Earlier this week TVWise broke the news that Daniel Mays (Mrs Biggs), Susan Lynch (Monroe), Jodhi May (The Ice Cream Girls), Andrew Tiernan (Prisoners’ Wives), Nico Mirallegro (The Village) and Robert Pugh (Game of Thrones) had all been cast in BBC One’s upcoming one-off Common, which hails from LA Productions and Jimmy McGovern. The BBC confirmed that today and also announced that the drama will also star Philip Hill-Pearson (Good Cop), Ben Smith (Hidden), Andrew Ellis (This Is England ’86), Harry McMullen, Michelle Farley (Game Of Thrones), Jack McMullen (Waterloo Road) and Sir Michael Gambon (Harry Potter). BBC One’s press release follows below…

Nico Mirallegro, Danny Mays and Jodhi May to star in Jimmy McGovern’s film Common for BBC One

Jimmy McGovern’s new 90-minute film for BBC One, Common (working title), set in the north west of England and based on the UK’s controversial Joint Enterprise Law will star Nico Mirallegro (The Village, My Mad Fat Diary), Daniel Mays (Mrs Briggs, Public Enemies) and Jodhi May (Ice Cream Girls, Strike Back). Produced for the channel by LA Productions and directed by David Blair (The Street, Accused).

Jimmy McGovern commented: “When it comes to casting you always have a “wish list” – a list of actors who’d be perfect for the parts you have written. You never get them of course. They’re often too busy or away on holiday or they hate the script or whatever. But on this occasion, I got them all, every single one on my wish list. And I am over the moon.”

McGovern’s landmark single drama examines the potential for injustice with the Joint Enterprise or Common Purpose rule; a young man gives friends an impromptu lift to a pizza parlour and finds himself charged with murder.

When 17-year-old Johnjo O’Shea (Mirallegro) gives his cousin Tony played by Philip Hill Pearson (Good Cop, United) and some mates a last-minute lift in his brother Patrick’s – played by Ben Smith (Hidden) – car. They tell him they’re going for pizza; Johnjo doesn’t know that they’re going to ‘have a word’ with a local loudmouth who needs putting in his place. As Johnjo waits in the car, one of their number, Kieran Gillespie played by Andrew Ellis (This Is England ’86), takes offence with an innocent bystander, Thomas Ward played by Harry McMullen, who is fatally stabbed.

The murder victim is the eldest child of Margaret played by Susan Lynch (Monroe, The Secret Of Crickley Hall) and Tommy Ward (Mays), who has become estranged from his family after a bitter divorce.  Struggling to make ends meet on her own, Margaret is nevertheless determined to fight through bureaucracy and the cool indifference of the banks to give Thomas the send-off he deserves.

When Johnjo’s parents Coleen (May) and Pete played by Andrew Tiernan (Prisoners’ Wives) find out about the lift they’re horrified, and concerned for their naive son.  As they argue about what he should tell the police, Johnjo makes his own way to the police station and asks for DI Hastings played by Robert Pugh (Game Of Thrones).

A career copper used to doing battle with ‘no comment’, Hastings can’t believe his luck as Johnjo lays the blame squarely with Kieran.  But Hastings wants everyone possible to be tried for murder, and with the Joint Enterprise doctrine at his disposal, that includes Johnjo.

As the battle for justice continues, Johnjo’s family finds that not being present at the murder scene is no defence, and even Coleen’s sister, Tony’s mum Shelagh played by Michelle Farley (Game Of Thrones, Misfits) tries to dissuade Johnjo from a ‘not guilty’ plea.

The cast also includes: Jack McMullen (Waterloo Road) as Colin McCabe and Sir Michael Gambon (Quarter, Restless) as the Royal Courts Judge.

Common, 1×90, will be made by LA Productions for BBC One and is executive produced for the BBC by Polly Hill, Head of Independent Drama. Colin McKeown (Moving On, Justice) is the producer for LA Productions and he executive produces with Jimmy McGovern. The drama was commissioned by Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, Ben Stephenson and former Controller of BBC One now Director of Television, Danny Cohen.

The eighth and final season of Showtime’s drama series Dexter will receive its UK premiere on FOX on Sunday July 7th at 9pm, it has been announced.

Based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay and developed for television by James Manos Jr, Dexter follows the eponymous character who is a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department who moonlights as a serial killer. The drama series is produced by Showtime Originals and stars Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas and James Remar. In the opening episode of the show’s eighth season, titled A Beautiful Day, six months have passed since LaGuerta’s murder and Dexter is still managing life as a dad, brother, and serial killer. Deb, on the other hand, is struggling to deal with the consequences of her actions. While a mysterious woman comes to work with Miami Metro, offering first-hand information on Dexter’s past.

TVWise’s UK Premiere Dates page has been updated with this new information.

The first season of Canadian drama series Motive will receive its UK premiere on Universal Channel on Thursday June 13th at 9pm, it has been announced.

