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David Leland, a director of stage and screen whose filmmaking CV includes films such as Wish You Were Here, Personal Services and Land Girls, has died. He was 82.

Born in 1941 in Cambridge, Leland initially trained as an actor at the Central Speech of School and Drama and had many stage credits before moving into direction at the Crucible Theatre. That began his collaboration with Alan Clarke in 1981. He wrote Made In Britain, which Clarke directed and featured the first screen role of Tim Roth. In 1986, Leland and director Neil Jordan co-wrote the screenplay for Mona Lisa, which starred Bob Hoskins.

Leland then wrote Personal Services, which was directed by Terry Jones and followed the true-life story of Cynthia Payne, who ran a private brothel.

Payne was also the subject of Leland's next film his directorial debut, Wish You Were Here, which chronicled her teenage years, starring Emily Lloyd.

While his next two films,...

Emmy winning “Band of Brothers” director David Leland, who was also a prolific writer with over five decades in the industry, died Sunday at age 82.

The news came from his longtime agency Cassaroto Ramsay & Associates on Wednesday.

“Our beloved client writer/director, David Leland has passed away. We will miss his incredible talent and warm spirit so very much,” the agency said. “Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”

Leland, born in England at the height of World War II, trained as an actor and stage manager before establishing himself as a screenwriter and director. Among his most popular films are the 1983 cult classic “Made in Britain,” 1986’s Golden-Globe and Oscar-nominated “Mona Lisa” with Bob Hoskins and 1987’s “Wish You Were Here.”

Leland was renowned for writing two films about British suburban madam Cynthia Payne, 1987’s “Personal Services” and Cannes Film Festival hit “Wish You Were Here,” the...

David Leland, the British writer, director and actor whose credits include “Wish You Were Here,” “The Borgias” and more, died on Dec. 24, according to his agents Casarotto Ramsay & Associates. He was 82. A cause of death was not revealed.

Leland cut his teeth in theater, where he directed the world premiere of Michael Palin and Terry Jones’ “Their Finest Hours” and gave Pierce Brosnan his first opportunity to act on stage in the British premiere of Tennessee Williams’ “The Red Devil Battery Sign.”

A distinguished film and TV screenwriting career followed, including “Made in Britain” (1982) directed by Alan Clarke and starring Tim Roth; “Birth of a Nation” (1983) by Mike Newell; and Neil Jordan’s Oscar, Golden Globe and WGA-nominated “Mona Lisa” (1986), featuring a BAFTA-winning performance by Bob Hoskins.

Leland made his directorial debut with “Wish You Were Here” (1987), which won him the BAFTA for best original screenplay, and the film...

David Leland, the veteran British theater, film and TV writer and director best known for his 1987 debut movie Wish You Were Here, has died. He was 82.

Leland’s death on Christmas Eve was announced by his longtime publicist, Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.

Born on April 20, 1941, Leland initially trained as an actor at the Central Speech of School and Drama and had many stage credits before moving into direction at the Crucible Theatre.

Leland worked with such British talent as Michael Palin and Terry Jones and directed the world premiere of Their Finest Hours. Pierce Brosnan got his first opportunity to act on stage in the British premiere of Tennessee Williams’ The Red Devil Battery Sign at The Round House, which Leland directed.

“David Leland holds a mighty place in my heart,” Brosnan said in a statement. “I was just out of Drama Center where David was also an alumni. It...

British director and actor David Leland has died aged 82, according to his long-time agency, Cassaroto Ramsay & Associates

The theater, film and TV star passed away on Christmas Eve (December 24), surrounded by his family.

Leland’s career spanned over five decades. He is known for writing two films about British suburban madam Cynthia Payne, the BAFTA-nominated Personal Services in 1987 and the Cannes Film Festival hit Wish You Were Here.

The former was directed by Terry Jones and starred Julie Walters, while Leland directed the latter himself, with Emily Lloyd starring.

Leland won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for Wish You Were Here and the film won the Fipresci prize at Cannes.

