Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2025-11-24T15:45:08.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Ghosts favourite leads new comedy thriller Hostages – watch first-look trailer
items: Wicked: For Good box office revealed as sequel scores one of 2025's biggest box office debuts
items: The best streaming services in 2025: How to choose between Netflix, Prime and Disney+
items: Eight production secrets from behind the scenes of Wicked: For Good
items: What films are out in UK cinemas this week? Reviews from Wicked: For Good to The Thing With Feathers
items: Best films to watch on TV today, tonight and this week
items: Benedict Cumberbatch reveals how his new film hopes to change the ways we think about grief
items: Wicked: For Good – UK release date, cast and plot for Part Two
items: Wicked recap: Everything you need to remember before watching For Good
items: Joel Edgerton reveals how new Netflix film could get close to answering the meaning of life
items: Wicked production designer talks turning the Yellow Brick Road into a "form of oppression"
items: Wicked: For Good soundtrack – all the songs in Part Two including original compositions
items: Christmas Karma director reveals the emotional moment that reduced a crew member to tears
items: Christmas Karma director reveals how she sought Charles Dickens's "permission" for new Christmas Carol update
items: Keeper ending explained: Tatiana Maslany unpacks final scenes and what's next for Liz
items: Vera icon Brenda Blethyn teases her potential next role after her acclaimed new film
items: Nuremberg movie true story: Cast explain how they portrayed story of Nazi "psychopaths" and "narcissists"
items: MCU star reveals why he was "floored" by script for new Netflix animated film In Your Dreams
items: The Penguin star Cristin Milioti speaks out on Sofia Falcone's future amid season 2 speculation
items: Rosamund Pike defends her Now You See Me villain against 'psychopath' label – and talks ditching her English accent for role
items: Adele cast alongside James Bond contender in all-star opera drama film based on beloved novel
items: K-Pop Demon Hunters revealed to be ineligible for BAFTA Film Awards despite huge success
items: Glen Powell reveals he is still waiting for Tom Cruise’s feedback on one key component of new film
items: Vera icon Brenda Blethyn reveals acclaimed new film Dragonfly makes viewers question their judgement
items: Ian McKellen stars in first look at "life-affirming" new film featuring Doctor Who and British comedy legends
items: Predator: Badlands director teases "fun ideas” for more Alien crossovers with franchise
items: Why Vera icon Brenda Blethyn didn’t want to do new film Dragonfly at first - and what changed her mind
items: Predator: Badlands director explains why he didn't do a traditional sequel to acclaimed Prey
items: Best films released in the UK this month: November 2025
items: Predator: Badlands' early Rotten Tomatoes score revealed following first wave of reviews from critics

Ghosts favourite leads new comedy thriller Hostages – watch first-look trailer
type: item
date: 2025-11-24T15:00:35.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: Video
description: Charlotte Ritchie has the lead role in the feature debut film from writer/director Jim Owen.
encoded: Charlotte Ritchie is best known for her leading roles on the small screen, starring across a host of hugely popular TV shows – from Ghosts to Feel Good – but now she's landed the lead role in an upcoming movie. Hostages, which is the feature debut of writer/director Jim Owen, is billed as a comedy thriller, following five people who are "caught in an unfolding terrorism situation" – and RadioTimes.com can exclusively launch the first-look trailer ahead of its release on digital platforms on Monday 22nd December. The film also includes Tanya Moodie (Motherland), Nicholas Asbury (37 Days), Raj Ghatak (Dead Set), Luke McQueen, Nick Helm, Rachel Stubbings, Jack Barry, Georgie Jones and Simon McCoy, and you can get a good flavour of what to expect by viewing the teaser below. View oEmbed on the source website "Mariah Carey once said she just wanted a day to go swimming, to eat ice cream, to look at rainbows," Ritchie's character says into a phone camera at the start of the trailer, before we see some footage of a very dramatic explosion. The character's documentation of these events on social media then appears to see her number of followers skyrocket – even getting a retweet from Rita Ora – but it also has terrible repercussions for her and the people she is hiding out with, with their location now given away to the people behind the bombing. The official synopsis for the film reads: "After a terrifying explosion in a hotel in London, three strangers escape together and hide out in a room. "Hostages is a fresh take on the 24-hour news cycle and whether or not social media is more important than people's lives." Hostages will be available on digital platforms from 22nd December. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

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Wicked: For Good box office revealed as sequel scores one of 2025's biggest box office debuts
type: item
date: 2025-11-24T12:53:45.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: News
description: Despite a more lukewarm reception from critics, the second instalment of the two-part movie musical has surpassed the first film's opening.
encoded: Following the mammoth success of the first film last year – combined with some mega pre-sale figures this time around – Wicked: For Good always looked like being another major box office hit, and so it has proved. Despite faring a little less well with critics this time around (the Rotten Tomatoes score currently sits at 70 per cent compared to 88 per cent for Part One), Jon M Chu's film has once again drawn the public to cinemas in droves, launching with a gross of $226 million in its opening weekend (split between $150 million in the US and $76 million in other territories). Interestingly, that's significantly higher than the total of $164.2 million made by the first film in its opening weekend, meaning that For Good has now comfortably overtaken its predecessors' record as the biggest launch of a Broadway film adaptation in Hollywood history. Read more: Wicked: For Good review – Oz saga conclusion will satisfy its extensive army of devotees Wicked production designer talks turning the Yellow Brick Road into a "form of oppression" It also sees the film become the fourth biggest-opening movie of the year at the global box office, with only Lilo & Stitch ($341 million), Jurassic World Rebirth ($322 million) and A Minecraft Movie ($313 million) grossing higher. That means it ranks ahead of both of the summer's major superhero blockbusters, DC's Superman ($220 million) and Marvel's The Fantastic Four ($218 million) – another impressive feat that adds further evidence to the theory that the superhero genre is no longer the box office behemoth it once was. Of course, the film is based on the second act of the hugely popular stage musical, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande reprising their roles as Elphaba and Glinda and the action coinciding with the events of the Wizard of Oz. Following the release, both Erivo and Grande – who were Oscar-nominated for their roles in the first film and could well feature on the awards circuit again this year – shared emotional goodbye…

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The best streaming services in 2025: How to choose between Netflix, Prime and Disney+
type: item
date: 2025-11-21T15:41:20.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: TV
subject: What to Watch
subject: Amazon Prime Video
subject: Apple TV
subject: BritBox
subject: Disney
subject: Disney Plus
subject: hayu
subject: Netflix
subject: NOW
subject: On demand
description: We compare Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video and more to help you find your perfect streaming match.
encoded: Streaming has never been bigger – or more confusing. In the years since Netflix first revolutionised how we consume film and TV, a whole host of rival platforms have launched to the point that it can now be difficult to know where to begin. From Disney+ – which arrived for UK audiences in March 2020 – to Apple TV, which has amassed a highly impressive catalogue of original films and shows in a relatively time span, there really is a wealth of options. But which is the best of the bunch? To answer that question, we’ve tested and compared the top streaming services available in the UK, breaking down price, the best shows and what kind of TV fan each one’s is suited to. With the help of our comprehensive guide below, you'll be far better qualified to select the ideal streamer for you and your family's viewing needs. Best TV and streaming service Black Friday deals 2025 Black Friday 2025 (28th November) is fast approaching, but we have already found these deals you don’t want to miss: Sky Essential TV & 500Mbps Full Fibre Broadband | £35 a month at Sky Sky Essential TV, Sky Cinema & 500Mbps Full Fibre Broadband | £45 a month at Sky Disney Plus annual pass | £107.88 £89.90 (save £17.98 or 16%) or £155.88 £129.90 (save £25.98 or 16%) Which streaming services are available in the UK? Amazon Prime Video: Budget-friendly all-rounder Apple TV: Big-budget dramas and kids' shows DAZN: Sports and boxing fans Disney+: Families and Marvel and Star Wars lovers Hayu: Reality TV fanatics ITVX: Bingers of British box sets Netflix: Binge-watchers, film lovers and fans of original content NOW: Prestige TV from Sky & HBO and those wanting blockbuster movies Amazon Prime Video Best for those looking for value on a budget Price: £8.99 per month or £95 annually (with half-price option available for students) Free trial: Yes – there is a 30 day free trial option Max resolution: 4k Streams: Up to 3 Prime Video is a great option if you're looking for a streamer that's relatively low budget – w…

