Actor Johnny Depp is to star as Peter Pan author JM Barrie in a new movie to be filmed in Britain.

The 38-year-old Blow star will play Barrie in Neverland, which is set to go into production in the summer.

The film follows the story of how Barrie wrote the children's classic after becoming friends with four fatherless boys and their mother at the turn of the century in London.

The Miramax film, based on the play by Allan Knee entitled The Man Who Was Peter Pan, will also recreate how the book made it to the stage.

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Tomorrow's World gets digital presenter

Tomorrow's World is to become the first UK TV series to employ a digitally-animated presenter.

Maddy is a computer-generated animation that has been designed to appear as life-like as possible for the BBC One technology show.

She has artificial intelligence that will allow her to learn about science and chat to the real presenters, according to her makers Digital Animations Group.

She is to make her debut on the show on Wednesday, 20 March.

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Britney pens tune for Pepsi

Britney Spears has written a new song to accompany her latest television advert for Pepsi, in which she plays football with stars including David Beckham.

The track will be played with the advert, which will appear on UK screens during the World Cup in the summer.

In the advert, she shows off her ball skills with some of the world's top football players, including Rivaldo, Emmanuel Petit and Edgar Davids.

"Kicking the football around in Pepsi's ad brought back some great memories for me. It was a lot of fun and really inspired me when writing the single for Pepsi," she said.

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Edinburgh Fringe records bumper year

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival recorded its biggest year for ticket sales in 2001.

Some 873,887 tickets were sold for the August festival - an increase of 138,000 on 2000, taking its earnings to more than �6m.

The response has ensured its status as one of the biggest arts festivals in the world.

The programme for the 2002 festival is due to be unveiled on 6 June.

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Theroux goes back to the 80s

Interviewer Louis Theroux is to follow the Here & Now 1980s revival tour for a programme to be shown later in the year.

The tour, which begins on 18 April in Cardiff, features some of the decade's best-known acts, including ABC, Toyah, Howard Jones, China Crisis and former members of Spandau Ballet.

The tour organisers also hope to include Adam Ant, who was recently remanded on conditional bail until 1 May after an alleged firearm incident.

Theroux's programmes have featured a number of celebrities including Jimmy Savile, Neil and Christine Hamilton and Chris Eubank.

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Van Outen makes Broadway debut

UK TV celebrity Denise Van Outen has opened on Broadway in the hit musical Chicago.

She admitted to feeling nervous before joining the New York cast for the first time, to reprise the role of Roxie Hart which she played in London's West End.

"I can't come over here and think 'right, I did well in London so I'm going to relax about the whole thing'," she told ITV News before the show.

The former Big Breakfast presenter was presented with flowers at the end of her performance at the Schubert Theatre.

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Jamie Oliver becomes a father

TV chef Jamie Oliver and his wife Jools are celebrating the birth of their baby girl.

Poppy Honey was born at on Monday and hit the scales at 7lb 14oz, four days after she was due.

A spokesman for the host of BBC Two's Naked Chef cookery show said they were "delighted" with their new addition.

He added: "All concerned are doing well."

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Meet the Rev Robbie Williams

Singer Robbie Williams was ordained as a US church minister in order to marry one of his best friends, according to Hello! magazine.

He became a minister by surfing the Internet and completing an on-line ordination form, to gain a certificate from the non-denominational Universal Ministries.

He then officiated at the wedding of The Cult bass player Billy Morrison and his girlfriend Jennifer Holliday on Friday in Los Angeles.

"We decided to up the ante - have a bit of a laugh and put together a real rock 'n' roll wedding," Morrison told Hello!

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Actor 'not too posh' for Holby City

An actor has accused the BBC of rejecting him for a role in TV series Holby City because his accent was "too posh".

Dominic Colchester, 27, told the Daily Telegraph the BBC's "political correctness" meant that his received pronunciation was perceived as "elitist".

A spokeswoman for Holby City said: "The idea that we'd reject an actor for being posh is laughable - good actors are chameleons and can change their performance to suit a role.

"In this case Mr Colchester was simply not right for the part and it went to someone else."

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Lewis threatens lewd graffiti artists

Singer Jerry Lee Lewis has installed surveillance cameras to catch people writing vulgarities on the fence of his Mississippi ranch.

The boundary was repaired and freshly painted after a driver ploughed his car through it but in less than a week rude cartoons and obscenities had been scrawled across it.

The 66-year-old singer of Great Balls of Fire requested that anyone caught defacing the fence be arrested, due to concern about the effect it is having on the ranch and the neighbourhood.

Fans will still be able to tour the star's home but will no longer be able to sign the fence.

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Belafonte honoured for racism fight

Entertainer Harry Belafonte's life-long fight for human rights and racial equality has been recognised with a Distinguished American Award.

The 70-year-old singer and actor took a stand by refusing to perform in the South of the US between 1954 and 1961 because of continued racial segregation.

The award, which has previously gone to former President George Bush and civil rights activist James Farmer, was given to Belafonte by the John F Kennedy Library in Boston.

"One of the country's best-loved entertainers, Belafonte has also been at the forefront of our nation's struggle for civil rights and the international effort to promote human rights throughout the globe," a spokesman said.