He is also noted for serving as co-showrunner of Showtime series The Borgias and for giving Pierce Brosnan his first stage opportunity in the British premiere of Tennessee Williams’ The Red Devil Battery Sign at The Round House, which Leland directed.

While there's a lot of cozy media, there's something special about the "Downton Abbey" franchise. Filled with iconic characters, incredible outfits, and delicious (yet tasteful) storylines, the ever-evolving saga of the Crawley family and their impeccable staff never seems to lose its charm or magic. Of course, all good stories must end. With "A New Era" having already come out this past spring, fans might be at a loss as to what to watch next.

Well, have no fear, "Downton" fans! This list will solve your binge-watching worries. Here, we'll look at a selection of shows perfectly tailored to fill your "Downton" size void. From equivalent costume dramas to choices a little more outside the box, each series has a vibe similar to the extravagant adventures of Lady Mary, Mr. Carson, and the rest of the Crawley gang. So sit back with your cup of tea, and let's dive into...

Yass (former) queen!

The Crown alum Claire Foy looks rather glam in new photos from A Very British Scandal‘s upcoming Season 2. The images, released Monday by Prime Video, gives us our real first look at the series’ sophomore run, which focuses on the divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.

More from TVLineWatch: Nicole Kidman Is Lucille Ball in Trailer for Amazon's Being the RicardosI Know What You Did Last Summer: Did the Amazon Premiere Get Your Goat?Hanna Season 3: Ray Liotta Joins a War That's Only Just Begun -- Watch New Teaser and Get Premiere Date...

Though the summer movie season is winding down (if it ever really started this year), Amazon Prime’s list of new releases for September 2021 is chock full of worthwhile movie options.

For starters, Amazon’s library movie titles are quite good this month. September 1 sees the arrivals of heavyweights such as Apollo 13, Arachnophobia, Romeo + Juliet, The Descent, and The Social Network. And if that weren’t enough, the streamer is trying out some intriguing original movies as well. Cinderella, a modern update on the classic fairy tale, premieres on September 3. That will be followed by “exotic thriller” The Voyeurs (Sept. 10), musical adaptation Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Sept. 17), and French thriller The Mad Woman’s Ball (Sept. 17).

Read more Movies How Arachnophobia Became the Perfect Creepy Crawly Horror Comedy By Jack Beresford Movies Quentin Tarantino Calls The Social Network the Best Movie of the 2010s By David Crow

Things...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Highland Film Group secures distribution in key territories for Kevin Bacon-starrer “One Way,” “Germany’s Next Top Model” gets a five-season renewal, ITV brings back “The Cube,” launches “Stack It!” and picks up co-producers for “A Year on Planet Earth,” Amazon Prime Video unveils premiere details for “Toofaan,” Filmzie and Netgem TV team in the U.K., Mopar Studios enlists U.K. drama specialists to develop international content, Sky hires a trio of comedy specialists and Hot Docs unveils its Special Presentations titles.

Distribution

Highland Film Group has secured a raft of international distribution deals for Andrew Baird’s new thriller “One Way,” starring Kevin Bacon and Colson Baker (“The Dirt”), better known as recording artist Machine Gun Kelly.

Produced by Thomasville Pictures, “One Way” follows Freddy (Baker), who goes on the lam with a bag of cash after a robbery by his crime boss goes wrong.

Honoring the past with powerful and emotional narrative fiction has been a long honored tradition amongst societies around the world. That’s certainly true with the British, who created the period drama series, ‘Land Girls,’ to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. The award-winning television show, which was created by […]

The post Sophie Ward Ponders If She Can Trust the Man She Loves on Land Girls appeared first on Shockya.com.

Honoring the past with powerful and emotional narrative fiction has been a long honored tradition amongst societies around the world. That’s certainly true with the British, who created the drama series, ‘Land Girls,’ to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. The award-winning television show, which was created by Roland […]

The post Jo Woodcock Battles Rising Doubts About Her Motives as She Prepares For Her Wedding on Land Girls appeared first on Shockya.com.

