International Insider: Deep BBC Cuts Begin; Ali G Under Fire; San Sebastian Report

Once again with feeling, Insiders. Jesse Whittock at the helm this week with a roundup of the biggest news and views from the TV and film world. Off we go, and sign up to the Insider newsletter for the full experience here.

BBC Cuts Begin

It starts now: There’s an argument that this is one of the bleakest periods in the history of the BBC. The UK broadcaster said in February it would seek £500M ($661M) in further cost savings on top of a previously announced £1.5B, and ever since there has been a drip, drip of news and rumor about where they will come from. The reality started to materialize more starkly this week. First it emerged 41 roles were going from BBC Sport before Jake revealed that major cuts to the TV and radio networks business could see the closure of a channel such as youth-skewing BBC3 as soon as next week. Deadline then revealed another 150 in the BBC’s tech division were expected to take voluntary redundancy. Collectively, the tech and sports exits could save around £17M, which barely touches the sides of overall savings required. This is an indicator of how deep things are going to go over the next few years. The broader picture is the BBC’s licence fee model, where Brits pay around £180 a year for its content and channels, which is under extreme threat. Around 94% use BBC services, but less than 80% are paying for them. This has caused a funding crisis that has become something of a lightning rod for culture wars debates over the future of the BBC. Some want the broadcaster gone completely, while for others it’s the crown jewel in British soft power around the world. Stay tuned to Deadline over coming weeks, as further cuts emerge. On top of all of this are tense conversations being held with unions over staff pay. Hate to say it, but this feels bleak.

Ali G Under Fire

“Microwaving a relic”: Ali G was once a cultural phenomenon in the UK, propelling creator Sacha Baron Cohen to Hollywood with his suburban rude boy ways. Even back then, though, there was extreme discomfort within the Black British community about the character, who Baron Cohen claims is a pastiche of young men who culturally appropriate Black culture. They saw him as laughing at them, not with them, and that view has only amplified since Ali G’s heyday in the 1990s, so it was, to say the least, a big surprise when it emerged Baron Cohen was stepping back into his sneakers and reprising the character in MGM Studios’ Ali G: Who Iz I?. There was a wave of backlash when a trailer dropped for the film last month, and a host of Black creatives have now gone on record to criticize the pic. Dane Baptiste, creator of BBC shows Sunny D and Bamous, said Baron Cohen was “microwaving a relic from a generation ago” and was a step backwards in the post-Black Lives Matter era. Bob Hearts Abishola creator Gina Yashere and Paradise City actor Curtis Walker were among others calling out the character, though Deadline managed to speak with Colton Dunn, the Superstore actor who is one of three Black writers who worked on Ali G: Who Iz I?. Dunn called Ali G “a tool to expose racists,” and denied the character itself is racist.

The Deadline Interview: Abiba Coulibaly

Next month will see the end of one of the UK’s most interesting cinema projects, when the Brixton Community Cinema closes its doors for the final time. The pop-up, pay-what-you-can cinema began in south London in 2022 and grew a reputation for eclectic and thought-provoking programming, so creator Abiba Coulibaly’s announcement of the closure took people by surprise. And the reason she is ending things now? You’ll have to click through to Zac’s exclusive chat with the film programmer to find out. >>>Read The Interview

San Sebastian Report

Pitt stop: San Sebastián ends on Saturday with Le Faux Soir, the latest feature from Belgian filmmaker Michaël R. Roskam. High-profile visitors to the Spanish fest this year included Brad Pitt, who screened Heart of the Beast, and the veteran actor also shared some interesting thoughts about the indie film space. Check those comments out here. The festival’s Creative Investors’ Conference also returned for its fifth year. Topics discussed at the event included AI and Brazil’s current production boom. Check out our coverage of the conference here, and check back on Saturday to see who wins the festival’s top prize. This year’s San Seb is longtime festival director José Luis Rebordinos’s last in charge, as Maialen Beloki, the festival’s current deputy, will succeed him in January.

The Essentials

🌶️ Hot One: Oscar winners Susan Sarandon and Olivia Colman have joined Paddy Considine, America Ferrera, Alex Hassell and Kit Harington in Channel 4 thriller series Army of Shadows.

🌶️ Another: Sky has found its Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander for the upcoming TV adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in the shape of David Oyelowo and Viola Prettejohn.

🔥 Fiery Third: Eagle Eye Drama has acquired the rights to The Great Dictator, Matthew Sweet’s biography of the flamboyant and eccentric late author Dame Barbara Cartland.

🤓 De Heer today: The Tokyo International Film Festival has named Australian director Rolf de Heer as president of the International Competition jury.

⛺ Fest latest: The 2026 edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has been cancelled, with the event postponed to the fourth quarter of 2027.

🗣️ Interview: The new boss of the UK’s influential Royal Television Society told Max the charity should shout louder about the nation’s “powerhouse” TV industry.

📦 Care package: Shaftesbury founder Christina Jennings issued an “urgent call to action” to the Canadian kids’ TV industry as she announced a significant package of financial support at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

😎 Roll out the red carpet: Tom Cruise and Digger took over London’s Leicester Square Gardens on Tuesday for the world premiere of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s dark political comedy.

🚨 Sound the alarm: France’s film and TV sectors issued an open letter decrying a proposed €47M ($53M) cut in public funds for state broadcaster France Télévisions.

🤝 Done deal: Independent Talent Group has bought into UK sport talent agency Tongue Tied Management.

💰 Another deal: Patrick Spence has taken control of AC Chapter One, completing a management buyout from Anonymous Content and UK agencies Casarotto Ramsay and United Agents.

🍿 Box office: Resident Evil rang up a massive $108.3M worldwide, the best start the franchise has ever seen.

🎥 Trail: For You Can See Everything, A24’s much-anticipated Elizabeth Holmes doc.

Photo of the Week

Bookish – Florence Pugh was among the stars at the British Library this week as the institution unveiled a partnership with Netflix aimed at helping people discover books.