Kris Marshall is to replace Ben Miller as the lead detective in the third series of BBC One crime drama Death In Paradise, it was announced today.

Miller has played the character of fish-out-of-water Detective Inspector Richard Poole since the Caribbean-set show began, and was seen returning to the island at the end of the last episode of the second series, having had to take a captured killer to London. The details of how and when his character will leave are under wraps. The show had an average of almost eight million viewers tuning in to each episode of the second series.

Joining series regulars Sara Martins (who plays Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey), Danny John-Jules (police officer Dwayne Myers), Gary Carr (newly-qualified Sgt Fidel Best), and Don Warrington (Commissioner Selwyn Patterson) when filming starts on Guadeloupe (doubling for the fictional island of Saint-Marie) next month, Marshall will play the bright but rather disorganised and gawky Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman, who is stuck in a mid-life rut and looking to find a new life and fresh start.

Marshall, whose previous work has included Lightfields, My Family, and Citizen Khan, said: Miller stated: Co-executive producer Belinda Campbell, from Red Planet Pictures, commented: Ben Stephenson, the BBC's controller of drama commissioning, added: The third series will air next year.

The reboot of cult TV sci-fi show Blake's 7 is being pitched by entertainment company FremantleMedia International to buyers at MIPTV - the television and online-content market and creative forum in Cannes.

Currently in development with the US cable network Syfy, the series of 13 one-hour episodes will be made by Georgeville TV, the independent studio co-founded by Leon Clarance of London-based Motion Picture Capital (the financing arm of Reliance Entertainment), and producer Marc Rosen. It has been written by Joe Pokaski and will be directed by the award-winning Martin Campbell.

Pokaski is best known for his work on the TV sci-fi drama series Heroes, while among his credits Campbell has directed the Bond films GoldenEye and the Daniel Craig-starring Casino Royale as well as both TV and film versions of Edge of Darkness, winning a BAFTA for his 1985 BBC television production.

FremantleMedia has released the following teaser information about the new version of the show:


David Ellender, the chief executive of FremantleMedia International and Kids & Family Entertainment, said:
Leon Clarance, the co-founder of Georgeville Television and chief executive of Motion Picture Capital, the finance arm of Reliance Entertainment, added:
(Yes, Clarance really did say "amazeballs" in the press release!)

Blake's 7 was created by Terry Nation and originally ran for 52 episodes over four series on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981.

An April Fool was circulated last week via Twitter, claiming that Idris Elba would be playing Blake, and a copy of a fake "official" Blake's 7 magazine with Elba on the cover has been put on eBay to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Anyone interested in bidding for it should be aware that it has no content.

Red Dwarf co-creator Doug Naylor, composer Jeff Wayne, and animator Brian Cosgrove will be discussing their work and achievements at special events later this year.

Arranged by the entertainment and arts outfit The Space, the interviews will take place at The Basement in Kensington Street, Brighton, with Wayne, who composed the musical version of The War of the Worlds, and Naylor appearing together on Thursday 13th June.

Cosgrove - who with his business partner Mark Hall found fame by bringing to TV screens animated series such as Danger Mouse, Chorlton And The Wheelies, Jamie And The Magic Torch, and Count Duckula - will be appearing there on Tuesday 6th August, along with Oscar-winning sound designer Glenn Freemantle.

Last November, Cosgrove was presented with a BAFTA Special Award at the academy's Children's Awards for his outstanding creative contribution to the industry.

Casting for the new BBC One fantasy drama Atlantis was announced today, with Sarah Parish among those signed up for the 13-parter.

The line-up also includes Mark Addy, Juliet Stevenson, Jemima Rooper, Robert Emms, Aiysha Hart, and Jack Donnelly.

The series is set in a time of legendary heroes, mythical creatures, and gods, with the programme reimagining Greek myths and legends. The fabled city of Atlantis is currently being built at sites in Wales and Morocco. Filming starts next month and the programme will air this autumn.