Honoring the past with powerful and emotional narrative fiction has been a long honored tradition amongst societies around the world. That’s certainly true with the British, who created the drama series, ‘Land Girls,’ to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. The award-winning television show, which was created by Roland […]

The post Summer Strallen, Christine Bottomley, Jo Woodcock and Becci Gemmell Join the Women’s Land Army on Land Girls appeared first on Shockya.com.

Women in war films and TV series tend to fall into a few narrow tropes—that is, if they even show up at all. While most war movies, such as Dunkirk or 1917, have very few female characters and who only show up to provide emotional support to men, previous British miniseries that do focus on women during war times, such as Land Girls, focus largely on women producing food or fundraising on the home front. This is what World on Fire, a new drama currently airing on Masterpiece PBS, stands largely in contrast to.

World on Fire follows five families as they endure the Nazis attack on Europe at home and on the battlefield in the first year of World War II. The ensemble’s woman characters—including factory-worker-turned-singer Lois Bennett (Julia Brown), pianist Connie Knight (Yrsa Daley-Ward), waitress-turned-freedom fighter Kasia Tomaszeski (Zofia Wichłacz), and journalist Nancy Campbell (Helen Hunt...

London and Rome-based production company Blackbox Multimedia, recently co-founded by former Lionsgate COO Guy Avshalom with Italy’s Guido Brera and Roberta Cardarelli, is developing a slate of high-end skeins for the international market comprising “The Last Cop,” on which they’ve partnered with Keshet International, and also “Murder in Time,” based on a series of thrillers by U.S. writer Julie McElwain.

McElwain’s three “Murder in Time” books, published by Pegasus, revolve around tough FBI agent Kendra Donovan who goes rogue in London in an effort to assassinate the man who killed her team, only to end up in England in the 1800s. Up-and-coming British screenwriter Amanda Duke has written the series bible for this time-travel crime thriller that encapsulates “what Blackbox is trying to do,” says the company’s Head of Development Chiara Cardoso.

Concurrently, the company has also commissioned Spain’s Sergio Barrejon, who served as writer...

Ahead of the theatrical and VOD release of Tell Me How I Die on September 16th, Daily Dead has an exclusive clip from the film. Also: details on YouTube Spaces and Blumhouse's horror Vr collaboration, Child Eater's world premiere at Brooklyn Horror Fest, Destination America's Mountain Monsters season five renewal, and Iris Prize Festival screening details for Kill Pill.

Watch an Exclusive Clip from Tell Me How I Die: "When a group of college students takes part in an experimental drug study, an unexpected side effect gives them terrifying visions of their own murders… which begin to come true. As they scramble to outsmart and outmaneuver their date with death, they realize that the killer is among them and shares their ability to see the future – only he seems to be one step ahead in their race to survive."

Ryan Higa (YouTube's NigaHiga), Nathan Kress (iCarly), Virginia Gardner...

Genevieve Gaunt, who recurred on Season 2 of E!’s The Royals as Wilhelmina, a love interest for William Mosely’s Prince Liam, has been promoted to series regular for the third go-round. Co-produced by Lionsgate and Universal Cable Prods and written, directed and executive produced by Mark Schwahn, the series stars Elizabeth Hurley as calculating Queen Helena. United Agents-repped Gaunt also appeared on BBC One series Father Brown and Land Girls. Chris Conrad (Young Hercule…...

It sounds like The Royals‘ Liam has finally found his new Ophelia, after all.

RelatedThe Royals Season Finale: Simon’s Killer Revealed, Plus 2 Other Insane Twists

Genevieve Gaunt, introduced during the E! drama’s second season as Wilhelmina, a love interest for the pouty prince, has been promoted to a series regular for Season 3, TVLine has learned exclusively. Equal parts polo player and party girl, Wilhelmina — affectionally referred to as “Willow” — first appeared in the Season 2 premiere.

In addition to The Royals, Gaunt has appeared on a number of British TV series, including Land Girls and Father Brown. She...

