess” out of cold storage? For all the bangers of its retro score, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ eighties musical, based on a brainwave by lyricist Tim Rice, simply doesn’t stack up. Never has, never will – and Laurence Connor’s grandiose semi-staged revival for English National Opera fares no better at coaxing a coherent, satisfying evening out of a canny concept than any of its predecessors.

An attempt to encapsulate the testy stalemate of the entire Cold War in a game between rivalgrandmasters, “Chess” has a checkered history. A turbulent but respectable West End run was followed, 30 years ago, by a drastically revised Broadway premiere that lasted little longer than the Cuban missile crisis. It’s been tinkered and toyed with ever since, but the fact that original bookwriter Richard Nelson is...

The first West End production of Chess since 1986 stars Michael Ball as Anatoly, Alexandra Burke as Svetlana, Murray Head as The Arbiter, Tim Howar as Freddie, Cassidy Janson as Florence and Philip Browne as Molokov. This epic musical love story will open at the London Coliseum on Thursday 26 April 2018 Press night on Tuesday 1 May 2018 for a strictly limited 5 week season.

Musical theatre legends Michael Ball and Alfie Boe arrive in Australia next week to begin the national tour of their concert Together. The first performance is in Brisbane on Thursday 5 October, with Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth following.

Following the phenomenal success of their double platinum selling 1 UK album Together released in the Us by Decca Records, and a major sold out UK tour, musical legends Michael Ball and Alfie Boe have announced their first-and-only U.S. performance on May 23 at New York City Center. Tickets will be available at noon on April 5, 2017at www.livenation.com and www.nycitycenter.org.

The Chicago International Film Festival 2016 announced its full lineup, and it includes Julia Ducournau's Raw, the previously announced 4K restoration of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Eyes of My Mother, and The Autopsy of Jane Doe, starring Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch.

Press Release: Chicago (September 13, 2016) ­ The Chicago International Film Festival today announces Opening and Closing Night selections, as well as the full slate of films included in the Festival’s U.S. Indies, Spotlight: Musicals and After Dark categories. Chicago will play host to gala screenings of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival as respective bookends to the 52nd Festival, opening on October 13th and closing on October 27th. A full list of these newly announced programs is below and at www.chicagofilmfestival.com. Tickets for these events and all film screenings go on sale September 21st for Cinema/Chicago members...

***Children’S Open Audition Call, On Stage At The Savoy Theatre With Double Olivier Award Winning West End & Broadway Choreographer Stephen Mear And Leading Musical Director Nigel Lilley, London, 3rd July 2016***

A children’s open audition call will be held on stage at The Savoy Theatre on 3rd July 2016 to find 25 of the UK’s most talented musical theatre performers! The audition workshop day will be led by the Stagebox Resident Team alongside double Olivier award winning West End & Broadway Choreographer Stephen Mear (Gypsy, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and leading West End Musical Director Nigel Lilley (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bend It Like Beckham, Spring Awakening). Stagebox Artistic Director Sammy Murray is also a leading television and film choreographer and is currently working with Jenna Coleman on new primetime ITV Drama "Victoria". Sammy is also known for her choreography on BBC’s “That Day We Sang” (starring...

Honoring the best of London theater, the Laurence Olivier Awards celebrated its 40th anniversary April 3 at the iconic Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Hosted by two-time Olivier winner Michael Ball, the ceremony was broadcasted live for the first time on YouTube, allowing audiences from around the world to tune into the show’s results and special performances. This year’s most nominated production, the Jonathan Kent-directed “Gypsy” at the Savoy Theatre, came away the big winner with wins for best musical revival, lighting designer Mark Henderson, and stars Imelda Staunton and Lara Pulver. The National Theatre was also represented with four wins, including best actress in a play Denise Gough for Duncan Macmillan’s “People, Places And Things.” Gough, who has earned rapturous reviews for her portrayal of an actor struggling with drug addiction, beat out fellow nominees Nicole Kidman and Gemma Arterton. “I won,” she said later on the red carpet,...

Winners of the 40th annual edition of the Olivier Awards were announced on April 3. Musical theater vet Michael Ball hosted the kudofest at the Royal Opera House. Unlike the Tony Awards, which are showcased live on CBS, the Olivier Awards get only a clips package on ITV later that evening and a live feed on BBC Radio 2. (Read the full report Here.) -Break- Subscribe to Gold Derby Breaking News Alerts & Experts’ Latest Tony Predictions Plays Best Play Farinelli And The King The Father X - Hangmen People, Places And Things Best Comedy A Christmas Carol Hand To God X - Nell Gwynn Peter Pan Goes Wrong Best Play Revival Hamlet Les Liaisons Dangereuses X - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom The Winter's Tale Best Actor Kenneth Branagh for The Winter's Tale X - Kenneth Cranham for The Father Benedict Cumberbatch for Hamlet Adrian Lester for Red Velvet Mark Rylance for.

