Otherwise, we've got the film that's suing Netflix, Ali G pranking another film, Birmingham's promotion, a film and TV lawyer with an entertaining former life, more post houses going under, and the story of the producer who went to prison.

Quick note: this month we’re taking a glimpse at independent films. Before we do, we want to acknowledge how incredibly difficult it is to get an independent film made. Screen Scotland is taking action with Lights, Camera, Capital, a pilot programme pairing producers with private angel investors — funded by Screen Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, with up to £50,000 per project committed at a pitch event in January. Applications close at 5pm on Monday 7 September, and you’ll need to be a Scotland-based producer with a company registered there. The online sessions are open to everyone, wherever you are.

A great idea, and timely — because we have news of one film from a famous director that went down just a few weeks ago due to a funding gap. More on that for our paid subscribers.

We're looking for a lawyer or publication to collaborate on a long-running investigation into practices in film financing. If that's you, get in touch — you can DM us on Substack or email us at info@thecallsheet.co.uk.

We looked through our subscriber list recently and would like to thank all our followers for reading and sharing.

If you’re not already subscribing — fix that, and you’ll get our monthly email first and the list of shows in pre-production and development.

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Action for Freelancers

Action for Freelancers is an organisation that aims to improve the working lives of freelancers working in TV. Led by project director James Taylor-Tovey, it’s funded by the likes of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, UKTV and Amazon, and has active involvement from other industry organisations including Pact, the Film & TV Charity and Bectu.

AfF focuses on six areas of work: mental health and wellbeing, working conditions, skills, recruitment, a policy working group, and communication. That last one is their latest campaign — namely, the out-of-hours WhatsApps pinging around long after wrap.

While there’s good representation from unscripted crew, it would be good to see more input from HETV crew. You can follow them on LinkedIn and Instagram:

We’re a hub, bab!

Good news for the West Midlands. It has officially been named the UK’s eighth regional production hub by the British Film Commission. It’s a dramatic turnaround.

When the BBC axed Doctors in 2023, there was local uproar. A steady proving ground for crew and writers, the soap was one of the few — perhaps the only — consistent productions in the city, made at the BBC’s Drama Village in Selly Oak. Nearly 10,000 people signed a petition to save it. The BBC’s own annual report shows the Midlands took just 2.3% of network television programming spend in 2025, down from 3.4% the year before — the smallest share of any English region or nation.

The last episode of Doctors aired on 14 November 2024. The afternoon slot went to Scam Interceptors, made out of Glasgow — pulling comparable audiences, and already a Daytime BAFTA winner when it took over. It won a second in May this year.

Uncertainty rippled through the local workforce. Just under a year later, in September 2025, the BBC pledged to almost double its investment in the West Midlands from £24m to £40m*. With Digbeth Loc. Studios now hosting the Peaky Blinders spin-offs, the city has met the critical requirements.

That 2.3% should now start moving, too. The investment pledge only landed in September 2025, and the Digbeth productions run through 2026, so next year’s report is the first that will tell us anything.

So what are those critical requirements? Three things. Evidence of having successfully accommodated a major scripted title. Access to a skilled local crew base. And studio or stage space and infrastructure capable of supporting a film or high-end TV show. The BFC cited Peaky Blinders, the feature The Immortal Man and the forthcoming spin-off series.

And what’s the actual benefit of being declared a regional hub? In practical terms, it gives Brum a seat at the table nationally, alongside London & South-East England, the North West (Manchester and Liverpool), Yorkshire (Leeds), the South West (Bristol), Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Being recognised by the BFC officially proves the hub has the capacity and ability within the local workforce and infrastructure to service a certain size of production. A production wouldn’t have to overnight their crew in from another area.

In time, they’ll be part of the fam trip tour, where international execs visit the hubs as potential bases for incoming productions. These familiarisation trips are literal tours around studios, facilities, locations and places such as restaurants in a specific area, to showcase the feasibility of bringing your next show here. You might wonder why I’ve listed restaurants. We’ve heard that when scouting for where to film Game of Thrones, the US showrunners were sold on the great food scene in Belfast. If you’re moving to an area for a long time, these things matter.

*There’s a part of me wondering why you wouldn’t announce the good thing first. Doctors was axed in October 2023; the near-doubling of investment came two years later. That gap left the local workforce with a long wait and a lot of anxiety — and presumably the BBC knew something else was coming. You can’t ghost a whole city!

Independent film contracts

A new method of contracting has emerged in low-budget feature films. It simultaneously points to how hard it is for producers to finance films and how much goodwill — and, frankly, lack of work — is needed from crew to get a film finished.

Shot this year with a budget of around £10m, one film put everyone on week-to-week contracts, where crew members are served seven days’ notice every Friday and must sign a new contract once a week.

Funding a film is exceptionally difficult. Given recent film collapses such as Angels in the Asylum (we will come back to this film in a future post), setting up weekly deals means the producer is only on the hook for one week’s worth of outstanding wages should the film run out of money, rather than being responsible for the entire duration of the contract. If a shoot was due to be ten weeks long and the money ran out by week five, the production would be liable for one week’s payroll, not five.

The upside is obvious for the producer. For the crew it can be a nightmare — not knowing whether to turn down other work in case the film collapses, set against the freelancer’s innate sense of duty to see the job through, especially if their name is on it. But this is the sad reality of a buyers’ market. With work scarce and people leaving the industry in their droves, the upper hand sits with the production company.

And that’s not the only film that has found workarounds when contracting crew…

Fortitude

The producer of a film called Fortitude is suing Netflix for $105m, after claiming that the streaming giant failed to secure the unsecured DCP (Digital Cinema Package) and said it was stolen from the offices of Netflix. The full story was broken by Deadline.

From the outset to the lawsuit, this production faced its fair share of challenges.

Made in the UK, directed by Simon West and shot on 35mm, Fortitude had a reported budget of $45m. Shot over eight weeks in late 2025, the film stars Nicolas Cage (who pocketed a handsome fee), and a cast including Sir Ben Kingsley (whose rider we hear includes melon and Parma ham at specific times of the day), Ron Perlman, Alice Eve, Ed Skrein and Matthew Goode. A considerable proportion of the budget seems to have been spent on cast.

The film was a passion project of one man and spent years in development. It was written by, produced and bankrolled by one Simon Afram, a Swiss businessman resident in Switzerland.

The Netflix suit isn’t the first legal dispute the film has encountered. Afram had previously sued Martin Scorsese over the same project, alleging the legendary filmmaker did nothing to advance it after taking producer fees. Scorsese’s side disputed it and the case settled out of court in 2024.

According to the filing, associate producer Daniel Haido delivered the DCP to Netflix’s offices at Sunset Bronson Studios on 15 June, and received an email from Netflix’s director of original film, Sean Berney, on 25 June with the subject line: “Stolen DCP”.

Think of a DCP like a master tape — usually sent as a physical hard drive to cinemas, where the exhibitor unlocks it with a corresponding key code. The producers dropped the drive to Netflix, supposedly without a key. So while the producers still have the master tapes, a stolen unrestricted drive in the wild could be uploaded online at any time, making a cinema or digital release futile. And the producer blames the streaming giant.

Unusually, the entire crew on Fortitude were hired on dailies contracts. Meaning that if the film ground to a halt, the producers were not on the hook for the whole contract of the schedule. It is very difficult to make an independent film and there is goodwill from the crew to make it work, but a day-to-day contract is incredibly precarious for crew who are unable to turn down other work with any confidence.

Several crew and suppliers told us that payments on Fortitude were often sporadic and ignored accepted terms and conditions.

Like many independent films — and many businesses — the financial structures can be precarious. The crew’s holiday pay was withheld until the end of their working period, when a daily contract would have entitled them to have it paid with their weekly pay. The company’s own accounts bear that out: the shoot finished on or around 27 October 2025, and Op-Fortitude Ltd’s accounts, made up four days later to 31 October, show £5.5m of trade creditors against £993,720 of cash in the bank. We understand crew and suppliers were eventually paid. But it’s an indication of how hard it is to get an independent film made, and of how much of that difficulty is carried throughout the chain.

Netflix disputes that it carries the risk of loss for a film handed over without industry-standard safeguards, and says it has investigated and offered to monitor piracy sites.

We hope a resolution can be found so that the final film that so many people worked so hard on can get onto the screen. And if it does, forget the popcorn — we’re taking a leaf out of Sir Ben’s book and going for melon and Parma ham at exactly 15 minutes into the movie.

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(Not) Getting Away With It

A remarkable comeback story for you now.

Producer Chris Atkins was jailed in 2016 for his part in a £2.2m tax fraud committed while making his film, Starsuckers. He and fellow producer Christina Slater were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to five and four years respectively.

The architect was Terence Potter, a former tax partner at Ernst & Young, who set up two partnerships claiming to have spent £5.7m on film projects — creating artificial losses that let investors claim back £40,000 in relief for every £20,000 they’d put in. Potter had already been jailed for eight years in December 2015, alongside financial adviser Neil Williams-Denton, who got six. Sentencing the pair, Judge Martin Beddoe called them “deeply dishonest individuals”.

Atkins and Slater were found to have considerably over-inflated invoices to help the scheme along. Starsuckers is a BAFTA-nominated documentary, and it’s actually very good — and in Atkins’ case the money went into the film rather than his pocket. In a 2020 interview with Screen, he put his own earnings from it at £18,000 over three years.

Atkins served time at HMP Wandsworth. While inside, he taught other inmates basic literacy skills (be honest, that’s what you think you’d be like if you went to prison) and served as a Samaritans listener for vulnerable inmates.

Without access to any music streaming services, he relied on a small digital radio to get BBC 6 Music. And he found himself becoming a fan of the band James.

Having served his time, Atkins wrote a book, A Bit of a Stretch, and launched a podcast of the same name about his experience inside and his views on prison reform.

Long after his release, he emailed the lead singer of James, Tim Booth, to tell him how much the band’s songs had meant to him while he was incarcerated. They struck up a conversation, which led to James asking Atkins to come on the road and make a documentary about them.

James: Getting Away With It — director, Chris Atkins, who didn’t get away with it — premiered at SXSW London in June and reached cinemas on 17 August.

Trailer:

Times and venues: https://jamesgettingawaywithit.com/

Post closures

Yet more post houses are crumbling under the shifting economics of the industry. Fifty Fifty, in Soho for 23 years across three Georgian townhouses, has closed. Founder Sally Pacy told Broadcast the facility had been full all year and still couldn’t make the numbers work — costs too high, budgets not there, margins gone. This is a company that won Broadcast’s Best Post Production House in 2021 and its Best Places to Work in TV award two years running.

It follows a grim run. When No.8 — the Soho house behind Baby Reindeer — went into insolvency this summer, creative director Jim Allen posted the roll-call himself: Glassworks, Absolute, The Mill, MPC, Daydreamer, Jellyfish. LipSync went into administration last May. Technicolor’s collapse put around 440 UK jobs at risk and took The Mill and MPC with it.

And a few weeks ago The Farm, according to The Times, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators. Worth being clear about what that means: it isn’t administration. It’s a legal breathing space while the owners work on refinancing. The Farm is open, working, and taking bookings. Look out for a positive update soon.

These facilities are not folding through any lack of talent, business acumen or skill. These companies have world-leading creatives, technology and production savvy. It is the landscape of the industry at the moment: huge gaps in commissions, tightening budgets, rising costs.

We’ve been hosting networking events at Marks Bar at The Farm for years. The rooftop bar, the wonderful General Manager Mark Wynter as gracious host, and his first-rate team have put on hundreds of industry events for senior executives and aspiring filmmakers across every genre and grade. They’re still there, and still open.

The story of The Farm was written by The Times journalist William Turvill. In 2022, Turvill approached us for comment on his Sunday Times long read, Welcome to Brollywood, all about the booming film and TV sector. Just four years later he’s writing about the closure of mainstay companies. The industry is shrinking back to a different shape — but that will be no comfort to those facing uncertainty.

Post production leaving Soho has a detrimental impact on some of the key things that make the industry tick over. The relationships that are formed, the jobs sealed, the deals struck and the gossip shared in places like the Blue Posts, the Shaston, the Ship and the Crown and Two Chairmen — the unofficial meeting spaces that bind the loose tendrils of the workforce and forge the relationships that are the foundations of production.

B’stards and anniversaries

Rik Mayall: Magnificent B’stard is a very funny and loving documentary, on Sky Documentaries and NOW since June. Star of The Young Ones, Bottom, Blackadder, The New Statesman, Drop Dead Fred and more, Mayall was a performer of such energy and bravado you couldn’t take your eyes off him. Directed by Todd Austin for Bohemia Films, it draws on unseen footage and contributions from Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Greg Davies and Nigel Planer. But it’s the contributions of Mayall’s children, his brother and his longtime comedy partner Ade Edmondson, in the film’s most tender moment, that seem to capture the full measure of the person and the performer adored by so many. Sky Arts screened a companion compilation the same night, Rik Mayall’s Sketches: Rare and Unseen.

You can’t have missed the 25th anniversary of The Office. A genuine masterpiece that hasn’t dimmed one bit since it was first broadcast.

The producer of the show, Ash Atalla (who also produced another work of comedy gold, Stath Lets Flats) gave a great interview with Richard Bacon about the state of the TV industry and his own career.

