Anne Kirkbride Dead at 60

Anne Kirkbride

Anne Kirkbride, who played Deirdre Barlow for more than 40 years on the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street, has died. She was 60.

"There are no words to describe the sense of grief we feel at Anne's passing," executive producer Kieran Roberts said in the post. "We know only too acutely how much Anne meant to the millions of people who watched her create the legendary character of Deirdre Barlow."

Kirkbride first showed up on Coronation Street, the world's longest-running active television soap opera, in 1972 as a teenager with a handful of lines. Within a few years, she had entered into a short-lived marriage with one character and then a romance and marriage with another, Ken Barlow (William Roache, who'd been on the show since its inception in 1960).

'Coronation Street' Announces Four Winners For Its Original Voices Writer Diversity Program

Stephenson Ardern-Sodje, Ella Carmen Greenhill, Louisa Hayford and Shazia Rashid

British broadcaster ITV launched an Original Voices initiative in 2012 on its long-running soap opera Emmerdale in an effort to tap into and connect with diverse local writing talent. The aim of the initiative was to "find interesting writers from Black, Asian or other Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds living in Yorkshire or the North East" to join the show. This fall ITV announced it was rolling out Original Voices to its flagship drama Coronation Street, with submissions open to North West based writers from BAME backgrounds. Four winners have now been selected, and each of the writers will be joining Corrie in the New Year for a 10 week paid internship, which could lead to a place on the writing team.

Applications were accepted from any North West based, BAME writers interested in writing on the show, regardless of previous experience in television. Entrants were asked to send in a sample script of their work (stage, TV, film, radio or any medium that displayed their skills in dramatic writing). Industry professionals were engaged as readers, to assess and respond to each script. Every writer who entered was given a personal script report in order to provide clear feedback.

Inside Soap Awards 2014 Winner's List: 'EastEnders' Named Best Soap

Sam Strike, Maddy Hill, Danny Dyer, Kellie Bright and Danny-Boy Hatchard.

EastEnders was named Best Soap at The Inside Soap Awards 2014 ceremony held at DSTRKT in London on Wednesday, October 1. The winners were voted on for entirely by the soap fans of Britain, including Danny Mac being named Sexiest Male for the fourth year in a row.

Below is a complete list of winners:

Best Soap - EastEnders

Best Actor - Danny Dyer (Mick Carter, EastEnders)

Four New Hunks Make Up 'Coronation Street' Rat Pack: "The Women of Weatherfield Won't Know What's Hit Them"

Oliver Farnworth, Dean Fagan, Sean Ward and Qasim Akhtar. Photo Credit: ITV

Women of Weatherfield watch out - there is a new 'Rat Pack' on the street and they are going to be breaking some hearts, according to ITV.

As the nights draw in and summer comes to an end, temperatures will still be rising on British soap opera Coronation Street as these four sexy guys make their presence known.

Check out photos from the 'Rat Pack' shoot and find out more about each character below:

Warning: Spoilers ahead...

ITV Selects Telestream for Multi-platform Workflow Solutions

Telestream, the leading provider of digital media tools and workflow solutions, has announced the completion of a strategic project with UK-based free to air commercial broadcaster, ITV. Designated content delivery modernisation (CDM), the project positions Telestream's Vantage transcoding platform at the heart of ITV’s file-based workflow. Adopting Vantage in this way enables ITV to achieve time and cost efficiencies across the business and exploit its content across multiple delivery platforms.

As one of the leading partners in the Digital Production Partnership (DPP), ITV supports the decision by all the UK broadcasters to move to exclusively file-based program exchange by 1 October 2014.

ITV first created significant production improvements with its two major serial dramas – Coronation Street and Emmerdale. In 2012, production for the two soaps moved to HD, and as part of that process transitioned from tape to file-based production and post. ITV needed a means of taking the production file format (AVC-Intra) and converting it to the playout format (MPEG-2). The programs also need to be available to viewers on a range of online and mobile platforms for catch-up viewing. Using two Vantage processor farms has helped ITV achieve its goal of processing all its catch-up content in house.

Bill Kerr Dead at 92

Bill Kerr

Actor Bill Kerr, who starred in Doctor Who and Hancock's Half Hour, has died at the age of 92.

The Australian star, known as the boy from Wagga Wagga, became one of Tony Hancock's radio sidekicks in the 1950s.

