Film and TV Briefing: Friday 30 October 2026
Welcome to this week’s round-up of news, commentary and industry announcements that you may have missed from the past week.
If you are looking for advice in relation to any of the issues mentioned, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
In the news
‘Clayface’ opens strong at the box office as ‘You Can See Everything’ buzz continues (Hollywood Reporter)
UK, Ireland box office topped by ‘Ghosts: The Possession of Button House’ (Variety)
YouTube Ad revenue rises 9% as stock drops (Deadline)
Extended theatrical release for ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ after Amazon praise (Hollywood Reporter)
MGM+ adapts ‘The Black Tapes’ horror podcast (Deadline)
‘The Celebrity Traitors’ falls flat despite high ratings (Hollywood Reporter)
‘Big Brother’ 2026 sparks Ofcom complaints (Radio Times)
Features and commentary
Writers of ‘East of Eden’ to ‘Sense and Sensibility’ - reinventing classics (Hollywood Reporter)
Diamond Report spotlights UK TV's working-class problem (Deadline)
AGBO Execs at TIFFCOM - AI can critique Shakespeare but can't write it (Variety)
Industry announcements
Liverpool Littlewoods film studios get £20m boost in 2026 Budget (BBC news)
Channel 4 and The Walt Disney Company deal to bring Channel 4 to Disney+ (Channel 4)
Barbara Barrie, star of Broadway and ‘Barney Miller’, dies at 95 (Deadline)
Adam Adler to join Channel 4 Productions (Deadline)
Legal updates
Russell Brand testifies alone in rape trail (Variety)
BBC £400,000 payout to Storyville exec producer after antisemitism claims (Deadline)
Warning that Trump's £7.5 billion BBC defamation lawsuit could be thrown out (Independent)
Anthropic faces lawsuit over alleged use of Elvis Presley songs in AI training (Hollywood Reporter)
BAFTA to launch review over Trustees free awards guest tickets (Deadline)
