Made in Dagenham: Hollywood real estate firm to build new east London film studios November 3, 2020 A Hollywood real estate firm that owns studios where classics such as Citizen Kane and Gone With the Wind were filmed will invest £300m in a major new production complex in east London. Hackman Capital Partners (HCP) will take control of the construction of Eastbrook Studios, a new film and TV hub spread across more [...]
New BBC drama turns spotlight on City work pressure November 3, 2020 The BBC is turning its attention to the City with a new drama that documents the lives of university graduates battling the pressures of a cut-throat career in finance. The series, called Industry, is set at the fictional investment bank Pierpoint, where five fresh-faced grads are subjected to gruelling hours and brutal bosses as they [...]
Johnny Depp lawyers vow to appeal ‘perverse and bewildering’ libel verdict November 2, 2020 Lawyers for Johnny Depp have vowed to appeal a “perverse” ruling after the actor lost his libel case against the Sun newspaper over an article that branded him a “wifebeater”. A judge today ruled in favour of the Sun after a dramatic courtroom showdown that revealed the intimate details of his relationship with ex-wife Amber [...]
Easyjet boss Stelios loses Telegraph libel case over ‘strawmen’ claim November 2, 2020 Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has lost his libel case against the Daily Telegraph over an article that disputed the outspoken founder’s claims about three shareholders. The suit related to an article published in May in which Telegraph journalist Ben Marlow wrote that the budget airline boss was engaging in “increasingly wild conspiracy theories”. The article [...]
The Hollywood of Europe: How the Canary Islands are being reinvented as a film hub October 31, 2020 In the opening scenes of action-thriller Jason Bourne, the film’s forgetful hero, played by Matt Damon, strides through violent protests on the streets of Athens. He meets his spy partner in the iconic Syntagma Square, before being chased through a sea of blue and white flags by a menacing CIA hit squad. But for eagle-eyed [...]
Screenshot: Will Tim Davie win the generation game? October 30, 2020 A weekly column from City PM bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week: ** Media Moment of the Week: A sorry soy saga ** Tim Davie and the BBC’s tug of war ** The tech titans’ tumultuous year Media Moment of the Week This week it’s another [...]
Channel 4 advertising bounces back amid privatisation threat October 29, 2020 Channel 4 today said its advertising revenue had rebounded strongly from a coronavirus-induced slump as it shrugged off renewed threats of privatisation. Earlier this month media minister John Whittingdale hinted that the government was mulling a sale of Channel 4, adding that its business model was under strain and may not be sustainable. But the [...]
BBC bans ‘virtue signalling’ as it cracks down on stars’ social media use October 29, 2020 The BBC has banned presenters from “virtue signalling” on social media as part of tough new rules on how its top talent maintains impartiality online. As part of a sweeping overhaul unveiled today, BBC stars have been told not to express personal opinions on public policy, politics or controversial subjects. The overhaul marks a major [...]
Meghan Markle wins court bid to delay Mail on Sunday privacy trial October 29, 2020 Meghan Markle has won her bid to have her privacy case against the Mail on Sunday pushed back until next autumn after citing confidential reasons. The Duchess of Sussex is suing parent company Associated Newspapers over articles in the Mail on Sunday that published parts of a letter she sent to her father in 2018. [...]
WPP client wins help revenue decline slow October 29, 2020 Ad giant WPP reported another fall in sales in the third quarter but the pace of decline slowed from the previous quarter. The British owner of the Ogilvy, Grey and GroupM agencies said its like-for-like sales had dropped by 5.5 per cent to £2.97bn, compared with a 11.5 per cent drop in the previous quarter. [...]
