LONDON (Reuters) - Nothing, it seems, is off limits to British comedy, with two films hitting theatres in the next month that poke fun at Muslims, Jews and, perhaps most controversially, suicide bombers. "Four Lions," which received mixed reviews when it premiered at the Sundance film festival earlier this year, hits cinemas on May 7 and satirizes a group of hapless ...

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Actor Sean Connery lashed out at the BBC for its coverage of the awards ceremony at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) on Sunday when he handed out the prizes. The EIFF award for the best new British feature film went to Moon, a "creepy, poignant and funny" sci-fi film directed by Duncan Jones. The film, which received ...

Years ago I was 'political consultant' on State of Play, the successful BBC drama serial that got very substantial ratings. It launched several acting careers, being one of the few TV series that was also watched by the people who make films. About half my advice was ignored, to the delight of colleagues at Westminster who would ask how I ...

Former head of BBC films David Thompson has won his first commission since leaving the corporation - a new Dominic Savage topical drama about the world of finance. Thompson's new production company Origin Films is to make Freefall, starring former Bond actor Rosamund Pike and Aidan Gillen, whose credits include Queer as Folk and The Wire. The BBC2 single drama ...

The BBC, which has been attacked for not tackling the subject of the war in Iraq in its drama output, is to announce a hard-hitting new series about the impact of the invasion, starring James Nesbitt. Occupation, by acclaimed screenwriter Peter Bowker, will tell the story of three soldiers who serve in Basra together and will chart their friendship as ...

Rather than another picture of Keira Knightley, star of the forthcoming film The Duchess, here's director Saul Dibb, pictured, who has spent the last few days trying to play down the pre-release hype comparing the 18th-century Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire with her descendant Princess Diana, placed in a similar predicament by her husband. Dibb insists that there's no ...

The BBC's director of television will tonight call on her colleagues to stand firm under increased attack from lobby groups, and robustly defend the corporation's right to screen controversial shows such as Jerry Springer - The Opera. Jana Bennett, one of the BBC executives targeted by protesters over the decision to broadcast the show last month, will call on ...