BBC Studios & Blink Anime-Inspired Series
BBC Studios Kids & Family is developing a new anime-inspired series for 8-12-year-olds – the primary title in its first-look deal with Blink Industries. Children Vs Battle SuperStars [working title] is a 22 x 22′ kids’ martial arts tournament series set in a fantastical modern-day world. Inspired by the classics of the genre, it explores the comical fallout as ordinary kids come up against the extraordinary battle ‘Super Stars’. It has been created by animation duo Remus Buznea and Kyriaki (Kiki) Kyriakou who are behind hits such as Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty. The project is the first to come out of the two year, first-look deal that BBC Studios Kids & Family struck last year with Blink Industries. They are set to produce the series.
Wild Cards Heads To UK & More
Fifth Season has inked a deal with Channel 5 and Paramount+ (UK) for seasons one and two of Wild Cards, the crime solving procedural from Blink49 Studios, Front Street Pictures and Piller/Segan in association with The CW for commissioning broadcaster CBC in Canada. The series launched on Paramount+ UK in May this year. In addition, Fifth Season has landed further deals for seasons one and two with The Walt Disney Company (Greece, Cyprus, Malta), Sony Pictures Television (Latin America) and Disney (Balkans). Starring Vanessa Morgan, Giacomo Gianniotti and Jason Priestley, Fifth Season also has secured rights for the upcoming third and fourth seasons of the series.
The Cage Casting
The BBC has revealed further casting for new drama The Cage, written and created by Tony Schumacher (The Responder) and produced by Element Pictures for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. The crime story set within the world of a Liverpool Casino stars Sheridan Smith (Cilla) and Michael Socha (The Gallows Pole). Joining are Barry Sloane (House of the Dragon) as Gary, Geraldine James (Dope Girls) as Nancy, Anton Bibby as Thomas, Freya Jones as Emily, Sophie Mensah (Sanctuary: A Witches Tale) as Fen, Abby Mavers (Waterloo Road) as Kelly, Shaun Mason (Extraordinary) as Alan, Louis Emerick as Paul (The Power of Parker), Ian Puleston Davies (Tin Star) as Vincent, Julia Papp (Baptiste) as Irina, Katy Carmichael (Malpractice) as DCI Hannigan, Dave Hart (The Responder) as Danny, Eileen O’Brien (Not Going Out) as Nanna, Eithne Browne (The Responder) as Annie, and Mona Goodwin (Extraordinary) as Trace.
Gomorrah Launch Date, First Images
Sky has revealed a January 2026 launch and first look images for the latest series in hit franchise Gomorrah. Gomorrah — The Origins. The 70s set prequel series will recount the rise of mobster Pietro Savastano. Savastano, the head of the Neapolitan drug-dealing clan the series is based on, is played by 16-year-old Naples native Luca Lubrano.
Dawn French Animation At Annecy
British actress, comedian and writer Dawn French has joined the cast of the TV adaptation of Shaun Tan’s illustrated anthology Tales From Outer Suburbia, the Western Australian take on growing up in Perth. Tan’s short stories have been adapted into a 10 x 22-minute animated series, which makes its world premiere this week at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. The Tales from Outer Suburbia animated series for the ABC is produced by Highly Spirited and Flying Bark Productions in association with WA production company, Siamese. Siamese is undertaking production in WA, Flying Bark in NSW. Director is Noel Cleary. Based on Tan’s memories of growing up in the northern suburbs of Perth, the series begins when ‘almost 13-year-old’ Klara and her six-year-old brother Pim move to Outer Suburbia with their newly single mother Lucy. The siblings’ summer holiday turns into a series of unexpected and surreal adventures, with the family encountering weird and miraculous phenomena as they adapt to their new reality.
Workplace Conflict Costing UK Creative Industries £1.8B
The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority has published a report estimating that workplace conflict is costing the UK’s creative industries £1.8B ($2.4B) a year. The report said nearly a third of Britain’s 2.4M creative employees experience workplace conflict, resulting in people leaving jobs early or being out of work. Baroness Helena Kennedy, CIISA’s chair, said: “We’re not just talking about harm to individuals — for the first time, we can look deeper into how bullying and harassment, including behaviour of a discriminatory nature, translates into real, measurable economic loss validated by those who work in and across the UK’s creative industries. What has been uncovered is stark: the sector is bleeding both talent and productivity because of unresolved conflict and acting as a brake on growth.”
