Meta Comedy ‘Make That Movie’ Kicks Off Channel 4 Edinburgh Commissions

Channel 4 has opened its Edinburgh TV Festival commissioning roster with a comedy about a hotshot director who scours the country for everyday people who have an idea for a feature film. Make that Movie is created by 2022 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Sam Campbell (Taskmaster) and directed by Joe Pelling (Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared). Campbell plays himself alongside a team racing against the clock as they attempt to transform ideas into a film in just three days. Starring as Campbell’s filmmakers are Lara Ricote (2022 Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer, Break Clause) as runner Jess, Aaron Chen (Fisk) as intimacy coordinator Sebastian, Helen Bauer (Am I Being Unreasonable?) as sound engineer Pat, and David Hargreaves (This Country) as cinematographer Winnie. Channel 4 comedy boss Charlie Perkins said Campbell “epitomises the colour, creativity and innovation that Channel 4 comedy stands for.” The network will reveal more shows at a dinner tonight in Edinburgh, including a splashy new reality series.

Channel 5 Unveils Shows On Emperors, Pompeii & Nile

Paramount UK network Channel 5 has unveiled a factual slate with shows on Emperors, Pompeii and the Nile. The channel, which just revealed it will rebrand to 5 next year, is making Emperor: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty, Life & Death in Pompeii with Dan Snow and a second season of the BAFTA-nominated Endurance: Race to the Nile. Paramount’s Chief Content Officer, UK, Ben Frow said premium factual “continues to attract strong audiences for us and we are keen to offer our viewers more of what we know they enjoy.” The shows come a day after Channel 5 unveiled a new Inside the Tower of London with The Crown star Jason Watkins.

Russell T Davies & Jack Thorne To Mentor Bad Wolf Writer Program

Russell T Davies, Jack Thorne and Marnie Dickens are to mentor budding Welsh scribes as part of a Bad Wolf writer program. The Industry producer has launched the Blaidd Writers Programme on its 10th anniversary and it will see three writers develop with Bad Wolf an original, contemporary Welsh set returning drama. Davies, Thorne and Dickens will helm masterclasses along with Industry co-creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, and BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and In My Skin creator Kayleigh Llewellyn. Writers will start their placements in January 2025 at the SAW classroom at Bad Wolf’s Cardiff HQ, Wolf Studios Wales, where they will begin work with Bad Wolf on the development of an idea from pitch to broadcast ready script. Each writer will be paid a bursary of £18,000 ($23,400) to develop their script and a treatment, with travel, accommodation and other expenses covered by Bad Wolf. Bad Wolf CEO Jane Tranter said: “Wales has been the beating heart of Bad Wolf for the past decade. It is pivotal to our future, and the future of the Welsh TV industry, that we continue to nurture future generations of screenwriters.”