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By Hanna Rantala LONDON (Reuters) -New TV series "Robin Hood" explores the legendary outlaw's origins with a personal take and previously unseen historical authenticity, the show's creators say.     The latest reimagining tells the tale of how Robin Hood came to be the medieval English folk hero who robbed the rich to feed the poor. Known simply as "Rob", it sees the Saxon forester's son and skilled archer transform into a rebel after experiencing devastating losses and injustices.     Australian newcomer Jack Patten follows in the footsteps of several Hollywood stars to portray the hero of Sherwood Forest. But while Patten found his first lead role somewhat daunting, the 28-year-old did not feel weighed down by previous interpretations – he had not seen any of them.     "It's a weird thing, because I feel like a lot of people have heard of Robin Hood. I was one of those people. I'd heard of Robin Hood, but I'd never seen it," Patten said at the show's London premiere on Tuesday.     "Every generation deserves a Robin Hood, and the fact that we get to be this gen's Robin Hood is pretty awesome," he said.     The 10-episode first season is set in 12th century post-Norman invasion England and also centres on Rob's love story with Marian (Lauren McQueen), the daughter of a Norman lord, who has taken over the ancestral home of Rob's ousted Saxon family.      The series is brought to the screen by co-creators John Glenn and Jonathan English, who set out to offer a modern and more intimate depiction of the events and the time period.     "It was the idea of doing an origin story, which we've never really seen before, how Robin becomes an outlaw, what happens to him, what happens to his parents," said English.     "It's about the Norman conquest of England. It's about class. We've never really seen a Robin Hood story that's really about class, but it is. Robin, from the rich giving to the poor is in itself about class. So I think it's very topical, very relevant today," he said.     The show's ensemble cast also features actors Sean Bean as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Connie Nielsen in the role of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.     "Robin Hood" starts streaming on MGM+ on November 2. (Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Stephen Coates)

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LONDON (Reuters) -British actress Prunella Scales, best known for playing the formidable Sybil Fawlty in comedy show "Fawlty Towers", has died age 93, her sons said in a statement on Tuesday. Sybil was the wife of John Cleese's Basil Fawlty, in the show's two series made in 1975 and 1979. Set in a dysfunctional hotel in the seaside resort of Torquay, it became one of Britain's best-known comedies and was shown around the world. It continues to be broadcast and referenced in popular culture now. "Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday," her two sons said in a statement. "She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died." Scales was married to actor Timothy West for 61 years. He died last November. She had been suffering from dementia. Fawlty Towers was named as the greatest ever British TV sitcom by the Radio Times magazine in 2019. It was developed into a theatre production in Australia in 2016, and it moved to London's West End in 2024. In the show, Sybil was often on the phone saying "Ooooh I knoooow", her braying laugh described by Basil's character as akin to "someone machine-gunning a seal". Her seven-decade acting career included multiple roles from the 1950s, including in 1960s sitcom "Marriage Lines". She starred in the 1992 Oscar-winning film "Howards End" alongside her son, the actor Samuel West. In the 2010s, Scales and her husband travelled on their narrowboat in the "Great Canal Journeys" TV series. She was born in Surrey in 1932 and started her acting career at The Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol. (Reporting by Sarah Young; additional reporting by Sam Tabahriti, editing by Paul Sandle)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON (Reuters) -British actress Prunella Scales, best known for playing the formidable Sybil Fawlty in comedy show "Fawlty Towers", has died age 93, her sons said in a statement on Tuesday. Sybil was the wife of John Cleese's Basil Fawlty, in the show's two series made in 1975 and 1979. Set in a dysfunctional hotel in the seaside resort of Torquay, it became one of Britain's best-known comedies and was shown around the world. It continues to be broadcast and referenced in popular culture now. "Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday," her two sons said in a statement. "She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died." Scales was married to actor Timothy West for 61 years. He died last November. She had been suffering from dementia. Fawlty Towers was named as the greatest ever British TV sitcom by the Radio Times magazine in 2019. It was developed into a theatre production in Australia in 2016, and it moved to London's West End in 2024. In the show, Sybil was often on the phone saying "Ooooh I knoooow", her braying laugh described by Basil's character as akin to "someone machine-gunning a seal". Her seven-decade acting career included multiple roles from the 1950s, including in 1960s sitcom "Marriage Lines". She starred in the 1992 Oscar-winning film "Howards End" alongside her son, the actor Samuel West. In the 2010s, Scales and her husband travelled on their narrowboat in the "Great Canal Journeys" TV series. She was born in Surrey in 1932 and started her acting career at The Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol. (Reporting by Sarah Young; additional reporting by Sam Tabahriti, editing by Paul Sandle)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON (Reuters) -British actress Prunella Scales, best known for playing the formidable Sybil Fawlty in comedy show "Fawlty Towers", has died age 93, her sons said in a statement on Tuesday. Sybil was the wife of John Cleese's Basil Fawlty, in the show's two series made in 1975 and 1979. Set in a dysfunctional hotel in the seaside resort of Torquay, it became one of Britain's best-known comedies and was shown around the world. It continues to be broadcast and referenced in popular culture now. "Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday," her two sons said in a statement. "She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died." Scales was married to actor Timothy West for 61 years. He died last November. She had been suffering from dementia. Fawlty Towers was named as the greatest ever British TV sitcom by the Radio Times magazine in 2019. It was developed into a theatre