TellyCast is back in Cannes for Day One of MIPCOM 2025 — bringing you the biggest new shows, the freshest formats, and the digital-first innovators transforming the global content business.

Justin Crosby talks to Jodie Whittaker and Elizabeth Berrington about Frauds — the hit ITV drama created by Suranne Jones and Anne-Marie O’Connor — as it makes waves with international buyers.

Then it’s format innovation with Richard Cowles of Lifted Entertainment and Jonty Nash and Chris Potts of Nobody’s Hero, joined by Emily Atack, discussing the making of Nobody’s Fool — the quiz-meets-reality hybrid co-hosted by Atack and Danny Dyer.

Mike Beale, Managing Director of Creative Network at ITV Studios, reveals the company’s new global formats including Celebrity Sabotage, The Neighbourhood, and Nobody’s Fool, and explains how ITV is working with creators across the evolving entertainment landscape.

From the digital-first front, Neil Francis of Night Train Digital talks about the studio’s new micro-drama partnership with Spirit Studios, while Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov from HolyWater unpack their landmark deal with Fox Entertainment and how AI and vertical video are shaping the future of storytelling.

Nella Rose, Specs Gonzalez join Callum McGinley (Callux) and Ben Doyle (Rvbberduck) to talk about her new show and After Party Studios.

Then we have Victor Bengtsson from Sidemen Entertainment on what comes next for the supergroup creator collective

Finally, Jay Bennett, EVP of Creative and Innovation at Shaftesbury, joins Justin to discuss the Canadian company’s digital-first strategy, its success with short-form storytelling, and how traditional producers can evolve to meet the demands of the social video era.

Recorded on location in Cannes, this episode captures the energy, creativity, and big ideas driving the future of global TV and social video.

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Actor Shaun Evans and executive producer Tom Leggett join Justin Crosby on TellyCast to discuss Betrayal — ITV Studios and Mammoth Screen’s gripping new espionage drama.

Best known for Endeavour, Shaun takes on a very different kind of spy in Betrayal, playing MI5 operative John Hughes — a man navigating a collapsing marriage, shifting office politics and a looming terrorist threat no one else believes is real.

The pair reveal the five-year journey behind the series, how writer David Eldridge infused the genre with emotional truth, and why Betrayal feels unlike any spy drama you’ve seen before. They discuss its themes of trust, loyalty and midlife reckoning, as well as the show’s dark humour, grounded realism and cinematic visual style.

Betrayal premieres on ITV in early 2026 and is one of the most anticipated dramas on the ITV Studios slate.

Listen to the full conversation for an inside look at how Evans and Leggett brought this complex, modern spy story to life.

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This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by ITV Studios EVP of Global Content, Julie Meldal-Johnsen, for an exclusive preview of the company’s 2025 MIPCOM slate. From high-stakes thrillers like Frauds and Betrayal, to sun-soaked drama A Taste for Murder, bold new formats including Nobody’s Fool and Celebrity Sabotage, and powerful documentaries such as Operation Dark Phone and Poisoned, ITV Studios is showcasing one of its most ambitious line-ups to date. Julie shares insights into the creative strategy behind the slate, the global trends shaping buyer demand, and how ITV Studios is evolving across scripted, non-scripted and factual.

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In this week’s TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by filmmaker Ben Zand and Documentary Campus CEO Donata von Perfall. Ben discusses the launch of Human, his bold new self-funded YouTube documentary strand that puts storytelling and brand-building ahead of TV commissioning. He explains why he’s betting on a digital-first strategy, how Zandland is creating content with empathy and access, and the business model behind the series.

Donata von Perfall outlines the evolution of Documentary Campus, its renowned Master School training programme, and the launch of NEXTWAVE – a new digital-first documentary summit taking place in Halle, Germany this autumn. She shares how Documentary Campus is helping filmmakers adapt to the fast-changing factual landscape and why now is the moment to champion digital-first storytelling in Europe.

HUMAN launches Thursday 2nd October on ZANDLAND's YouTube channel

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This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by writer, producer and cultural commentator Stephen Arnell. With a career spanning Sky Arts, BritBox, ITV and bylines in The Guardian, The New Statesman and The Spectator, Stephen has seen the TV industry from every angle.

In this episode we dive into the big media stories of the week, from the Baywatch reboot and the search for Channel 4’s next CEO, to Jimmy Kimmel’s clash with Trump, the BBC’s coverage of Reform UK and the future of Channel 5 under Paramount. Stephen shares sharp insights on what these shifts mean for broadcasters, audiences and the future of television.

TellyCast is the media industry’s podcast – exploring the latest trends, formats and business stories shaping the global TV and social video landscape.

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Is YouTube really the new TV? In this week’s TellyCast, Justin Crosby speaks with Ben Woods, Creator Economy Analyst at MIDiA Research, about his new report The New Hollywood: Tactics for YouTube’s TV Takeover. They explore why YouTube has now overtaken Netflix on living room TV sets, how younger audiences are watching social video instead of broadcast, and what this means for broadcasters, producers, and advertisers.

From the dominance of children’s content and the long-tail power of creators, to the rise of AI tools and the threat of platform cannibalisation, Ben unpacks the biggest shifts shaping the production economy. He also shares lessons traditional media can learn from creators who iterate fast, build communities, and turn audiences into collaborators.

Discover why thinking like a creator – not a broadcaster – is becoming essential for the future of TV and digital video.

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This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by Tom Jenkins, Creative Director of Spud Gun Studios, the digital-first indie behind the hugely popular animation channel Mashed. Fresh from taking full ownership of the brand from Channel 4, Tom reveals how the studio is building on Mashed’s global fanbase of nearly seven million followers, striking new brand partnerships with the likes of Xbox and Baldur’s Gate, and winning four awards at the inaugural TellyCast Digital Video Awards. He shares insights on developing fan-focused animation in the new production economy, diversifying revenue through branded content, Patreon and FAST channels, and why staying human-made is central to their creative ethos in an era of AI-generated “slop.”

Knights of Guinevere trailer

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Branded entertainment is booming - but how can producers really work with brands? In this TellyCast episode, Justin Crosby talks to brand funded content specialist Charlie Read, founder of Upstream, about the five things every content producer needs to know about brand-funded content. From understanding business outcomes and audience insight to building IP with brands, learning their language, and shifting from interruption to engagement, this episode is a practical guide to the fast-growing branded content space.

Charlie's Story of the Week https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/aug/28/bland-easy-to-follow-for-fans-of-everything-what-has-the-netflix-algorithm-done-to-our-films

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Big Deal Films co-founder Dhanny Joshi joins Justin Crosby to share how he turned a call centre hustle into a BAFTA-winning indie. They discuss breaking through with Dreaming Whilst Black, navigating the commissioning crisis, and why digital-first, talent-led content is the future of TV.

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This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby sits down with Ofcom’s Director of Broadcasting and Media, Cristina Nicolotti Squires, for a deep dive into the regulator’s urgent six-point action plan to save public service media in the digital-first era. 

With younger audiences flocking to YouTube, Netflix and TikTok, and PSBs losing share, is the UK’s broadcast model reaching a breaking point? Christina unpacks the tough questions: securing YouTube prominence, the future of Freeview, public funding for news and kids content, and why media literacy and strategic collaboration are vital to survival. Essential listening for anyone working in public service, digital-first or social video production.

Includes key insights on:

• Why PSBs are losing visibility and what can be done
• The digital terrestrial TV dilemma and future of Freeview
• AI, misinformation and media literacy in the online content era
• Whether it’s already too late to save UK public service broadcasting

Listen now and stay ahead of the changing media landscape.

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