It's the biggest night in London Theatre The Olivier Awards 2016 with MasterCard - the most prestigious event in the UK's theatrical calendar - take place tonight at the Royal Opera House, hosted by Michael Ball. This year's list of Olivier Award nominees includes Gemma Arterton, Kenneth Branagh, Kenneth Cranham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Mark Gatiss, Denise Gough, Preeya Kalidas, Nicole Kidman, Adrian Lester, Lara Pulver, Mark Rylance, Imelda Staunton, Tom Sturridge and David Suchet.Check back right here at BroadwayWorld tonight at 5pmEST to watch the Oliviers live stream...

London theater is gearing up for its biggest celebration of the year! This Sunday, April 3 at 10 p.m. BST, the 40th annual Laurence Olivier Awards will be held at Covent Garden’s iconic Royal Opera House, hosted by two-time Olivier winner Michael Ball. For the first time ever, you can watch the ceremony be broadcasted live on the awards’ YouTube channel. Among the acting nominees for the 2015–16 London theater scene are such stage vets as Kenneth Branagh, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Preeya Kalidas, Nicole Kidman, Adrian Lester, and Mark Rylance. Also nominated are Lara Pulver, Dan Burton, Peter Davison, and Imelda Staunton, stars of this year’s most nominated production, the Jonathan Kent–directed revival of “Gypsy” at the Savoy Theatre. For a full list of Olivier nominees, visit olivierawards.com. Staunton will open the ceremony with a number from the musical; the casts of the other nominees for best musical revival,...

Mack amp Mabel, which will embark on a UK amp Ireland Tour in Autumn 2015 following its premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre, stars double Oliver award-winning Michael Ball and Rebecca Lachance. Based on the real-life romance between Hollywood legends Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand, it tells the story of a group of pioneering filmmakers who changed the world surrounded by the great fun of the silent screen heroes in capes, girls tied to the tracks, glamorous Bathing Beauties and the chaos of the Keystone Kops.

Broadchurch: ITV, 9pm

Series two of ITV's hugely popular thriller is shrouded in mystery - to the extent that press and even the cast have been denied preview copies of the new episodes ahead of broadcast.

Here's what we do know - much of the original cast is back, led once again by Olivia Colman and David Tennant, and while the second series will keep the thrills coming, there won't be another body on the beach but a very different mystery for Miller (Colman) and Hardy (Tennant) to solve.

The Undateables: Channel 4, 9pm

Channel 4's cult dating show returns for a fourth run, spanning five episodes.

Looking for love this week is Alex, 21, who has autism and has never been on a date, and professional artist's model Matthew, 31, who feels his stammer has hindered his chances at romance.

Revenge: E4, 9pm

The slick, soapy Us thriller...

A new trailer for Jack Whitehall's Backchat has been revealed.

The comedian searches for a new, 'more professional' father in the clip, with Nick Hewer among the auditionees.

Post by BBC Two.

The second series of the comedy chat show, confirmed to be moving to BBC Two, will begin on January 5, 2015 at 10pm.

David Walliams and Michael Ball join Jack and his father Michael in the first week.

John Prescott and Noel Fielding are confirmed for the second instalment, while McBusted and Pointless co-presenter Richard Osman will appear the following week.

Backchat previously aired one series and two specials on BBC Three.

The show features games and quizzes with celebrity guests, while Michael interjects with questions and observations.

The first series was repeated on BBC Two in July and August in order to gain a more mainstream audience.

Danny Dyer, Jeremy Paxman, Gary Lineker and Nick Hewer were among...

The return date for Jack Whitehall's Backchat has been announced.

The second series of the comedy chat show, confirmed to be moving to BBC Two, will begin on January 5, 2015 at 10pm.

David Walliams and Michael Ball join Jack and his father Michael in the first week.

John Prescott and Noel Fielding are confirmed for the second instalment, while McBusted and Pointless co-presenter Richard Osman will appear the following week.

Backchat previously aired one series and two specials on BBC Three.

The series features games and quizzes with celebrity guests, while Michael interjects with questions and observations.

The first series was repeated on BBC Two in July and August in order to gain a more mainstream audience.

Danny Dyer, Jeremy Paxman, Gary Lineker and Nick Hewer were among the guests in the first series, which launched in November 2013.

Should you be watching Matt Berry comedy show Toast Of London on Channel 4? In the words of Stephen Toast... Yes!

Did you know that musical star Michael Ball has double the amount of blood in his body as that of the average human? It's what allows him to belt out those big notes.

If you watched Series 1 of Toast Of London then you'll already know that's true.