He moved to the UK in 1947 and went on to star in the The Dam Busters, Doctor Who and The New Adventures of Black Beauty. He also played Ben Bishop in the 1960s BBC soap opera Compact.

As a child star he began his career in "Huckleberry Finn life" in New South Wales and made his first film appearance in 1933's Harmony Row, in which he was billed as "Willie" Kerr.

'Coronation Street' Celebrates Manchester Pride with Music Video 'I'm Alive'

Brisish soap opera Coronation Street has released a music video in celebration of Manchester Pride 2014.

The video shows cast and crew dancing in excitement and joy to the song "I'm Alive (Life Sounds Like)" by Michael Franti and Spearhead. It features important sets including the show's iconic street corner as well as production offices and department areas.

"Our cast and crew support Manchester Pride every year and this year we're feeling the love so we made a little film about it," the show said in a statement. "Enjoy and please share so we can spread the smiles."

Manchester Pride took place last weekend, with thousands of revellers attending the parade, led by Orange is the New Black's Lea DeLaria.

The video ends with the following: "Love is Love No Matter Who You Love." Watch it below:

Lyndam Gregory Dead at 59

Lyndam Gregory played roles in The Archers, EastEnders and
Coronation Street.

Lyndam Gregory has died at the age of 59, his wife announced on Thursday. The actor lost his battle with lung cancer last week.

Gregory is best known for his roles in UK soap operas. He played Guppy Sharma in EastEnders on a recurring basis during 1995 and 1996. He also appeared as Sammy in Coronation Street in 1983, in addition to his role as Ashok in The Archers.

Born in Darjeeling, India, Gregory moved to London in the early 1960s with his family, and later trained at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Recalling his career in an obituary for The Guardian, Gregory's wife, Christine, wrote: "Lyndam loved being in the soaps, although the wide audience they attracted meant that many complete strangers would approach him as though they had known him for years.

"He enjoyed filming EastEnders at Elstree studios because of its association with landmark films."

Gregory is survived by his wife Christine and their daughter, Dominique.

NEWS BRIEF: William Roache Returns to 'Corrie', Teresa Castillo Back at 'General Hospital', John Partridge Covers Dolly Parton

* People who watch shows like Mad Men or The Walking Dead are far more likely to do so by recording it on a digital video recorder and watching it later, skipping over the ads as they do so, than viewers of other shows, according to research by digital video recorder maker TiVo. Viewers of Madison Avenue drama Mad Men, for instance, skip 73% of the ads. Similarly, 66% of ads during The Walking Dead are skipped.

* Coronation Street's Ken Barlow (William Roache) returns from Canada this week and is shocked to find out that his son Peter is in prison on remand for Tina McIntyre's murder. Said Roache: "Ken is really happy to be back, he has had a great time in Canada, he's used the time to do things he loves doing, he has started writing poetry and become a vegetarian, things which he immediately gets stick about on his return from Deirdre and Tracy. But he wouldn't want it any other way."

* Thursday, August 21 marks the return of Sabrina to General Hospital following portrayer Teresa Castillo's maternity leave (she gave birth to her first child, daughter Victoria Milani, on May 29). "I'm excited to see what Ron [Carlivati, head writer] has planned for the next chapter in Sabrina's journey,” she says. "It will be nice to regain my identity as an actor."

* The Hawaiian film and TV industry saw an 84.9 percent increase in the number of jobs it created from 2001-2011, much greater than the 13.8 percent increase for Hawaii's creative sector as a whole, which also includes marketing, music, radio broadcasting, etc. Much of its success is due to the hit TV show LOST.

* Monica Lewinsky on Orange is the New Black: "I was Orange-bingeing, when along came Episode 11. (O.K., I’m a late adopter. Just getting through Season 1.) In it, there was a vulgar reference to my last name and DNA. I did what I usually do in these situations where the culture throws me a shard of my former self. After the cringing embarrassment, the whiff of shame, and the sense that I am no longer an agent running my own life, I shuddered, I got up off the sofa, and I turned it off."

* Former EastEnders star John Partridge covers Dolly Parton ("Jolene), Nine Inch Nails ("The Hand That Feeds") on his debut album. "Dames, Dudes + Cowboys Too" will be released on September 15 via Big Hand Recordings.

* Was Phil Mitchell vs Ian Beale in EastEnders the best UK soap opera fight ever?