For the real comedy nerds, it’s also the 20th anniversary of Down the Line, the spoof radio phone-in that had real Radio 4 listeners phoning in to complain. A stellar team led by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson, along with Amelia Bullmore, Simon Day, Lucy Montgomery and the much-missed Felix Dexter. It just so happened that Michael Cumming — director of Toast of London, Brass Eye and more — filmed all of the sessions, and has recently put a making-of on his own YouTube channel: Oxide Ghosts

Ali G is back, too. Ali G: Who Iz I? arrives on 23 October, shot in secret and marking Sacha Baron Cohen’s first film as director as well as writer, producer and star.

But did you know other productions have been on the receiving end of a Baron Cohen “prank”? He lives in an affluent part of London that happens to be popular as a filming location. When one hit film shot exteriors at a neighbour’s house a few years back, and his own property might have been in frame, Cohen — well aware of the angles — hoisted an enormous flag across the front of his house. We’re told it held up the whole shoot for a day (££££), and it took a phone call from the head of a film studio before it came down.

Curious, though, for an actor whose own straight roles depend on other people putting up with filming taking place.

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Personnel changes

David Heyman has signed a multi-year first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios, ending a Warner Bros relationship that ran nearly 30 years. His Heyday Films produced all eight Harry Potter films, the three Fantastic Beasts films, Gravity, Paddington and Barbie. The Bond film he’s making with Amy Pascal isn’t part of the deal. Warner’s talent roster is being picked over, perhaps as part of the merger uncertainty.

Sinead Rocks arrives from Channel 4 as the new CEO of ScreenSkills.

Mars Proctor has joined facilities company Movie Makers, bringing a wealth of knowledge and contacts with him.

Director Gareth Edwards has departed the next Jurassic World film over creative differences, but the production is pushing ahead.

And you know all about David Ellison spending his father Larry’s money — the Oracle founder — on the WarnerMount merger. But did you know his sister Megan Ellison runs Annapurna Pictures? Market conditions have just forced them to lay off 30 staff. A great shame, because Annapurna has a great record of backing original films.

Recommendations

The Commitments (1991). One of the best musical films of all time, based on the novel by Roddy Doyle about a Dublin soul band. Directed by Alan Parker with an entire cast of then-unknowns, including Glen Hansard. A film of incredible energy.

Hits, Flops and Other Illusions by Ed Zwick is one of the best filmmaker biographies on the shelves. The Oscar winner shares foundational advice and great stories about working with Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and many more. In its most brutal chapter, Zwick gives a first-hand account of working with — and receiving death threats from — the convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein. Each chapter is bookended with a top ten list of advice for aspiring filmmakers.

A flurry of new-ish podcasts have been started by working crew. We haven’t managed to listen to all of them yet, but the more we can open up about the industry and let some light in, the better. Here they are:

● The Prop Room Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@theproproom-podcast

● The Crewcast Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thecrewcastpodcast

● The Made Up Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MadeUpPodcast-t5s

Heads of Department is a new website — Masterclass, but for crew. So far the line-up is a stellar one: production designer Fiona Crombie and costume designer Sandy Powell. The man behind it is Peter Knowles, an Australian-born, London-based commercials producer who spotted the gap and created an online series with top-tier HoDs and high production values. https://headsofdepartment.com/

Recently wrapped

Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms has wrapped.

Only Murders in the Building has wrapped its season in London. Farewell to Martin Short, Selena Gomez and Steve Martin.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series 2 has wrapped, filmed in Northern Ireland and Gran Canaria. Let’s hope it doesn’t take long for a third series to be commissioned.

The Bay series 6 (ITV) has wrapped at Space Studios and on location in Morecambe.

Over in Malta, Jason Statham Stole My Bike has wrapped. Statham actually stars in this one, the actor taking a swing at a lighter-hearted but still action-led project.

Gangs of London series 4 is in its final week of production.

War (Sky/HBO) — pictured above, starring Sienna Miller and Dominic West

War, a legal drama, has wrapped out of OMA Studios in Enfield after a mammoth shoot that began in November 2025. This was an unusual production: it shot series one and series two back-to-back, with only six weeks between them. Sixteen episodes in total, which is a bold commission for any broadcaster — we salute the commissioners backing it. Our guess at the reasoning: writer George Kay had finished his Netflix deal, and when New Pictures took series one to Sky, the Comcast-owned broadcaster saw a chance to get two series out of a prolific and successful writer while it had the chance. Series one and series two are completely different cases, and both have an excellent cast — Miller and West, along with David Harewood OBE and Kelly Macdonald.

In June, we led the First Break Training Day on behalf of ScreenSkills and Fully Focused Productions at OMA Studios, where War was filming. Forty new entrants of all ages and backgrounds from the local area came to the studios for interactive sessions and a tour of the set. By coincidence, David Harewood OBE was filming that day and dropped in to speak to the cohort and take questions — which they peppered him with. He gave them practical advice and some inspiring words before heading back to set. A class act.

Finally

A sad month, and some difficult news to share.

We are sorry to share the loss of a young and talented make-up artist, Ava Gillies, who was involved in a car accident last month. The 26-year-old had worked on shows like The Crown, Bridgerton and The Hack. A talented artist with a bright and warm personality. Our deepest sympathies to her family, friends and colleagues. A JustGiving page has been set up in her honour to support aspiring make-up artists like Ava: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ava-gillies-rosedale

Malcolm McLean, a camera operator and DoP, died suddenly on set in London on the penultimate day of filming. Originally from Australia, the down-to-earth and hugely experienced operator had worked on Kick-Ass, Mission: Impossible and Dolittle. He was working alongside his friend and regular collaborator, DoP Tim Maurice-Jones, at the time of his passing.

RIP Glen Hansard, the Irish musician who went from busking on the streets of Dublin to an Oscar for “Falling Slowly”, written with Markéta Irglová for the film Once. Frontman of The Frames and half of The Swell Season, he died in Dublin last month at 56, following a motorcycle crash. His big screen debut was as Outspan Foster, guitarist of The Commitments — which is why it’s in our recommendations this month.

And a final word on Dolly Parton — singer, actor, songwriter, theme park owner, philanthropist and an outright giant-hearted megastar, who died in Nashville this week at 80. One of a kind.

And finally

Something light to end this month’s Substack on.

This clip does the rounds on social media every few years. The talented comic actor, writer and brilliant mime David Armand acts out the lyrics of a song while a panel of comics try to guess them.

What you might not know is that Armand retrained, dropped the stage name, and is now practising law as a senior associate in the Film & TV group at Wiggin.

So if you’re in need of a super-entertaining entertainment lawyer, he’s your man.

https://www.wiggin.co.uk/people/david-whitehead/

Filming (9)

Charmer

A professional seducer-for-hire upends a group of 30-something Londoners’ lives. Anthony Boyle leads.

Production: Sky (Working Title)

Filming from: August 2026

Status: Filming

Key crew: Director: Elliot Hegarty · Writer: Thomas Aspell · Producer: Charlotte Surtees ·

Black Mirror – Series 8

Anthology series returns for series 8. Based at Ealing Studios.

Production: Netflix (Pacesetter)

Location: London

Filming from: July 2026

Status: Filming

Key crew: Showrunner: Charlie Brooker · Producer: Mark Kinsella

Down Cemetery Road – Series 2

Based on Mick Herron’s novels, the new season follows PI Zoë Boehm and Sarah Trafford as they navigate the dangerous world of black-market antiquities while hunting a serial killer. Band 3 drama. Based at OMA Studios.

Production: Apple TV+ (60Forty Films)

Location: OMA Studios

Status: Filming

Key crew: Director: Börkur Sigþórsson · Writer: Morwenna Banks · Producer: Jamie Laurenson · Producer: Hakan Kousetta

Bad Bridgets

Drama set in famine-era Ireland, following the fates of Irish women. Based on the book by Elaine Farrell.

Production: Luckychap

Location: Belfast

Filming from: July 2026

Status: Filming

Key crew: Director: Rich Peppiatt · Producer: Trevor Birney · Director of Photography: Ryan Kernaghan · Production Designer: James Price

Reputation

A celebrity legal battle spirals out of control.

Production: BBC (The Forge)

Location: London

Status: Filming

Key crew: Director: Mahalia Belo · Writer: Anya Reiss · Producer: Alex Kazamia · Line Producer: Henry Woolley

Honeymoon / Funerals

Debut feature film from Nahnatchka Khan. Starring Rebecca Ferguson.

Production: MRC, Fierce Baby Productions

Location: London (TBC)

Status: Filming

Key crew: Director: Nahnatchka Khan · Producer: Victoria Burchinow · Line Producer: Savannah Power

First Day on Earth

Michaela Coel comedy-drama (codename Mykito). Coel writes, stars and co-directs with Sam Miller. Now back in the UK from Ghana and shooting until the end of September 2026.

Production: BBC / HBO (Various Artists Limited)

Location: WBSL

Filming from: February 2026

Status: Filming

Key crew: Director: Sam Miller · Director: Michaela Coel · Producer: Johann Knobel · Costume Designer: Cobbie Yates

The Woods

Harlan Coben drama starring Michelle Keegan, Tom Bateman and Mandeep Dhillon.

Production: Netflix (Quay Street)

Location: Manchester

Filming from: April 2026

Status: Filming

Key crew: Writer: Danny Brocklehurst · Director of Photography: Alistair Upcraft · Director of Photography: Phil Wood

Chocolate Wars

Period drama about the founding of Cadbury’s.

Production: Britbox (Fable Pictures)

Location: Birmingham

Filming from: July 2026

Status: Filming

Key crew: Director: Tom McKay · Producer: Faye Ward · Producer: Hannah Farrell · Line Producer: Joseph Sharpe

Paid subscribers get the full list — eight in pre-production, nine in development.

Read more

This month: the new BFI board and the consultation on where its money goes, the wave of mergers reshaping who commissions British television, the Pact Red Book, a tax change that could affect every freelancer reading this.

First, an indulgence. After 15 years, we’ve launched a new website and a (kind of) change of direction: thecallsheet.co.uk

Back to the industry news.

Tectonic Plates

The last month has reshaped the industry at a pace that’s easy to miss. Between them, these deals will determine who owns and commissions for British television, and how much of it.

The Paramount/WB merger cleared the EU last week and got a DOJ green light in June — but it’s now hit the wall at home. A federal judge has paused it, and David Ellison has agreed not to take any step toward acquiring Warner until June 2027, or until the lawsuits clear, whichever comes first. Twelve state attorneys general and the Writers Guild are challenging it in the States, while actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong warn against it in this op-ed for the Guardian.

Which leaves Larry Ellison — the real money behind the deal, and a donor of many millions to Donald Trump — in a familiar position. Whether he now picks up the phone to ask the White House for what we’ll call an Infantino remains to be seen; for now, the courts have other ideas. And every quarter the deal sits unclosed from October, the bill runs to some $650m — with a $7bn termination fee if it collapses altogether.

Comcast has bought ITV — though not ITV Studios. That leaves Channel 4 looking like krill, and talks have been taking place privately between the BBC and Channel 4, the only British broadcasters left at the table. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy — who keeps her place in Cabinet under new PM Andy Burnham, himself a former Culture Secretary — is signalling a change to the licence fee, and the BBC’s annual report shows that licence fee payers have fallen by half a million. Something has to change. Steven Knight put an idea to the CMS committee last month: why can’t people overseas subscribe to the BBC?

Netflix stock is down around 45% on this time last year. They’ve reverse-ferreted on the promise to publish viewing figures twice a year rather than annually, largely because they’re losing up to 60% of the audience between first and second series of their biggest shows. But grow or die — and they still have the war chest that wasn’t spent on WBD, which was to have been a cash purchase. So who’s next? The Ankler reckons it might be Spotify.

Sky and ITV. Banijay and All3Media. Paramount and Warners. And now BBC and Channel 4. Any one of these would have been the story of the year. Together they may only be the starter.

The last one standing

It’s not out of the question that the UK ends up with a single national broadcaster, under sustained assault from vested interests, while most of the rest is owned in the US or the Middle East.

Which is why the protection of a UK public service broadcaster matters more now than it has in years. While the new version of “What has the BBC ever done for me” lacks some of the charm and wit of the 1986 original, the point still lands. Ask yourself what fills the space if it goes.

Called it

Back in February, we asked Barry Ryan who he tipped as the next big thing. Watch what he said:

And this weekend, at San Diego Comic-Con:

The BFI — new board, new consultation

Since it launched in 1994, the National Lottery has put a staggering £53bn into arts, culture, sport, heritage and charity. How that money is spent hasn’t been reviewed since 2002.

Under instruction from Lisa Nandy, every major recipient of Lottery funding now faces a consultation on where the money goes. The BFI, naturally, “welcomed” it. You can have your say — you might want to read the numbers below first.

There’s also a new board. Six new governors join: Tanya Cordrey, Mark Herbert, Ganan Kanagathurai, Hakan Kousetta, Ryan Prince and Jane Tranter. Profiles for each are here. And Isabel Davis takes over the BFI’s National Lottery Filmmaking Funds from Mia Bays in October.

They inherit a set of decisions worth digging into.

Where the money goes

The BFI’s new National Lottery plan runs to £150m over three years, up 10% on the last cycle. Filmmaking takes £61m, audiences £33.5m, education and heritage £13.3m, with smaller sums for international, insight and industry. The filmmaking figure is up 13% on the previous plan — but broken down annually it comes to £20.3m a year, still short of the £25m a year the Film Fund commanded back in 2022/23. International activity, meanwhile, has been cut by more than half.