But if you didn't know and didn't watch, then that's entirely not your fault. After a strong pilot, Channel 4 took the first series of Matt Berry and Arthur Matthews' comedy about failing actor Steven Toast (Berry) and buried it in the late hour soil of Sunday nights, in a time slot so obscure you'd need a TV guide, compass, shovel, and remote to find it.

Fortunately the Rose D'Or committee still managed to unearth it on 4Od - no doubt...

Digital Spy presents The Best TV Shows You Might Have Missed - a celebration of television's underrated gems, undiscovered wonders and future hits.

Toast of London

The brainchild of Matt Berry and Father Ted co-creator Arthur Matthews, Toast of London largely flew under the radar when it aired on Channel 4 last autumn. With the second series soon upon us, there's no better time than now to take a look back at the funniest sitcom you've probably never heard of.

Berry, a veteran of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and The It Crowd, takes on the lead role of Steven Toast, a British thespian whose best days are long behind him. A vain and egotistical actor, he's at rock bottom thanks to a divorce (Amanda Donohue crops up as his ex-wife) and a starring role in a play that's so offensive the public want to see him dead.

This might sound like...

Silent Witness was once again the highest-rated TV show outside of soaps on Friday night (January 31).

The final episode of the BBC drama series drew an average of 5.08 million viewers, representing a 22.9% audience share.

Earlier in the evening, The One Show attracted 4.26 million viewers (21%) at 7pm, while Room 101 with Michael Ball and Caroline Quentin reeled in 3.16m (13.6%) at 8.30pm.

The Graham Norton Show, which featured guests such as Dallas Buyers Club actor Matthew McConaughey, was seen by an average of 3.5 million viewers (25.4%) at 10.35pm, while a transfer deadline day edition of Football Focus picked up 1.19m (13%) at 11.25pm.

Piers Morgan's Life Stories with Martin Kemp was ITV's biggest ratings success outside of soaps, pulling in an average of 3.18m (14.3%) viewers at 9pm.

Meanwhile, approximately 2.87m (13.2%) tuned in to watch The Martin Lewis Money Show, which was sandwiched between two episodes of Coronation Street at 8pm.

Mastermind was BBC Two's highest rated show,...

Ooh, we could murder a doughnut. Wednesday's episode of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off was the closest yet, as Jamelia, Michael Ball, Victoria Pendleton and Emma Freud fought valiantly for the crown (well, apron). It was anyone's game. Everyone had a comedy disaster; everyone had a triumph. And we obviously loved it. But what were our favourite bits? Read on to find out...

The Signature Bake - Traybakes

First off, we have to mention how much we loved Victoria's prim and proper school prefect look and her superb facial expressions - especially when she whipped cream onto herself. But largely, everyone's traybakes seemed to start off well (however disconcerting it was learning that Michael had played Sweeney Todd and thinking through the implications of that). It was also a joy to see Mary getting excited at the mention of cointreau in Victoria's blondies. (That and a hot toddy traybake from Michael?...

Emma Freud was crowned Star Baker in tonight's episode of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

In the closest competition of the series yet, Freud just edged past Olympian Victoria Pendleton to win the much-coveted Bake Off apron.

Bacon brownies & burnt carpet: Sport Relief Bake Off - our best bits

She impressed judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood with her bacon and bourbon brownies, iced ring doughnuts and tennis-themed showstopper cake.

"It really was a difficult decision," Berry explained. "I'd say Victoria and Emma were sort of neck and neck, but gosh, her almond cake tasted good."

Meanwhile, Hollywood said Freud deserved victory because of her passion, flavour, creativity and fun.

Freud joked that she would wear her apron for the rest of her life, while Pendleton was less happy, joking: "I'm never going to bake again."

However, the other two contestants - Jamelia and Michael Ball - claimed that...

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off is back with four brand new celebrities tonight.

Entering the famous tent in an attempt to impress with their baking skills this evening are Emma Freud, Michael Ball, Victoria Pendleton and Jamelia.

Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry will be back to judge the contestants' offerings, but will tonight be joined by Omid Djalili as a guest host.

In an attempt to raise money for Sport Relief, the four famous faces will be challenged to make a variety of tasty treats.

The competition will begin when they are tasked with whipping up traybakes and doughnuts.

However, the proof really will be in the pudding when the showstopper round comes along and the celebrities are asked to create a layer cake representing their sporting hero.

The competition reportedly gets too much for some, and there are expected to be some tears before the evening is out.

Michael Ball is an ''obsessive'' 'Great British Bake Off' fan. The actor-and-singer will be seen in a new charity spin-off show, 'The Great Sport Relief Bake Off', next week and he says he jumped at the opportunity to take part because he's such an admirer of the BBC Two series. He enthused: ''I'm an obsessive. I get asked to do a lot of reality shows and I've never wanted to do them - except this one. When the call came through, I bit their hands off.'' Michael, 51, has watched 'Bake Off' since it launched in 2010 and credits the show with inspiring...