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Eight production secrets from behind the scenes of Wicked: For Good
type: item
date: 2025-11-21T13:05:20.000Z
creator: Katelyn Mensah
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
description: The sequel's sets are an impressive feat from production designer Nathan Crowley.
encoded: Wicked: For Good is finally in cinemas, providing an epic conclusion to the beloved story of the Witches of Oz. Aside from the musical accompaniment and impressive costumes, what makes both Wicked movies so striking is their sets, from the famous Yellow Brick Road to The Emerald City, all of which were deeply thought out in order to bring them to life. Ahead of the release of Wicked: For Good, RadioTimes.com sat down with the movie's production designer, Nathan Crowley, who shared how he and his team were able to make a truly extravagant set, bringing Oz to life in cinemas and homes worldwide. Before you transport yourself to Oz (or after), read on to learn more about just how the sets came together for both movies. 1. Wicked: For Good features a more epic set The set of Wicked was impressive, even if just Shiz University and The Emerald City were singled out, yet Crowley explained For Good is "much more epic". He told RadioTimes.com: "The second one is much more epic… we have to define Oz as a much bigger place It's telling a much bigger story in For Good." 2. The introduction of three towers in The Emerald City View oEmbed on the source website In the first movie, just The Wizard's Tower was seen, but For Good features two more to show Madame Morrible and Glinda's sudden power in Oz. Crowley said: "I really enjoy the three towers. They represent stories. The Wizard's Tower, which we saw in the first film for Defying Gravity. Then we have Madame Morrible's tower, which is the propaganda tower. And then we have Glinda's tower." 3. Glinda's apartment was one of the most complicated sets to build The only home of Glinda's shown in the first film is her university room she shares with Elphaba, but in For Good, audiences will get a closer look at her apartment, which Crowley explained needed "a dual purpose". View oEmbed on the source website "Design wise, we needed to build out Glinda's apartment, but it also had a dual purpose – because it's a very important story poi…

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What films are out in UK cinemas this week? Reviews from Wicked: For Good to The Thing With Feathers
type: item
date: 2025-11-21T09:30:20.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: List
description: Your weekly round-up of all the films currently showing in UK cinemas.
encoded: It's another busy week of new releases for UK cinemas, headlined by a couple of star-studded blockbusters. The first of those is the anticipated sequel to last year's Wicked, Wicked: For Good. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return to helm the magical film, with this instalment featuring new songs penned by Stephen Schwartz, stellar performances and stunning production design. Secondly, we have the Benedict Cumberbatch-led The Thing With Feathers, which follows a father and his two sons as they struggle to cope with the sudden loss of their wife and mother. Here, grief is personified as a large crow, with the film being adapted by writer-director Dylan Southern from the original novel by Max Porter. We have verdicts on both below but of course, there's plenty else to catch in the cinemas, including Edgar Wright's new take on Stephen King's 1982 novel The Running Man, the third instalment of the Now You See Me franchise, Gurinder Chadha's festive film Christmas Karma, Osgood Perkins's latest horror Keeper, starry true story drama Nuremberg, and Noah Baumbach's even more starry Jay Kelly. And of course, you can also find our lowdown on other major films released in UK cinemas in recent weeks, from One Battle After Another and to Bugonia and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere and Die My Love. Read on for your weekly round-up of all the films currently showing in UK cinemas. What films are released in UK cinemas this week? 21st – 27th November The Thing With Feathers Benedict Cumberbatch fronts this wrenching, if wayward, portrayal of loss, adapted from Max Porter's 2015 novella Grief Is The Thing With Feathers. When a British family experiences the sudden death of the mother, everything is thrown into turmoil, and Cumberbatch's Dad must deal with the reality of caring for two boys (twins Richard and Henry Boxall) amid his own need to grieve. Gradually, Crow (voiced by David Thewlis) steps out of the shadows, a creature from Dad's drawings that embodies their sufferin…

Best films to watch on TV today, tonight and this week
type: item
date: 2025-11-21T09:00:14.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: List
description: Whatever your taste, there's a movie on for everyone.
encoded: As we career closer to Christmas, the TV schedules are certainly reflecting just that, with the likes of The Holiday and White Christmas landing on screens over the course of the next week. While there are plenty of movies available on streaming platforms and being released weekly in cinemas, nothing quite beats the feeling of finding a hidden gem while flicking through the TV. With such a raft of options – old and new – to pick from this weekend, it can often feel like a bit of an insurmountable task to find one that really tickles your fancy. But that's where we come in to do the hard work for you, picking out some of the most stellar options available to tune into. This weeks selection includes everything from seminal musical comedy Grease, to Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine romcom The Idea of You and also, Matt Damon's iconic action spy thriller, The Bourne Ultimatum. There's something for everyone but if you're wondering where to find some of the best films on the terrestrial channels this week, we've got you sorted. Read on for an expertly compiled list of the best flicks airing across the next seven days. Friday 21st November Thunder Rock - 1:05pm, Talking Pictures TV Supernatural drama starring Michael Redgrave, Barbara Mullen and James Mason. A writer becomes disillusioned with the politics of Europe before the Second World War and leaves England to set up home in Canada. There he takes up a lonely job as the keeper of a lighthouse called Thunder Rock. Living in isolation, he conjures up some ghostly companions for inspiration. Read our full review Heat - 9pm, Legend Xtra Crime thriller starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Detective Vincent Hanna is closing in on notorious professional thief Neil McCauley. But even though he realises that the police are watching his every move, McCauley decides to go ahead with one final heist before leaving the US for a new life. Read our full review Ex Machina - 9pm, Film4 View oEmbed on the source website Sci-fi t…

