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The Industry actor sets his sights on Gotham, Hollywood and beyond

While enjoying the lingering LA sun the evening before he began shooting Joker: Folie À Deux, Harry Lawtey — who describes himself as “a nervous presence” — had an epiphany. “You may never be in a position like this again,” he thought. ”So you’ve just got to give it a go and try to enjoy it.” He will be forever grateful for that moment, as the next day the 27-year-old arrived on set as tenacious Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent, ready to go toe-to-toe with Joaquin Phoenix’s tortured clown. As if the stakes weren’t high enough, scheduling meant that he wasn’t introduced to his co-star until they were filming a scene together. “The first time I lay eyes on Joaquin, [there’s] a close-up of my face looking at him walking into a room in character,” Lawtey marvels to Empire.

Taskmaster will return to Channel 4 on the 28th March, and a new trailer for Taskmaster series 17 has landed.

Taskmaster has run for a whopping 16th series and several Champion of Champions specials since 2015, according to the British Comedy Guide, the 17th series is due to be broadcast this month.

The line up for the new series is as follows:

Comedians Joanne McNally, John Robins and Sophie Willan, Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed and The League Of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton.

And it doesn’t stop there. Not only can you buy Taskmaster clothing, books, a board game via the official store, a few weeks ago, it was announced that the show was being turned into a VR game by indie developer Scallywag Arcade – it’s due out in 2024 for Meta Quest 2 and 3. You can add it to your wishlist on Steam now.

There is also set to be...

The line-up for Taskmaster series 17 has been revealed, with The League Of Gentleman’s Steve Pemberton among the large names. More within:

Now that we’ve had the joy of both the Taskmaster New Year Treat – with Deborah Meaden, Kojey Radical, Lenny Rush, Steve Backshall and the third Champion of Champions – with Sarah Kendall, Dara O’Briain, Sophie Duker, Morgana Robinson and Kiell Smith Bynoe, who stood in for Mae Martin – we now look forward to the seventeenth series.

The line up for the new series is as follows, according to the British Comedy Guide:

Joanne McNally, John Robins, Sophie Willan, Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed and The League Of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton.

And it doesn’t stop there. Not only can you buy Taskmaster clothing, books, a board game via the official store, a few weeks ago, it was announced that the show was being turned into a VR...

We’ve had a marvellous run of Taskmaster series lately, so when a new line-up announcement is on the horizon, it’s easy to wonder whether the winning streak will continue or if we’re due a dud.

Never fear – Alex Horne and co. have delivered once again, although the series 17 Taskmaster line-up might not be quite what you’re expecting. Instead of the now-traditional Taskmaster family line-up, this time they’ve gone for a veteran from outside the world of stand-up comedy, plus four rising stars with slightly less mainstream recognition than normal. As ever with this show though, anybody you’re not familiar with at the start, you’ll almost certainly love by the end of the series.

The Taskmaster series 17 line-up is: Steve Pemberton, Sophie Willan, Nick Mohammed, John Robins and Joanne McNally! And here they are appearing in the very first trailer for the new run:...

In 2023 (January to November) there were over 2 billion plays of radio, music and podcasts on BBC Sounds, as listeners continue to enjoy a wide range of audio content from across the BBC.

Podcast listening saw an uplift of 34% on BBC Sounds compared to the same period last year. New and popular returning podcast titles helped drive listeners to BBC Sounds with something for everyone and a wide range of topics from history, comedy, current affairs, drama and true crime.

Podcasts Detail The top ten most popular podcasts of 2023 in the UK

(based on BBC Sounds plays between January and November)

Newscast Just One Thing – with Michael Mosley You’re Dead To Me Uncanny Limelight Gangster: The Story Of John Palmer Sliced Bread I’m Not a Monster – The Shamima Begum Story Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley Americast

Jonathan Wall, Director of BBC Sounds said: “It’s fantastic to see the...