Here are the ten best-funded features of the period.

These are just the top 10 beneficiaries for that period.

The BFI backed 35 features in this period. The ten above account for £11.5m of it; the other 25 averaged around £580k each.

Beyond the ten above, the BFI funded hundreds more projects through its development, short-film and feature funds — north of 500 titles, averaging around £53k each.

And yes — we thought Hamlet’s £150k in top-ups (£115k wellbeing, £35k Step-up) sat oddly against the standard £15k most BFI films get for wellbeing.

The BFI does not lack for critics. Two of the loudest live on LinkedIn, where they post about it with a regularity that borders on vocational.

They cannot both be right. One — a Sydney-based producer and former distributor, with interests in AI production — thinks the BFI is too busy proving its diversity credentials to fund watchable films. The other — a London, West Country and former LA-based producer-director-editor (who once worked with the BFI) — thinks it is not diverse enough, and run by, in his own words, “Oxbridge nepos”. Same institution, same money, opposite complaints, matching levels of charm.

So: have your say. The government has opened a 12-week call for evidence — National Lottery Good Causes: Fund What Matters To You — the first proper look at where this money goes since 2003. It runs to midday on 23 September, takes about twenty minutes, and you can save and come back to it.

Readers of this newsletter either work in the industry or follow it closely, so your view carries weight. If you’ve been turned down for funding, try to leave the grievance at the door and think about the wider ecosystem — what the sector actually needs, not just what you didn’t get. The early part of the survey is general; the questions that bear on our world come later, so stick with it. Respond online, by post or by email. Here’s the link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/national-lottery-good-causes-fund-what-matters-to-you

Rates, tax and the state of play

Three things worth your attention if you’re freelance — which, reading this, you probably are.

Rates. Pact has published its Red Book: recommended terms for engaging crew on UK feature films with budgets between £1m and £10m. It’s guidance drawn up by the producers’ association, non-binding rather than enforceable — but it sets out what fair engagement terms should look like, and if you work in low-budget features it’s worth knowing what you can reasonably ask for. Click HERE for the Pact website

Tax. The government is consulting on moving self-assessment payments from annual to quarterly or monthly. Every freelancer knows the dread of the tax bill that lands long after the money’s passed in and out of the account. In the short term the change would sting; over time it might spread the load more evenly. Either way it hits your cashflow directly, and the consultation is open now. Click HERE for the consultation.

The numbers. A new report from ScreenSkills, Channel 4’s 4Skills and Ampere Analysis sizes up the state of the workforce — a sobering read, couched in bloodless corporate speak. Workforce utilisation — people actually in work — has fallen to around 50–55%, down from 60–65% in 2023. The volume of UK-produced film and TV released fell 13% between 2022 and 2025. Worst hit was VFX and post: from 45% capacity in 2023 to just 30% now — which will surprise no one who’s watched Soho empty out. The report models three futures — baseline, lower and upper — but with this many variables (see Tectonic Plates, above), it’s honest enough to admit no one can really call it. A commissioning slowdown, and work drifting to European competitors, hasn’t helped. https://www.screenskills.com/media/esxdnqau/sizing-up-the-future-july-2026.pdf

Crewing

A new service launched last month that replicates — almost exactly — what thecallsheet set out to do fifteen years ago, and borrows the name of another pioneering service from around the same time. Flattering, in its way. But the model is a hard one to sustain. After the initial flurry, people tend to drift back to how they always crew up — and in a buyers’ market, that means WhatsApp, Telegram and the private Facebook groups. As a full-time business in this climate, it’s a tough ask.

One production bucking that trend is Larkin 2 (a returning Apple TV series). They’ve taken the progressive step of hosting their own website for crew to apply directly to a production. That’s a genuinely open, transparent way to do it, and it deserves a nod. Good on the 60Forty team, Karl and Azariah, for pioneering it.

They start filming this week (after their dates initially pushed), so most full-time roles have been filled — but keep an eye on the site in case any daily or 2nd unit work comes up.

https://larkin2opportunities.com/roles/

Manchester

More good news for Manchester. Following last month’s £10.5m fund for filmmakers, the city’s slate is filling up nicely — House of Guinness, Dirty, Dragon Slayers, Black Ops, Daddy Issues and Army of Shadows are all shooting there, or partly there. More on each in the full list below.

And there’s a bigger move afoot. The TV Festival — the Edinburgh TV Festival, the most important date in the UK television calendar — is leaving Edinburgh after 50 years and relocating to Greater Manchester from 2027. The last Edinburgh edition takes place this August. It’s a smart move: August in Edinburgh means competing with the Fringe for every hotel room, and the switch should cut costs sharply for delegates and passes alike. Good for Manchester, and good for a festival that badly needed to widen access.

Personnel

Philippa Childs will step down as head of Bectu in January 2027, after more than eight years leading the union — its first female head. She stays in post until then to support her successor, to be named by parent union Prospect. A tireless leader, and a consistent voice on bullying, harassment and freelancer rights through a brutal few years for the sector.

Seb Barwell, Channel 5’s drama commissioner, departs.

Laura Mansfield steps down as CEO of ScreenSkills, a role she'd held since early 2024; Lisa Opie takes over as caretaker until a permanent replacement is found. On appointment, Mansfield said she was "looking forward to working with our partners across the UK." Yet seven of the key external training providers (of which we are one) who deliver the majority of ScreenSkills' courses confirm that not one of them had a single official meeting with her across her tenure. A missed opportunity.

Northern Ireland Screen’s chief executive Richard Williams is stepping down after 23 years — part of the team that brought Game of Thrones to Northern Ireland and big shoes to fill.

And the Banijay/All3Media merger is already shedding executives: CEO Louise Pedersen, COO Sara Geater, and execs Jonathan Hughes and Steven Brown are all out. This is just the start of the exodus — expect the Sky/ITV deal to start doing the same over the coming months.

Recommendations

Heat. Michael Mann’s 1995 masterpiece — Pacino and De Niro, one of the greatest cops-and-robbers films ever made. If you’ve somehow never seen it, fix that. And there’s timely reason to revisit: Heat 2 is finally happening. Mann shoots his prequel-sequel in November, with a cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Stephen Graham and Adam Driver. Quite a line-up — and this time it’s real, not rumour.

Digger. The trailer’s out. The crew that worked on it said that it was one of the most challenging shoots they’ve ever been on — but that the early cuts suggest the sweat was worth it, and that this could be something special. Filmed mostly at Pinewood (despite being a Warners picture) under the codename “Judy”. One to keep an eye on. Here’s the trailer.

Finally

RIP Brenda Fricker. The brilliant Irish actress — the first ever to win an Oscar, for My Left Foot in 1990 — has died. Remarkably, before her Academy Award she was best known to UK audiences as Nurse Megan Roach in Casualty.

# thecallsheet -- July 2026: Production Updates

*Published 26 July 2026*

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**Recently wrapped:**

Better Later (BBC, Wales) - This was a Ruth Jones project; she will now go on to reunite with James Corden on a brand new series based in London (Listed on Production Radar since May).

Prodigies (Apple TV). First Woman (ITV) -- both wrapped and Ashley Walters is about to return to London for his next Project for Apple.

Elden Ring has moved to Iceland for the final leg of production. Gangs of London series 4 is in its final weeks. The Husbands (Apple TV) main unit wrapped last month and is now tackling pick ups. JJ Abrams movie The Great Beyond (AKA Ghost Writer) completed it’s additional photography since our last post.

Disclaimer

thecallsheet is an independent industry newsletter. The information contained in this issue is gathered from a combination of publicly available sources and confidential industry intelligence. Where information is unconfirmed, this is indicated in the text.

The production list is compiled using Production Radar, an early-intelligence monitoring system. Productions are included based on verified or credibly sourced information. Stage, location and crew details reflect the position at time of publication and are subject to change.

Nothing in this newsletter constitutes legal, financial or employment advice. thecallsheet accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of information published here.

This newsletter is intended for subscribers only. Forwarding or reproducing any part of this issue without permission is not permitted.

© thecallsheet 2026. All rights reserved.

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Filming (10)

Am I Being Unreasonable? – Series 3

Comedy thriller written by and starring Daisy May Cooper.

BBC (Boffola Pictures) · Bristol, Bottle Yard Studios · Filming

Writer: Daisy May Cooper · Producer: Ali Marlow · Producer: Emily McDonald

Gangs of London – Series 4

Fourth instalment of the gritty crime series.

Sky (Pulse Films) · London · From April 2026 · Filming

Producer: James Levison · Line Producer: Marshall Leviten · Production Designer: Darryl Hammer

Down Cemetery Road – Series 2

Based on Mick Herron’s novels. PI Zoë Boehm and Sarah Trafford navigate the dangerous world of black-market antiquities while hunting a serial killer. Band 3 drama. Based at OMA Studios.

Apple TV+ (60Forty Films) · London · Filming starts this week

Director: Börkur Sigþórsson · Writer: Morwenna Banks · Producer: Jamie Laurenson · Producer: Hakan Kousetta

Bad Bridgets

Drama set in famine-era Ireland, following the fates of Irish women. Based on the book by Elaine Farrell.

Luckychap · Belfast · From July 2026 · Filming

Director: Rich Peppiatt · Producer: Trevor Birney · DoP: Ryan Kernaghan

Reputation

A celebrity legal battle spirals out of control.

BBC (The Forge) · London · Filming

Director: Mahalia Belo · Writer: Anya Reiss · Producer: Alex Kazamia · Line Producer: Henry Woolley

Army of Shadows

Under de facto American occupation, a former British Army officer builds a covert resistance cell from scratch — navigating betrayal, moral compromise and the tension between patience and action — as young recruits fight to reclaim their country and their futures. Inspired by the 1969 French film about the Nazi occupation.

Channel 4 (Two Cities, StudioCanal) · Manchester, Liverpool · From Summer 2026 · Filming

Writer: Ronan Bennett · Director: Lisa Gunning · Producer: Alison Sterling · Production Designer: Tom Sayer

First Day on Earth

Michaela Coel comedy-drama (codename Mykito). Coel writes, stars and co-directs with Sam Miller. Now back from Ghana and based at WBSL.

BBC / HBO · WBSL / Ghana · From February 2026 · Filming

Director: Sam Miller · Director: Michaela Coel · Producer: Johann Knobel · Costume Designer: Cobbie Yates · Production Designer: Simon Rogers · Production Manager: Adanna Adams

Elden Ring

Alex Garland writes and directs an adaptation of the George R.R. Martin story. Wrapped in the UK; unit now in Iceland.

A24 · Sky Studios Elstree · Filming

Director: Alex Garland · Producer: Matthew Penry-Davey · Line Producer: Charlie Reed · Production Designer: Mark Digby

Halftime Hero

Drama set at West Ham in the 1990s, when Harry Redknapp put a fan on the pitch during a pre-season friendly. Eddie Marsan stars.

MetFilm · London and Hampshire · From July 2026 · Filming

Director: Ole Sanders · Producer: Anna Mohr-Pietsch · Co-Producer: Ross Williams

Chocolate Wars

Period drama about the founding of Cadbury’s.

Britbox (Fable Pictures) · Birmingham · From July 2026 · Filming

Director: Tom McKay · Producer: Faye Ward · Producer: Hannah Farrell · Line Producer: Joseph Sharpe

Subscribers get access to 10 pre-production titles, 10 development titles. If you’re a head of production or head of department, you can sign up to Production Radar BETA (currently free).

Read more

But first, one of my favourite contributions from the book. Lord David Puttnam — Producer of Chariots of Fire, The Killing Fields, The Mission, Bugsy Malone and Midnight Express, Oscar and BAFTA winner — was kind enough to share this piece of wisdom exclusively for the book.

“Someone once asked me, ‘How does a movie get made?’ and I replied that you reach a point where you’re so in love with the idea you refuse to allow it not to get made. If you want to succeed in this industry, you must fundamentally believe in the value of what you have to offer. If you don’t believe it, no one else will!

In your career you will need a combination of teamwork, serendipity and hunch but, most importantly, you must have the sheer will-power and tenacity to drive your idea forward.

I would say that networking among your peers early in your career, and then carrying on doing so, is incredibly important. It enables you to start building a ‘web of trust’ — to figure out who you can genuinely learn from, and who you can seek advice and support from in a crisis.

You must be prepared to share your learning, your experiences and your mistakes at every possible opportunity; this is the very best way to ensure that you remain equipped to deal with a rapidly changing environment.

Finally, I’d like to share a quote from Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw: ‘Be true to the dreams of your youth.’”

Lord David Puttnam, Producer

That’s one of 50 exclusive contributions in what I think was the most important chapter in the book — The Pearls of Wisdom — which brought together perspectives from Oscar and BAFTA-winning crew, the Oscars organisation itself, and BAFTA. I’ve included five of those 50 contributions at the end of this post.

How it started — thanks to one graduate

The 100,000-word book started as an email.

In early 2014, I replied to a recent graduate who had just left university and wanted to apply for a head of department job on a high-end TV drama. Some graduates at the time held the belief that the role they’d performed on student films translated directly into the industry. We exchanged a few civil emails about why a multi-million pound production wouldn’t hire someone with no experience into a HoD role, and it made me think: maybe I should write this down properly. That misunderstanding is far less common now, but believe me, we received loads of emails like that back in 2014.