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Benedict Cumberbatch reveals how his new film hopes to change the ways we think about grief
type: item
date: 2025-11-20T17:09:49.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: The star spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com about his role in the adaptation of Max Porter's acclaimed 2015 novel, Grief is the Thing with Feathers.
encoded: Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed that he hopes his new film The Thing with Feathers will help to change the way audiences feel about grief. The hard-hitting drama is based on Max Porter's award-winning 2015 novella Grief is the Thing with Feathers – which was previously adapted into a stage show starring Cillian Murphy – and follows a widowed father of two whose attempts to move on with his life are disrupted by repeated visits from a large crow. Of course, while films exploring grief are hardly in short supply, there's sometimes a feeling that more glossy movies tend to sugarcoat the subject a little – sanitising it or making it more palatable for a wider audience. The aim of this film was to avoid that completely. "That's not allowable in our film," Cumberbatch explained during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "Because it's not a Hallmark movie and Crow is present – who's this reminder that grief is chaotic, unpredictable, and unwelcome. It just happens when it happens, and how it happens, in the way it happens." Crow – who is voiced by David Thewlis – is presented in the film as a massive, nightmarish figure that towers over Cumberbatch's unnamed character and refuses to leave him alone, belittling him, sardonically mocking him and generally making his life a misery. In other words, he is the embodiment of the all-consuming, chaotic nature of grief. "It's not something that is neatly divided into sort of stages as is often talked about," Cumberbatch continued. "And if it is stages, sure. But you'll go back to square one just when you think you're finished with square five. It's just all over the place." Read more: Wicked production designer talks turning the Yellow Brick Road into a "form of oppression" Joel Edgerton reveals how new Netflix film could get close to answering the meaning of life Given that all-consuming nature of the grief his character goes through, it can't have been a painless feat for Cumberbatch to access the intense levels of emot…

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Wicked: For Good – UK release date, cast and plot for Part Two
type: item
date: 2025-11-20T16:55:28.000Z
creator: Alex Hewitt
subject: Movies
description: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will be back as Elphaba and Glinda in 2025.
encoded: At long last, the interval is almost over. One year on from the monumental success of Wicked: Part One – which broke multiple box office records, received a string of impressive reviews and was eventually nominated for 10 Oscars – the conclusion to the beloved Oz saga is arriving in cinemas imminently. The review embargo for Wicked: For Good lifted earlier in the week, and once again the verdict is predominantly in favour – even if some of the notices are a little less enthusiastic in their praise than they were for the first part. Still, our own reviewer awarded the film 4 stars and declared that it will "surely satisfy Wicked’s extensive army of devotees" – an army that has only grown in the last 12 months. The second instalment dramatises Act 2 of the beloved stage show and picks up directly after the events of the previous film – check our recap if you need a refresher – with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande once again bringing Elphaba and Glinda to life. Plus, some more familiar characters from the Wizard of Oz also make an appearance this time around, even including Dorothy herself. Meanwhile, fans who might be worried that the bulk of the memorable tunes from the stage musical appeared in the first film needn't worry. Not only does this second entry include plenty of great tracks from the show – including No Good Deed and the titular For Good – composer Stephen Schwartz has also penned two brand new original tracks for the soundtrack, one each fro Elphaba and Glinda. As for the sets, you can expect them to be even more epic this time around, with Production Designer Nathan Crowley spilling some of the secrets in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com ahead of the release. Whatever happens, it seems like this is going to be an experience that stays with fans for a long time after watching, especially if Grande's experience of making the film is anything to go by. "Shooting For Good was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced," the Glinda star previously told …

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Wicked recap: Everything you need to remember before watching For Good
type: item
date: 2025-11-20T16:17:27.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
description: After what has felt like a very long year for fans, the second part of the beloved musical is about to land in cinemas – here's a refresher of all the major events from the previous instalment.
encoded: A lot has happened since the curtain went down on Wicked: Part One almost exactly a year ago – including the film being nominated for ten Oscars – but it's now finally time to return to Oz for the finale of the hit musical adaptation. Reviews for the second instalment haven't been quite as stellar as they were for the first part, but they're still predominantly on the positive side, with our own 4-star verdict hailing it a "wondrous, multi-colour extravaganza" and declaring that it will "surely satisfy Wicked’s extensive army of devotees". Meanwhile, we were also full of praise for returning leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who have both been given brand new original songs to perform written by the show's original composer Stephen Schwartz, adding to a soundtrack that will already delight fans of the show. Of course, bearing in mind we've had to deal with the longest theatrical interval of all time, it's quite possible that some of the less hardcore Wicked fans might not remember every single detail of the previous film before heading to the cinema for the saga's conclusion. With that in mind, we've recapped all the most important details below. Read on for everything you need to remember before seeing For Good. Wicked recap: Everything you need to remember before watching For Good The first film opened more or less at the end of the whole story, with the Munchkins celebrating the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West. Amongst the revelry, Glinda is asked by one of the gathered Munchkins if the rumours that she and the Witch had once been friends were true – which prompts her to tell the story of their shared past. We learn that the Witch, aka Elphaba, had been ostracised due to her green skin pretty much from the moment she was born. However, when she had accompanied her younger sister Nessarose to enrol at Shiz University, the establishment's head Madame Morrible spotted evidence that she had unique powers of magic, and offered to privately tutor her in sor…

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Joel Edgerton reveals how new Netflix film could get close to answering the meaning of life
type: item
date: 2025-11-20T13:50:13.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Edgerton and Felicity Jones star in acclaimed new drama Train Dreams – from writer/director Clint Bentley.
encoded: Train Dreams – which comes to Netflix tomorrow (Friday 21st November) – is not your typical streaming film. The decades-spanning drama stars Joel Edgerton as an ordinary man living in the Pacific Northwest in the early part of the 20th century, at a time when the US was rapidly changing. Although plenty of major things – including some traumatic incidents – happen over the course of his life, the film's gentle, patient approach more or less completely eschews melodrama in favour of a more considered, meditative approach. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com at the London Film Festival last month, Edgerton had some pretty major claims to make about the potential impact of the movie, which is based on the late Denis Johnson's 2011 novella of the same name. "Well, I think the book – and now the film – gets close to, not giving us an answer to what the meaning of life is... but it's definitely rich with ruminations around, 'What is the meaning of a life?'" he explained. "And if you're lucky to have a long life and all of its experiences, what does it all add up to? "That was very potent to me in the novella, the idea that it was a Western that was not a violent, vengeful tale like we might know as a Western. But a meditative and very philosophical examination of a very potent but ordinary life – and yet it's imbued with such meaning." Another aspect of the story which immediately stuck out to Edgerton was the manner in which it explored the relationship between humanity and nature, with the star explaining that he often has to remind himself "how disconnected I can be from the planet that I live on". "Human beings, we use the planet," he explained. "We really use it, and we chew it up, rather than, as indigenous cultures do, feel like they belong to the land. There's a lot of things that really felt very potent to me, that I felt struck a chord.” When an aspiring writer is searching for advice, one of the first things they are often told is that their protagonist shou…

