“Channel 5 drama ‘The Puzzle Lady’ directed by Phyllis Logan”

Downton Abbey star to lead Channel 5 drama The Puzzle Lady

Downton Abbey Star Phyllis Logan stars in a global Channel 5 drama based on Parnell Hall’s films Puzzle Lady Secrets. The Puzzle Lady [working title] will see BAFTA nominee Cora Felton play, adopting the eponymous moniker. When a strange murder occurs in the sleepy market town of Bakerbury, the local police are puzzled by a crossword puzzle left on the body. With their case going nowhere, they reluctantly turn to Felton, a newcomer. Hall, who died in 2020, wrote numerous Puzzle Checkers books in addition to his Stanley Hastings crime novels. The series is for Paramount-owned channel Channel 5 and is distributed in the US by PBS Distribution, while producers Channel Zero and ZDF Studios distribute the rest of the world. Production on the series has begun in Northern Ireland and is scheduled to air next year. Paul Testar, Editor-in-Chief of Drama, Channel 5 and Paramount+, said: “We’re really excited to bring this The Puzzle Lady to Channel 5, a gripping, cozy crime drama that will puzzle and entertain viewers in equal measure.”

Free collaboration with Amazon for the largest distribution deal to date

The British free streamer Freely has signed its largest distribution deal to date with Amazon Fire TV. The channel-backed streamer, the first free service accessible over the Internet, will be available this fall on a variety of next-generation smart TVs that use the Fire TV operating system. The move marks the latest distribution deal for the Everyone TV series Freely, which launched earlier this year. Most recently, the company signed a content deal with UKTV and discovered that it had more content than any other streamer in the UK, with around 70,000 hours. Jonathan Thompson, head of Everyone TV, said: “Jonathan Thompson added: “I am delighted that Amazon recognizes the immense value that easy access to public service broadcasters and other free-to-air content brings to British audiences.” This is the start of a journey that will bring invaluable content to British audiences and unify an increasingly fragmented viewing experience.”

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight goes on tour in the US

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight will tour the US for the first time later this month with a portion of its 2024 selection. In the parallel section, titles will be presented at events at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York and the Culver Theater in Los Angeles. The section said the showcase was an opportunity to meet directors and producers of independent and genre cinema, describing the event as a “unique opportunity to celebrate the historic connection between the United States and the Fortnight as a launching pad for young American cinema.” Aside from the US dates, Directors’ Fortnight will also travel to Human Trust Shibuya in Tokyo in December and in Brazil in collaboration with the Janela Internacional de Cinema Festival in Recife.

Directv celebrates October 7th anniversary with “#NOVA” document

Directv is celebrating the anniversary with the show on October 7th in Latin America #NOVA doc this evening as part of a program series. By Yes Studios, #NOVA uses images and videos taken by both survivors and terrorists to depict in real time what happened at the Israeli music festival on that fateful day a year ago. Directv shows #NOVA tonight along with special newscasts Israel: One year after July 10th And Hadassah: The Hospital of War.