'Coronation Street' Spoilers: Pre-Teen Pregnancy on the Way

Coronation Street's Faye will become a mother at age 12.

Coronation Street's Faye Windass will become pregnant at age 12 in a shocking new UK soap opera storyline.

The Weatherfield schoolgirl will become the youngest parent in the soap's history.

In 2000, Corrie's Sarah-Louise Platt (Tina O'Brien) gave birth when the character 13 years old.

Faye, played by 13-year-old Ellie Leach, has been a show regular since being adopted by Anna Windass in 2011.

She has been seen going off the rails, with her bad girl behaviur including stealing a handbag, tormenting brain-damaged Nick Tilsley, and returning home from a bowling party drunk.

It has not yet been revealed who will be the father of the baby.

NEWS BRIEF: Celestin Cornielle to 'Days'; Lindsey Morgan; Lea Michele; 'Breaking Bad' Billboards; 'Hemlock Grove' Poster; 'EastEnders' Mystery Attack

* Celestin Cornielle is coming to Days of our Lives this fall. The actor recently posted on his Facebook page: "I'm currently playing a pivotal role in the story line of EJ (character played by #JamesScott"

* You can now sink your teeth into the very first poster for Season 2 of the dark supernatural thriller Hemlock Grove. The show is gearing up its promotional push for Season 2, which is set to hit Netflix on July 11.

* An EastEnders regular will be left fighting for life in a major new storyline next month. (Spoiler Alert)

* Former General Hospital actress Lindsey Morgan on what she learned working on the soap: "GH taught me so much about work ethic and professionalism and endurance. 12 hour days shooting about 5 pages of dialogue is a luxury compared to 6 hours days going over 30!"

* Six contenders for the best drama actress Emmy — Claire Danes, Julianna Margulies, Keri Russell, Vera Farmiga, Sarah Paulson and Jessica Pare — talk to THR about the roles that got away, the difficulty of filming romantic scenes while seven months pregnant and the pressure of their jobs.

* Linden Ashby and Susan Walters are still happily married 28 years after meeting on the set of ABC daytime soap opera Loving.

* Years after denying a love connection with her Glee costar Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele is finally fessing up. In her new book, "Brunette Ambition," the 27-year-old actress/singer admits she and Morrison, 35, actually did date—albeit briefly and before Glee.

* Coronation Street's Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fiz Stape, is expecting her first child with partner Chris Farr.

Two-time Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton will appear in a special Tour de France-themed episode of ITV’s Yorkshire-based soap opera, Emmerdale, with the episode due to air on Friday 4 July – the day the 101st edition of the race begins in Leeds.

* With a print campaign to follow next month, AMC is putting up Breaking Bad Emmy consideration billboards in several locations around Los Angeles to remind voters that the now-completed show is still eligible to repeat its Best Drama series win last year.

* Ellen DeGeneres's senior yearbook photo was used to depict the long-lost love of Giorgos Zenios's character in a recent episode of popular Greek-Cypriot soap opera Brousco.

* Launch TV Network Company has acquired broadcast rights for the pilot of Martha Byrne's web series, Gotham.

* How did NBC finished the season at No. 1? An especially strong fall for NBC led right into the network's pricey (but profitable) coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. By the time the May sweep rolled around, a NBC victory in the key demographic of adults 18-49 was long assured -- leaving the rest of the Big Four to spin what has otherwise proved to be a disappointing year.

* Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that The Shield actor Michael Jace confessed to fatally shooting his wife, April, multiple times around 8:30 p.m. Monday at their home in the 5400 block of Brynhurst Avenue.

* Amir Arison, who recurred on The Blacklist's first season as the slightly awkward and witty FBI technician, is being promoted to series regular for Season 2.

* House of Cards is casting multiple roles, including an NSA director, senators and reporters for Season 3.

* A popular webseries made in Vancouver, WA is heading to the big screen. The Weinstein Co. has offered the creators of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl, a popular web series about a 16-year-old girl living in a "haunted house" in Washington state, a deal that will create a new movie and book series.

* Former Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara is developing a follow-up to the 1976 horror classic Omen for Lifetime. Titled Damien, the drama centers on the film's young boy Damien Thorn. Now an adult and haunted by his past, Damien is faced with a series of macabre events and must finally face his true destiny: he is the Antichrist.