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Wicked production designer talks turning the Yellow Brick Road into a "form of oppression"
type: item
date: 2025-11-19T17:41:19.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Production designer Nathan Crowley and his team were tasked with recreating some indelible images from the Wizard of Oz.
encoded: In all of cinema, there are few images more enduring than the Yellow Brick Road – the dazzling centrepiece of Victor Fleming's beloved Technicolor marvel, The Wizard of Oz. Of course, the road is just one of many iconic landmarks from the classic film to prominently feature in Wicked: For Good – another example being Dorothy's farmhouse, which unsuspectingly lands atop the Wicked Witch of the East – and so you might wonder how the team behind the film went about recreating these sets for the new film. With that in mind, when RadioTimes.com exclusively spoke to production designer Nathan Crowley ahead of the two-part movie musical's second instalment, we put exactly that question to him. In the case of the farmhouse, he explained, it was relatively straightforward. "I know Dorothy's house is a slice of Americana, I know it belongs in Andrew Wyeth paintings. I know its Midwestern," he said. "So I know there's a language there that I can't veer off – and you shouldn't veer off – because [it's] the most famous flying house [and] we have to land that visually without question." But when it came to the Yellow Brick Road, things were a little more complex. Read more: Who plays Dorothy in Wicked: For Good? Wicked: For Good's early Rotten Tomatoes score revealed as wave of reviews arrive - is it as good as the first? "The Yellow Brick Road is slightly harder because we are telling a different story with [it]," he said. "We're telling you that it's a form of oppression, not joy. The Wizard is using it to cut down the forest of Oz. And so we have to tell that story." He continued: "We also have to tell the story of how Oz made the Yellow Brick Road, which is, you know, the Munchkin story – they were farming all the colours of the rainbow, but now they're only farming yellow tulips. So for this film, we grew a million yellow tulips off in another field, and then we showed the process of using that yellow dye to make the bricks in Munchkinland. "But that's the only colour they'r…

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Wicked: For Good soundtrack – all the songs in Part Two including original compositions
type: item
date: 2025-11-17T17:07:43.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
description: Composer Stephen Schwartz has penned a new number each for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
encoded: Wicked fans have had to endure the longest interval of all time between Acts 1 and 2 of the hit musical – but the second part of the film adaptation is finally arriving in cinemas this weekend. Titled Wicked: For Good – after the most well-known song in the show's second act – cinemagoers can expect another colourful adventure to Oz, complete with no shortage of beloved songs. And this second film also has something the previous one didn't: some brand new, original numbers. Original composer Stephen Schwartz has penned two new tracks – one each for the film's main stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande – with all the signs so far suggesting that they'll be the perfect complement to the songs fans already know and love. So, which songs from the original musical feature in For Good? And what do we know about the new music? Read on for everything you need to know about the Wicked: For Good soundtrack, including where and when you can stream it and how to buy physical copies on CD and Vinyl. Wicked: For Good soundtrack – all the songs in Part 2 You can find the full list of tracks which appear in the film below – most of which come from Act 2 of the stage musical. All tracks are written by Stephen Schwartz Every Day More Wicked performed by Cynthia Erivo (featuring Michelle Yeoh and Ariana Grande) Thank Goodness/I Couldn't Be Happier performed by Ariana Grande (featuring Michelle Yeoh) No Place Like Home performed by Cynthia Erivo The Wicked Witch of the East performed by Marissa Bode, Cynthia Erivo, and Ethan Slater Wonderful performed by Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Grande, and Cynthia Erivo I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) performed by Ariana Grande As Long as You're Mine performed by Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey No Good Deed performed by Cynthia Erivo March of the Witch Hunters performed by Cast and Ethan Slater The Girl in the Bubble performed by Ariana Grande For Good performed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Finale: For Good (Reprise) performed by Cynthia Erivo, Arian…

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Christmas Karma director reveals the emotional moment that reduced a crew member to tears
type: item
date: 2025-11-17T11:38:24.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Gurinder Chadha spoke to RadioTimes.com about her new update on A Christmas Carol.
encoded: Gurinder Chadha's new festive film Christmas Karma hasn't exactly been blessed with the most positive reviews from critics – even being awarded a rare zero star rating from The Telegraph – but that hasn't stopped it from striking a chord with some viewers since it opened in UK cinemas over the weekend. A modern-day update of A Christmas Carol with a British-Indian lead, the film is not short on moments that attempt to tug on the heartstrings – and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, director Chadha revealed that there was one scene in the film that proved so emotional it reduced one of her crew members to tears. "There's a wonderful moment when Sood [this film's version of Scrooge, played by Kunal Nayyar] is looking at his past and his lost love," she explained. "He sees her now as an adult, and he's really sad and she's crying, and it was a very touching moment. "And as we were filming it, I noticed my grip on the camera. He was crying, and I was like, 'Oh my God, you OK?' And he went, *sobbing* 'Yes.' [I thought] Wow, if the grip's crying, we're doing something right!" For all the tears, star Nayyar – best known for his role as Raj on The Big Bang Theory – stated that the experience of shooting the film was "so much fun". He explained: "Even the difficult numbers – I mean, there was a joy in the pain too. So it wasn't just one part was fun and the other wasn't, I think every day for us was a miracle that we got through the day and got the movie made." View oEmbed on the source website Nayyar is joined in the film by an extraordinarily eclectic cast – perhaps best illustrated by the fact the ghosts are played by Hugh Bonneville, Eva Longoria, Billy Porter and Boy George. And there was one co-star who Nayyar appeared to particularly enjoy filming with: Danny Dyer (who plays a singing taxi-driver). "It's so refreshing to spend time with someone who's so unapologetically themselves," he said. "And if you want to know what fame is, anytime we shot in London, the am…

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Christmas Karma director reveals how she sought Charles Dickens's "permission" for new Christmas Carol update
type: item
date: 2025-11-14T14:44:41.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Gurinder Chadha's new adaptation of the timeless Christmas tale boasts a very eclectic cast.
encoded: A Christmas Carol is already one of the most adapted books of all time, and as of this weekend, there's another new big-screen version of Charles Dickens's timeless Yuletide yarn for cinemagoers to enjoy. That's because Bend It Like Beckham and Blinded by the Light director Gurinder Chadha has reimagined the iconic tale with her new film Christmas Karma, which unfolds in modern-day London and sees The Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar play a British-Indian version of Ebenezer Scrooge named Mr Sood. Although the film takes many liberties with the original text, Chadha's version is more or less true to the, ahem, spirit of the story – and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com she revealed that she actually made a special trip while she was preparing to write the film. "I went to Charles Dickens's house in Clerkenwell," she explained. "I walked around his house, the sitting room, the drawing room, the kitchen, where the pudding is made and all this. And I kind of sought permission from Charles Dickens, saying, 'If he was alive today and he was me, what would he do?' "And then it all just clicked. With the story of Scrooge having a past where, sadly, he's come to Britain in 1972 as an Ugandan Asian and as a refugee." Chadha added that Mr Sood was also based on the true story of a family friend who had gone through almost exactly the same journey, and "was always very Grinch-y at Christmas". She said: "Growing up, I was like, 'Why are you so mean?' And he was like, 'Why are you doing Christmas? That's not our holiday.' And I'm like, 'It is our holiday!' And those feelings always stayed with me. And then he went through that trauma – happily, he's come out the other side now. But it's based on someone very real. "Scrooge we know now was actually suffering from depression and he had to go back and heal his inner child, as we say. And so I think the movie works on that level now, because a lot of people are more open to looking at your past and trying to figure out how to …