Parish said: while Addy commented: and Stevenson said: It has been created and written by Howard Overman, whose pedigree includes writing for Merlin and creating, writing for, and executive-producing Dirk Gently, which was based on the Douglas Adams novels. Merlin co-creators Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy are, along with Overman, the executive producers of Atlantis. It is being made by Little Monster Films and being executive-produced for BBC Cymru Wales by Bethan Jones.

Ben Stephenson, the controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, said:

The new episode of Jonathan Creek will air on Monday 1st April at 8.30pm, the BBC has confirmed.

The Clue Of The Savant's Thumb stars Alan Davies as Creek, who is called upon by returning Sheridan Smith as Joey Ross to help investigate the disappearance of a dead body from a locked study - which turns out to be the first in a chain of dark mysteries. Also making a return appearance is Rik Mayall as Detective Inspector Gideon Pryke.

The feature-length episode guest-stars Joanna Lumley as Rosalind Tartikoff, Nigel Planer as Franklin Tartikoff, Hasina Haque as Fariba Tartikoff, Michael Lumsden as local doctor and family confidant Peter Churchill, Sarah Alexander as media executive Polly, the new love of Creek's life, and Mark Frost as local farm worker Brad.

Also featuring in the episode are James Buller as Det Sgt Cudlipp, Sharlene Whyte as Det Con Atkins, Robert Styles as Jack, Louise Yates as Davina, Anna Burnett as the young Rosalind, Phoebe Jones as Natalie, Abigail McKern as Beth, Lydia Gerrard as the young Beth, Lucie Wolfman as Grace, Angelica Jopling as Kate, Mairead Conneely as Sister Cunegonde, and Samantha Coughlan as a receptionist.

As previously reported, the BBC One special, which has been written and directed by David Renwick, will be followed next year by a mini-series of three episodes.

Cult classic Blackadder has been voted the favourite British comedy of BBC Entertainment viewers across Europe and the Middle East.

A Christmas Comedy Countdown poll was held between 3rd November and 9th December 2012 to determine the top ten from a choice of 30 shows, with viewers casting more than 1,000 votes. In the end, there was less than 3.9 per cent between the top three programmes, but Blackadder - co-written by Richard Curtis and starring Rowan Atkinson, who played one of the Doctors in the 1999 Comic Relief spoof The Curse of Fatal Death, written by Steven Moffat - came out on top, with 12.2 per cent of the vote.

Tony Robinson, who played Baldrick in the show, said: The top ten as voted for by viewers were:

• 1: Blackadder (with Rowan Atkinson and Tim McInnerney)
• 2: My Family (with Zoë Wanamaker)
• 3: Fawlty Towers (with John Cleese)
• 4: Keeping Up Appearances (with Clive Swift, Geoffrey Hughes, and David Griffin)
• 5: 'Allo 'Allo (with Guy Siner, Hilary Minster, and Carmen Silvera)
• 6: Little Britain (with David Walliams and Anthony Head, and narrated by Tom Baker)
• 7: Gavin & Stacey (with James Corden, Ruth Jones, Adrian Scarborough, Russell Tovey, Margaret John, and Sheridan Smith, who played the Eighth Doctor's companion Lucie Miller in the Big Finish audio dramas)
• 8: As Time Goes By (with Geoffrey Palmer and Joan Sims)
• 9: One Foot In The Grave (with Richard Wilson and Annette Crosbie)
• 10: 2point4 children

The other 20 shows in the poll were: After You've Gone, Beautiful People, Big Top, The Cup, Dad's Army, dinnerladies, Getting On, Him & Her, Ideal, Jam & Jerusalem, Last Of The Summer Wine, Lead Balloon, The Old Guys, Rev, Roger And Val Have Just Got In, The Royle Family, Supernova, Taking The Flak, Twenty Twelve, and Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps.

Blackadder ran for four series between 1983 and 1989. There were also three specials, one of which - Blackadder's Christmas Carol - featured Nicola Bryant and Denis Lill as well as another Curse of Fatal Death Doctor, Jim Broadbent, among the cast.