The Looming Tower confirmed for Friday nights and trailer released
BBC confirms that The Looming Tower will be shown weekly on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from Friday 26 April at 9.30pm
Shane Allen announces British Comedy Foundation venture
Opening the doors to new voices and furthering the impact of British comedy, Allen plans to cultivate a comedy community backed advocacy group with three main purposes.
Comedy
In new BBC comedy, Ghosts, Alison and Mike, a cash-strapped young couple struggling to buy their first home, think their prayers are answered when a distant relative bequeaths them a sprawling country estate. The catch? The old house is haunted by the ghosts of its former inhabitants.
BBC Comedy and BBC Three is furthering its commitment to breaking new comedy talent with seven Threesome commissions per year, increasing opportunities for breakthrough comedy writers and performers.
Drama
Now in its fifth year, the BBC Writersroom has welcomed the writers for the 2019 BBC TV Drama Writers’ Programme. This unique initiative partners thirteen promising screenwriters with thirteen independent production companies, giving the emerging scriptwriters the opportunity to write the first episode script of a potential BBC-commissioned original series or serial.
Series one, two and the finale of Jed Mercurio’s award-winning medical drama Bodies are now exclusively available free to air as a boxset on BBC Three.
BBC acquires third series of the award-winning spy thriller Killing Eve.
BBC Two has acquired See-Saw Films' short-form comedy series State Of The Union, written by Academy Award-nominated and Bafta-winning writer Nick Hornby.
Entertainment
After seven incredible series, Dame Darcey Bussell has decided to step down as judge from Strictly Come Dancing.
Rob Beckett hosts the Grand Final of All Together Now, as ten amazing acts return to face Spice Girl Geri Horner and the rest of The 100, as well as performing together for the first time in a big group number to open the show.
Popular YouTube personalities including the faces behind LadBaby, Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, who produced last year’s Christmas No. 1 single, and Antonella The Uncensored Reviewer, will star in a new BBC daytime programme, The Customer Is Always Right.
After racing twelve thousand miles, over two continents, across twenty-one countries and several seas, retired PE teachers Tony and Elaine Teasdale (62) were the first to reach Singapore and be crowned winners of Race Across The World 2019.
Arts
Told in Werner Herzog’s inimitable style; full of memorable characters and encounters, Arena: Nomad - In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin for BBC Two, explores the creative and personal vision Herzog shared with iconic travel writer Bruce Chatwin.
Factual
Earth From Space: Cameras in space tell stories of life on our planet from a brand new perspective
News
BBC News is to shine a spotlight on Middlesbrough, telling the stories that matter to the people of the Teesside town. The stories will air across the BBC’s national and regional news outlets, online platforms and social media.
Northern Ireland
Thornhill College and Ebrington Primary School, Londonderry have been named as Northern Ireland’s top senior and junior school choirs in the live final of BBC Northern Ireland School Choir Of The Year.
Written by newcomer David Allen and directed by Declan Recks (The Truth Commissioner) Counsel is a new drama from BBC Northern Ireland telling the story of Olivia Harley, a female barrister who complicates her professional and personal life when she takes on the case of a young client.
Scotland
The BBC's face of news in Scotland for the last three decades, Jackie Bird, has presented her final bulletin.
Broadcast highlights
- Unstoppable: Sean Scully And The Art Of Everything, Saturday 6 April, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer
- The Victim, Monday 8 April, BBC One and BBC iPlayer
- Don't Forget The Driver, Tuesday 9 April, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer
- Scot Squad, Thursday 11 April, BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer
- Free Thinking - How They Manipulate Our Emotions, Tuesday 9 April, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds
- Step Back In Time - With Rylan Clark-Neal: 1997 - Kathy Burke, Wednesday 10 April, BBC Radio 4 Extra and BBC Sounds
- Matthew Herbert's World Of Sound, Thursday 11 April, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
- CrowdScience: Why Do We Find Things Beautiful?, Friday 12 April, BBC World Service and BBC Sounds