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Keeper ending explained: Tatiana Maslany unpacks final scenes and what's next for Liz
type: item
date: 2025-11-14T14:22:36.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
description: The latest film from Longlegs and The Monkey director Osgood Perkins has just arrived in UK cinemas – here's how to interpet those memorable final scenes. **CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS**
encoded: (**WARNING: Contains major spoilers for Keeper**) If you've seen any of Longlegs director Osgood Perkins's previous horror films, you'll know by now that he's a master when it comes to building unnerving atmospheres and crafting memorable, unsettling images. That's certainly the case in his latest effort, Keeper, which stars Tatiana Maslany and has just arrived in UK cinemas. The chiller sees Maslany take on a character called Liz, who decamps to a cabin in the woods owned by her doctor boyfriend Malcom (Rossif Sutherland) to celebrate their one year-anniversary, only for things to turn out rather different than she'd planned. It's immediately clear that something is a little off. Liz keeps seeing some very strange visions, especially after Malcom explains that he must leave for an urgent work-related matter, and the strange behaviour exhibited by his cousin Darren (Birkett Turton) only adds to the unease. Eventually it all leads to a frightening – if rather exposition-heavy – reveal, before a final act that includes some truly terrifying creatures. "There was a big shift in terms of the creature design, because initially this film was a tiny little budget film," Maslany explained during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "And then obviously [distributor] NEON came out and bought it and changed the fabric of the film in so many ways, and allowed it to be bigger than than it had previously been." She added that when she'd film the creature scenes, the beasts "were, like, practical masks and things like that" – so she got a major fright when she watched the finished film for the first time. "When I finally saw the creatures, I think it was when they screened the final cut. And to me, I was like... I can't wait to hear what people's ideas are on what that means, what that final boss means, because there's something about that doubling effect and the faces within a face that are just like... [chef's kiss]. "When I saw it, I wanted to read 900 books about horror…

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Vera icon Brenda Blethyn teases her potential next role after her acclaimed new film
type: item
date: 2025-11-14T10:00:35.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Blethyn says she has a few options on the table following the release of new drama Dragonfly.
encoded: With her long-running role as Vera on ITV's hit detective drama series, Brenda Blethyn well and truly sealed her place as one of the most beloved British actors of her generation. And just a few months after the finale of that series, the two-time Oscar nominee has again earned major plaudits for her role in the acclaimed film Dragonfly – which opened in UK cinemas last week and has already seen her earn a couple of notable award nominations. Given her enduring popularity, her fans will no doubt be desperate to hear what other roles she has in the pipeline, and so when RadioTimes.com spoke to her for an exclusive interview about the new film we had to ask her what she would be working on next. "I don't know," was her response. "I've got various things on the table [I've] got to make decisions about. But Christmas is next!" Asked if having played one character for so long had changed the way in which she chose her future roles, she admitted that she "missed" Vera. "I did 14 seasons – that's 56 films, and I was very fond of her," she said. "And then I was only finished that a week when I started on this." There is one further project that we know Blethyn will be appearing in in the not too distant future. She explained that in the time since shooting Dragonfly, she'd also wrapped production on the upcoming Channel 4 series A Woman of Substance – the second adaptation of the Barbara Taylor Bradford novel that was previously made by the channel in 1984. Why Vera icon Brenda Blethyn didn’t want to do new film Dragonfly at first - and what changed her mind Vera icon Brenda Blethyn reveals acclaimed new film Dragonfly makes viewers question their judgement Some first-look images of the series were released last month, with the official synopsis teasing that it opens in 1911 and follows "an impoverished ambitious maid in Yorkshire" who "goes on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman, gazing down from a sprawling luxury New York penthouse." Blethyn will play …

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Nuremberg movie true story: Cast explain how they portrayed story of Nazi "psychopaths" and "narcissists"
type: item
date: 2025-11-14T07:00:47.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
description: Rami Malek, Richard E Grant and writer/director James Vanderbilt spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the new film.
encoded: The story of the Nuremberg trials is something which anyone with any grounding in history will know at least something about. Held by the Allied powers following the defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of the Second World War, they saw a total of 24 Nazi leaders – notably including Hermann Göring – put on trial between 20th November 1945 and 1st October 1946. The trials have already been the subject of numerous film and TV projects, including the classic 1961 drama Judgment at Nuremberg, starring Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster, and the 2000 TV docudrama Nuremberg, featuring Alex Baldwin and Brian Cox. And now this momentous historical event forms the basis of another new feature, one that approaches the subject from an intriguing angle which writer/director James Vanderbilt believes will allow audiences to glean some fascinating new insights. "It was something I thought I knew something about and then learned very quickly how little I knew about," Vanderbilt explained to RadioTimes.com during an exclusive interview. He revealed that he had read a proof of Jack El Hai's 2013 non-fiction book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist many years ago – before it had even been published – and instantly knew that the subject would make for a fascinating film. The book is built around the experiences of American military psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, who was assigned to ascertain the competency of each Nuremberg defendant before they stood trial. This led to him having a number of meetings with Göring and other Nazis, with Kelley believing at the time that he would be able to learn something new about the nature of evil – perhaps even something that was unique to the German character. "It was a story I'd never heard and it was the fastest I said yes to anything in my life," Vanderbilt explained. "Because I thought this was such an interesting and emotional way – an intimate way – to tell what turns out to be an enormous story." View oEmbed on the source website One of the stars of the …

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MCU star reveals why he was "floored" by script for new Netflix animated film In Your Dreams
type: item
date: 2025-11-13T16:39:30.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: Netflix
subject: News
subject: On demand
description: Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti star as parents in the streamer's latest original animation, from writer/director Alex Woo.
encoded: Netflix has already had one huge animated success story this year in K-Pop Demon Hunters – and the streamer will no doubt be hoping that it's latest new film In Your Dreams can achieve similar success. The animation is the brainchild of Pixar alum Alex Woo, and follows a brother and sister who – along with the former's stuffed toy Baloney Tony – journey into the world of their own dreams to meet The Sandman, hopeful that he will grant them their wish of saving their parents' marriage. The mother and father in the film are played by The Penguin's Cristin Milioti and Shang-Chi star Simu Liu, and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, the latter revealed he had been "floored" by how moved he was when Woo first sent him the script in early 2021. "I mean, that original script had a very different ending and a very different way in which that story played out," he said. "[But] I just felt like the heart of it was so human and so real and really the spirit of it – which I think is unchanged in this final product – is just that idea of, like, families aren't always perfect." Read more: The Penguin star Cristin Milioti speaks out on Sofia Falcone's future amid season 2 speculation Predator: Badlands director explains why he didn't do a traditional sequel to acclaimed Prey He continued: "No matter how perfect something may seem, there's always going to be moments of conflict. And it doesn't mean there's a good guy or a bad guy. It just means that your parents are human beings who sometimes want different things or sometimes have a different idea on what the next step forward looks like." Liu added that he felt this was "such a beautiful message" to give to kids, especially due to how it differed from the more simple ways families can often be presented on screen. "I think kids internalise a lot of what they see out in the world," he said. "And I think a lot of what we feed them in terms of media, in terms of the families that are shown in television and in movies, tend to fe…

