Meta comedy ‘Make That Movie’ opens Channel 4 Edinburgh commissions

Channel 4 has opened its Edinburgh TV Festival commission with a comedy about a star director who scours the country for ordinary people with an idea for a feature film. Make this movie was created by Sam Campbell, winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award 2022 (Overseer) directed by Joe Pelling (Don’t hug me, I’m scared). Campbell plays himself alongside a team racing against the clock to turn ideas into a film in just three days. Campbell stars Lara Ricote (2022) Edinburgh Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer, Break Clause) as runner Jess, Aaron Chen (Fish) as intimacy coordinator Sebastian, Helen Bauer (Am I unreasonable?) as sound engineers Pat and David Hargreaves (This country) as camerawoman Winnie. Charlie Perkins, Channel 4’s head of comedy, said Campbell “embodies the colour, creativity and innovation that comedy stands for at Channel 4.” The broadcaster will unveil more shows, including a spectacular new reality series, at a dinner in Edinburgh tonight.

Channel 5 presents programmes about emperors, Pompeii and the Nile

The British broadcaster Channel 5 has launched a new programme with shows about emperors, Pompeii and the Nile. The channel, which has just announced that it will be renamed 5 next year, is making Emperor: Rise and fall of a dynasty, Life and Death in Pompeii with Dan Snow and a second season of the BAFTA-nominated Endurance: Race to the Nile. Ben Frow, chief content officer at Paramount UK, said premium factual programming “continues to attract large audiences and we are keen to offer our viewers more of what we know they enjoy.” The shows come a day after Channel 5 launched a new Inside the Tower of London with The Crown with Jason Watkins as the star.

Russell T. Davies and Jack Thorne are mentors of the Bad Wolf Writer Program

Russell T. Davies, Jack Thorne and Marnie Dickens will mentor aspiring Welsh writers as part of a Bad Wolf program. industry Producer has launched the Blaidd Writers Programme for its 10th anniversary and three writers will develop Bad Wolf, an original contemporary drama set in Wales. Davies, Thorne and Dickens will lead masterclasses, along with industry Co-creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay as well as BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and In my skin Creator Kayleigh Llewellyn. The writers will begin their internships in January 2025 in the SAW classroom at Bad Wolf’s Cardiff headquarters, Wolf Studios Wales, where they will work with Bad Wolf to develop an idea from pitch to broadcast-ready script. Each writer will receive a stipend of £18,000 ($23,400) to develop their script and a treatment, with travel, accommodation and other costs covered by Bad Wolf. Bad Wolf CEO Jane Tranter said: “Wales has been the beating heart of Bad Wolf for the last decade. It is vital to our future and the future of the Welsh television industry that we continue to nurture future generations of screenwriters.”