Gwilym Lee has joined the cast of 'Midsomer Murders'. The 29-year-old actor - who has starred in 'Fresh Meat', 'Land Girls' and TV movie 'Restless' - will take on the role of DS Charlie Nelson, the new partner of Dci John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), in the ITV detective drama following the departure of DS Jones (Jason Hughes). Gwilym said: ''I am delighted to be joining such a popular and long running series as 'Midsomer Murders'. I have always watched it and can't wait to start work on it now, as a regular character. ''It's a bit of a...

Gwilym Lee has joined the cast of 'Midsomer Murders'. The 29-year-old actor - who has starred in 'Fresh Meat', 'Land Girls' and TV movie 'Restless' - will take on the role of DS Charlie Nelson, the new partner of Dci John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), in the ITV detective drama following the departure of DS Jones (Jason Hughes). Gwilym said: ''I am delighted to be joining such a popular and long running series as 'Midsomer Murders'. I have always watched it and can't wait to start work on it now, as a regular character. ''It's a bit of a...

Last surviving member of the wartime swing trio the Andrews Sisters, whose hits included Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Patty Andrews, who has died aged 94, was the lead singer and soloist with the Andrews Sisters. The swinging American trio, comprising Patty and her older siblings, Laverne and Maxene, achieved their greatest success in the 1940s, contributing to the war effort with catchy songs including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) and, with Bing Crosby, Don't Fence Me In.

The Andrews Sisters performed at military bases and raised money for war bonds; their hits were sung by the troops and by women working in factories. Patty, Laverne and Maxene accompanied the most popular singers and big bands of the day; enjoyed success not just on radio but also in musical comedy films; and spawned a host of other sister acts – not all of whom were real siblings.

Midsomer Murders ITV

By Kieran Kinsella

Amazon.com Widgets

Back in the UK, Neil Dudgeon has well and truly established himself as the face of Midsomer Murders. Now fans of the show in the U.S. can get their first look at the man who replaced John Nettles (remember him?) with the release of Acorn Media’s Midsomer Murders set 21. The four stories in this four-disc set were aired in the UK just last year and have never been broadcast on U.S. TV.

Death in the Slow Lane is the first feature length story in Midsomer Murders set 21. The episode begins with John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) arriving in Britain’s most dangerous village as the heir apparent to his cousin Tom. DS Jones (Jason Hughes) isn’t exactly enamored with his new Dci who mocks his attempts to restore an old race car. Their differences are quickly forgotten when...

Britain's Prince Charles has paid tribute to the 'truly remarkable' work of the Women's Land Army (Wla) in Scotland. The royal - who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland - unveiled a memorial sculpture yesterday (09.10.12) to recognise the Land Girls - young women who left their homes to work on farms and help feed the nation during World War II. Charles said: 'It gives me enormous pride to be able to join you on this exposed hilltop to pay a small tribute of my own to all the remarkable Land Girls who did so much during the years when the country was under threat. 'There are still several hundred Land Girls left, the only...

Northern Irish actors Bronagh Gallagher (Pulp Fiction), Jayne Wisener(A Kiss For Jed) and Andrew Simpson have all been cast in upcoming BBC series 'The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby', which is currently shooting in Belfast. Adrian Dunbar (Hear My Song) also stars. David Innes-Edwards is directing all five episodes, four of which have been written by Joy Wilkinson (Doctors) and one which was written by Dominique Moloney (Land Girls). Sue Breen is producing for London-based Kindle, while Melanie Stokes and Anne Brogan are executive producing. Northern Irish Jim Creagh (Give My Head Some Peace) is the director of photography, and Nick Emerson will edit. Ifta-winning Hazel Webb-Crozier (Your Highness) is the costume designer on the project.

Screenterrier posted the casting call for indie pyschological film Truth Or Dare, back in November 2010. With the film now in post-production, a full synopsis and first image have now emerged.

Five teenage friends are taken hostage by a vengeful psychopath and forced to play a party game with life-or-death consequences.

