ITV

Big Zuu and ITV cook up new food travelogue with a twist

Having cooked for stand-ups touring the UK across three series of Big Eats for Dave, Big Zuu is now hitting the road himself for a European culinary travelogue.

In each of the six parts, Big Zuu will aim to teach viewers and celebrity guests everything they need to know about a particular European city by sampling 12 of its local delicacies.

"It's the best thing that's happened to me": an update from RTS Bursary scholars

RTS Bursary scholars and alumni share how their lives have changed since applying for the scheme, what they have learned about themselves and the industry, and why they think you should apply.

In late June, Fremantle UK hosted the RTS’s annual summer networking session, welcoming past and present RTS Bursary scholars to their London office. Alongside their personal mentors, the attendees connected and exchanged contacts with each other and industry professionals.

Laura Whitmore to investigate cyber-stalkers and incels in new docuseries

A blonde haired woman stands next to a drain pipe in an allyway lit with cold blue lighting

In one of the instalments, Whitmore will explore the world of ‘involuntary celibates’ or ‘incels’, a male-dominated online community where men who find it difficult to interact with women engage in anti-women discourse. In recent years these forums have moved off the internet and into the real world; in both the UK and US, incels have sought ‘vengeance’ for their feelings of rejection in the form of violence, including mass shootings.

Where next for TV ad revenue?

The downturn in UK TV advertising revenue is beyond dispute, with marked declines in the first half of 2023. But what is the full picture and when might we see a recovery?

Channel 4, reliant on ad revenue to fund its content, has paused most commissioning, dropped productions and reduced episode counts for shows in the pipeline. With characteristic sensationalism, The Mail on Sunday reported on 10 June that Channel 4 staff had branded the situation a “bloodbath”.

Sorry, I Didn't Know to return to ITV in new primetime slot

The new four-part series will air outside Black History Month for the first time, having been given a slot in the mainstream schedule.

ITV's Head of Entertainment Commissioning Katie Rawcliffe, who ordered the recommission, explained: “Sorry I Didn’t Know has quickly established itself as one of our stand out panel shows, with all the ingenuity, flair and humour to appeal to a modern, contemporary audience. We’re thrilled to champion this brilliant show and all it represents.” 

Lucy Boynton to star as Ruth Ellis in new ITV drama about last person to be hanged in Britain

Ruth Ellis (Boynton) was hanged in 1955 at age 28. Over two parallel timelines, Ruth will examine what really happened in the months leading up to Ellis killing her lover, the race car driver David Blakely.

Across four parts, the drama will show her rise into London’s upper classes as a nightclub manager, and the abuse she suffered at the hands of Blakely in her toxic and volatile relationship.

The magic of Granada: David Liddiment's Anthony H Wilson Memorial Lecture

The lack of training grounds for talented new TV writers and directors has been branded “intolerable” by David Liddiment, one of the most influential commissioners and broadcasters of the past 40 years with a career that has spanned both ITV and the BBC.

Delivering the Anthony H Wilson Memorial Lecture to the RTS North West, he recalled his own career development and that of luminaries such as Sally Wainwright, the creator of Happy Valley, who began her career as a ­Coronation Street writer.

Meet the contestants of summer Love Island 2023

For the tenth series, the Love Island villa has opened its doors to 10 hopeful singles as they aim to win £50,000 through public vote, and hopefully find love, and a PLT deal, along the way.

After entering the villa, the singles pair into couples and enjoy a few hours of happily partnered bliss before a new “bombshell” enters the villa to steal one half of a couple, leaving someone single. If the single islander isn’t chosen by anyone in the next recoupling, they will be dumped from the island.

ITV announces trio of new reality shows with the Madeleys, Abbey Clancy and Olivia Atwood

The first series, At Home With the Madeleys, will be the first time the Madeley family have opened their doors to a family reality show.

The series will centre on Richard and Judy’s daughter Chloe, who is about to give birth to her first child. With Chloe’s husband and former rugby player James Haskell igniting his new career as a DJ, Richard and Judy will take a hands-on role helping Chloe with the pregnancy. She’ll need to navigate the changing family dynamic, her own career, and the brand new world of motherhood.

ITV commissions Code of Silence starring Rose Ayling-Ellis

Rose Ayling-Ellis at the RTS Programme Awards 2022

Ayling-Ellis won the dancing competition during her stint as Frankie Lewis in EastEnders, the first ever deaf character in the soap. She also helped launch a deaf Barbie doll late last year.

She is now getting back to work on the small screen. Code of Silence follows Alison (Ayling-Ellis), who is struggling to get by working in a police canteen and a local bar whilst caring for her mother, who is also hearing-impaired.