The new streaming service Discovery+ launches today in the UK, replacing the current dplay streaming service. According to the company, Discovery+ is launching with more than two dozen originals and an overall 17,000 hours of content. That would make it the third largest SVOD platform in the UK for content.

Beginning on November 19th, SkyQ customers will be able to access Discovery+ for 12 months at no cost.

Original shows available at launch include Faking It: Jimmy Savile and Prince Andrew, Maxwell & Epstein, and Salvage Hunters: Design Classics. The service also ordered Donald Trump: A Faking It Special and the series Four Men Four Wheels, both of which will be available in December.

"The launch of our streaming service Discovery+ is a milestone moment for Discovery UK and marks a new era as we bring our premium brands and content together under one roof for the first time," said James Gibbons, executive vice-president, general manager UK & Nordics.

ITV Head of Drama Paula Hill announced on Tuesday that the network had ordered a sequel to the drama Manhunt, which was the highest rated new drama on any channel in the U.K. in 2019.

In the four-episode drama Manhunt II: The Night Stalker, Martin Clunes returns as DCI Sutton, a character based on the diaries of Colin Sutton. The season will tell the real-life story of the police pursuit of a notorious rapist whose 17-year reign of terror left thousands of elderly people in southeast London living in fear.

Manhunt II The Night Stalker is written by Ed Whitmore (Silent Witness, Rillington Place, Strike Back), who also wrote the first season of Manhunt, which told the real life story of how the 2004 murder of Amelie Delagrange on Twickenham Green was eventually linked to the murder of Marsha McDonnell in 2003 and the abduction and murder of Milly Dowler as she travelled home from school in 2002.

Both dramas are produced by Buffalo Pictures. The executive producer is Philippa Braithwaite, the producer is Jo Willett, the co-producer is Evie Bergson-Korn, the director is Marc Evans. The stories are by Colin Sutton and Ed Whitmore, who is also an executive producer.

"I’m delighted that Martin Clunes will play DCI Colin Sutton once again, taking on a case that had gone unsolved for almost two decades," said Polly Hill in a statement "The team behind the first Manhunt - Ed Whitmore, Marc Evans, along with Buffalo and Philippa Braithwaite - will make sure this is another compelling and respectful dramatization of a truly shocking crime that affected so many families."

"We are very pleased that ITV have given us the opportunity to dramatize another important case that Colin Sutton was involved in just before his retirement from the Force," added Philippa Braithwaite. "This inquiry has a very different emphasis to the Bellfield case; the victims were elderly and the crimes were unsolved for many years. The drama explores how Colin came late to the inquiry and helped solve it in a matter of weeks, taking an in-credibly dangerous serial rapist off the streets."

Manhunt II: The Night Stalker will premiere in 2021.

The BBC announced early Monday morning that it has commissioned a true crime drama based on the death of Peter Farquhar and the extraordinary events that unfolded over the following three years.

The Sixth Commandment tells the story of how the meeting of an inspirational teacher, Peter Farquhar, and a charismatic young student, Ben Field, who bonded over their love of books and involvement with the Church of England, set the stage for one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent memory.

It also focuses on how suspicions around Ben’s relationship with Peter’s deeply religious neighbor Ann Moore-Martin, also targeted by Field, unlocked a series of stunning revelations, culminating in a headline-grabbing trial.

The mini-series is written by Sarah Phelps, and produced by Wild Mercury Productions (a Banijay UK Company) and True Vision Productions.

The Sixth Commandment captures the initial seductions, the extreme gaslighting, the gripping police investigation and Peter’s killer finally being brought to justice four years after his untimely death. While poignantly highlighting the damaging effect of isolation and loneliness, it also celebrates both Peter and Ann’s lives as cherished mentors, much loved relatives and adored friends.

Sarah Phelps, writer and Executive Producer, says: “This is such a shocking and brutal case; how a murderer hid his manipulation and malevolence in plain sight of a small community, how he insinuated his way into the lives of his victims. It’s a heartbreaking story of such desperate longing and loneliness but even within the darkness, there is the most astonishing blazing love and courage. I’m honored to have been asked to write this drama and to be trusted with the memories and experiences of Peter and Ann’s families."

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, says: “The death of Peter Farquhar and the grooming of Ann Moore-Martin at the hands of Ben Field shocked the small church-going community in which these crimes took place. Who better than Sarah Phelps, with her vivid imagination and forensic understanding of the criminal mind, to tell this tragic story and to honor the memory of its victims.”

Derek Wax, Executive Producer for Wild Mercury, says: “I feel honored that Wild Mercury have the opportunity to tell this extraordinary story. Working with True Vision, who have formed strong bonds with both Peter and Ann’s families, the BBC, who are pioneers of factual dramas, and, of course, the brilliant Sarah Phelps, we will aim to get the heart of this deeply disturbing criminal case.”

Brian Woods, Executive Producer for True Vision says: “Having followed the police investigation over 3 years we were delighted when the families of both Peter and Ann agreed to support this powerful story being serialized. This drama will show how these two vibrant and complex souls were groomed and manipulated by an evil predator. And we hope this series will raise awareness of how vulnerable those living alone can sometimes become."

The Sixth Commandment is a Wild Mercury and True Vision production for BBC One. The mini-series is executive produced by Sarah Phelps, Derek Wax for Wild Mercury Productions, Brian Woods and Jezza Neumann for True Vision Productions and Tommy Bulfin for the BBC. The Sixth Commandment (w/t) is being distributed internationally by Banijay Rights.

Casting and filming dates will be announced at a future date.

Nigella Lawson is returning to BBC Two with a new series, Nigella's Cook, Eat, Repeat.