Created by Daniel Cerone, Motive follows Vancouver homicide detective Angie Flynn on a backwards chase for clues to a killer that has already been revealed to viewers. The series follows both Flynn and her team and the killer, giving the audience the opportunity to delve inside the mind of a criminal and understand their motive. The series is produced Foundation Features & Lark Productions in association with Bell Media and stars Kristin Lehman (The Killing), Louis Ferreira (Stargate Universe), Lauren Holly (NCIS), Roger Cross (24), Brendan Penny (The Assistants) and Cameron Bright (Twilight).

TVWise’s UK Premiere Dates page has been updated with this new information.

A&E’s mini-series Coma will receive its UK premiere on Channel 5 on Thursday June 6th at 9pm, it has been announced.

Coma, a modern day retelling of the bestselling novel by Robin Cook and based on the film by Michael Crichton, is about a young doctor who discovers that something sinister is going on in her hospital after routine procedures send more than a few seemingly healthy patients into comas on the operating table. Starring in the four hour mini-series is Steven Pasquale, Geena Davis, James Woods, Ellen Burstyn and Richard Dreyfuss. Coma also stars James Rebhorn, Joe Morton, Michael Weston and Joseph Mazello. The two part mini-series was produced by Sony Pictures Television, with Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, David W. Zucker, Martin Erlichman and Mikael Salomon serving as exeuctive producers. Emmy Award winner Mikael Salomon directed the skein, which was written by John J. McLaughlin.

TVWise’s UK Premiere Dates page has been updated with this new information.

Hat Trick Productions’ YouTube channel Bad Teeth and Plum Pictures have announced a new internet show titled Man On Couch, which promises to attempt a feat which has never before been achieved – namely, a live stream which will run every second of every day for at least a week. Man On Couch will premiere on Bad Teeth from Monday May 27th. The series is being co-produced by Spirit Digital Media.

Man On Couch will feature one man who will be forced to live in an empty room, on a couch, with no windows for a week. He will not be able to leave the room and must use his laptop to bring the world to him, including entertainment, clothing and sustenance. This man is Rory Barker, James May’s charismatic but feckless side kick. He will have nothing to do, nothing to eat and no-one to talk to. He must persuade the people of the world to get involved. It will be a battle for survival as he barters with viewers and celebrities for the basics of life, from food and water to warm clothes – and of course anything he can lay his hands on to stave off the inevitable boredom of 24 hours a day in his own company with only the occasional visitor. The show will feature cameos from James May, Gok Wan, Jolyon Rubinstein, Heydon Prowse and other celebrities. A psychologist will also be on hand to monitor Rory’s mental and physical decline. However, one of the real twists here is that Rory’s fate is not in his own hands. If he gets a million unique views in the first week, he will have to stay another week and each week there will be a target which, if beaten, will extend the show.

“I initially wanted it to be ‘monkey on couch’ but was told they were to expensive and too demanding. Luckily Rory is neither”, said Will Daws, Creative Director of Plum Pictures, who had the original idea for the show.

Peter Cowley, Chief Executive Officer of Spirit Digital Media, commented: “Spirit Media are very excited to be the co-producing partner for this innovative YouTube project.”

While Rory Barker added: “Man on Couch sounds like a great idea and I’m bloody delighted to get the chance to live in one room for an entire week. Well, not delighted, but a man’s got to eat. Hopefully I’ll meet loads of people both in my room as well as on the worldwide web, and I hope to learn a plethora of skills and come out a week later as a better, albeit slightly paler person.”

Global video-on- demand (VOD) service Viewster has inked deals with All3Media, KBS Media, Shine Group and Starz Digital Media for a wealth of new programming, which comprises over 240 hours of new content. The deal for this new content, which is targeted at young audiences, ensures that such TV titles as BBC One’s Mayday, Channel 4′s Skins (an exclusive title in Germany and Australia) and E4′s Beaver Falls will be made available in Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The deal also covers a number of premiere titles for the UK. Per their agreement with Starz Digital Media, Starz Original Series’ Head Case, Gravity and Hollywood Residential will be made available to UK audiences for the first time via Viewster. Those series will also be available to Viewster users in Australia. In addition, owing to their deals with both Shine and All3Media, Viewster will bring British series Beaver Falls, Fresh Meat, Mayday, Moving Wallpaper and Skins to audiences in the United States, German speaking countries, France and Australia. Finally, Vieswter’s deal with KBS Media will bring a number of South Korean dramas, including Boys Over Flowers, to audiences in the United States.

Speaking of these content deals, Kai Henniges, Chief Executive Officer of Viewster, said: “We are making a significant new investment in content that we can provide on an ad-supported basis and that is also attractive to our young and growing audience across the globe that prefers on-demand over appointment viewing.”

There was no substantial week two drop off for BBC Two’s The Fall. The drama series managed to pull in 3.4 million viewers and a 15% share. With those figures the series was able to, once again, beat off the competition and rank as the highest rating programme of the hour; winning the 9pm slot.

