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New comedy-drama film Our Kid shares the story of a working-class family learning to deal with adversity through humour and community. Our Kid, which premiered as part of the Raindance Film Festival, is based on the multi-award-winning short Thomas by Daniel P. Lewis. The film is written by Daniel P. Lewis and is directed by veteran ‘bad guy’ actor Sean Cronin.

The story is told through the eyes and imagination of twelve-year-old Laura Reilly (Poppie Jae-Hughes), whose only goal in life is to one day play football professionally. Although Laura has many footballing heroes, her older brother Thomas has won her ultimate admiration – with his quest to raise money for charity through a sponsored bike ride while overcoming the challenges he will face from his Cerebral Palsy. Family and friends pull together to help Thomas overcome adversity and show the community what determination and perseverance can achieve.

Our Kid features...

Separated siblings, bullied children, horrible accidents and Marc Bolan’s death are only some of the tragedies here, but strong performances keep the horrors watchable

This Wales, Liverpool and London-set drama is a proper melodrama any way you slice it, but one with strong enough performances and sufficiently good dialogue to keep it from feeling tacky. The first chunk of expository scene-setting shuttles back and forth between the 1970s and the present day, establishing a sunny comic tone that’s suddenly pierced by tragedy. In the 70s, a coachload of kids from a children’s home are travelling to see their favourite band, T Rex, chaperoned by the home’s vicar (Andrew Lancel) and cheery carer Simon. The vicar’s daughter Penny (Eden Beach), about 10 years old, is close with home-resident Sadie (Amelia Rose Smith) and Sadie’s shy older brother Jimmy (Isaac Lancel-Watkinson), who is bullied by the older boys.

In a follow-up to last weeks podcast/interview, Britflicks podcast host and Nerdly team member Stuart Wright talks to writer/director Simeon Halligan about his new film Habit, an adaptation of Steven McGeagh’s cult novel, which is set in a neon-drenched dystopian Manchester.

Alongside Elliot James Langridge (Northern Soul), Habit features an incredible Northern cast of actors, including Roxanne Pallet (Emmerdale), Jessica Barden (Penny Dreadful, The Lobster) and Sally Carmen (Shameless). The film’s cast also includes William Ash (Waterloo Road), Andrew Ellis (This Is England), Robert Beck (Home Fires), Joanne Mitchell (White Settlers), and Louis Emerick (Layer Cake).

Habit follows the story of Michael, played by Elliot James Langridge (Northern Soul), jobless and down on his luck, he is irresistibly drawn into the city’s seedy underworld and is groomed by a subculture who have a dark secret, a bloody addiction that they intend Michael to share.

Confirmed...

Director Simeon Halligan’s latest horror opus, Habit, will receive its premiere at Grimmfest on Thursday 5th October, as the opening night gala for the festival. The film is an adaptation of Steven McGeagh’s cult novel, which is set in a neon-drenched dystopian Manchester. Alongside Elliot James Langridge (Northern Soul), the production features an incredible Northern cast of actors, including Roxanne Pallet (Emmerdale), Jessica Barden (Penny Dreadful, The Lobster) and Sally Carmen (Shameless). The film’s cast also includes William Ash (Waterloo Road), Andrew Ellis (This Is England), Robert Beck (Home Fires), Joanne Mitchell (White Settlers), and Louis Emerick (Layer Cake).

Habit follows the story of Michael, played by Elliot James Langridge (Northern Soul), jobless and down on his luck, he is irresistibly drawn into the city’s seedy underworld and is groomed by a subculture who have a dark secret, a bloody addiction that they intend Michael to share.

Louisa Mellor Oct 14, 2016

Dave’s first original sitcom by Baby Cow Productions sees The Inbetweeners’ James Buckley zapped to a fantasy dimension...

Having brought Red Dwarf out of retirement in 2009 successfully enough to keep it out, Dave has taken another punt on scripted comedy. A cautious punt, you might say, on the basis of short three-part series Zapped.

