Sir David Clementi is stepping down as chairman of the BBC in February. Variety has confirmed that Clementi will not seek a second term as chairman of the U.K. public broadcaster after completing four years in the post, which allows for two consecutive four-year terms. The chairman of the BBC is officially appointed by the
Television
The BBC has appointed BBC Studios CEO and ex-marketing maven Tim Davie as the successor to Tony Hall. Davie is an experienced BBC operator and is believed to have been interviewed formally in the last week for the role, alongside the other internal candidate, director of content Charlotte Moore. Hall announced his decision to stand
ViacomCBS Networks U.K. has bolstered its digital channels and acquisitions team under director of programs Ben Frow. Gemma Hewlett has been promoted to VP of digital channels, while Anna-Belen Dunlop will serve as senior director of acquisitions. Both roles report into Frow — the former director of programs for Channel 5 who was promoted to
Several of the most prominent stars in the National Football League posted a video demanding the league condemn racism and admit it was wrong to silence protesting players. The video comes after the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes, after Floyd repeatedly said
The Writers Guild of America has told the major studios that television writers need improved per-episode compensation and looser rules over how long writers can be held to a show. “TV series on television and streaming platforms provide the majority of employment opportunities for our members,” the WGA negotiating committee said in a message to
Oprah Winfrey is set to host a two-night town hall to discuss systemic racism in America and the current state of a country which has seen mass protests since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minnesota. Titled “OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here?,” the town hall will
“Next in Fashion” has sewn its final thread — at least at Netflix. Netflix has canceled the fashion competition series hosted by Tan France and Alexa Chung after only a single season, Variety has learned exclusively. France confirmed the news, saying “we’re not doing a second a season,” before hinting that perhaps the series could be
The National Basketball Association confirmed that it expects to return to play this summer, the latest big-league sport to pivot back to an active season after being shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, the league’s Board of Governors approved a plan under which 22 teams would each play eight regular-season games in Orlando,
Gabrielle Union filed a harassment complaint Thursday in the state of California against the producers and network behind “America’s Got Talent.” In addition to the complaint, she raised a new accusation that NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy threatened her over speaking out against racism on set. Union, through power attorney Bryan Freedman, filed the complaint
As the streaming wars have been consumed this spring by the launches of HBO Max and Quibi — with Peacock still to come — another new entrant, Apple TV Plus, recently found reason to celebrate on the awards front. The Daytime Emmy nominations were finally announced last month by the National Academy of Television Arts
The highest-rated show on Wednesday night wasn’t a TV show, but a rather sweet animated movie called “Up.” Many of you may have heard of it? ABC won the night overall, as the classic 2009 pic scored a 0.7 rating among adults 18-49 and drew 3.4 million total viewers. “Agents of SHIELD” came in after
As Nia Nal/Dreamer on The CW’s “Supergirl,” Nicole Maines has played TV’s first transgender superhero since the show’s fourth season. But for the trans rights activist and actor, progress is the chance to play a villain. “I think it’s that more and more trans characters [can] be less than perfect and be a–holes and be
For the Power of Pride issue, Variety talked to eight LGBTQ couples in entertainment about their love stories. To read more, click here. Ten years ago, Jason Bolden — the owner of an interior design shop in Manhattan — was getting a shave when his barber decided to set him up with another client. The eligible bachelor
Jerry Harris, the fan favorite of Netflix’s “Cheer,” can’t help thinking that his late mom is watching over him as he has become one of this year’s most beloved pop culture phenomenons. “I feel like she’s very, very happy and excited for everything that’s been going on, and she’s really loving it,” Harris, whose mother
Soon to launch French streaming service Salto has acquired Canadian-French dark comedy series “Happily Married,” which premiered at the Berlinale, from distributor Cineflix Rights. “Happily Married (C’est Comme Ça Que Je T’aime)” is one of the first programme acquisitions to be announced by Salto, the long delayed SVOD jointly created by French public broadcaster France