Michael Ball is an ''obsessive'' 'Great British Bake Off' fan. The actor-and-singer will be seen in a new charity spin-off show, 'The Great Sport Relief Bake Off', next week and he says he jumped at the opportunity to take part because he's such an admirer of the BBC Two series. He enthused: ''I'm an obsessive. I get asked to do a lot of reality shows and I've never wanted to do them - except this one. When the call came through, I bit their hands off.'' Michael, 51, has watched 'Bake Off' since it launched in 2010 and credits the show with inspiring...

Angelina Jolie takes on Sleeping Beauty while Terry Gilliam tackles Berlioz as the stars come out to confound our expectations in the coming year

Film

Angelina Jolie in Maleficent

Hollywood's most formidable leading lady is back after a relatively quiet spell, in a role playing on her scariness and seniority. This reinvented fairytale is a twist on The Sleeping Beauty, and Jolie is not playing the insipid dormant heroine with her crybaby attitude to finger-pricking but the evilly magnificent Maleficent, the sorceress who casts a spell on the demure young Princess Aurora. How did she get that way? Everything will depend on the script – but Jolie is always a great turn. Peter Bradshaw 30 May.

Natalie Portman in Jane Got a Gun

Natalie Portman is a Hollywood A-lister who first came to prominence in George Lucas's Star Wars prequel trilogy. She was compellingly vulnerable in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan,...

Rochelle Humes, Jamelia and Victoria Pendleton are among the celebrities confirmed to be taking part in The Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

A total of 16 famous faces will be entering the infamous tent in the hope of impressing judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.

Impressionist Alistair McGowan, singer Michael Ball and Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner will also take part in the four-part BBC Two series, which will air every night from Monday, January 13 to Thursday, January 16.

Samantha Bond, Bonnie Wright, Emma Freud, Jane Horrocks, Greg Rutherford, Helen Skelton, Johnny Vaughan, Doon Mackichan, Michael Vaughan and Kirsty Young complete the lineup.

For the first time, a number of guest presenters will also step into the tent to host the series, which is in aid of Sport Relief. As well as regular presenter Sue Perkins, comedians Omid Djalili, Ed Byrne and Jo Brand are to each host one episode.

Brand...

2013 is drawing to a close, so the Digital Spy team has picked the TV heroes and villains that made us laugh, cheer and jeer this year - from cops to convicts, from politicians to gangsters, from meth dealers to reality TV stars... here are our picks for the standout TV characters from the past 12 months.

Steven Toast, Toast of London - Simon Reynolds, Movies Editor

Matt Berry will be familiar to comedy fans thanks to his role as Douglas Reynholm in The It Crowd, but its cult gems like Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and Snuff Box that really got the most out of him. He found his best role yet this year in Toast of London, a sitcom focused around his London luvvie Steven Toast. A vain and egotistical actor with a moustache that'd make Burt Reynolds envious, Toast, like great British sitcom characters Partridge and Brent before him, is a...

Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball have been cast in a new musical television film Tubby and Enid.

A BBC Two adaptation of Victoria Wood's That Day We Sang, the 90-minute film will begin shooting on January 6, 2014.

Wood said: "Tubby and Enid brings together everything I love, singing, dancing, comedy, love and chips.

"A musical set in '29 and '69 complete with tap dancing children, singing coal men and possibly a tram, was always going to be a big undertaking, and I'm very appreciative of the way everyone at the BBC has been so encouraging and supportive.

"Imelda and Michael are my dream team, superb professionals at the top of their game. I'm hoping to deliver something that will be a real treat for the audience."

Producer Paul Frift added: "Musicals for television are rare - to make a musical with Victoria Wood, Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball is pure heaven.

Bad Education and The Call Centre are at the centre of BBC Three's Christmas schedule this year.

Bad Education's festive special will see Jack Whitehall's character Alfie staging the Abbey Grove Christmas play - only to decide on a mash-up of The Nutcracker and RoboCop called Robocracker.

Elsewhere on BBC Three, hit documentary The Call Centre will return for the holidays, with CEO Nev Wilshire deciding to start a Christmas choir and tea lady Hayley battling the budget to stage a successful office Christmas party.

The channel's festive schedule is rounded out by a Christmas episode of Bluestone 42, which sees the team being joined by over-confident Corporal Gordon House on his first tour of duty.

Meanwhile, BBC Four also revealed its plans for Christmas, with Strictly Come Dancing host Len Goodman fronting Dance Band Days - an exploration of the British dance bands which paved the way for modern pop.