So I wrote a blog which was picked up by a publication called The Huffington Post. I asked my old friend and former colleague David Allcock — a storyboard artist who has worked with Greta Gerwig, Sam Mendes and Tim Burton; look him up on IMDb, he is a genius — to create an illustration for the post.

And then I thought I should explain CVs. And cover emails. And all the different roles and departments. And the hundreds of terms. And the history. And the future. And most importantly, I needed to get as many experienced voices as possible to contribute — because I was a relative nobody (some may argue that I still am) with 15 years of workmanlike jobbing experience. It was crucial that anyone picking up the book could trust the information was good.

So I got 50 exclusive contributions from every corner of the industry: BAFTA, the Oscars, the Production Guild, ScreenSkills, the BBC, Warner Bros., Lord David Puttnam, and Oscar and BAFTA-winning crew from across every department. I rounded it out with 10 longer-form interviews and hundreds of links to resources across the UK — a good few of which, sadly, no longer exist.

The book covers the history of the UK industry, the production process, call sheets, schedules, descriptions of over 100 job roles, a 200-term glossary, detailed CV and cover email guidance, and advice on finding work. I set out to make it as comprehensive as possible. It’s hard to believe now — when there are so many sources of information, schemes, programmes, TikTok and Instagram accounts — but at the time, this information simply wasn’t in one place. From memory, even ScreenSkills didn’t have department and job descriptions on their website back in 2016.

The world it landed in

The book came out just one week before the Brexit vote, and only a couple of years after the government introduced the High-End TV Tax Credit in 2014 — which had already triggered a significant increase in UK productions, as audiences moved into peak binge-era TV. At the time of publication, Netflix was still two years from having a commissioner in the UK. Apple TV+ and Disney+ wouldn’t arrive for another three years.

According to ONS figures (which I take with a pinch of salt — I don’t think their model reflects the real volume of people who work in the sector), the UK film and TV production workforce stood at 64,000 people in 2016, and 73,000 as of 2024. In 2016, that workforce delivered a production spend of £1.9bn in Film and HETV. In 2025, that figure stands at £6.8bn — a staggering increase, especially set against the ONS’s own numbers, which suggest only 9,000 more people are actually doing the work. That’s not to say the industry feels buoyant for everyone in it today — far from it. It’s still hard to break in, and heartbreakingly easy to be left behind and leave altogether. This year has been a hard one for many, with so few productions starting up (the good news is, it’s about to get very busy).

In the ten years since the book came out: COVID, the post-COVID boom, the strikes, the slowdown. New streaming services investing in the UK. Mergers, acquisitions, virtual production, YouTube, vertical dramas, the collapse of the VFX sector, and a US President threatening 100% tariffs on films.

Here in the UK, we’ve had six (ahem) seven Prime Ministers, eight Chancellors and eleven Culture Secretaries in the last ten years. To their credit, all of them — even Nadine Dorries — understood the importance of the tax incentives that underpin this industry and the wider economy. One nagging concern I do have for the industry’s future: what happens to those incentives if a Reform government ever comes to power?

How much did I make?

The book itself earned royalties of £8,559.24 (ish) across various wholesalers and outlets. Last month, I received a royalty of 90 pence. So I’m still, literally, coining it.

But the money was never really the point. What came off the back of writing the book changed the direction of my company entirely. The fact that I could explain the structure, the nuances, the detail — that I’d spent two years putting it all together — led to speaking engagements and training work for the Oscars, Warner Bros., Pinewood, the BFI, ScreenSkills and many more. None of which would have happened if I hadn’t spent two years putting the book together.

I’ve tried to write a second edition three times — January 2020, shortly before the 2023 strikes, and again just before Trump’s tariff announcement. Each time, the ground shifted enough that the wind went out of the sails before I could adequately capture the present.

What I’d tell anyone starting out today

Most of the book still stands. Good advice is timeless. What changes is the technology, the companies and the routes in.

There are more trainee programmes now than there were in 2016 — back then it was really just ScreenSkills’ Trainee Finder and the CallTime Company. Now there’s CrewHQ, the Disney Academy, First Break, Screen Alliance Wales, All Set West and plenty more. Get your CV in shape. Learn the departments, the roles, who does what and where they sit in the structure. Be open to other roles and departments - you don’t know what you don’t know and there might be a perfect job for you, and it could be one you’ve never heard of.

But the thing that hasn’t changed — in the last ten years, the decade before that, and the decade before that — is this: what you need most is a network, determination and resilience.

Which brings me back to where I started. Lord Puttnam’s line about getting a film made applies just as well to building a career:

“You reach a point where you’re so in love with the idea you refuse to allow it not to get made.”

To paraphrase him further: in your career, you’ll need a combination of teamwork, serendipity and hunch — but, most importantly, the sheer will-power and tenacity to drive you forward.

It’s been a really difficult year for the majority of the industry, but productions are starting to gear up. If you’re new to the industry, and you’re reading this far, then I’d highly recommend you apply for the CrewHQ Trainee Programme — which has just opened for applications.

The book still has a 4.8 rating and, by my reckoning, about 95% of the advice and information stands up today. You can get a copy of the book here

So, with that, here are five excerpts from the outstanding contributions out of the 50 we got in the Pearls of Wisdom chapter. All were originally published back in 2016, but they’re still gold today.

Jed Mercurio

Writer/Director (Line of Duty)

https://www.instagram.com/jed_mercurio/

I took the traditional route into TV, by starting as a junior hospital doctor! There are plenty of people who study media or film as a route into the industry, but I’d caution against believing they’re the only gateways. Many successful careers have begun in unexpected places, and having an unusual CV can sometimes work to your advantage.

Contrary to popular opinion, ours is a very open industry. You can go from watching a programme on TV to working on it in a matter of days. If you work hard and have ability, you’ll succeed in the end. But no one succeeds by their own endeavour alone, so seek out the people who can enable you. They are the ones who’ve done work you admire that you intend to aspire to. Make contact with them; chances are, like most of us, they’ll respond to flattery.

My beginning was as a scriptwriter. I was exceedingly fortunate that my clumsy efforts were taken seriously and developed by mentors. Some of these working relationships are ones I still depend on to this day. But not all relationships with more experienced professionals are supportive. If you find you can’t do your best work if you follow the guidance of a certain producer or executive, you should have the courage to leave that relationship behind. When you do find the right champion, you’ll know it, because you’ll be proud of your work, whether it succeeds or not.

I’m very fortunate to have acquired a great deal of influence over how my scripts are realised; whether I produce or direct them is now largely my own choice. Before I reached that stage, I had to challenge for a say in how actors delivered my lines (or didn’t) and how directors shot my scenes (or didn’t). Confrontation rarely works, and in the long term it’s far too damaging to creative relationships. Recruit people to your point of view. There are directors and actors I worked with nearly twenty years ago whom I’m still delighted to collaborate with.

Think long and hard if this is the right career for you. If it is, give it your all. Take-offs are optional; landings are mandatory. Everyone makes mistakes. You can’t play the shot you just missed, only the one in front of you. Experience is the quality you’ve gained just after you most needed it. You’ll only get the benefit if you keep going.

Sarah Greenwood

Production Designer (Barbie)

Production designers never know what they’ll be asked to do next. Period, contemporary, futuristic; it could be anything, so you have to keep your eyes and ears open all the time, drinking in the world around you. It’s also important to study human nature and human relationships, and how they manifest themselves visually. The characters and the story are the baseline of what you’re trying to convey and, within that story, you aspire to create a complete world by taking risks and being brave.

You need to have enormous self-belief and the courage of your convictions, but equally you’ve got to be able to listen to others and admit your mistakes.

It’s important to build relationships with people that inspire you to better yourself. I was lucky to meet Joe Wright who was like a mad fizzing animal, just brilliant! We have a totally collaborative relationship; I push him and he pushes me as we try to better each other’s ideas. I’ve also gathered a great team around me. There are four or five key people who are with me on every project and then others who come and go depending on scale and style of project, but it’s a pool of such talent and creative energy that together we are far bigger and better than the sum of our parts. Our approach allows for creative freedom without fear. Fear, laziness and sloppiness are the enemy. If you’re going to fail, it’s better to have had a damn good try.

When I start to design, I immerse myself in imagery – anything that’s relevant – and then it’s a process of refinement and simplification, boiling it all down until you find a key that unlocks the whole film. The key might be a simple colour-contrast, or a multi-layer philosophy that gives you rules and a structure to follow.

Starting a film, you have to rationalise everything and understand which sets are designed for very specific shots and which have to sustain days of filming. Then you can add depth, drama, angles, scale and tone where it’s most needed to sustain the action. Above all else, it’s pointless cutting corners because in the long run it never saves anything: not time, not money, not creativity. Do it properly or don’t do it at all. And the thing is, when design is working really well, the audience won’t even be aware of it!

There are many paths to the job that’s right for you so if one route doesn’t suit, try another. I started in theatre design before moving into television and eventually film. What I love about film is that every shot is a point of view, and your set can be something as small as a pinhead or as massive as a universe.

John Higgins

Gaffer (Skyfall, 1917)

https://www.instagram.com/bigglessw7/

I would say to gain as much knowledge as possible as to what equipment is available, and there are a few ways of getting this knowledge. Trade shows are fantastic in this respect, as most of the equipment is under one roof it can be a day well spent. The internet is another great source of articles, and the rental companies are very accommodating with demonstrations and technical advice.

Another piece of advice is to avail yourself of the best crew around. The choice of crew is very important as a reflection of you. They should be encouraged to take on responsibility and feel part of the film-making process.

Flora Moody

Make-Up & Hair Designer (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power)

https://www.instagram.com/floramoody/

Early on in my career, I became aware of a few key words that would either get me into trouble or help me avoid it. When I wrote them down, I realised that not only did they all begin with the letter ‘P’, but they are the backbone to any healthy career.

Patience

I am a sucker when it comes to patience. Luckily, the hair and make-up industry changes on a daily basis, especially in film: different scenes, characters, locations, wigs, sets, crew. But that isn’t to say we don’t have weeks, sometimes months, of the same scene. On Wrath of the Titans, for example, we spent over four weeks shooting in a Welsh quarry with mud up to our knees; it was cold and uncomfortable, the days were long and the extras grew to dislike being smeared with dirt and blood. But I got to see one of the biggest explosions I have ever experienced! In front of us, hundreds of soldiers stood behind sharpened wooden stakes, their weapons glinting. Fires raged all over the battlefield and smoke covered everything, forcing a lot of the crew to wear breathing masks. On a countdown from the first AD, the extras roared and seconds later a HUGE fireball erupted in front of us, followed by many smaller ones. Hot air rushed past me, and I can safely say I had the biggest smile on my face.

Persistence

Any industry is going to be hard to ‘crack’, but the film industry does seem to have its own set of rules when it comes to gaining entry. The main thing to remember is that you are only going to get out what you put in. Use down time to research what films are happening in the studios, trawl the internet for information and get your CV out there. I have heard so many stories about ‘right time/ right place’, but it really is true. I happened to get my job on The World’s End by texting the designer Jane Walker on the very day she was struggling to find someone to fill the third position on her team. I had already worked with Jane about five years previously but, had I not texted her then I probably wouldn’t have been at the forefront of her mind.

Presumption

Simply put, don’t presume. Although I have heard myself say on quite a few occasions, ‘but I thought…’ never, ever assume. This is one of the most important pieces of advice anyone can give.

Perception

Be perceptive: allow yourself to assess a situation, be sensitive to those around you and act accordingly. With such a melting pot of personalities on a film, it is wise to develop quite a sensitive awareness of how people are feeling. For some people this ability comes naturally but for others they have to work on it.

Passion

Passion is something that cannot be extinguished. It will help you through the tough times and remind you of how lucky you are when things are going well. Don’t be afraid to be childishly excited about something once in a while.

I still have to pinch myself when working on a set that is particularly mind blowing. On Prince of Persia, for example, the sets were absolutely incredible; the attention to detail was phenomenal. Built into a deserted ruin there were streets of market stalls laden with fruits and nuts, houses that you could walk into and huge open market places hung with drapes of the most amazing colours.

Perseverance

Ask yourself where you want to be in five or 10 years’ time. Set yourself goals and think about them regularly. Not only will this help you appear as someone with direction, but it will help you climb the career ladder. Be aware that a hair and make-up trainee within film can expect to stay at that level for approximately three years, then become a junior for a year or more, before qualifying as an experienced artist, particularly in the eyes of those who have been in the industry for a great deal longer. Enjoy being a trainee; make mistakes, be a sponge and enjoy the lack of responsibility.

Politeness

Being polite to everyone will get you further than you can imagine. It is a well known fact that hair and make-up designers will work dailies in between jobs, so you never know who you might be talking to. On long jobs that may run over a few months, small favours and a polite demeanour are an essential to making everyday life run smoothly. It is key to making you an indispensable part of the team. And a smile goes a hell of a long way

Mark Sanger

Editor (Gravity – Academy Award winner)

https://www.instagram.com/mark__sanger/

I’ve had the privilege of having worked with many great crew members in my time.

Although each of us have our own unique stories of career inception and perseverance, I would say there is one common thread among those of us with enough luck to linger.

You can have bundles of creative talent, a solid technical education and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the language of cinema, but without an understanding of the industry hierarchies, politics and diplomacies, I would argue that it is difficult to flourish.

