Although he will no longer appear on the TV series, erstwhile Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson will be present at upcoming live tour shows. Top Gear Live events in Norway were cancelled for March 27 and 28 while Clarkson’s fate at the BBC was still undecided, and the BBC then confirmed last week that Clarkson’s contract would not be renewed. However, BBC News now reports that upcoming live gigs will be fulfilled with Clarkson and co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May on stage for the events which are to be stripped of all BBC branding and retitled, Clarkson, Hammond And May Live. BBC Worldwide said it had agreed the tour could continue “so as to not disappoint fans.” Upcoming events include dates in Belfast, Sheffield, South Africa and London. The Norway shows have been rescheduled for June.
From today, new regulations regarding foreign films and TV series have come into force in China. All unlicensed non-domestic programming will be pulled from Chinese video streaming sites if they did not register for a “publication license” by yesterday’s deadline. Back in September, watchdog SAPPRFT said it would require streaming sites to obtain the license for imported films and TV series. Compared to linear television, online has been a pretty freewheeling space where American culture has been given a large window of exploitation. In the past year, however, there has been an increase in cracking down on streaming foreign online content, which for many has become the primary source of entertainment.
Amazon Prime Instant Video has entered an exclusive agreement with eOne to bring the second seasons of The Red Road, Halt & Catch Fire and TURN to the UK streaming service. Beginning in April, episodes will be available shortly after broadcast in the U.S. on AMC Networks. The Red Road premieres on April 4 and picks up the story of a local cop (Martin Henderson) as he continues to police the clashing communities of Walpole. Season 2 of TURN will kick off on April 15, following the story of New York farmer and America’s first spy Abe Woodhill (Jamie Bell) and The Culper Ring as they continue to battle for American independence. On June 2, the second season of Halt & Catch Fire will continue to chart the changing culture of Texas’ Silicon Prairie during the personal computing boom. The first seasons of each of the dramas are already on Amazon Prime Instant Video.
Entertainment One has appointed a trio of executives to further expand its global team. Caroline Stott is joining as Executive Vice President of Marketing to oversee marketing efforts globally for the studio. She will be responsible for developing and executing eOne Television’s international strategy and will work closely with broadcast and digital partners around the world to create innovative campaigns for the company’s diverse portfolio. Stott will be based in London and will direct both Toronto and London teams. She was most recently EVP Global Marketing for Shine Group. Further, Sara Ortegon will be based in the Madrid office, working on TV sales to the Spanish and Portuguese markets. Karel Lisman, based in the company’s Hilversum office, will handle TV sales for the Benelux market.
London-based indie 7Wonder and Lenny Henry’s Douglas Road Productions have been commissioned by Sky Arts to co-produce three-part documentary series, Lenny Henry’s Got The Blues, scheduled to air in summer 2015. The series will follow Henry “as he sets out to reveal why the UK has never produced a single black blues singer of international standing, while also chronicling his own journey to record his first blues album.” Van Morrison, Tinie Tempah, and Jools Holland are also set to appear in the series, which will culminate in a live performance in London featuring Henry, his band, and special guest stars including Lulu, Mica Paris and Laura Mvula. Lenny Henry’s Got The Blues will be exec-produced by 7 Wonder’s Chris Wilson and Douglas Road Productions’ Barbara Emile.
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