Elis James and John Robins are set to release two podcasts on BBC Sounds every week in 2024. The comedians and best mates will double up episodes of their award-winning podcast each week covering a diverse range of topics from personal anecdotes to pop culture and more. The podcasts will be available from early in the new year on BBC Sounds...

Sophiena, known as @sophiena_official online, is launching a new podcast with leading production company Audio Always.

Soph’s been a standout star on TikTok giving total access to her young family alongside DIY hacks, air fryer recipes and her outfits of the day. She’s now amassed 125 million likes and 2.5 million followers on the video sharing app.

Soph’s now launching the Secret Mum Club podcast, as a place for all Mums to share all their secrets. From the silly to the serious, this is a totally anonymous place for parents to get things off their chest, because as we all know, we’re all in this together.

Joining Sophiena will be her Secret Queen co-host Emma Jones, who will be keeping Soph on her toes and revealing the stories listeners submit. Emma’s known to audiences across the UK as she reads the news every weekday morning on...

Poppy Jay & Rubina Pabani, stars of BBC Sounds podcast Brown Girls Do It Too, announced as hosts

Poppy & Rubina have been confirmed as the hosts of this year’s Audio Production Awards ceremony to be held on Wednesday 23rd November.

The Awards, sponsored by Audible, will be held at a gala evening at the BFI on London’s South Bank.

The APAs, organised by AudioUK (the trade body which champions and supports independent audio production businesses in the UK), celebrate outstanding achievement in audio production across a huge range of audio content including; podcasts, audiobooks, sound design, radio, presenting and more.

Producer, Sound Designer and Presenter Axel Kacoutié received nominations across three categories, as did Producer Victoria Ferran, nominated for Best Arts & Culture Producer, Best Entertainment Producer and Producer of the Year.

Presenter category nominees include talkSPORT’s Lianne Sanderson for Best New Voice, Claudia Winkleman and Rob Beckett for Best Presenter,...

English professional golfer, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston, has teamed up with the fast-growing audio-on-demand network Crowd Network to launch his first ever podcast: Beef’s Golf Club.

The podcast sees Beef and his co-presenter John Robins - an amateur golfer, podcaster and comedian, lift the lid on the world of professional golfing, to fans of the sport and those new to the game. From handling the pressure of a first tee shot at a major, to how you put a charge on down the stretch, and everything in between, Beef and John reveal what it’s really like inside the minds of the world’s best players and playing both as a professional and an amateur.

Listeners can expect to hear from a range of guests on the podcast, including pro-golfers, comedians and TV personalities, as well as those who know and love their golf. Beef, John and their guests will...

Netflix has set a premiere date for Hannah Gadsby’s next standup special, “Hannah Gadsby: Douglas.” The follow-up to Gadsby’s groundbreaking and acclaimed “Nanette” will premiere on the streaming service May 26.

Named after Gadsby’s eldest dog the special is taken from the her 2019 world tour of the same name, in which she brought Douglas along for the entire trip.

Gadsby premiered “Douglas” in Melbourne, Australia in March of 2019, and took the show to the U.S. the following month starting in San Francisco.

Gadsby’s “Nanette” was a global sensation after its 2018 debut on Netflix. A bittersweet and frank discussion of comedy, feminism, the LGBTQ experience and various forms of prejudice while also serving as a critique of celebrity and hero worship, the show quickly emerged as the most acclaimed and widely discussed comedy performances of the year.

The best thing about vessel bound horror is the dearth of escape routes; hide in a cabin, behind a mast, or head over the side – these are your viable options. This is also the worst thing about same; fewer options can lead to repetition which can lead to boredom. So then, the bigger the vessel, the bigger the hellscape, and when you throw in some creepy Nazi haunting, you end up with Death Ship (1980), an oddly compelling thriller that plays like The Poseidon Adventure meets The Evil.

Okay, that’s a little bit of a sizzle sell; Death Ship doesn’t have the scope of the former or the effects of the latter, but it does achieve a grimy buzz as it progresses. Released by Avco Embassy in early March stateside, critics hated it and audiences failed to come aboard; it only brought in about a third of its $4.5 million dollar budget.