There are no specific lessons to be learnt because these factors are unique to the DNA of every single project you will work on.

It’s like rafting a ferocious white water rapid. The creative egos, wild personalities, financial restrictions and personal agendas create a dynamic that is often as tricky to negotiate as it is exciting to ride.

Every day is slightly different and though experience will teach you some tricks, you can never simply coast through it. Saying the right thing at the right time is rarely as important as not speaking at all if the moment is misjudged.

There is no film school course that will teach you these skills, but having the patience and awareness to accumulate the experience is not only essential to carving a career, but also part of the mystique that makes our industry such a thrill ride.

If you had a copy of the book, please do leave a comment and let me know what you found most useful (or not). Luckily, loads of the information is now out there for people to find, but if you did read a copy and it helped you get a foot in the door, let me know!

We will publish our usual industry insight, news and 30 productions on our regular posting date.

The phone is starting to ring for some. Not enough, and not for everyone — but the pipeline is building. The 30 productions below include some significant projects gearing up over the next few months, alongside one notable casualty.

For those still waiting: it’s coming. Just not as fast as anyone would like.

The list of 30 (10 filming, 10 pre-production, 10 development) is below if you want to go straight there.

Stargate

One casualty this month: Stargate, the sci-fi series based on the 90s film about a portal between worlds, has been cancelled at Amazon. It was set to film at Bray Studios and Shinfield — there’s hope it could return next year. Amazon has seen considerable change recently, with cost management the watchword against spiralling budgets.

On which note — we’re hearing Bond is increasingly looking like it’s pushing into 2027. Who should play him next? Comment below — the more left-field, the better.

The BBC’s £500m cuts

The BBC announced brutal cuts last week, aiming to save £500m across news, TV, radio and the nations — 550 job losses. Directors UK, WGGB and Bectu are united in their concern about the damage to the industry, talent pathways, and both global and local content.

A grim outcome — and not the last cuts the BBC will have to make. An often imperfect institution, but still one of the most trusted news services in the world and part of the UK's cultural fabric.

The Bane of Butterworth

Tom Hardy has left Mobland — or perhaps not, reports vary. Whichever it is, losing a lead this acrimoniously partway through a series is rare, and the production company is reported to be working through a way to resolve it.

The reported complaints include arriving late and not leaving his trailer or dressing room, leaving cast and crew waiting for hours. A grassy area outside his dressing room had apparently been set aside for Hardy to practise Ju-jitsu — it went unused.

But lateness on set is mild compared to what the producers of Mad Max: Fury Road and HAVOC went through — one succeeded despite the friction, the other didn’t.

The Mad Max stories are well documented. Less well known: Hardy signed on to HAVOC with director Gareth Evans (The Raid). Filming began in Cardiff in summer 2021 and wrapped in 2022 — thecallsheet posted crew jobs on it at the time. When reshoots were needed, Hardy was consistently unavailable, contributing to delays on the £80m project, which slipped quietly onto Netflix without fanfare in April 2025 — four years after production started.

Hardy’s HAVOC issues never made headlines the way Mobland has. Public callouts like this are rare for any actor. Here’s hoping the issues get resolved and Hardy can match his talent with reliability.

Series 2 wrapped a couple of months ago; series 3 goes into prep later this year.

TNT explodes own foot (and everyone else’s)

Last month, we called TNT Sports’ decision to put the Champions League final behind a paywall the most short-sighted decision imaginable. TNT had the rights to 189 CL games across the season but kept the final paywalled for the first time in the competition’s history. Losing the rights at season’s end anyway, they had nothing left to lose — one final squeeze of the fans on the way out.

According to The Guardian, a record 16.2 million streams traced to 3.7 million IP addresses watched it illegally in the UK — against TNT’s reported 7m UK viewers for the PSG–Arsenal final. Piracy for football is nothing new, but people who’d never previously considered it — angry at rising costs and a worse product — are now crossing that line for the first time.

By keeping the final paywalled, TNT has normalised the behaviour for millions who’ll likely carry it into next season. Annual subscriptions to pirated 4K global sports packages run £70–£80 a year via sideloaded, jailbroken Amazon Firesticks, less again with a VPN workaround.

You might wonder why a film and TV drama newsletter is dwelling on sports piracy — because the same cracked Firesticks and HDR boxes give access to roughly 40,000 films and every decent TV show going.

That’s potentially 3.7m people out of the subscription market, enjoying content you and I pay for. Less money recouped means less going into productions, fewer crew hired, fewer shows made. The ease and normalisation of piracy — driven mainstream by greed over sports rights — will damage film and TV too, including TNT’s own parent companies.

TNT just helped drive millions of customers into the black market.

Greater Manchester Production Fund

Greater Manchester Council has announced a £10.5m fund for film, HETV and unscripted productions made in the city. Productions with a broadcast partner or greenlight already in place can apply for funding between £50k and £750k, capped at 20% of the overall budget.

The fund is primarily aimed at below-the-line costs on commercially intended projects — good news for producers, investors and crew wanting Manchester to catch up with Liverpool, which currently leads outside London for filming days. There are a couple of shows in pre-production in Manchester for subscribers in the full list below.

More info and applications: https://secretmanchester.com/greater-manchester-production-fund-film-tv/

Pixel Pathway

Pixel Pathway, a training pathway for new entrants into post production, has expanded — for the first time bringing the five families of the post production industry together around a project originally set up by Cara Kotsky of Residence Pictures.

They’ve been developing the programme since summer 2023; now The Farm, Unit, Goldcrest and Fifty Fifty have joined Residence to set an industry-standard approach to post production training. Residence reached out to us at thecallsheet for advice back in 2023 — at a time when many post houses had sadly left the upper stories of Soho, and the case for the remaining ones coming together was clear.

Applications have closed for now but will reopen — follow them for news on the next intake: instagram.com/joinpixelpathway. In the meantime, we recommend Eleanor Adler’s excellent website: eleanoradler.co.uk

Late scripts: the act of self-sabotage

Something we wanted to write about this month, a year after James Gunn spoke out about the impact of late scripts. — Gunn’s quote:

“I do believe that the reason why the movie industry is dying is not because of people not wanting to see movies. It’s not because of home screens getting so good. The number-one reason is because people are making movies without a finished screenplay.”

Late scripts are one of the biggest causes of stress, cost and burnout on a production. Departments are left guessing — where are we shooting, what are we shooting, who’s in this scene, has the role been cast, what costume do they need, do we even have it — and what should have been days or weeks of work gets compressed into a few hours, on top of everything else that’s going on.

It’s become commonplace on almost every job, not just Marvel’s. In one of the most insulting cases we’ve seen, crew on one HETV production — due to start filming the next day — watched their writer post a string of social media updates about walking the dog and getting into online spats, while the whole production was awaiting the scripts for the next day’s shoot.

Late scripts mean you’re not getting the best version of the show on screen, at higher cost, with a burnt-out crew.

Oh, and the same goes for late casting.

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Movements

BBC: Alison Loose joins the BBC in a newly created role of Director of Production for BBC Studios. Callum Akass has moved from House Productions to Head of Development at BBC Drama. Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy, leaves to join Hat Trick Productions as Creative Director — no replacement announced yet, though there’s at least one strong internal candidate who should get a look in.

Elsewhere, Lorena Wright takes over as Head of Production at Two Brothers Pictures. As reported last month, Barry Ryan is now officially Head of Production at Working Title. Jonathan Lewsley has departed Amazon. Former Creative UK chief Caroline Norbury has moved to Aardman in Bristol.

Doctor Who has left Bad Wolf — the show goes out to tender by the BBC for a refresh, now that Disney has exited the deal.

Charlie Fremantle has departed Ealing Studios after overseeing renovations that turned it into a marvellous mixture of modernity without losing its heritage. Go well, Charlie.

Recommendations

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Originally published in 2025, the author has since been legally gagged by her former employer, Meta, from talking about it — so that’s a perfect reason for us to recommend it. A series of astonishing revelations; gripping from the first life-or-death chapter. Hopefully Aaron Sorkin, Mike De Luca and David Fincher pick it up as a spiritual sequel to The Social Network. With the under-16s social media ban coming into law soon, if you were on the fence before, this will settle it.

Emily Blunt, Andrew Scott and Ciárán Hinds have been filming Walk the Blue Fields in Ireland, directed by John Crowley, based on the short story by Claire Keegan — a writer so good you’ll want to read everything she’s written. Before it arrives next year, read or listen to the original: foyles.co.uk/book/walk-the-blue-fields · audible.co.uk/pd/Walk-the-Blue-Fields-Audiobook/0571373518

Two Weeks in August — BBC. Catherine Shepherd’s White Lotus-inspired comedy drama is laugh-out-loud funny and thrumming with hyper-nuanced British awkwardness. Jessica Raine is a revelation, and the writer herself appears in a devastating cameo.

Art department trainees and juniors: Samantha Harvey’s Instagram is worth following — first-hand advice and insight from someone doing the job. instagram.com/harvtonally

Just wrapped

• Hello & Paris

• The Day of the Jackal 2

• The Husbands (new Apple TV show)

• How to Train Your Dragon 2

• The Split Up

• Sonic the Hedgehog

• The Forsythe’s Series 3 — wrapping this week

• Shy & Lola – wrapping next week

Contrary to listings you may have seen elsewhere: Supacell Series 2 and Black Doves Series 2 have wrapped. Major Players wrapped months ago.

Subscribe to read on — 30 productions currently filming, in prep or development across UK film and HETV, plus who’s just wrapped.

Disclaimer

thecallsheet is an independent industry newsletter. The information contained in this issue is gathered from a combination of publicly available sources and confidential industry intelligence. Where information is unconfirmed, this is indicated in the text.

The production list is compiled using Production Radar, an early-intelligence monitoring system. Productions are included based on verified or credibly sourced information. Stage, location and crew details reflect the position at time of publication and are subject to change.

Nothing in this newsletter constitutes legal, financial or employment advice. thecallsheet accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of information published here.

This newsletter is intended for subscribers only. Forwarding or reproducing any part of this issue without permission is not permitted.

© thecallsheet 2026. All rights reserved.

Subscribe now

🎬 Filming (10)

Sutherland

Set in the near future, a detective arrives in Sutherland, Scotland, to investigate an old conspiracy as a team of astronauts prepare to leave for their mission to space. Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars.

BBC (World Productions) · Scotland · From 25 May 2026

Director: James Smythe · Producer: Jake Lushington · Producer: Clare Kerr ·

The Bay – Series 6

ITV Crime Drama returns.

ITV (Tall Story Pictures) · Manchester, Morecambe · From June 2026

Director: Brian O’Malley · Director: Bindu De Stoppani · Producer: Martin Campbell · Line Producer: Liv Taylor

Grace – Series 7

Brighton-set crime drama following Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. John Simm stars in the title role.

ITV (Tall Story Pictures) · Brighton · From 27 April 2026

Producer: Kiaran Murray-Smith

Only Murders in the Building – Series 6

Hit Disney+ and Hulu show comes to London to solve a new mystery. Based in West London.

Hulu / 20th Television · Versa Studios / Titan Studios · From May 2026

Line Producer: Nick O’Hagan

Reputation

A celebrity legal battle spirals out of control.

BBC (The Forge) · London

Director: Mahalia Belo · Writer: Anya Reiss · Producer: Alex Kazamia · Line Producer: Henry Woolley

Time – Series 3

Set in a Young Offenders Institution, the series explores the impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who look after them.

BBC (LA Productions) · Belfast · From March 2026

Director: Paul Whittington · Producer: Amanda Black · Writer: Jimmy McGovern ·

Mavis Eccleston

The true story of a woman who survived a suicide pact with her husband before being accused of his murder. Stars Dame Penelope Wilton and Sir Jonathan Pryce.

ITV (Corestar Media) · Bristol · From June 2026

Director: Bruce Goodison · Writer: Chris Lang · Line Producer: Carol Cooper

Department Q – Series 2

Matthew Goode returns in this cold-case drama series.

Netflix · Edinburgh · From July 2026

Director: Scott Frank

Open Water

Love triangle drama based on the novel by Caleb Azumah Nelson. Marcus, an aspiring photographer, falls for Effie, who is in a relationship with one of his friends.

BBC (Mam Tor Productions, B-Side) · Birmingham · From June 2026

Director: Stella Corradi · Director: Caleb Azumah Nelson · Producer: Karlvyn Dove · Line Producer: Nichol Hoye · 1st AD: Terry McShane

The Lord’s Day

A deadly siege in the House of Commons. British spy Harry Evans (Damson Idris) finds himself trapped in the corridors of power. Based on the novel by Michael Dobbs.

Netflix (Bad Wolf) · Wales/South West · From April 2026

Director: Ben Chanan · Producer: Chris May · Producer: Jane Tranter · Producer: Dan McCulloch

🔧 Pre-Production (11)

The Other Bennett Sister Christmas Special

Spin-off project in the Jane Austen world from The Other Bennett Sister.

Britbox (Bad Wolf) · Wales · From August 2026

Avengers: Secret Wars

Avengers reassemble. Based at Pinewood Studios, shooting in the UK and internationally.

Disney (Marvel Studios) · Pinewood Studios · From September 2026

Director: Anthony Russo · Director: Joe Russo

Far Cry

Video game adaptation written and produced by Rob McElhenney, who may also star. Production starts in Tenerife from November before returning to Pinewood.