An end-of-year party for an 'alpha' group of first year university students turns nasty when a game of 'truth or dare' ends in humiliation for ultra-rich social misfit Felix. For five students at the gathering, this unpleasant but seemingly minor incident will have unexpectedly devastating repercussions.

Some months later, the friends meet again en route to a surprise party for Felix, who has been away traveling. Arriving at the venue - an old hunting lodge - they are met by Justin, Felix's charismatic older brother, who explains that Felix will be late for the party. He persuades the gang to...

Lady GaGa's Radio 1 Big Weekend show entertained almost 1m viewers on Sunday evening, while new Family Guy also performed strongly, according to the latest audience data. Live coverage of the pop superstar's performance in Carlisle averaged 947k (3.7%) for BBC Three in the 9pm hour and 81k (0.3%) on BBC HD. An additional 457k (1.8%) tuned in for the build-up programme from 8pm. Also on BBC Three, episode two of the new series of Us animated comedy Family Guy pulled in 1.18m (5.2%) from 10pm, before episode three amused 1.28m (6.7%) from 10.20pm and 102k (0.5%) on BBC HD. On the terrestrial channels, drama Land Girls appealed to 2.97m (15.5%) on BBC One from 6.15pm. Countryfile grabbed 5.94m (26.7%) in the 8pm hour, beating The Cube's 4.12m (18.5%) on ITV1 from 6.30pm and 222k (0.9%) on timeshift. A screening of Pirates of the (more)...

The BBC has ordered new series of its daytime dramas The Indian Doctor and Land Girls. The Indian Doctor stars Sanjeev Bhaskar as a medic who moves to Wales in the 1960s. The show was recently honoured at the Royal Television Society Programme awards. Meanwhile, Land Girls focuses on a group of people working for the Women's Land Army during the Second World War. Writing on the BBC's TV Blog, controller of daytime Liam Keelan said: "A record number of you (well over 400) posted your appreciation... on this blog for our recent daytime drama The Indian Doctor, so I'm absolutely delighted (more)...

It'd be easy to suggest that the nation's attention was turned toward March Madness and the War in Libya this weekend, which was why the overall box-office was so lackluster, but the reality is probably that the three new offerings simply weren't all that compelling. Limitless, which boasted one scene with the beautiful Anna Friel (looking not so beautiful), inexplicably took the top spot, scoring $19 million. There was nothing particularly compelling about the film, so it's modest success can only be attributed to The Emu. It's all the more strange because I thought the movie and its release had the feel of a film that had sat on a shelf for three years and was dumped into a quiet weekend, like two of Cooper's previous efforts, Case 39 and All About Steve. Presumably, that was not the case here -- Cooper actually chose it among all the post-Hangover scripts he was sent.

BBC One has announced that daytime drama Moving On will return for a third run. The series, created by Accused creator Jimmy McGovern, has been renewed for five more stand-alone episodes. Actors lined up for the new run include Waterloo Road's Eva Pope and former Shameless star Dean Lennox Kelly. Reece Dinsdale, known for his role as Joe McIntyre on Coronation Street, will also feature, as will Land Girls actress Christine Bottomley and ex-The Bill actor Paul Usher. BBC Daytime Controller Liam Keelen said: "The reception that the second (more)...

The BBC has revealed details of the cast for the second series of Land Girls. The daytime drama, set in the 1940s, focuses on a group of women working for the Women's Land Army during the Second World War. Jo Woodcock will return to the show as Bea, while Becci Gemmell will appear again as Joyce. Sophie Ward, Mark Benton, Danny Webb, Susan Cookson, Mykola Allen and Liam Boyle will also reprise their roles in the new series. Meanwhile, the BBC revealed that a number of new characters will feature in the show. London's Burning star Clive Wood will join the cast as American businessman Jack Gillespie, while Liam Garrigan will appear as Rev Henry Jameson. Raquel Cassidy, who has previously featured in Lead Balloon and Teachers, will play Lady Hoxley's sister (more)...