Jodie Whittaker ‘back’ as Doctor Who in 2020

Netflix to debut 1st African original

LOS ANGELES, Dec 11, (RTRS): “Doctor Who” will be back on global screens in early 2020, with Jodie Whittaker returning in her groundbreaking role as the show’s first regular female timelord. The show was renewed by the BBC amid mixed overnight but strong consolidated numbers in the UK, and strong ratings in the US.

British viewers tuned in in droves to the first episode of the current season. With 11 million viewers (consolidated), it was the second-biggest drama audience of the year and the best launch for “Doctor Who” in a decade in the UK.

Overnight ratings declined steadily over the course of the series, falling to 5 million for the ninth episode (7 million consolidated). Sunday’s finale delivered 5.3 million viewers. British tabloids have suggested that viewers tuned out because the new season was too “politically correct,” but the fall in overnight ratings is not unusual and follows that of earlier seasons.

It also reflects modern viewing patterns, with many fans and, notably, younger viewers watching the show on catch-up. The BBC said the average consolidated audience through the first eight episodes was 8.4 million, significantly above the last season of “Doctor Who”, starring Peter Capaldi, whose average was below 6 million. The current season was the second most-requested series on the BBC’s iPlayer in October, the busiest month ever for the catch-up service.

In the US, Whittaker and her team notched a ratings win for BBC America, which said it was the fastest-growing scripted show of the year. Ahead of Sunday’s final episode, BBC America reported that the show was up 47% season-on-season, with young female viewers driving the growth. The show averaged 1.6 million viewers through its first eight episodes in the US.

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BBC America, which is a joint venture between the BBC and AMC, announced that the new season would land in early 2020 when the current run drew to a close Sunday. The BBC denied reports that production had slipped, noting that the show has previously had different launch dates. The current season was filmed from October 2017 to August 2018.

Fans of the iconic sci-fi series will still get some “Doctor Who” action in 2019, with a seasonal special starring Whittaker moving from its traditional Christmas Day slot to New Year’s Day on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US.

As the latest season got underway, Chris Chibnall, the program’s new showrunner, told Variety that the team was mindful of creating a show that stood shoulder to shoulder with the best that streaming giants like Netflix can offer. Chibnall will return as showrunner for the new season.

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JOHANNESBURG: Streaming giant Netflix announced on Monday that it will launch the platform’s first original series made in Africa in 2019, adding that it planned further investment in productions on the continent.

“#QueenSono – Africa’s first Netflix original! A thrilling story about a female spy. Can’t wait for you guys to see what we have in store for you!” wrote South African actress Pearl Thusi on her Twitter account.

Netflix South Africa’s verified account reposted her tweet, writing: “That’s right! A Netflix first for Africa. Pearl Thusi as #QueenSono coming to your screens in 2019.”

Netflix told South African news site Independent Online that the new series would be directed by local actor and director Kagiso Legida who directed Thusi in South African hit film “Catching Feelings”, which is also available on Netflix.

Netflix’s vice-president of international originals Erik Barmack told the news site that it planned more original productions on the African continent.

“Over time our roots will get deeper in Africa and South Africa, and we’re moving pretty quickly to that now, and plan to invest more in local content,” he said.

“Netflix also wants to be a place where local content creators can tell their stories to a global audience.”

Thusi, a star of US FBI thriller series “Quantico”, said in a video tweet that “it’s going to change the game for every artist on this continent”.

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LOS ANGELES: CBS’ new “Star Trek” series, with Patrick Stewart reprising the role of Capt Jean-Luc Picard, will shoot in California and receive a $15.6 million production tax credit.

The California Film Commission announced Monday that the untitled “Star Trek” series and eight other TV series have been selected for the latest tax credit allocations totaling $90 million under the state’s expanded Film & TV Tax Credit Program 2.0.

The other eight projects include two new series – Cooler Waters Prods’ “Flowers of Helvetica” with a $12 million allocation and CBS’ “Why Women Kill” with an $8.5 million credit. The latter comes from Marc Cherry of “Desperate Housewives” and is described as a darkly comedic drama focused on the lives of three women living in three different decades.

Six recurring series already in the tax credit program and picked up for another season of in-state production have also been set for allocations – Fox’s third season of “The Orville” with $15.8 million, CBS’s second season of “Strange Angel” with $10 million, Fox’s ninth season of “American Horror Story” ($8.9 million), and the second seasons of “Mayans MC” ($7.6 million), “Good Trouble” ($6.6 million) and “The Rookie” ($4.5 million).

The commission said the nine projects are on track to spend nearly $456 million in qualified expenditures (defined as wages paid to below-theline workers and payments to in-state vendors). They will employ an estimated 1,820 cast members, 2,140 crew, and 25,000 extras/stand-ins over a combined 916 shoot days.

CBS announced in August that Stewart would star in the “Star Trek” series. The commission noted Monday that California-based production of the new “Star Trek” represents a homecoming for the TV franchise, which has focused recent production in Toronto.

“Our TV tax credits are in high demand, so we’re pleased to have ample credits available now to bring these three large-scale series to California,” said California Film Commission executive director Amy Lemisch. “So many producers tell us that California is their first choice because no other locale can match what we have to offer, including the ability leave the set and go home each night.”