FX (26 Keys) · Pinewood & Tenerife · From November 2026

Writer: Rob McElhenney · Producer: Simon Emanuel · Producer: Genevieve Jones · Production Designer: Laura Ellis Cricks

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The second book of the series filmed almost back to back with the first while the cast remain the right age.

HBO · Warner Bros Studios Leavesden · From July 2026

House of Guinness – Series 2

Return of the Netflix drama set in 1869 Dublin.

Netflix (Kudos) · Manchester · From Autumn 2026

Writer: Steven Knight

Down Cemetery Road – Series 2

Based on Mick Herron’s novels. PI Zoë Boehm and Sarah Trafford navigate the dangerous world of black market antiquities while hunting a serial killer. Band 3 drama. Based at OMA Studios.

Apple TV+ (60Forty Films) · London · From September 2026

Director: Börkur Sigþórsson · Writer: Morwenna Banks · Producer: Jamie Laurenson · Producer: Hakan Kousetta

The Laird

UPDATE: Series greenlit. Contemporary crime drama. Based at Elstree Studios, filming in Scotland.

Paramount+ · London, Scotland

UPM: Simone Goodridge

Industry – Series 5

Final series of the bold finance drama.

HBO (Bad Wolf) · Wales · From August 2026

Showrunner: Konrad Kay · Showrunner: Mickey Down · Line Producer: Jon Zarych ·

Chocolate Wars

Period drama about the founding of Cadbury’s.

Britbox (Fable Pictures) · Birmingham · From July 2026

Director: Tom McKay · Producer: Faye Ward · Producer: Hannah Farrell · Line Producer: Joseph Sharpe

Dragon Slayers

Matthew Rhys plays Fleet Street legend Harry Evans.

BBC (AC Chapter One) · Manchester · From June 2026

Director: Al Mackay · Writer: Peter Bowker · Producer: Patrick Spence

📋 Development

House of the Dragon – Series 4

Epic fantasy series from the world of Game of Thrones. Based at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden.

HBO · London · From Summer 2026

Paddington 4

Fourth instalment of the series. In development.

StudioCanal (Heyday Films) · London

Writer: Armando Iannucci · Writer: Simon Blackwell · Producer: Rosie Alison

Black Doves – Series 3

Netflix (Sister Pictures) · London

D Notice

6 × 60-minute thriller about investigative journalism for the BBC, from Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson.

BBC (Hot Sauce)

Writer: Adam Patterson · Writer: Declan Lawn

Untitled BBC Sarah Everard Drama

2 × 60-minute drama based on the murder of Sarah Everard.

BBC (Etta Pictures)

Writer: Jeff Pope

The Agency – Series 3

Awaiting greenlight.

Paramount+ (Smokehouse Pictures) · London

Death at the White Hart

Based on the novel by Chris Chibnall.

ITV (Red Planet) · Dorset · From Spring 2027

Director: James Strong · Writer: Chris Chibnall

1536

Based on the play by Ava Pickett. Set in Tudor England against the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s arrest, weaving royal scandal with rural struggle. 8 × 30.

BBC (Drama Republic)

Writer: Ava Pickett

American Psycho

Updated version of the 2000 film and Bret Easton Ellis novel. Austin Butler rumoured to star.

Lionsgate · Shepperton · From November 2026

Director: Luca Guadagnino · Producer: Nina Jacobson

Untitled Marvel X-Men Film

First film in the reboot of the Marvel universe. Scheduled for 2027, following the Avengers shoot.

Disney (Marvel) · London · From 2027

Director: Jake Schreier · Writer: Michael Lesslie · Producer: Kevin Feige

Mobland – Series 3

Gangster drama returns for its third instalment — not with Tom Hardy. Pre-production from August at Ealing Studios.

Paramount+ · London · From October 2026

Last month we said September was shaping up as the peak of the year. That still holds. In the meantime, the pipeline is building — slowly — and there are productions moving across the UK. The list of 30 (10 filming, 10 pre-production, 10 development) is below if you want to go straight there.

Networking — June, Central London

Hosting a networking event in June for production companies and senior crew from recent training courses. It’s invite-only for attendees of our training courses.

If you’re interested in sponsoring the event: info@thecallsheet.co.uk

Not in the UK

It is still quiet for many, but worth noting how much work is happening — just not here. The Forsytes Series 3 is shooting in Prague; Seasons 1 and 2 were in the UK. Three Body Problem Series 2 and 3 are back-to-back in Budapest. The Age of Innocence was in Prague and Spain. John Wick is in Budapest. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters prequel is in Prague. The Assassin 2 is in Malta. Apple TV’s Berlin Noir is, to be fair, in Berlin.

Foxfinder — an English-language Film4/BFI-backed film from London-based Rabbit Track Pictures, starring Owen Cooper — is filming in Bavaria.

The cold reality is competitive tax credits and lower costs elsewhere. Saudi Arabia have introduced a 60% tax credit. Several senior people we speak to regularly wonder aloud whether the UK is pricing itself out of the market, or whether broadcasters and streamers have shrunk budgets so far that they look overseas more when setting up a production. Probably both. Probably also just the market balancing out. None of which is particularly helpful if the phone hasn’t rung in a while.

Marlow Studios

Last month we asked why Marlow Film Studios is still going ahead when supply and demand of UK studio space is relatively balanced and many stages around London sit empty this summer. The local planning rejection was overruled at government level. Construction proceeds.

On a completely unrelated note — purely as a passing observation, with no connection whatsoever to any proposed studios in Buckinghamshire — data centres! The big tech companies are building them fast, paying handsomely, and making excellent long-term tenants. They pay considerably more than an itinerant film or TV production, with none of the gaps. Data centres need three things: a substantial energy supply, a water source for cooling, and a secure site. Now, where were we...

The proposed Marlow Studios site will be secured and sits adjacent to the River Thames as well as being surrounded by lakes. Following the planning approval, Marlow subsequently applied for permission to build their own electrical substation on the land. There’s also a new substation under construction at Uxbridge Moor, roughly 15 miles away.

The four-person leadership team includes Lord Camoys (hereditary peer, Foreign Office background); Simon Barrowcliff (40 years at CBRE, whose specialisms include data centres); and John Hartz of Inflexion, a private equity firm focused on technology and business investment.

The question is straightforward enough: on what promise of business — from which broadcaster, studio or streamer — is a £750m build on 18 sound stages viable, when Disney is at Pinewood, Warners/HBO at WBSL, Universal at Sky Elstree, Apple at OMA, Amazon expanding Bray, and Netflix at Shepperton and Longcross? That’s before you get to Shinfield, Garden, Ealing, Eastbrook, Elstree and 3 Mills, all of which currently have availability.

For more on UK studio supply and demand, this new LSH report is worth your time: Sites, Camera, Action!

Paramount, Warners, ITV and Sky

Last month, Warner Bros. shareholders voted through the Paramount deal — but voted down CEO David Zaslav’s exit package. The golden parachute didn’t land. Don’t feel too sorry for him: he was compensated $165m in 2025. The merger now works its way through US and EU regulators; with the UK outside the EU and dependent on inward production, there’s limited leverage here.

For people who work for WB in the UK, the Paramount combination is considerably less alarming than a Netflix acquisition would have been. Paramount’s UK team is small and largely complementary to WB’s — far fewer duplicate roles.

ITV and Sky, meanwhile — the Ross and Rachel of broadcasters — are still in talks. If that deal happens, there will be significant ‘synergies’, which is to say job losses, as the Osterley operation won’t need to duplicate much of what ITV already does.

Over 1,400 actors, directors and filmmakers signed letters opposing the Paramount/WB merger. Many of those same voices have been raising concerns about theatrical windows. Greta Gerwig has secured a 49-day theatrical window for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew (shot at Shepperton), and filmmakers including Gerwig, Michaela Coel and Emerald Fennell are among those turning down Netflix overtures to protect theatrical and back-end ownership. Netflix — with residuals deals, advertising and growing theatrical commitments — is starting to look increasingly like the studios it once disrupted.

Netflix also launched thenetflixeffect.com last week — an interactive breakdown of their economic and cultural impact. The numbers are eye-watering and their UK footprint and impact should not be understated.

TNT Sports (owned by WBD) has confirmed that the Champions League final will not be free to air for the first time since 1992. Quite possibly the most short-sighted decision imaginable. Football fans have reached breaking point with the cost of multiple subscriptions, and this won’t help stem the rapid increase in dodgy firesticks and illegal streaming. Read Adam Leventhal’s piece on the subject on The Athletic.

Five years on: CIISA launches its hotline

Five years after the Noel Clarke scandal, CIISA — the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority — is finally launching its anti-bullying hotline, going live in September. The question is whether people will actually use it.

Without relitigating the whole story: it was frankly bizarre that a BAFTA lifetime achievement award went to then 45-year-old Clarke in the first place (only 12 years after winning the BAFTA for Rising Star)*, and it took victims going to a national newspaper before the award was recalled. That’s not how the industry should work. Noel Clarke denies all wrongdoing.

The Film and TV Charity introduced a support line in 2018. It received 109 calls about bullying in 2024/25. That’s 109 too many — but also tiny compared to the scale of the industry.

The key difference with CIISA’s line is that it’s a legally recognised whistleblowing body under UK law, meaning those under NDA are protected.

The honest perception among many crew members is that reporting to HR is not their default instinct. And to the company heads reading this — thank you for subscribing — the crew probably won’t tell you this directly, despite the HR number being on the call sheet.**

What we hear:

• “HR is there to protect the company, not the freelancer.”

• “I did complain. The person was too important to the production. They got a slap on the wrist and carried on.”

• “They were fired off one job and back on the lot Monday on another production — same company.”

Many excellent HR professionals in film and HETV tear their hair out hearing this, because they genuinely want to help and can’t if people don’t come forward.

CIISA can investigate, make recommendations, mediate and set benchmarks. The strength of the system is cross-production pattern detection — poor behaviour dealt with in-house leaves no trace elsewhere. A legally protected body can spot patterns across multiple productions. That’s potentially a game-changer.

The weakness is that CIISA has no enforcement powers — implementation is left to the industry bodies themselves, which may bring us back to square one. The Gregg Wallace case is instructive: the first allegations date to 2012. Wallace denies all wrongdoing. But the timeline alone illustrates why “I did complain. The person was too important to the production” is such a familiar refrain.

*The average age of BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award from the last 25 years is 71, winners include Martin Scorsese, Helen Mirren, Ridley Scott.

**Which Band 4 production put an HR number on all their call sheets — a good move — only for the number to be for Santander Bank?

Busy Bectu

Three updates worth flagging:

• Broken Turnaround Campaign — BECTU is pushing hard and it deserves full crew support. Costume, make-up, ADs and locations are repeatedly asked to break legal turnaround. Everyone knows someone who has fallen asleep at the wheel as a direct result. The burden of the schedule should not fall on exhausted departments.

• The new AD rate card has been published. Click HERE

• BECTU and The Rough Assembly are going back into negotiations with PACT for post production covering HETV, Comedy and Major Motion Pictures over £30m.

A brilliant idea, but no news

In February, Time’s Up UK and the Black Beauty Roster announced the All Textures Certificate — a qualification for hair and make-up professionals working with global majority cast members, designed to tackle on-set discrimination. A very good idea.

We’re hearing that one producer recently told a job candidate that without the ATC they wouldn’t be considered for the role. The producer may find that difficult to enforce — the certificate doesn’t appear to exist yet. Announced in February 2026, there is currently no course, no qualification, and neither Time’s Up UK nor the Black Beauty Roster responded to our emails and messages. One of the key names on the original press release has apparently already stood down from the steering committee.

If you know differently — if the course is happening and we’ve missed it — please tell us. At the moment it looks like a launch without the substance. We’d genuinely like to be proved wrong.

Belfast

NI Screen launched their new four-year strategy with The Full Picture. A whopping £447m returned to the local economy — for every £1 spent, £8 goes back. They beat their target by £35m, developed the workforce and delivered Blue Lights, Derry Girls and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Remarkable, given two of those years were lost to strikes and the slowdown.

A key part of the new plan is Studio Ulster — the vision of Declan Keeney, Co-Founder and CEO of a £72m, 75,000 sq ft commercial virtual production studio at Belfast Harbour Studios. At a dinner we attended with Keeney last year, he was confident the next wave of virtual production will surpass all expectations. At that cost, it needs to.

The first HETV drama to shoot there is First Woman — a Mammoth Screen ITV production set partly in space, starring Andrea Riseborough and Ashley Walters, a Band 2 drama that has benefitted from an NI government incentive. Filming started 20th April. It’s in the production list below.

Hamm Sandwich, Food Film.

Apple TV’s Your Friends and Neighbours, starring Jon Hamm, popped into London for a week at the start of May — too quick to make the production list, but keep an eye out for the capital in the next series.

Something is in development that we can’t name yet — a live-action film based on a much-loved item of UK food folklore. When we can say more, we will.

The future of the BBC

Do you listen to The Rest is Entertainment? Watch Sherwood or Dear England? Then you probably already care about the future of the BBC. Marina Hyde and James Graham OBE appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee yesterday (Tuesday 19th May) — eloquent and passionate on how central the BBC is to our culture and shared sense of society. Worth an hour of your time: CMS Committee YouTube

BAFTAs

Congratulations to the team behind Hustle and Run, winner of best short documentary — and particularly to producer Sarah Conlan at Just So Productions. Watch the acceptance speech here.