Nigella will get to the heart of how food is woven into our everyday lives and the connections it provides. Along the way, she'll offer up mouthwatering dishes that range from indulgent chocolate peanut butter cake to the rich luxurious crab mac'n’cheese, and the life-affirming fear-free fish stew - all beautifully shot to bring a weekly serving of comfort and cheer into the nation’s lives.

During the series, Nigella will spend time explaining where she finds inspiration for her recipes, from delving into her collection of vintage cookbooks to exchanges of ideas on social media.

In this interview, Lawson talks about what it's like to produce a cooking show during a pandemic and what she hopes the viewers will respond to her recipes:

Q: How does it feel to be back doing a new series after such a crazy year?

Nigella Lawson: It feels really lovely to be back. I’m lucky enough to work with a team I love, and have worked with forever. It feels really wonderful to be able to share my new recipes. Of course, for all of us, there was a bit of culture shock at first having been living and working remotely for so long suddenly finding ourselves on set, but after two days it felt like we had been doing it forever.

Q: How did you make the series Covid secure?

Lawson: Well, the BBC has a whole raft of measures in place, and I won’t itemize them all. In some senses, the biggest difference from our usual set up is that we all had to keep two meter's distance from one another and were reminded of this regularly - in the nicest possible way.

Plus there was a two meter rod that could be brought out if at any time it looked as if we were inching towards one another. This was wielded somewhat teasingly, and yet we knew it was done for serious reasons. I think we were all grateful for the strict list of safety regulations, even though it of course made an impact on how we filmed. I have to say I felt very protected by them.

Q: How was the filming with these new rules in place?

Lawson: I think we all felt so fortunate to be working that we really didn’t focus on the constraints. But of course it did have an impact editorially, not least in the sense that we couldn’t have our usual eating scenes with friends. But I made the supreme sacrifice and ate everything myself!

Q: How would you describe the new series?

Lawson: At its heart, it’s a celebration of the power of food to transform every single day: while Cook, Eat, Repeat re-dates the pandemic as a project, I think we all learnt over lockdown that thinking about what to eat, cooking it, sitting down to what we’ve cooked, really gave a focus to our lives that we were grateful for. But the series is also a passion project, delving into the ingredients I love, the recipes I always return to, and the pleasure of cooking and eating.

Q: What does the series have in store for us?

Lawson: It’s full of recipes that celebrate my favorite ingredients and tell the story of what I’m cooking now: from a spicy broth with noodles, fried chicken sandwich with major crunch factor, brown butter colcannon and meatballs with a difference, a lemony chicken cooked whole with carrots, leeks and orzo pasta, my new favorite thing to cook with fish fingers, crab mac’n’cheese, fear-free fish stew, and so many recipes to make your cooking pleasurable and eating blissful!

And those with a sweet tooth haven’t, of course, been forgotten either! I can’t wait to share my chocolate peanut butter cake, Basque burnt cheesecake, rice pudding cake, and a luscious creme caramel for one.

Q: Let’s talk about the first episode, which sees you cook a recipe combining fish fingers, chilli, onion, garlic and ginger…

Lawson: Yes, this is an absolute joy! I can’t stop making it. There is so much to love about it, but more than that, I feel it shows the alchemy of cooking: all the ingredients in this recipe are familiar, and yet the finished dish is for many of us so completely new.

Q: And the noodles with lamb shank and aromatic broth?

Lawson: This dish is something I’ve been making for a while, but it became very important to me in lockdown. It is so soothing and yet a real feast at the same time. There is something about the aromatic broth (which, incidentally, is incredibly simple to make) that makes you feel warm, safe and at peace. And again, it shows the power of food to sustain us physically and emotionally.

Q: Tell us about the chocolate tahini pudding.

Lawson: It’s a cross between a cake and a pudding: warm, chocolatey and squidgy, and gratifyingly easy to make. It’s not large - perfect for two - but could be stretched to three or four. But it’s great for one, since leftovers can be microwaved for a treat another day. No one has a huge crowd around their kitchen table these days for obvious reasons, so a small-scale, simple but special pudding is just right. And the tahini could easily be substituted with peanut butter.

Q: You also make a curry using banana skins…

Lawson: I can’t bear throwing anything away! And when I found out that you could eat banana skins, I couldn’t get in the kitchen fast enough. It’s a revelation. And for those who feel hesitant about the idea, I assure you that you would never guess my banana skin curry had banana skins in it. You wouldn’t even think bananas. I love that this is a dish made with something that would normally go in the bin, although that wouldn't be enough to justify its presence in the program. It’s there because it is just a glorious thing to eat.

Q: Let’s chat about other recipes later in the series, such as crab mac and cheese.

Lawson: The crab mac’n’cheese is just luscious. It’s a strange thing, it manages to be both rich and delicate at the same time. Maybe this is what makes it so beguiling. It’s comfort food that is also a sumptuous treat. But I’ve got so many recipes in this series that I could describe like that: mood-boosting, life-enhancing and warming dishes that are needed in a dark and difficult winter.

Q: Are you pleased a lot more people have taken up cooking during lockdown?

Lawson: I think the reason a lot of people are nervous about cooking is they think there is one perfect way and they are frightened of getting it wrong. Lockdown showed people who don’t consider themselves confident cooks, that cooking is all about improvisation. It gave them confidence. You are not talking about making showstoppers; you are talking about cobbling things together to make supper!

Q: And finally, tell us a little about your Christmas special...

Lawson: Well, Christmas presents shouldn’t be opened early so I will only say a very little! But Nigella’s Christmas Comforts certainly did feel special to make. It is really about revelling in the season, a total immersion in Christmasiness. In common with lots of people, I haven’t been away anywhere this year, and won’t be, so this is about travelling at the table, with some of my favorite Christmas recipes from abroad, as well as home-grown treats.