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The Penguin star Cristin Milioti speaks out on Sofia Falcone's future amid season 2 speculation
type: item
date: 2025-11-13T14:55:54.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Milioti won a Primetime Emmy for her role opposite Colin Farrell in the hit Batman spin-off series.
encoded: It's been just over a year since Batman spin-off series The Penguin wrapped up its hugely acclaimed run, with the show having enjoyed a very successful time on the awards circuit in the intervening 12 months. That success has understandably led its many fans to hope that a season 2 could be on the cards – despite its original billing as a Limited Series – and indeed, there have been some rumblings that discussions regarding a second run are already being held over at HBO and DC. With that in mind, when RadioTimes.com got the chance to speak to star Cristin Milioti – who won an Emmy for her role as Sofia Falcone in the series – we couldn't help but ask her what she thought of the possibility of reprising her role in the future. "I'd play her for the rest of my life," was her instant response. "I mean, I love that show, and I love those people. You know, it was like, across the board, 10 out of 10s. And I would love to be able to revisit it one day." Speaking more generally about how much the show – and her own performance – had struck a chord with viewers, Milioti added that she had found the experience "overwhelming" and "wonderful". "It's incredible," she said. "That show came out a year ago, and our time talking about it just kind of came to an end. Like, how incredible that it reached that many people, and it was just something that I loved making so, so much. "I'm still sort of just blown away by it all. I love it so much!" Milioti was speaking to us to promote her role in new Netflix animated film In Your Dreams, which is written and directed by Pixar alumnus Alex Woo, and will be hoping to find the same kind of success on the streamer that another of its animated releases – KPop Demon Hunters – achieved earlier in the year. The film follows a brother and sister who journey into the world of their own dreams so that The Sandman can grant them their wish of a perfect family, due to the marital difficulties being faced buy their parents (played by Milioti and Sim…

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Rosamund Pike defends her Now You See Me villain against 'psychopath' label – and talks ditching her English accent for role
type: item
date: 2025-11-13T13:09:45.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: The Gone Girl and Saltburn star speaks exclusively to RadioTimes.com about her antagonist role in new threequel Now You See Me: Now You Don't.
encoded: Rosamund Pike is no stranger to playing characters who could be described as anti-heroes, from Amy Dunne in Gone Girl to Marla Grayson in I Care A Lot. And now, she's taking on a proper out-and-out villain in the new Now You See Me film. The threequel reunites the 'Four Horsemen' of the original film – played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco – as they join forces with a younger trio of magicians to stave off their greatest threat yet. That threat comes in the form of Pike's South African diamond company CEO Veronika Vanderberg – a great villainous name, as Pike points out – who is in league with an assortment of dodgy criminal networks, laundering money and taking part in all sorts of other shady dealings. Veronika is clearly no good egg, and at one point in the film is even labelled a psychopath by Harrelson's character Merritt McKinney – but Pike reckons that this characterisation may be taking things a stretch too far. "I thought that was a bit much," she laughed during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "I was fine with all the insults – but psychopath I balked at!" So what does Pike really think of the character? "Well, she was injured and hurt as a young lady," she said. "No, I mean it's probably daddy issues like Woody says, really, isn't it? It's competing for an absent father's attention and wanting to prove that she's good enough, I guess." She continued: "And now she's inherited this diamond mine and she's doing dealings with world leaders who are powerful and nefarious like she is and she's facilitating wars and smuggling diamonds across borders…. "I think people definitely know that she's into bad stuff, bad stuff. And it's the thing of having to make her formidable and threatening enough, but also within this type of movie to also make her fun enough to watch." Read more: Glen Powell reveals he is still waiting for Tom Cruise’s feedback on one key component of new film Christy director reveals why Sydney Sweeney…

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Adele cast alongside James Bond contender in all-star opera drama film based on beloved novel
type: item
date: 2025-11-12T17:14:33.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: News
description: Adolescence breakout Owen Cooper is also in the eclectic cast for the new film from Tom Ford.
encoded: Singing superstar Adele has been cast in her debut film role, with the musician set to form part of a star-studded ensemble in a new project from fashion designer-turned-director Tom Ford. James Bond contender Aaron Taylor Johnson, Adolescence breakout Owen Cooper and Superman and Nosferatu star Nicholas Hoult are among the other big names with key roles in Cry to Heaven, which is adapted from the 1982 novel of the same name by Interview with a Vampire writer Ann Rice. Ford has himself adapted the book, which is set against a backdrop of opera in 18th century Italy and follows a Venetian noble and a castrated Calabrian singer as they try to find success in that world. Meanwhile, number of other high-profile actors are also set to star in the film, with Deadline reporting there are parts for Ciarán Hinds, George MacKay, Mark Strong, Paul Bettany, Hunter Schafer, Thandiwe Newton, Daryl McCormack and Colin Firth – the latter of whom was Oscar-nominated for his lead role in Ford's 2009 directorial debut A Single Man. Ford – primarily known for his work in the fashion industry – has only made two feature films in his career so far, following up the aforementioned A Single Man with the more divisive Nocturnal Animals back in 2016, so it will certainly be interesting to see what he serves up this time. According to reports, the film has already begun pre-production ahead of a shooting start date in January, with filming set to take place in both London and Rome. Read more: K-Pop Demon Hunters revealed to be ineligible for BAFTA Film Awards despite huge success Avatar: Fire and Ash runtime finally revealed - and you should make yourself comfortable Meanwhile, a late autumn release date is currently being eyed, which suggests a probable festival premiere and awards aspirations. Who knows, perhaps Adele could add an acting Oscar to the Best Original Song gong she won for Skyfall back in 2013. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to fin…

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K-Pop Demon Hunters revealed to be ineligible for BAFTA Film Awards despite huge success
type: item
date: 2025-11-12T13:28:20.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Netflix
subject: News
subject: On demand
description: The mega hit film's lack of a full theatrical release means that it does not meet the criteria for inclusion.
encoded: At the start of every year, you can normally make some educated guesses as to which upcoming films will really a strike a chord with viewers – but there are always a few under-the-radar releases that come out of seemingly nowhere to become genuine pop culture sensations. Step forward K-Pop Demon Hunters, a film that undoubtedly fits that description this year. After previously being sold off by Sony Pictures, the film was added to Netflix back in June and almost instantly became a global hit – leading to a later sing-a-long theatrical release and talk of various spin-offs and sequels. That success has seen it emerge as a possible awards contender – but there is one ceremony where it definitely won't be picking up any gongs: the BAFTA Film Awards. That's because the film has been deemed ineligible for consideration due to the fact that it was not given a theatrical run ahead of its streaming debut in June. Per Deadline, Netflix had appealed for exemption due to the fact that the film eventually played in UK cinemas two months later – on 23rd and 24th August – before further screenings on Halloween weekend, but it is understood that their request has not been approved. The BAFTA eligibility rules state that titles must have "at least 10 commercial screenings in UK for at least seven days in aggregate" – and so KPop Demon Hunters does not fulfil those conditions. Interestingly, the film has been deemed eligible for inclusion at the Oscars – so it could yet pick up some major awards. And whichever way you look at it, the film has been a major success. It became the most-watched film ever on Netflix, sold out its limited theatrical screenings in minutes and its soundtrack has spawned five UK top 40 singles. And that's in addition to generally dominating the cultural conversation for months. Read more: K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 finally gets update on release following smash hit success Glen Powell reveals he is still waiting for Tom Cruise’s feedback on one key component of n…