Fifteen years ago, thecallsheet launched. The first job we filled directly through the site was a Runner role at a company called Just So. The person who got that job was Sarah Conlan. From first job to a BAFTA feels like a good moment for a change — we’re winding down the old thecallsheet.co.uk website and relaunching with a new site focused on training and research. Watch this space.

VFX: Absolute Post closes

Absolute Post and their in-house animation studio Blind Pig have sadly closed, leaving a large number of exceptionally talented people out of work. If you’re hiring, please take a look at the available talent: spreadsheet here.

Locations survey

We are working with Stephen Follows on a project looking at how location owners, film offices, councils and locations teams work together — and where that relationship could be better. If you work in locations, it takes three minutes and is anonymous. Results will be published freely: forms.gle/SkqM3qTdHKqggbrq7

Personnel changes

Emily Russell leaves Bad Wolf and joins Mammoth Screen as Director of Production. Ronnie Castillo steps down after 14 years. Laura Burrows steps into Barry Ryan’s shoes as the new Head of Production at The Ink Factory; Barry is now at Working Title. Oliver Jones is the new Senior Commissioner for UK Scripted at Amazon. Panavision has closed its Cardiff branch.

Former BFI Film Fund chief Mia Bays heads up the new UK Dogme programme — a set of filmmaking rules designed to purify the form, in the tradition of the original Danish Dogme 95 movement. For the best example, watch the Palme d’Or and BAFTA-nominated Festen (The Celebration).

From us

Rosie Dias — Production Manager, trainer and colleague — completed the London Marathon last month, less than a year after having her second child. Congratulations to our Mighty Rosie.

Talking Point have unveiled their new website — a snapshot of the excellent work Helen Johnson does for the art department and the wider industry: talkingpointfilm.co.uk

Just wrapped

• Treasure Island (Tenerife)

• Sonic the Hedgehog 4

• Kennedy — wrapping soon

• How to Train Your Dragon 2 (live-action remake)

• Blue Lights Series 4 — wraps end of month

• The Diplomat Series 4 — UK shoot complete, unit now in Italy

Recommendations

The Cage — BBC (5 × 60). Tony Schumacher is another brilliant writer from that hotbed of Scouse talent — Alan Bleasdale, Jimmy McGovern, Frank Cottrell Boyce. Great script, beautifully acted and directed, excellent locations around Liverpool. Watch on BBC iPlayer. Director Al Mackay’s first job in film was chaperoning an 11-year-old Thomas Turgoose on This Is England; his next directorial outing is in the production list below. Michael Socha, in a Guardian interview for The Cage, was asked about a possible 20-year This Is England reunion. Those rumours are circulating. Nothing concrete yet.

Saturday Night Live UK — Sky. Most people assumed it wouldn’t work. Most sketches are good, some are excellent, and guest hosts like Hannah Waddingham dive in so wholeheartedly that it’s genuinely joyful. Whether your era was SMTV, TFI Friday or Tiswas — there’s just something about live TV. Emma Sidi and George Fouracres standout performers. Renewed for a second series, returning in the autumn.

Disclaimer

thecallsheet is an independent industry newsletter. The information contained in this issue is gathered from a combination of publicly available sources and confidential industry intelligence. Where information is unconfirmed, this is indicated in the text.

The production list is compiled using Production Radar, an early-intelligence monitoring system. Productions are included based on verified or credibly sourced information. Stage, location and crew details reflect the position at time of publication and are subject to change.

Nothing in this newsletter constitutes legal, financial or employment advice. thecallsheet accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of information published here.

This newsletter is intended for subscribers only. Forwarding or reproducing any part of this issue without permission is not permitted.

© thecallsheet 2026. All rights reserved.

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🎬 Filming (10)

The Bay – Series 6 ITV Crime Drama returns. ITV (Tall Story Pictures) Producer: Joanne Dunleavy Nelson · Line Producer: Liv Taylor · Director: Brian O’Malley

Elden Ring Alex Garland writes and directs an adaptation of the game with world-building by George R.R. Martin. A24 · Sky Studios Elstree Director: Alex Garland · Producer: Matthew Penry Davey · Line Producer: Charlie Reed

War Legal thriller created by George Kay. Stars Sienna Miller and Dominic West. Sky & HBO (New Pictures / Observatory Pictures) · OMA Studios Producer: Jyoti Fernandes · Producer: Laurie Borg · Producer: Debbie Burton

Grace – Series 7 John Simm returns as Roy Grace in the Brighton-set crime drama. ITV (Tall Story Pictures) · Brighton · From 27 April 2026 Producer: Kiaran Murray-Smith · Line Producer: Madelaine Leech · Line Producer: Alex Gibb

First Day on Earth Michaela Coel comedy-drama. Coel writes, directs and stars. BBC / HBO Producer: Adanna Adams · Director: Sam Miller · Writer/Director/Producer: Michaela Coel

Black Palace 19th-century drama about a secret affair between a prince and a lady-in-waiting. Tempo Productions Director: Nick Hamm · Costume Designer: Joanna Eatwell · Producer: Piers Tempest

Youth A 50-year-old divorcee searches for sex and love whilst juggling caring for her ailing parents and her adult son. Sharon Horgan stars. HBO (Merman) DoP: Korsshan Schlauer · Director: John Hamburg · Producer: Sharon Horgan

Luther 2 Idris Elba returns. Filming from February at Longcross. Netflix / BBC Films · Longcross Director: Jamie Payne · Writer: Neil Cross · Producer: Gina Carter

First Woman A race to find a missing astronaut. Heavy virtual production shoot at Studio Ulster, Belfast. ITV (Mammoth Screen) Line Producer: Julia Stannard · Producer: Matt Cooper · Producer: Huey Kerrigan

Our Only Suspect Alex and Beth appear to have the perfect suburban life. They don’t. ITV (Red Planet) · London Production Designer: Matthew Button · Producer: Joe Darby · Director: Farren Blackburn

This issue tracks 30 productions currently in development, prep or filming across UK film and HETV. Production Radar is monitoring many more — not yet publicly available, but register your interest by emailing me on matt@thecallsheet.co.uk

This list is for subscribers only and is not intended to be shared.

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No, it’s not just you — it is quiet out there. A significant number of freelancers haven’t worked a single day this year, some for even longer. When the work does come back — and it will — productions are going to find a talent pool that’s shallower, more bruised and considerably less forgiving than the one they left. Worth bearing in mind when the phones start ringing again.

There are 30 productions in the list below — 10 each in development, prep and filming, with some genuinely interesting new projects right across the UK. If you want a more comprehensive picture (over 60 productions), get in touch about Production Radar, our new early-intelligence service currently in development: matt@thecallsheet.co.uk

The BBC, the mergers, and the direction of travel

The BBC announced up to 2,000 job cuts last week. Add the Banijay/All3Media merger and the mooted Paramount/WB and Sky/ITV combinations and the pattern is clear enough. Consolidation cuts headcount. The people affected don’t need an analyst to tell them that.

The counter-argument came out of Series Mania in Lille last month, where Deadline reported Disney+, Prime Video and HBO all signalling serious EMEA spend. Whether that translates into greenlit UK productions soon remains the question nobody can answer with any confidence yet.

For a more optimistic read, SJ Wright (WB Head of Production) and Gareth Kirkman from the BFC paint a picture of steady growth, full stages and more production coming in 2026/2027. The interview is on our YouTube channel.

Marlow Studios and the question nobody’s asking

Marlow Film Studios have acquired a 12-acre plot for their permanent HQ, adjacent to the 90-acre site where the studios themselves are planned. Co-founder Lord Camoys — Ralph Stonor, 8th Baron Camoys, Eton, Manchester University, former Foreign Office diplomat and the last hereditary peer elected to the Lords before they stopped doing that — is on the leadership team. Handy, when you’re trying to persuade a government minister to overrule a planning rejection. Sam Mendes, Andy Serkis and James Cameron have all lent their names to the project; Cameron has floated basing LightStorm3D there.

Which raises an obvious question. Because right now, we’re hearing that Pinewood, Garden Studios, Longcross, 3 Mills, Ealing and The Bottleyard in Bristol all have gaps in their summer schedules that they can’t fill. For productions with flexible start dates, stage availability is as good as it’s been in years. For crew waiting for the phone to ring — less helpful, sorry.

The peak, and what could derail it

From what we’re seeing, September is shaping up as the peak of the year. The WGA resolved their deal at the start of April; the DGA is next in line with the AMPTP and we’re hearing those negotiations are expected to go smoothly. Fingers crossed.

Directors UK and the residuals argument

Directors UK published an open letter last week calling for residuals from streamers — signed by Asif Kapadia, Andrew Haigh, Otto Bathurst and many others. The structural frustration is this: a large upfront fee isn’t the same as fair compensation when a show runs globally for years. The streamer counter — that the guarantee de-risks the work — isn’t going away either. With the DGA heading into AMPTP negotiations shortly, this debate will continue. More on Deadline.

If you work in production and want training on SAG and DGA contracts, we’re planning sessions next month. Register your interest here.

Angels in the Asylum: the aftermath

The Simon Pegg film that collapsed 15 days into production in February 2025 — owing over £3.8m to creditors — has now left the taxpayer picking up a significant portion of the bill. The Government’s Redundancy Payments Service is expected to cover around a third of what’s owed to crew and suppliers. A fuller breakdown of what happened, and who was responsible, is coming. If you worked on this production, get in touch in confidence: info@thecallsheet.co.uk

Oceans prequel: it’s on

The Oceans prequel is happening. Set in Monaco, 1962 — the parents of Danny Ocean pull off a heist during the Grand Prix. Bradley Cooper writes, directs and stars alongside Producer and co-star Margot Robbie. The backstory: in early 2023, the project was moving at Warners with Robbie and Ryan Gosling attached at a budget of around £120m. Warners wanted it for around £80m, the production office closed and it went into turnaround. Then Barbie came out and made a billion dollars on a similar budget. Here we are.

Subscribe to read on — 30 productions currently filming, in prep or development across UK film and HETV, plus who's just wrapped.

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Tangled: Valencia, UK HoDs, one departure

Disney’s live-action Tangled remake is filming in Valencia with a number of UK HoDs attached. We’re hearing one HoD was let go after it emerged they were quietly moonlighting on a second production at the same time.

Guy Ritchie: the schedule

Worth noting for anyone trying to track him down: Ritchie directed the first two episodes of Mobland, is now on Viva La Madness, and goes straight into Young Sherlock immediately after. Three productions back to back. Busy man, busier 1st ADs.

OFCOM and GB News

Alan Rusbridger’s piece in The New World sets out in detail how OFCOM has failed to adequately regulate GB News as it positions itself as the UK’s answer to Fox News. Free to read: thenewworld.co.uk

OpenAI pulls Sora

OpenAI has shut down Sora, its video generation product — two months after Seedance released that AI-generated video of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, and a week after The New Yorker published Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz’s investigation into Sam Altman. The interview with Farrow and Marantz is worth watching.

Movements

Reed Hastings steps down from the Netflix board when his term expires in June — the final stage of a long-running handover that started when he stepped back from co-CEO in 2023. The stock fell around 9% in extended trading on the news. Ian Katz leaves as Chief Creative Officer at Channel 4. Juliet Howell moves from House Productions to Lookout Point. ARRI sold to German audio company Reidel. Angels the Costumiers acquired by John Gore Studios.

The new Bond remains unannounced. Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are the names in circulation. The theme will reportedly be sung by Lana Del Rey.

From us

Recently wrapped up some sessions for our Screenskills-funded Accounts Course — guests included Jamie Mayers (Director of Production Finance, Disney+), Tim Blake (Supervising Art Director, Hamnet), Charlotte Sewell (ACD) and Lily Gibbs (Costume Supervisor, currently on the new Luther film). Also delivered a session at BECTU HQ in Victoria for the Lights, Camera, Training course — thanks to Amie Tridgell and Rachel Bennett for having us along, and to a genuinely good group for making it such an enjoyable afternoon.

Just wrapped

• Number 10 (Hartswood/Channel 4)

• The Jury: Murder Trial S3&4, Liverpool

• Sherwood S3, Nottingham

• Day of the Jackal — UK shoot complete, unit now in Spain

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Warner Bros Television/Brontë Film and TV)

• Up To No Good (aka Maud), Channel 4

Filming overseas

• A Legacy of Spies — Netherlands

• Treasure Island — Tenerife

• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — on hiatus in Spain (weather)

• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters prequel — pre-production, Prague

This month’s recommendations

London Falling — Patrick Radden Keefe. (Pan MacMillan) A true story about tragedy, corruption and money spanning continents and decades. A24 have optioned it — it’s in the list below. Get a copy of the book here

Slags — Emma Jane Unsworth. (Harper Collins) Two sisters touring Scotland in a camper van, looking back on growing up in 1990s Manchester. Would make a brilliant mini-series. Get a copy of the book here

Last One Laughing — Amazon Prime. The viral clips are funny; the full episodes are better. When you’ve finished both UK series, go straight to the Irish version — Aisling Bea, Graham Norton, Jason Byrne.

This issue tracks 30 productions currently in development, prep or filming across UK film and HETV. Production Radar is monitoring many more — not yet publicly available, but register your interest by emailing me on matt@thecallsheet.co.uk

This list is for subscribers only and is not intended to be shared.

