Ten Pound Poms Series 2 Release Date Announced

The BBC has announced that TEN POUND POMS will return for its second series on Sunday 9 March, with all episodes on BBC iPlayer from 6am and the series beginning its weekly BBC One transmission from 8pm that evening.

Ten Pound Poms is written and created by the BAFTA award-winning Danny Brocklehurst and is made by Eleven for BBC iPlayer and BBC One in a co-production with Stan, which airs the series in Australia.

Joining Danny Brocklehurst on the writing team is Ryan Griffen (Cleverman) alongside Smita Bhide (The Indian Detective). Ana Kokkinos (Fires, The Hunting) and Tom McKay (Jerk, Bloods) are directors on the series, whilst the series producer is Karl Zwicky. Joel Wilson, Olivia Trench, Sophie Williams and Jamie Campbell executive produce for Eleven. Executive producer for the BBC is Gaynor Holmes, and Cailah Scobie and Amanda Duthie are executive producers for Stan.

Watch the series trailer and read the full press statement here.

STAGS GETS U.S. DEBUT ON PLAYSTATION PLUS

Eleven’s prison drama STAGS will be available to stream in the U.S. on PlayStation Plus from February 11, Sony has confirmed.

The series will be available for current PlayStation Plus subscribers only via the PS4 and PS5 console’s Sony Pictures Core app. The whole six-episode first series will be available to stream until March 24.

STAGS follows groom-to-be Stu and his friends on his stag party in South America. What was meant to be a week of drink, drugs, and fun turns dark as airport security discovers that one of the stags is smuggling cocaine. Instead of boarding a plane, the group is thrown into a notorious and depraved prison island run by two warring, drug-dealing siblings and it becomes clear that the stags need to pick a side if they have any chance of survival. Friendships are tested and life-long loyalty is sacrificed as Stu and his friends begin to question, who will make it home?

Read the full Variety article here.

First Look at Ten Pound Poms Second Series

The BBC and Stan have released first-look images of the second series of TEN POUND POMS.

Featured are returning cast members Michelle Keegan as Kate, Faye Marsay as Annie and Warren Brown as Terry.

The photos also introduce new characters joining the series including the Skinner family, who arrive in Australia from Ireland ready to enjoy their new lives in the sunshine, plus unscrupulous landlord Benny Bates, who makes Terry an offer he can’t refuse as he attempts to put down roots for his family.

The second series will be released in 2025.

Read the full press release here.

Sex Educations wins Best Comedy at Televisual Bulldog Awards

SEX EDUCATION’s fourth and final series has taken home the Best Comedy award at the Televisual Bulldog Awards 2024.

Over 3000 people voted for the Televisual Bulldog Awards this year, the majority either working for production companies or employed in head of department roles within production.

Congratulations to Team Sex Ed!

To see the full list of winners, click here.

Filming Underway on Lord of the Flies

Filming is now underway on Eleven’s forthcoming adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

Adapted for television by the multi-BAFTA award winning writer Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials, Help, National Treasure, Enola Holmes) and directed by Marc Munden (Help, The Sympathizer), the co-production with Stan, who will air the drama in Australia, will be distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television.

LORD OF THE FLIES is the story of a group of young schoolchildren who find themselves stranded on a tropical island with no adults, following a deadly plane crash. In an attempt to remain civil, the boys organise themselves, led by Ralph and supported by the group’s intellectual, Piggy.  But Jack, who is in charge of signal fire duty, is more interested in hunting and vying for leadership and soon begins to draw other boys away from the order of the group and, ultimately, from hope to tragedy.

The cast, many of whom are making their professional acting debuts, were auditioned following an open casting call, with no prior acting experience necessary. The process was led by multi-award winning casting director Nina Gold (Game of Thrones, The Power of the Dog, Baby Reindeer).

Also announced today, the multi-Oscar winning composer Hans Zimmer (Dune, Planet Earth, The Lion King), one of the biggest and most highly-lauded names in film and television, will co-create the series’ original score with multi-Emmy nominated Kara Talve (Tattooist of Auschwitz, Prehistoric Planet) for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Screenwriter and Executive Producer Jack Thorne says: “I still can’t believe we have been given the opportunity to film this beautiful book. The first few days shooting show that our cast are extraordinary and that Marc is finding a whole new visual language in capturing the wonders of them and the beauty of Malaysia. He is an incredible storyteller. It is all so exciting.”

Director Marc Munden says: “This iconic novel of class, conflict and tender male friendship has never been more relevant. It’s a real privilege to be working with Jack Thorne once again, the wonderful cast of young actors we’ve assembled and the brilliant team at Eleven on this beautifully fresh adaptation.”

Eleven’s Executive Producer Joel Wilson says: “Marc is a visionary. It is a privilege to be stood with him – as a witness to his skill with our young cast – as he brings Jack’s scripts to life. The visual language he has developed with Mark Wolf, our cinematographer would be a thing to behold in any environment. Here, capturing our excellent cast in the jungle, mountains and beaches of Malaysia, it is extraordinary. Hans has already shared his first sketches for the score, which are hugely inspiring. I’m writing this as I watch our cast more than thirty (all between the ages of five and thirteen) file up our mobile Jetty onto the beach, feeling delighted we made this happen”.

Stan’s Chief Content Officer Cailah Scobie says: “One of the biggest books of the 20th century, Lord of the Flies has captivated readers for generations, is loved by millions, and this landmark adaptation is guaranteed to compel Australian audiences. Our collaboration with the BBC and the award-winning team at Eleven features a dynamic young cast from top-tier creative talent, and we look forward to sharing this impactful Stan Original Series with our audiences soon.”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “We’re delighted to pass the conch to Jack Thorne, Marc Munden and this exceptionally talented young cast of stars in the making, who are telling this timeless story in such an epic and emotionally poignant way. Lord of the Flies is British storytelling at its finest and most thoughtful, and there is no better home for its first ever television adaptation than on the BBC.”

Read on the BBC Media Centre website here.

Stags Released on Paramount+

The first series of STAGS has been released on Paramount+.

The six-part series follows groom-to-be Stu and his friends on his stag do in South America. What was meant to be a week of drink, drugs, and fun turns dark when instead of boarding a plane home, the group is thrown in to a notorious and depraved prison island run by two drug-dealing siblings and it becomes clear that the stags need to pick a side if they have any chance of survival. Friendships are tested and life-long loyalty is sacrificed as Stu and his friends begin to question, who will make it home?

Executive Producer Carissa Hope Lynch commented “Stags is a balls out series, packed with plot twists that’ll give the keenest genre buff whiplash. We’re so thrilled to bring this savage tale to Paramount+.”

Stream STAGS here.