BAFTA has heralded an improvement in the diversity of nominees for this year’s Television and Craft Awards. This year’s shortlist, announced Thursday morning, has seen a 22% rise in nominees of color, said BAFTA. New talent, in particular, has broken through, with nominations for “Sex Education‘s” Ncuti Gatwa (pictured), “Man Like Mobeen’s” Guz Khan and
For the Power of Pride issue, Variety talked to eight LGBTQ couples in entertainment about their love stories. To read more, click here. In 2007, ”The L Word” creator Ilene Chaiken had broken up with her partner of 20 years, and was looking to date — but realized she didn’t know how. Chaiken’s friend Angela Robinson, a
London’s Twickenham Studios, operated by Time+Space Studios, have reopened with safety measures in place to guard again COVID-19, and incorporating a new TV studio. The studios have launched a program of measures that it calls “Studio Safe” to protect cast and crew, which are in line with protocols developed by the British Film Commission. Studio
First shots often sum up much of the drama ahead. Bowing June 12 on Orange TV in Spain, “The Head’” a signature series of The Mediapro Studio, is no exception. Featuring among key cast Alvaro Morte, “La Casa de Papel’s” Professor, and Japanese pop idol Tomohisa Yamashita, written by Alex and David Pastor (“Hogar,” “Carriers”)
Meghan Markle has spoken out about the death of George Floyd, in a virtual address to graduating pupils at her former high school, Immaculate Heart High in Los Angeles. Addressing the students, she said “George Floyd’s life mattered.” “As we’ve all seen over the last week what is happening in our country and in our
HBO and Sky’s nuclear drama “Chernobyl” has emerged as the frontrunner at this year’s Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Television Craft Awards with 14 nominations. “Chernobyl’s” impressive haul matches “Killing Eve’s” record 14 BAFTA nods last year, making it the most nominated show in the history of the awards. “Chernobyl’s” nominations
Lea Michele is under fire following accusations made on Twitter by her former “Glee” co-star Samantha Ware, who said Michele made her life a “living hell,” while working on the show. In the midst of the controversy, many of Michele’s former colleagues from various productions have backed up the sentiment expressed by Ware, establishing a
Chris Trousdale, a member of the boy band DreamStreet from the group’s inception in 1999 through its breakup in 2002, died Tuesday at age 34. Although an official statement did not give a cause of death, former bandmate Jesse McCartney said he died of complications from the coronavirus. Trousdale was also an actor who began
In today’s TV news roundup, HBO released the teaser trailer for “Lovecraft Country,” and the documentary “Freestyle Love Supreme” announced that it will no longer be airing on Hulu on June 5 in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. FIRST LOOKS HBO has released a teaser for its adaptation of “Lovecraft Country,” coming this August.
The CW is adding another acquired series to its fall 2020 lineup. The network has picked up the French-Italian co-production “Devils.” The series is described as an international thriller that follows Massimo Ruggero (Alessandro Borghi), the charismatic yet ruthless Head of Trading at NYL, one of the world’s most important investment banks, and his mentor,
A Florida sheriff has confirmed rumors that the will of Don Lewis, the missing husband of big-cat rights activist and “Tiger King” subject Carole Baskin, was forged. Hillsborough County sheriff Chad Chronister spoke on the matter on Tuesday speaking with 10 Tampa Bay. “They called in some experts to say that the will was a
Mary Pat Gleason, whose extensive list of film and television credits includes “A Cinderella Story” and more recently the CBS sitcom “Mom,” died of cancer on June 2. She was 70. Gleason’s manager confirmed the news, telling Variety that “she was a fighter to the end.” The actress began her career in 1982, with her first
Tricia Melton is joining her former Freeform boss Tom Ascheim at Warner Bros. The marketing vet has been tapped as the new chief marketing officer of Warner Bros.’ global kids, young adults and classics division. She will once again report to Ascheim, who is joining the company as president to oversee the same departments. News
The Walt Disney Company announced Wednesday that it is pledging $5 million dollars to groups that advocate for social justice. The company is kicking things off by donating $2 million to the NAACP. “The killing of George Floyd has forced our nation to once again confront the long history of injustice that black people in America
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees has spoken out against the death of George Floyd and racism in the U.S. “We share in the heartbreak, frustration and anger surrounding the tragic murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police,” the union said in a statement Tuesday. “We stand in solidarity with the African American community