production in Australia in 2016, and it moved to London's West End in 2024. In the show, Sybil was often on the phone saying "Ooooh I knoooow", her braying laugh described by Basil's character as akin to "someone machine-gunning a seal". Her seven-decade acting career included multiple roles from the 1950s, including in 1960s sitcom "Marriage Lines". She starred in the 1992 Oscar-winning film "Howards End" alongside her son, the actor Samuel West. In the 2010s, Scales and her husband travelled on their narrowboat in the "Great Canal Journeys" TV series. She was born in Surrey in 1932 and started her acting career at The Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol. (Reporting by Sarah Young; additional reporting by Sam Tabahriti, editing by Paul Sandle)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON (Reuters) -British actress Prunella Scales, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in comedy show "Fawlty Towers", has died age 93, her sons said in a statement on Tuesday. Scales' seven-decade acting career saw her in multiple roles from the 1950s, including in 1960s sitcom "Marriage Lines", before she played the domineering Sybil, wife of John Cleese's Basil Fawlty, in two series of Fawlty Towers in 1975 and 1979. Scales was married to actor Timothy West for 61 years. He died last November. She had been suffering from dementia. "Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday," the statement from her two sons said. "She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died." The sitcom set in a hotel in the seaside resort of Torquay show became one of Britain's best-known comedies and continues to be broadcast and referenced in popular culture. It was developed into a theatre production that moved to London's West End in 2024. (Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Paul Sandle)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON (Reuters) -British actress Prunella Scales, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in comedy show Fawlty Towers, has died age 93, the BBC reported on Tuesday. (Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Paul Sandle)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Rapper Flavor Flav has been tasked with keeping the American bobsleigh and skeleton team's spirits high at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, following his high-profile support of the country's water polo team at last year's Paris Games. Flav, a founding member of hip hop group Public Enemy, was appointed official sponsor and hype man for USA Bobsled/Skeleton (USABS) on Tuesday. "The partnership is a blessing. It's cooler than Cool Runnings. It's Coolest Runnings," said Flav, born William Jonathan Drayton, referencing the highly successful movie about the Jamaican bobsleigh team. In addition to cheering the U.S. women's water polo team to fourth place in Paris, he joined Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, the husband of tennis great Serena Williams, in paying discus thrower Veronica Fraley's rent after she posted about her financial issues on social media. "It's clear he has a genuine passion for sports and an authentic love for the USA team," USABS CEO Aron McGiure said in a statement. "Flavor Flav embodies the same grit, dedication, and pride that define our athletes, and we're excited to have him bring that excitement to our team and fans across the country." The Winter Games run from February 6-22. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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(Reuters) -Paramount Skydance plans to keep much of Warner Bros Discovery intact if the two companies merge, with CEO David Ellison aiming to retain creative teams at both studios while streamlining marketing and distribution, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The companies did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Last week, Reuters reported Warner Bros board rejected a nearly $60 billion offer from Paramount. No decisions have been made on whether Paramount would divest real estate assets tied to either company, the Bloomberg report said, citing people familiar with the matter, adding that under Ellison's plan, Warner Bros' HBO Max streaming service would merge into the existing Paramount+ platform. There are no plans to sell or spin off the cable networks of either business, the report added. Although Paramount's CBS News could potentially share resources with Warner Bros' CNN news division, according to the report. Ellison also aims to leverage emerging technologies and artificial intelligence to ramp up production, targeting 30 films annually across the combined entities, the report said. Warner Bros, the studio behind the "Harry Potter" and DC Comics film franchises, announced that it would explore its options for the sale of the company. David Ellison's Paramount Skydance is seen as the top contender to buy Warner Bros Discovery, with analysts and experts saying the tech scion's access to deep pockets and Washington ties give him an edge in what could be the media industry's biggest merger in years. (Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Paramount Skydance plans to keep much of Warner Bros Discovery intact if the two companies merge, with CEO David Ellison aiming to retain creative teams at both studios while streamlining marketing and distribution, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The companies did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Last week, Reuters reported Warner Bros board rejected a nearly $60 billion offer from Paramount. No decisions have been made on whether Paramount would divest real estate assets tied to either company, the Bloomberg report said, citing people familiar with the matter, adding that under Ellison's plan, Warner Bros' HBO Max streaming service would merge into the existing Paramount+ platform. There are no plans to sell or spin off the cable networks of either business, the report added. Although Paramount's CBS News could potentially share resources with Warner Bros' CNN news division, according to the report. Ellison also aims to leverage emerging technologies and artificial intelligence to ramp up production, targeting 30 films annually across the combined entities, the report said. Warner Bros, the studio behind the "Harry Potter" and DC Comics film franchises, announced that it would explore its options for the sale of the company. David Ellison's Paramount Skydance is seen as the top contender to buy Warner Bros Discovery, with analysts and experts saying the tech scion's access to deep pockets and Washington ties give him an edge in what could be the media industry's biggest merger in years. (Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)