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Glen Powell reveals he is still waiting for Tom Cruise’s feedback on one key component of new film
type: item
date: 2025-11-11T14:56:24.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: The star of The Running Man went to his mentor for advice ahead of taking on the lead role in Edgar Wright's Stephen King adaptation.
encoded: It's well documented that Tom Cruise has acted as something of a mentor for Glen Powell after they starred together in Top Gun: Maverick back in 2022. But the Mission: Impossible star's impact has never been quite so clear as in Edgar Wright's new film The Running Man. Powell takes on the lead role of Ben Richards – the character previously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the earlier 1987 film of the same name – and, as the title suggests, he gets plenty of opportunities to showcase some top-tier movie-star running. Powell previously revealed that he had called up Cruise for some advice about running on camera and ended up having an over two-hour conversation with him that included some very helpful tips. "He said, ‘You should film yourself running because you don’t look as cool as you think you do," the Twisters and Anyone But You star told People. "He was so right!" With than in mind, we were curious to find out if Powell had received any feedback on his on-screen sprinting now that Cruise has seen the movie, and so we put that question to the star when we spoke to him and Wright for an exclusive RadioTimes.com interview. "You know what? Tom loved the movie, but I haven't talked to him about my running form," was his response. "I'll get back to you on that one. I'm so desperate for his approval on the running!" Read more: Why Vera icon Brenda Blethyn didn’t want to do new film Dragonfly at first - and what changed her mind Predator: Badlands director explains why he didn't do a traditional sequel to acclaimed Prey "He'd be like in Strictly Ballroom at the end, you know like holding up the cards [with scores]," added Wright, making Powell chuckle. Whatever he thinks about the running specifically, Cruise was clearly impressed with Powell's performance and the film on the whole, with the Hollywood legend lavishing praise on the movie on social media after attending it's London premiere last week. "Another great night out with my friends at the movies!" he wrote. …

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Vera icon Brenda Blethyn reveals acclaimed new film Dragonfly makes viewers question their judgement
type: item
date: 2025-11-10T17:24:36.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Blethyn stars alongside Andrea Riseborough and Jason Watkins in the new film from writer/director Paul Andrew Williams.
encoded: New film Dragonfly has been receiving rave reviews since its release last Friday (7th November) – not least for the award-nominated performances from stars Brenda Blethyn and Andrea Riseborough. The drama tells the story of a lonely and vulnerable pensioner named Elsie (Blethyn) who finds an unexpected ally in her next-door neighbour Colleen (Riseborough) after the latter offers to lend her a helping hand. Jason Watkins also stars as Elsie's son, who is not so enthused about this new friendship – in large part due to his pre-existing judgements about Colleen and the kind of person he expects her to be. This tapped into one of the things that Blethyn found interesting about the project, as she explained in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "What I loved about the script as well is that you can't help but make judgments about all the different people in the film, and then question your own judgment," she said. "I think everyone has a redeeming quality – or you could blame all of them for whatever reason – and it's just circumstance. The way at the end, where it kind of turns – [there's] this kind of shock coming from something so every day, so normal. I thought [it] was brilliant." Although for the most part Dragonfly falls into the social realism genre, it takes a more sinister turn in its final act – culminating in the "shock" Blethyn mentions above. That shift in tone has led some people to label it as a thriller, or even a horror, so what does Blethyn herself think? Read more: Why Vera icon Brenda Blethyn didn’t want to do new film Dragonfly at first - and what changed her mind Dragonfly review: Brenda Blethyn is at her very best in frequently heartbreaking film "Well, it's just the circumstances in the film can turn ugly, if you like," she said. "[It's] not justified, you can't ever justify that. But it's just the circumstances coming out of this ordinary friendship that develops between this old lady and sort of a social outcast next door – a young lad…

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Ian McKellen stars in first look at "life-affirming" new film featuring Doctor Who and British comedy legends
type: item
date: 2025-11-10T11:38:28.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: News
description: McKellen stars alongside Roger Allam in an upcoming adaptation of stage play Frank & Percy – with the star-studded cast also including the likes of Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley and Ncuti Gatwa.
encoded: A new image has been released for upcoming film Frank and Percy – which sees Sir Ian McKellen and Roger Allam reprise their roles from the West End show of the same name. The still – which you can see above – features the two stars sitting on a park bench and smiling at each other, both of them accompanied by pet dogs on leads. According to an official synopsis, the comedy-drama follows two older men who meet while walking their dogs on Hampstead Heath. "What begins as casual conversation about the weather and aching hips gradually deepens into an unexpected friendship – and perhaps something more," the logline reads. It also describes the film as "wryly funny", "poignantly tender" and "a heartfelt, life-affirming tale". In addition to the new image, an impressive list of additional supporting cast members have now been confirmed – including Doctor Who star Peter Davison, Gavin & Stacey's Rob Brydon and Dame Sheila Hancock. The other new faces are Felicity Kendal (The Good Life), Nitin Ganatra (Mr Bigstuff), Peter Straker (Urban Gothic), Amari Bacchus (Adolescence), Hugh Skinner (W1A) and celebrated dancer Wayne Sleep. Meanwhile, a host of massive names had previously been announced for the ensemble, including Sir Stephen Fry, Dame Joanna Lumley, Sir Derek Jacobi, Dame Siân Phillips, Ncuti Gatwa and Baby Reindeer's Jessica Gunning – so there's certainly no shortage of star power. Read more: Why Vera icon Brenda Blethyn didn’t want to do new film Dragonfly at first - and what changed her mind Kenny Dalglish reflects on his glory years, the tragedy of Hillsborough and the joy of still attending Anfield The film was written by Martin Sherman (Mrs Henderson Presents), while Sean Mathias takes on directorial duties after previously helming the stage version – which opened at Windsor's Theatre Royal in 2023 before transferring to the West End later that year. No official release date has been announced for the project as yet, but we'll be on the lookout for further update…

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Predator: Badlands director teases "fun ideas” for more Alien crossovers with franchise
type: item
date: 2025-11-07T19:00:36.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Sci-fi
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Dan Trachtenberg talks about the "elegant" way he managed to bring Alien lore into his new film – and what further plans might be on the horizon.
encoded: While the Alien and Predator series each include some undeniably incredible films, it's fair to say previous attempts to combine the two franchises have brought about fairly disastrous results. Both 2004's Alien vs Predator and its 2007 follow-up Aliens vs Predator: Requiem were major critical failures, and since then there have been no further attempts to merge the two properties on the big screen. At least, until now. Dan Trachtenberg's new movie Predator: Badlands – his third entry in the series in little over three years – includes some pretty major nods to Alien lore. Most prominently, Elle Fanning has a crucial role as a Weyland-Yutani synthetic, one of the artificial humans that have always featured in the classic sci-fi franchise, played by the likes of Ian Holm, Michael Fassbender and more recently David Jonsson. For Trachtenberg, the chance to dip into the world of Alien was clearly an opportunity he relished – and there was one thing that especially excited him about his approach. "The coolest part about it to me was no Xenomorph," he explained during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "Truly, it was not the idea of, 'What if we make Alien versus Predator again?'" He added that a larger scale crossover may still be on the horizon "later down the line" but continued: "The cool [bit] was to use a part of another franchise and include it into the story of this franchise [so] that you can link things without it being like, look at the giant action figures being smashed together. "It literally is just the components. I thought was a really elegant way to blend the two different franchises." As for what specific plans he had bubbling away as to how he might continue to bring the two worlds together in the future, Trachtenberg more or less kept schtum. But, he did say: "I've got lots of fun ideas." One thing is for sure, this certainly seems to open the door for a more fruitful fusing of the franchises in the future. And given he's now gone three for th…

