David Walliams to star as BBC bags Agatha Christie drama deal

Corporation's contract with Christie estate will bring new series and documentaries coinciding with author's 125th anniversaryDavid Walliams will star in a new Agatha Christie adaptation on BBC1 under a new deal to bring some of the author's best-known works to the small screen in the 125th anniversary year of the author's birth.The BBC has screened many Christie works in the past but the author has been associated with ITV for the past two decades, with its take on Miss Marple and its long-running Poirot series, starring David Suchet, which ended last year.Walliams will star in a six-part series set in the 1950s, Partners in Crime, an adaptation of two Christie books featuring married sleuths Tommy and Tuppence, The Secret Adversary and N or M.The Christie deal will also see a new three-part adaptation of And Then There Were None, Christie's most successful work which has sold more than 100m copies. Adapted by Sarah Phelps, it will be the centrepiece of its Christmas schedule in 2015."It is our ambition for Tommy and Tuppence to finally take their rightful place alongside Poirot and Marple as iconic Agatha Christie characters," said Walliams. "They are among Christie's very best work."Ben Stephenson, the BBC's controller, drama commissioning, said he hoped the new adaptations would return Christie to "the pantheon of truly great British writers" and added he was in discussion with the Christie estate about a "huge variety of things". The Christie adaptations will also be... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #future plans #rights holder #much-loved characters

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Malcolm Gladwell as punishment? Judge orders woman to read 'David and Goliath'

After a woman recently turned herself in to American authorities and confessed to participating in setting several fires, a judge ordered she read both 'Goliath' and Mary C. Wood's 'Nature's Trust' in addition to serving a prison sentence and completing community service. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former BBC technology chief to take legal action over DMI dismissal

Ex-employee accuses corporation of allowing 'inaccurate statements' to be made to MPs over failure of digital initiativeThe BBC chief technology officer dismissed over the failure of the Digital Media Initiative, the IT project scrapped last year at a cost of nearly £100m to licence fee payers,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC faces damning criticism over £100m DMI fiasco in NAO report

• BBC admits it 'got this one wrong'• Executive board 'applied insufficient scrutiny'• 'Governance arrangements … were inadequate'Read the NAO report on the BBC's handling of the DMI projectThe BBC's handling of the £100m Digital Media Initiative fiasco has come in for further criticism, with a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC whistleblower claims staff 'falsified' benefits of DMI project

Ex-employee, who warned Lord Patten about digital initiative in 2012, compares benefits estimates to Enron-style accountingRead the full NAO report on the BBC's handling of the DMI projectRead the written evidence submitted to the PAC for the DMI inquiryThe whistleblower on the failings of the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperVoyager sign three-book deal with Lawrence

HarperVoyager has acquired a new epic fantasy trilogy from Broken Empire author Mark Lawrence.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC moves editor of Radio 1's Newsbeat after bullying allegations

Rod McKenzie, who denies the claims, is understood to have been given a final written warningThe editor of Radio 1's award-winning Newsbeat programme has been moved from his post following multiple complaints from staff about alleged bullying.Rod McKenzie, who denied the allegations, is... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anonymous writer behind Goldman Sachs Elevator Twitter account gets book deal

The anonymous figure behind the Twitter handle is reported to be releasing a book titled 'Straight to Hell: True Tales of Deviance and Excess in the World of Investment Banking' this October. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Frey wins $2m deal for young adult SF novel

Endgame, by the controversial author of A Million Little Pieces, sold in joint publishing and film dealJames Frey, best known for his partially-fabricated memoir A Million Little Pieces, has landed a reported $2m (£1.2m) film deal for his latest novel, a Hunger Games/Battle Royale-esque story... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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X-Files star Gillian Anderson to write science fiction novels

Agent Scully actress will use her 'ingrained knowledge and rhythm' for SF to pen multi-volume EarthEnd SagaAfter delving into the paranormal for years as The X-Files' resident sceptic Dr Dana Scully, actor Gillian Anderson is set to create her own science-fictional universe – but this time in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Image Expo 2014: Brubaker, Willingham Ink Deals

Last week, Image Comics presented Image Expo 2014, an innovative single-publisher media event, held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco to show off its artists and forthcoming projects. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Life on Mars creator developing TV drama series with a Motown beat

Tony Jordan secures rights to 40 EMI songs for 10-part series Stop! In the Name of Love, partly inspired by 'jukebox musicals'The co-creator of Life on Mars is developing a TV drama series, partly inspired by the success "jukebox musicals" such as Mamma Mia!, featuring famous Motown hits such as... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Actor Who Played Chewbacca Shared A Ton Of "Star Wars" Set Photos On Twitter And They Are Amazing

Thrill to the sight of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker raising a toast in honor of Sir Alec Guiness's birthday!Today in vaguely surreal photographs: Peter Mayhew, the 7'3" actor and mainstay of the traveling sci-fi/comic book convention circuit whose claim to fame is being the man inside the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Franco stars in an ambitious book trailer for Gary Shteyngart memoir

The trailer for Gary Shteyngart's memoir 'Little Failure' features James Franco and Rashida Jones. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ITV and BBC told to learn lessons from graphic Lee Rigby murder coverage

Ofcom clears broadcasters after complaints, but tells them to consider explicit warnings before airing 'challenging' footageRead the full Ofcom ruling on TV news coverge of Woolwich killing (P22)Ofcom has told broadcasters including ITV and the BBC to learn lessons after they aired graphic... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Duck Dynasty' star Phil Robertson's book sales spike following controversy

Phil Robertson was temporarily removed from 'Duck Dynasty' after he made controversial comments in an interview.  Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Trust chief accused of 'obstruction and secrecy'

Lord Patten criticised by MPs for blocking publication of documents relating to corporation's failed £100m IT projectMPs have accused the BBC Trust chairman, Lord Patten, of "obstruction and secrecy" for stopping the corporation publishing key documents about a failed £100m IT project.Patten... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Freedom of speech doesn't entitle Duck Dynasty star to reality TV show | Jill Filipovic

Phil Robertson was suspended by A&E for bigoted comments in GQ. Conservatives cry foul, but it hardly violates his rightsThe right to free speech isn't just a fundamental American value; it's enshrined in the first amendment to our constitution. If only the most loud-mouthed among us... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AudioGO's BBC titles signed by Random House

Random House Audio has signed an agreement with BBC Worldwide to sell and distribute the company... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oyster, Perseus Ink Pilot E-Book Deal

Oyster, the ebook subscription service launched this year, has reached a deal with the Perseus Books Group to launch a pilot program offering 100 Perseus titles through the Oyster subscription catalog Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hugh Hefner movie sashays closer with director David Dobkin

Wedding Crashers helmer signs on for long-gestating biopic telling life story of Playboy magazine founder• Peter Morgan in talks to develop Hugh Hefner biopicPlayboy founder Hugh Hefner is to have his life story told in a biopic to be directed by Wedding Crashers' David Dobkin, it has been... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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