Last nights figures for The Fall are down by a mere 100 000 viewers on last week’s series premiere of 3.5 million viewers, marking a minimal drop off of 3%. The lack of a substantial drop off is good news for the series. Most new dramas, especially ones with such high pedigree casts and violent subject matter, rate well in their openers but see a drop off in viewership due to the so-called curiosity factor. The strong audience retention in week 2 will likely be on the minds of BBC execs as they decide whether or not to commission a second season (more on developments on that front here).

Elsewhere on Monday night at 9pm, Panorama’s special investigation into the Hillsborough disaster on BBC One pulled in 2.8 million viewers and an 12% share; ITV’s Vicious pulled in 2.6 million viewers and a 11% share at 9pm, while The Job Lot attracted 1.9 million viewers and a 8% share at 9:30pm; the second episode of Channel 4′s documentary series Skint pulled in 2.7 million viewers and a 11% share; and a special showing of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on Channel 5 averaged 1.8 million viewers and a 8% share.

The third season of Showtime’s comedy series Web Therapy will premiere on Tuesday July 23rd at 11/10c, it has been announced.

Created by Lisa Kudrow, Don Roos and Dan Bucatinsky, Web Therapy is based on the web series of the same name and revolves around Fiona Wallice, the self-professed and self-serving psychotherapist who treats patients in three minute sessions via webcam.The comedy series is produced by Is or Isn’t Entertainment and stars Lisa Kudrow, Victor Garber, Lily Tomlin and Dan Bucatinsky.

The show’s third season Fiona (Lisa Kudrow) coming to terms with the new landscape of her life – her politically disgraced husband, Kip (Victor Garber), has run off with his male campaign manager; Fiona’s mother (Lily Tomlin) has started up a rival business called “Net Therapy” and has poached Fiona’s assistant Jerome (Dan Bucatinsky) to run it; her romantic friendship with media-mogul Austen (Alan Cumming) is on the rocks, now that he has fathered a child with hyper-sexualized Gina ( Jennifer Elise Cox); Fiona is being investigated for campaign finance improprieties; and her unpublished manuscript is being adapted into a Broadway musical without her consent — all of this, while she continues to offer “therapy” to hapless clients.

TVWise’s US Premiere Dates page has been updated with this new information.

NBC is adding another scripted player to its Summer line up. The network has closed a deal wither Sierra/Engine Television to acquire the exclusive US broadcast rights to Siberia, a new 13 episode drama series which follows contestants on a reality show set in Tunguska. The series will premiere on NBC on Monday July 1st at 10/9c.

Created by Matthew Arnold, Siberia is set in the remote Siberian territory of Tunguska, which was struck by a meteor in 1908. Now, more than 100 years later, 16 contestants descend on Tunguska unknowing of the land’s mysterious past. When a contestant is badly injured and no help arrives, the contestants are met with the chilling realization that the strange occurrences are not part of the show. With their safety threatened, competing contestants must band together in an effort to survive. The drama series is produced by Infinity Films in association with Sierra/Engine Television and Welldone Productions, with Chris Philip, Michael Ohoven and Slava Jakovleff serving as executive producers. Sierra/Engine is floating the series to international buyers this week at the LA Screenings.

“The concept of survival, when mysterious elements are at play, makes for a compelling show,” said Jeff Bader, President of Program Planning, Strategy and Research for NBC Entertainment. “We believe a scripted series that offers an insightful behind-the-scenes view of how a reality concept comes together — especially when things don’t go according to plan — will connect with our audience in a very satisfying way.”

EXCLUSIVE: As they head into the LA Screenings, BSkyB are calling time on one of their acquisitions. I’ve confirmed that Sky Living has opted not to acquire any subsequent seasons of MTV’s drama series Teen Wolf from MGM Television, leaving the series without a UK broadcaster.

The move comes as Sky Living Controller Antonia Hurford-Jones, Sky’s Director of Entertainment Stuart Murphy and others from BSkyB are in Los Angeles evaluating the latest U.S. pilots as part of the long road to deciding which new shows they will acquire. Sky Living previously aired the first two seasons of Teen Wolf, which ranks as one of MTV’s highest rated scripted originals in the United States.

Based on the feature film of the same name, Teen Wolf revolves around Scot McCall, a gifted high school athlete whose entire life changes when he is bitten by a werewolf. The drama series stars Tyler Posey as Scott McCall, Crystal Reed as Allison Argent, Dylan O’Brien as Stiles, Tyler Hoechlin as Derek Hale, Holland Roden as Lydia Martin and Colton Haynes as Jackson Whittemore. Following the ratings success of the show’s second season, the series was renewed for a third season of 24 episodes, set to premiere on MTV state-side on Monday June 3rd.

TVWise reached out to respresentatives of Sky Living regarding this story and they issued the following statement: “Customers will be able to watch repeats of previous series of Teen Wolf on Sky Living HD and LivingIt, however Sky Living has no further commitment to new and future seasons of the show. If you are a Sky subscriber, you can go to www.sky.com/nevermiss to ensure you don’t miss an episode when it is scheduled.”

TVWise’s Acquisitions Scorecard has been updated with this new information.