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Why Vera icon Brenda Blethyn didn’t want to do new film Dragonfly at first - and what changed her mind
type: item
date: 2025-11-07T14:12:28.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: Blethyn stars with Andrea Riseborough in Paul Andrew Williams's heavy-hitting drama – which is now out in UK cinemas.
encoded: After starring as Vera on ITV's beloved detective drama for 14 years, you might imagine Brenda Blethyn would have welcomed a little break. But barely any time had passed after wrapping her final scenes on the series – which were broadcast in January – before she was enticed back to a film set for another, rather different, new project. Dragonfly, which finally arrives in UK cinemas today after attracting some very strong reviews on the festival circuit, is a bleak but captivating film. It sees Blethyn star as a vulnerable pensioner struggling with loneliness in a contemporary Britain that is presented as deeply broken. When she strikes up an unlikely bond with her social outcast neighbour, played by Andrea Riseborough, it initially looks like the pair have found some solace in these difficult times, but the film soon takes a sinister turn that puts things in a different light. Blethyn and Riseborough are both superb in the drama, but speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, the former revealed she almost missed out on the chance to star in the film before reading the script. "I didn't want to do it to start with," Blethyn explained. "I told my agent to clear off – I'd only just finished Vera [and] hadn't even unpacked." However, when her agent revealed more about the project – including the people already attached – it didn't take long for Blethyn to change her mind. "She said, 'It's a Paul Andrew Williams script, and Andrea Riseborough is in it,'" Blethyn said. "I thought, 'Oh, well, obviously I'll have a little read.' And I was very moved by the script. I thought it was great. And so I said yes straight away. And it was imminent, [production was] about to start. So I had to make a decision on that same day!" Once she'd intimated she was open to the part, writer/director Williams went to visit Blethyn at her home in Ramsgate, and recalled eating ice cream with her as they got to know each other. "We sat outside looking at the beach," he said. "Obviously Brenda said …

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Predator: Badlands director explains why he didn't do a traditional sequel to acclaimed Prey
type: item
date: 2025-11-06T09:00:46.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Sci-fi
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
description: The new film – which stars Elle Fanning – takes the franchise in a radical new direction.
encoded: Back in 2022, director Dan Trachtenberg found a fascinating new way in to the Predator franchise with his excellent prequel Prey, setting the action in the Commanche nation in the 18th century. Given the acclaim that film garnered, you might imagine that he'd adopt a similar approach for his next film in the series, but in fact he's done something very different. Predator: Badlands, which is due for release this week and has already received strong reviews from critics, is set on a distant planet in the distant future and does something especially radical: making the Predator itself the protagonist. The Predator in question is a young outcast named Dek, who is sent to a deadly planet and forms an unlikely bond with synthetic human (Elle Fanning) as they each try to navigate the dangerous territory. So where did Trachtenberg first get the idea for this approach? "It was at the end of the process with Prey, and we were starting to show it to people, and it was being warmly received," he explained during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "And I started to realise, 'They might ask me to do a sequel. Uh oh. Like, I've not thought about that at all. What would I do?'" Trachtenberg added that sometimes when people "make a cool thing" the impulse is simply to follow it with "just the sequel to the cool thing" rather than something that is interesting in and of itself. This was a trap that he wanted to avoid falling into. "I was really pressuring myself to try and figure out," he said. "Forget Prey, forget I even did that. What do I want to do? Do I still want to make another Predator movie, and what hasn't been done in Predator and what hasn't been done in movies? And that was where the big idea came from." He added that the idea of turning the monster into the hero of the story – and getting people to root for it – was "a thing that just has not existed in sci fi at all", and this was something that immediately excited him. Of course, this idea also gave him plen…

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Best films released in the UK this month: November 2025
type: item
date: 2025-11-05T17:13:59.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: List
subject: Video
description: Highlights include Predator: Badlands, Wicked: For Good, and Wake Up Dead Man
encoded: We're reaching the end of 2025, but – as is usually the case at this time of year – there are still a lot of major releases to come, and November's slate is absolutely packed with big hitters. In terms of franchise fare, the month gets off to a good start with Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands – starring Elle Fanning – while fans of the Now You See Me films will be glad to see the return of The Four Horsemen (and a new batch of younger magicians) in the third entry in that series. There's also two more big star-studded Netflix releases ahead of their streaming debuts in December, with Noah Baumbach's comedy drama Jay Kelly and the third Knives Out Mystery Wake Up Dead Man both getting limited theatrical runs. As for awards contenders, it's well worth checking out Jennifer Lawrence's turn in Lynne Ramsay's Die My Love and Sydney Sweeney's performance in true story boxing drama Christy, with both stars in the running to be nominated for Best Actress at next year's Oscars. There's also a new horror film from Longlegs director Oz Perkins, Edgar Wright's new adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man and a sequel to Disney's Zootropolis, plus new films starring Brenda Blethyn, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ethan Hawke. And that's before we even get to the biggest release of the month: Wicked: For Good. To help you pick out the highlights, we've put together a selection of some of the best films to watch this month – check out the video above or read on for our choices. Best films released in the UK this month: November 2025 Predator: Badlands Release date: Friday 7th November in cinemas Prey director Dan Trachtenberg returns with another new entry in the Predator franchise – which is the first film in the series to make a member of the Predator species the protagonist. It follows young outcast Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) after he's sent to a remote planet and strikes up an unlikely bond with a synthetic human named Thia (Elle Fanning), with some interesting co…

Predator: Badlands' early Rotten Tomatoes score revealed following first wave of reviews from critics
type: item
date: 2025-11-05T14:20:58.000Z
creator: Patrick Cremona
subject: Movies
subject: Sci-fi
subject: News
description: The film continues director Dan Trachtenberg's impressive run of new entries in the franchise.
encoded: In recent times, Dan Trachtenberg has very much revitalised the Predator franchise. After years of disappointing sequels and spin-offs, his 2022 prequel Prey – released straight to Disney Plus – breathed new life into the series, delivering a pared-down action thriller that brought the iconic creature to the Comanche nation in 1719. He followed that up earlier this year with Predator: Killer of Killers, another straight-to-streaming affair that served up a triptych of animated stories set against different historical backdrops – which again launched to strong reviews. Now he's returned with another new film that again explores brand new territory. Predator: Badlands is the first film to make a member of the Predator species the protagonist, following young outcast Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) after he's sent to a remote planet and strikes up an unlikely bond with a synthetic human named Thia (Elle Fanning). So, has Trachtenberg gone three for three when it comes to making successful Predator films? Well, the early reviews indicate that the answer is a resounding yes. At the time of writing, Badlands sits on a score of 89 per cent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 75 reviews, with positive reviews from a number of prominent publications including Empire Magazine, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Out and RogerEbert.com. However, there are some notable outliers, including The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, who awarded the film just two stars. On Metacritic, the film holds a slightly less positive score of 69 per cent, which still suggests the majority of reviewers have given positive assessments. So it looks like the revitalisation of the Predator franchise continues apace! Of course, the series first launched with the original Arnold Schwarzenegger film back in 1987, and was followed up by Predator 2 in 1990, Predators in 2010 and The Predator in 2018, all of which performed relatively poorly with critics. Then there were the two Alien v Predator…

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