🎬 Filming (10)

Mobland – Series 2 Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan return. The Harrigan family empire expands and faces a new threat. Filming almost complete. Paramount+ (Carnival Pictures) · Ealing Studios · From October 2025 Director: Ronan Bennett · Producer: Peter Heslop · Producer: Andrew Purcell (almost about to wrap).

Time – Series 3 Set in a Young Offenders Institution, exploring the impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who work there. BBC (LA Productions) · Belfast · From March 2026 Director: Paul Whittington · Producer: Amanda Black · Producer: Jimmy McGovern

Tomb Raider Series adaptation written and exec-produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Sophie Turner plays Lara Croft. Filming resumed after an injury hiatus. Amazon Prime Video · Shinfield Studios · From January 2026 Director: Jonathan Van Tulleken · Writer: Phoebe Waller-Bridge · Line Producer: Edward Rastelli-Lewis · Production Designer: Kristian Milsted

Luther 2 Idris Elba returns. Filming from February at Longcross. Netflix / BBC Films · Longcross Director: Jamie Payne · Writer: Neil Cross · Producer: Gina Carter

Highlander Remake starring Henry Cavill, Dave Bautista, Russell Crowe and Marisa Abela. Amazon (Lionsgate) · Bray Studios Line Producer: Jeremy Burnage

The Diplomat – Series 4 Keri Russell-led thriller. The US Ambassador in London and her deepening tensions with the President. Netflix · London Line Producer: David Higginson

Viva La Madness Guy Ritchie directs Jason Statham in a crime thriller connected to Layer Cake. Amazon MGM Studios (Black Bear / Toff Guy Films) Director: Guy Ritchie

Batman 2 Matt Reeves returns with Robert Pattinson. Based at Leavesden, filming from April 2026. Warner Bros · Leavesden · From April 2026 Director: Matt Reeves · Production Designer: Miryam Jacomini · Production Designer: Luke Hull

How to Train Your Dragon Live-action remake. Moved to Sky Studios Elstree from Belfast where the first film shot. UPM: Jeremy Johns. Filming due to complete May 2026. Universal / DreamWorks · Sky Studios Elstree

Rebus – Series 2 Richard Rankin returns as Ian Rankin’s detective. BBC (Eleventh Hour Films) · Edinburgh Director: Gregory Burke · Director: Niall MacCormick · Producer: Angela Murray

🔧 Pre-Production (10), then Development (10)

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Recorded on 21st January 2026, just after episode 2 had been released.

WARNING: Some spoilers ahead for those two episodes if you haven’t seen them!

Subjects: Making Series 4 and what to expect from the rest of the season Creating the Story and World of Industry Casting, Hiring, Crew, Filming Locations, Scheduling on HBO vs BBC, Handling Sensitive Storylines and working with Intimacy Coordinators. What Stephen looks for in a script.

Stephen's quick-fire questions for who he thinks will be the next big thing, greatest performance and best films ever made.

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Wahala

Follows three thirty-something Anglo-Nigerian women whose friendship group is infiltrated by the beautiful, charismatic, and super-wealthy Isobel. Writer Theresa Ikoko Executive Producer Liz Kilgarriff Set to shoot in London from April 2026
Pre Production - Firebird Pictures

How to Kill Your Family

Grace, a billionaire’s forgotten daughter, faces rejection and plots revenge against her merciless father, Simon Artemis, risking losing more in her deadly scheme. Set to star Anya Taylor-Joy TV Series 8 X 60 mins Produced by Sid Gentle Films for Netflix Set to film in London in Summer ‘26
Pre Production - Sid Gentle Films

Red, White and Royal Wedding

The Red, White & Royal Blue sequel, Red, White & Royal Wedding, is officially a go at Amazon MGM Studios with Jamie Babbit stepping in to direct. As was previously announced, Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez are reprising their roles as Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz in the sequel, for which plot details are being kept under wraps.
Filming - Amazon Prime

Untitled Tomb Raider Project

Adaptation of the movie and video game Tomb Raider. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Tomb Raider” has been ordered to series at Amazon‘s Prime Video. “Fleabag” creator Waller-Bridge will write and executive produce the show based on the iconic “Tomb Raider” video game franchise, which follows the adventures of archaeologist and adventurer Lara Croft. Based at Shinfield Studios. Sophie Turner takes the title role. Set to film early 2026 in London.
Filming - Amazon Prime

Another 20 productions listed after the jump.

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Unforgotten Series 7

London detectives investigate crimes from the past, unravelling secrets left buried for years. Produced for ITV 1 Creator. and Showrunner Chris Lang
Update: Filming - Mainstreet Pictures

Pretend I’m Not Here

During Nazi-occupied Netherlands, a couple shelters a Jewish perfume salesman in their home. Living with an unknown person brings unforeseen developments to their lives. Pretend I’m Not Here is a Parkville Pictures and Lemming Film co-production developed with BBC Film. Director Simon Bird Writers Lisa Owens Set to film in May ‘26 Producers Cecilia Frugiuele | Olivier Kaempfer
Pre Production - BBC Films

Majesty

The shocking murder of King Zachary Chamberlain sends his entire family and kingdom into turmoil as the hunt for his killer begins. ITV period drama that will reimagine the life of a young Elizabeth I in the court of the notorious King Henry VIII. Majesty will depict the life of a young Elizabeth I and her place in the court of King Henry VIII. Writer Joseph Anthony Francis Set to shoot in Summer 2026 in Wales
Pre Production - ITV

Elsinore

A powerful, deeply moving and inspiring story of the actor Ian Charleson who faced incredible odds while preparing to give the performance of his life in Hamlet at the National Theatre in London. Director Simon Stone Mike Eley is DOP, Helen Scott is production designer, Mel Page is costume designer, Valerio Bonelli is editor, Nadia Stacey is hair and make-up designer, and Jessica Ronane is casting. Set to shoot in UK and Italy in January 2026
Filming - Studio Canal

Bunker

Follows a married couple of 17 years. The husband is an architect who accepts a controversial project to build a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire. This decision leads his wife to question their marriage. Director Florian Zeller Writer Florian Zeller Producers Fernando Bovaira Cinematographer Ben Smithard (director of photography) Casting Director Kharmel Cochrane (casting director) Production Designer Alain Bainée
Filming

Trail by Combat

Follows John Porter, a once-great Champion in a near future where legal trials are settled by gladiatorial combat, who seeks revenge against his nemesis in a battle to destroy a corrupt judicial system. The film is set in a near future where “judicial combat” has become accepted practice and legal trials are settled by gladiatorial combat between elected “Champions. Director Renny Harlin Writer Matthew Wilson Producers Basil Iwanyk (producer) | Erica Lee (producer) Set to shoot in London from Spring ‘26
Pre Production - Thunder Road Pictures

The Bright Side Running Club

When Keira is diagnosed with breast cancer, she’s determined not to be defined by the ‘C’ word. As her life starts to unravel, she find a group of runners going through treatment and Keira starts to reclaim her life. One step at a time. Director Sheree Folkson Writer Josie Lloyd Producer Harriet Rees (producer) Set to film in Norfolk in the Summer
Pre Production - Kaleidoscope

Embassy

When the Embassy in London is attacked, a U.S. diplomat faces an impossible choice: protect the Ambassador or follow orders to extract a high-value asset. As a deeper conspiracy unfolds, she must team up with her ex, a British SAS soldier. Sam Heughan is joining Anna Kendrick and J.K. Simmons in Embassy, the geo-political action thriller series. Set to film in February 2026 Production is set to begin next month in London and Cologne
Pre Production - Turbine Studios

Bridgerton Series 5

The eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society. Bridgerton Season 5 will likely be based on the book To Sir Phillip, With Love, focusing on Eloise Bridgerton’s story. While there’s no official release date, filming for Season 5 is expected to begin in March 2026.
Pre Production Shondaland

STRIKE - THE RUNNING GRAVE

Returning TV Series Private investigator and war veteran Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott use their unique skills to investigate complex cases that the London police are unable to solve. Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has joined a religious cult in the Norfolk countryside. The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organisation that campaigns for a better world.
Update: Filming - BBC, Bronte pictures

Number 10

Drama set in Downing Street’s seat of power. Steven Moffat scripted project about the inner workings and personalities that work at the world-famous address. In development with Hartswood. More details to follow.
Update: Filming

Maud

6 part series based on the novella’s of Swedish crime writer Helen Tursten. Glenn Close stars as ‘Maud’ a cantankerous and ruthless killer with a tortured past. Morenike Williams producing. Barbara Maria Hauser is the Production Manager Filming in Finchley. Set to shoot from December.
Update: Filming - Playground Entertainment

Elden Ring

The Elden ring was shattered. Its golden light, once eternal, was scattered to the winds of ruin. Marika’s offspring, demigods all, claimed the shards of the Elden Ring. Soon a war began, a war from which no lord arose. Director Alex Garland Writers Alex Garland | Hidetaka Miyazaki Producers Vince Gerardis | Andrew Macdonald | George R.R. Martin| Matthew Penry-Davey Production Design Michelle Day | Mark Digby Based out of Sky Elstree Studios.
Pre Production - A24

The Wrong People

Arnold Turner, a repressed English schoolmaster on holiday in Morocco, meets Clarence Baird, a wealthy British expat with a dark secret. Director Steven Fierberg Producer Stephen Israel (producer) Set to film in London from February 2026
Pre Production - Pathetique Films

Mosquito

A mosquito’s intrusion triggers revelations between newlyweds Ed and Kate as their daily routines chip away at their public image, exposing hidden truths in their relationship. Described as a sardonic look at a young couple’s relationship, Mosquito brings Hoult, Edgar-Jones and McNamara back to Hulu where they were part of two signature 2020 series. Set to shoot in Spring 2026
Pre Production

Only Murders in the Building - series 6

Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selina Gomez find themselves in London, solving yet another murder. Rumoured to be based centrally.

Pre production - Disney

Supacell - series 2

Wrapped, now in post production.

Kennedy

Michael Fassbender plays Joe Kennedy, JFK’s father. Based on the 2020 Biography by Frederick Logevall. Based at Shepperton Studios

Filming - Netflix/Chernin Entertainment

In other news…..

We’re hearing Harry Potter will start again in the Summer, Ridley Scott is in soft prep for a WW1 drama, Day of the Jackal 2 will be mostly in Spain and Budapest with some days in London, Batman 2 to start filming in April/May. And which famous filmmaker now directs from his trailer? Answers on a postcard…

There is still no word from Disney about a 3rd series of A Thousand Blows.

January/February 2026

Embassy

When the Embassy in London is attacked, a U.S. diplomat faces an impossible choice: protect the Ambassador or follow orders to extract a high-value asset. As a deeper conspiracy unfolds, she must team up with her ex, a British SAS soldier. Sam Heughan is joining Anna Kendrick and J.K. Simmons in Embassy, the geo-political action thriller series. Set to film in February 2026 Production is set to begin next month in London and Cologne
Pre Production Turbine Studios

London and Cologne

Bridgerton Series 5

The eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society. Bridgerton Season 5 will likely be based on the book To Sir Phillip, With Love, focusing on Eloise Bridgerton’s story. While there’s no official release date, filming for Season 5 is expected to begin in March 2026.
Pre Production Shondaland

STRIKE - THE RUNNING GRAVE

Returning TV Series Private investigator and war veteran Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott use their unique skills to investigate complex cases that the London police are unable to solve.Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has joined a religious cult in the Norfolk countryside. The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organisation that campaigns for a better world.
Update: Filming - BBC

Number 10

Drama set in Downing Street’s seat of power. Steven Moffat scripted project about the inner workings and personalities that work at the world-famous address. In development with Hartswood.
Update: Filming.

Channel 4 - Hartswood Films

Maud

6 part series based on the novella’s of Swedish crime writer Helen Tursten. Glenn Close stars as ‘Maud’ a cantankerous and ruthless killer with a tortured past. Morenike Williams producing. Maria Hauser is the Production Manager Filming in Finchley. Set to shoot from December.
Update: Filming

Channel 4 - Playground Entertainment

Elden Ring

The Elden ring was shattered. Its golden light, once eternal, was scattered to the winds of ruin. Marika’s offspring, demigods all, claimed the shards of the Elden Ring. Soon a war began, a war from which no lord arose. Director Alex Garland Writers Alex Garland | Hidetaka Miyazaki Producers Vince Gerardis | Andrew Macdonald | George R.R. Martin| Matthew Penry-Davey Production Design Michelle Day | Mark Digby Based out of Elstree Studios.
Pre Production A24

The Wrong People

Arnold Turner, a repressed English schoolmaster on holiday in Morocco, meets Clarence Baird, a wealthy British expat with a dark secret. Director Steven Fierberg Producer Stephen Israel (producer) Set to film in London from February 2026
Pre Production Pathetique Films

20 more productions listed for subscribers below.

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Cry to Heaven

Pre Production

Follows Tonio, a nobleman castrated by his half-brother, who rises to fame as a soprano under the guidance of opera star Guido. The story explores betrayal, identity, and redemption. In 18th century Italy, two artists try to forge careers in opera. Director Tom Ford Writers Tom Ford | Anne Rice Producers Tom Ford (producer) | Christopher Rice (producer) In Pre Production from November and expected to start filming in Early 2026 in the UK and Rome.

Fade to Black Productions

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