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Apple and BBC Co-Producing Comedy Series Starring Imelda Staunton From Harry Potter

Friday July 12, 2019 9:11 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is teaming up with the BBC to co-produce an eight-part comedy-drama series with a working title of "Alabama," according to a report from British comedy website Chortle highlighted by Engadget.

Imelda Staunton

Written by former stand-up Andy Wolton, the show will reportedly star Imelda Staunton, who is best known for her performance in the British comedy television series "Up the Garden Path" and for playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies "Order of the Phoenix" and part one of "Deathly Hallows."

The series is reportedly in production and is slated to air worldwide next year on Apple's upcoming streaming video service, Apple TV+. Apple and BBC declined to comment on the series, and plot details have yet to be revealed.


Apple TV+ will feature dozens of original TV shows and movies with stars such as Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah Winfrey. The service is set to launch in over 100 countries in the fall within the Apple TV app on the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Mac.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12, tvOS 13
Tags: Apple's Hollywood ambitions, Apple TV Guide
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
[ 47 comments ]


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HappyDude20
4 days ago at 09:13 am
She played Umbridge so well I hated that woman.

I wish her the best of luck!
Rating: 18 Votes
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owen.meredith
4 days ago at 10:10 am

British TV isn't great.


Is that why major US networks have always tended to do copies of British shows, with HBO practically piggybacking off everything the BBC does now? Hm?
Rating: 12 Votes
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johnyslats
4 days ago at 09:47 am

British TV isn't great.

"This is a lie" - Dolores Umbridge
Rating: 11 Votes
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Ar40
4 days ago at 11:04 am

British TV isn't great.


British TV isn't great. It's actually AMAZING.

I find myself routinely enjoying British whodunnits and dramas, and find them superior to most US TV (often on par with HBO).
Rating: 9 Votes
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Kaibelf
4 days ago at 09:54 am

Welcome to the new Macrumors. A Blog about tv, film and the glamorous life of the stars.


No, it's about a huge recurring revenue service play by the company about which this blog is written.
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No, it's not a binary choice for Apple, far from it. Services are an important part of their incredible ecosystem, but they are accelerating their hardware and software releases, which are the largest part of the over $1BILLION a month they are putting into Research and Development.


Would that somehow make you need to buy a laptop from them more frequently? Exactly what would be gained by accelerating their hardware and software releases" aside from diluting the offerings? People will not suddenly be excited if there are wild major changes to the platform coming out every 6 months, and it would be a nightmare for any enterprise.
Rating: 7 Votes
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orbital~debris
4 days ago at 09:55 am
Wonder how long until someone misconstrues this as a Harry Potter spinoff…
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British TV isn't great.


What programmes (shows) are you basing that statement on? I'm interested, because this doesn't sound like an accurate assessment of British TV.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Mike MA
4 days ago at 09:28 am
I would be happier if my Dollars purchasing iPhones and Macs would be reinvested just therefore - and not paying the salaries of some Hollywood celebrities. But, oh well...
Rating: 6 Votes
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TomaxXamot
4 days ago at 09:20 am

British TV isn't great.


Derp.

Anyway, she’s a lovely actress. Hated her in Potter, loved her in Pride. I’ll check this one out for sure.
Rating: 6 Votes
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johnyslats
4 days ago at 10:51 am

I assume this will be shown here in the UK on the BBC as they're using our license fee money to part pay for this production.

I'm no expert on the matter but this may not be the case. BBC Studios is the commercial arm of the BBC and don't believe it's funded by license fee revenue. However I understand any profits are reinvested back into the BBC alongside the license fee income. BBC Studios as a company is relatively new but is already creating content for the likes of ITV, Channel 4 etc
Rating: 4 Votes
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Dirtfarmer
4 days ago at 10:10 am
Former World's Greatest Product Company Reinvents Itself As High Budget YouTube Channel

#FIRETHEACCOUNTANT
Rating: 4 Votes

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