See related Sherlock series 4 trailer breakdown Sherlock series 4: first 2 episode titles revealed Sherlock: an on-screen history of series 4's Culverton Smith

You can understand the timid approach. Until Yonderland, fantasy sitcom has been a rough business. It’s pricy and niche, at least on TV. BBC Two’s Krod Mandoon And The Flaming Sword Of Fire cost a packet in comparison to most half-hour comedies, and failed to cross over from fantasy fans to a mainstream audience.

Radio has seen the most successful examples, from Anil Gupta’s Elvenquest to...

Rob Leane Oct 13, 2016

James Buckley, Paul Kaye and Sharon Rooney star in Zapped, a new fantasy comedy from Dave...

Back in June, a small gaggle of journalists and I were ensconced for a few hours within the shadowy bowels of Pinewood. We were ushered onto a soundstage between takes, inside a ginormous warehouse-like studio.

We were there to catch a glimpse of Zapped, a new sci-fi/fantasy comedy series that had recently been announced by Dave. With The Inbetweeners/Rock & Chips star James Buckley on board, and a big high concept premise, Zapped sounded like a tailor-made accompaniment to Red Dwarf XI on the UK channel’s autumn slate.

The immediate impression I got was that no space had been wasted whatsoever. Rows of wooden walls stood tall, divvying up the sizeable studio into a variety of sets. A pub, a street and a strange vault were all crammed into the same little corner,...

Rob Leane Oct 6, 2016

James Buckley, Paul Kaye and Steve Coogan are teaming up for Zapped, a new Dave series that blends wizards with workplace humour...

Dave's first foray into scripted comedy will soon be upon us. If you've been watching Red Dwarf XI on Thursday nights, you'll likely have seen a trailer for Zapped, a three-part fantasy sitcom produced by Steve Coogan's Baby Cow Productions.

Zapped starts on Thursday the 13th of October, just after Red Dwarf XI episode 3. If you can't wait that long, it's available as a preview now on UKTV Play.

The show stars The Inbetweeners' James Buckley as Brian Weaver, a humble online data marketing assistant who finds himself whisked away to a parallel, magical world.

Here's the first official clip:

It shows Buckley's character arriving in the fantasy realm of Munty and encountering Steg, Barbara and Herman in Herman's pub. Watch to the...

Last of the Summer Wine may be revived in the form of a spinoff series.

Actors Ken Kitson and Louis Emerick are developing a pilot episode for a potential new comedy, along with former series producer and director Alan Jw Bell.

The duo paid hapless policemen Cooper Walsh for several years on the show, before it came to an end in 2010.

They are seeking funding to film either a feature-length film or a short series, and have hinted that other former stars may return.

Associate producer Terry Bartlam said: "When the BBC decided they didn't want to make any more episodes of Last of the Summer Wine it was a double blow for the two actors.

"People were anxious that the series should have a proper ending, with perhaps a feature-length episode to bring it all together.

"There is also thinking that in Cooper and Walsh there was scope for...

The lineup for this year's Pointless Celebrities series has been announced by BBC One.

Beginning with an August 9 comedy special, the upcoming series will feature different themes each week.

Four teams of two from the world of music, TV, soaps, sport, food and drink, journalism, radio and theatre will compete for charity in weekly specials to air on Saturday evenings on BBC One.

The first show pits Lesley Joseph and Linda Robson from Birds of a Feather against Ronni Ancona and Phil Cornwell, Su Pollard and Ruth Madoc, and Josh Widdicombe and his partner Sara Pascoe.

Standout teams from the series include Stefan Dennis and fellow Neighbours star Rebekah Elmaloglou, who will square off against Ray Quinn and Louis Emerick from Brookside.

Antony Costa from Blue will team with 5ive's Scott Robinson in the music special, while TV stars Louie Spence and Carol McGiffin will face off against the likes...

BBC One has confirmed the competitors for the third series of Celebrity Masterchef.

The stars will put their cooking skills to the test during a four-week run this summer.

The actors taking part will be: Linda Robson, Louis Emerick, Wendi Peters, Debra Stephenson, Chris Parker, Joe McCann, Steven Pinder, Mark Moraghan, Vicki Michelle, Sean Wilson, Clare Grogan and Hywel Simons.

Joining them will be musicians Liz McLarnon, Dj Spoony and Claire Richards; sports personalities Denise Lewis and Noel Whelan; presenters Andi Peters, . . .